Virtual pet systems, methods, and programs

Abstract

The present invention provides a virtual pet system, method, and program that allows users to view a virtual pet of the same individual, displayed on each user's terminal in a way that makes it appear as if they are keeping a real animal in their office, ensuring that each user perceives it as unique. [Solution] The virtual pet system 1 comprises a terminal management unit 121 that manages the user terminals 20 of each of the multiple users participating in the system 1, a location information management unit 122 that manages the location information of each of the multiple users, and a display management unit 120 that manages the display of the set virtual pet VP for each of the user terminals 20 of the multiple users. The virtual pet VP is managed uniquely for each identified individual and is movable within the digital space. The display management unit 120 displays the virtual pet VP in different ways according to the location and orientation of each of the user terminals 20 of the multiple users included in the location information.

Description

[[Technical Field]]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a virtual pet system, method and program. [[Background Art]]

[0002] In recent years, in organizations such as companies, healthcare management for employees has been called for. For example, many companies have issued "health declarations", and some have defined that "the health of each individual employee is the driving force behind customer value competition" and "health is not merely the absence of illness, but a state of physical and mental fulfillment". On the other hand, after the COVID-19 pandemic, telework has become established and the number of people working in telework is increasing. During telework, people often do not know when to take a break, tend to stay in front of a PC (personal computer) for a long time or work until late, and there are also concerns that fatigue will accumulate. It has also been pointed out that it is difficult to find timing for breaks or casual chats with adjacent colleagues not only during telework but also when going to the office and working in an office where multiple people work.

[0003] In response to such a situation, it is necessary to have healing time that allows people to relax and feel warmed even during working hours. However, most short-term mood changes are performed spontaneously, such as exercising or drinking a beverage, which often do not provide effective healing. In addition, as for the healing effect, there are cases where companies keep pets such as cats in the workplace, but when there are a large number of employees, if real animals are allowed to roam freely in the company, in addition to costs for their care and food, countermeasures such as allergy prevention are also required for some employees.

[0004] Therefore, the idea of ​​replacing real pets with virtual pets has been proposed. Regarding virtual pets, for example, an invention has been disclosed in which multiple users own virtual pets by storing attribute parameters on a memory card, and by loading these attribute parameters into a device, each user's virtual pet is displayed as an image on a screen shared by multiple users simultaneously. Then, the system receives instructions from each user via touch on the screen or voice input to a microphone, and operates these virtual pets, updating their attribute parameters to personalize them, thereby creating an environment among users of the system that is similar to, for example, walking a pet in a park and meeting other pet owners (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2004-141544 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] However, in this prior art, an image of a virtual pet is displayed on a single screen shared by multiple users simultaneously. If there are multiple screens being shared, the same virtual pet image is displayed on each screen in the same manner. As a result, the simultaneous display of the same virtual pet in the same manner by multiple users has the problem of lacking realism.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a virtual pet system, method, and program that allows users to view a virtual pet of the same individual as a unique individual, displayed through each user's terminal, in a manner that simulates the presence of a real animal in the office. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] From one perspective, the present invention is a virtual pet system for managing virtual pets in a digital space managed by an organization, A terminal management unit manages the user terminals of multiple users participating in the virtual pet system, A location information management unit manages the location information of each of the aforementioned multiple users, The system includes a display management unit that manages the display of the configured virtual pet on each of the user terminals of the aforementioned multiple users, Each virtual pet is uniquely managed for each identified individual and is capable of moving within the digital space. The display management unit discloses a virtual pet system that displays the virtual pet in different ways depending on the location and orientation of each of the user terminals of the multiple users included in the location information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a virtual pet system, method, and program in which a virtual pet of the same individual is displayed on each user's terminal in a way that makes it clear that it is unique, as if a real animal were being kept in the office. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of the overall configuration of a virtual pet system according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] This is an illustrative diagram (part 1) of a virtual pet system. [Figure 3] This is an illustrative diagram (part 2) of the virtual pet system. [Figure 4] This is an illustrative diagram (part 3) of the virtual pet system. [Figure 5] This is an illustrative diagram (part 4) of the virtual pet system. [Figure 6] This is an illustrative diagram (part 5) of the virtual pet system. [Figure 7] This is one example of how a virtual pet system works. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] The embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0012] (Overall configuration of Virtual Pet System 1) Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall configuration of the virtual pet system 1 according to this embodiment.

[0013] Virtual Pet System 1, as described below, is a system for managing virtual pets in a digital space managed by an organization. In a company (an example of an organization), it displays a virtual pet VP on the user terminal 20 of an employee (an example of a user). In Virtual Pet System 1, the virtual pet VP can move around through each employee's user terminal 20, appearing on each person's user terminal 20 in a manner similar to keeping a real animal in the office 21, providing opportunities to take a break or to talk with other employees.

[0014] Organizations to which this embodiment may be applied include, for example, private companies as well as public or administrative service providers. An example of the display of a virtual pet VP will be explained later with reference to Figures 2 to 6, using a company as an example, but it can be modified within a reasonable range depending on the characteristics of each organization to which the virtual pet system 1 is applied.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, the virtual pet system 1 includes a server device 10 and a user terminal 20. Although one server device 10 is illustrated in FIG. 1, the virtual pet system 1 may, for specific applications, as necessary, be configured with the server device 10 implemented by a plurality of server devices. Further, in FIG. 1, as a mode indicating the locations where user terminals 20 are arranged, two cases of an office 21 and telework 22 are illustrated, which means that employees participating in a digital space managed by a company that has introduced the present system are included. The former office 21 refers to work styles that require employees to go to work, such as in-office work or regular work, while the latter telework refers to work styles that do not require going to work, such as remote work at home, mobile work, satellite / coworking, and workation. Regardless of the name of the work style or the difference in employment form, the virtual pet system 1 broadly includes employees participating therein.

[0016] Department A and Department B in the office 21 and telework 22 represent organizational work units in the relevant company, regardless of their names such as department, section, team, group, or task force. Of course, the number of departments is not limited to two; it may be one or three or more.

[0017] In FIG. 1, user terminals 20 located within the office 21 are divided into Department A and Department B, which are respectively referred to as user terminals 21A and user terminals 21B. Further, personal computers 20 related to telework 22 are divided into Department A and Department B, which are respectively referred to as user terminals 22A and user terminals 22B.

[0018] In the office 21, the server device 10, the user terminal 21A and the user terminal 21B are communicatively connected via a LAN 30 (Local Area Network). In the telework location 22, the server device 10, the user terminal 22A and the user terminal 22B are communicatively connected via a network 32 using, for example, WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) / SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) 31. The network may include, for example, a wireless communication network for mobile phones, the Internet, a VPN (Virtual Private Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), a wired network, or any combination of these.

[0019] It should be noted that, in the following description, the virtual pet system 1 will be described as being introduced and operated in a company to which the system is applied, that is, the system is set on the company's own server device 10. However, since an external service providing organization may also provide the system, in such a case, the server device 10, the user terminal 21A and the user terminal 21B in the office 21 may also be communicatively connected via the network 32.

[0020] The server device 10 may be configured to cover the entire company to which the system is applied, or may be provided for specific areas, for different head office / branch stores, or for different buildings according to the company's organizational structure. The server device 10 is formed by, for example, a server computer, but may also be implemented by a plurality of server computers. In this case, the server device 10 may be implemented through cooperation of a plurality of server computers disposed at different locations from each other.

[0021] In the present embodiment, as described above, the organization to which the system is applied may include not only private companies but also public or administrative service providing organizations. In the following, a company (the industry is arbitrary and not particularly limited) will be taken as an example for description.

[0022] The server device 10 is a server that provides the virtual pet system 1, but it may also be used in conjunction with other existing or newly installed servers used for services (purposes) other than the said system. The server device 10 includes a processing unit 12 and a storage unit 13, and the description of each part will follow after the description of the functions of the virtual pet system 1, which will be described later.

[0023] The individual user terminals 21A / 21B and 22A / 22B that make up user terminal 20 may be fixed terminals such as personal computers, or portable terminals such as tablets and smartphones, as described later. In the functions of the virtual pet system 1 described below, user terminals 20, 21A / 21B, and 22A / 22B will be represented by personal computers and referred to as personal computer 20, personal computer 21A / 21B, personal computer 22A / 22B, etc.

[0024] (Functions of Virtual Pet System 1) Before explaining how the virtual pet VP according to this embodiment is realized and describing the various parts of the server device 10, the functions of the virtual pet system 1 in this embodiment will be explained with reference to Figures 2 to 6. Note that, for the sake of clarity, the following explanation and each figure uses a personal computer 20 as the user terminal 20; however, as mentioned above, the user terminal 20 is not limited to a personal computer 20.

[0025] The functions of the virtual pet system 1 will be explained by dividing them into the following categories: [Appearance Method], [Appearance Conditions and Display Method], [Additional Functions], and [Appearance Image], regarding the manner in which the virtual pet VP appears and is displayed on the screen of the employee's PC 20.

[0026] [How to appear] (1) Creating a realistic animal-like appearance Instead of the same virtual pet VP being displayed simultaneously in the same manner on the screens of all employees' computers 20, the screens of each person's computer 20 are linked, and the uniquely managed virtual pet VP for each identified individual moves around the screens of multiple computers 20 in the office, appearing on one computer 20's screen as if it had moved from another computer 20's screen. In this embodiment, this mode is referred to as "sharing" of the same virtual pet VP by multiple employees.

[0027] The "sharing" aspect includes a mode in which, when a virtual pet VP of the same individual is displayed on one employee's computer 20 screen, it is not displayed on the computer 20 screens of employees who are seated far away from that employee, or is displayed as if it were far away. To elaborate on the latter, if the entire virtual pet VP is displayed on one employee's computer 20 screen, the virtual pet VP will be displayed relatively smaller on the computer 20 screens of employees seated far away, while ensuring that there are no inconsistencies in the movement or orientation of the virtual pet VP, and reflecting the distance between the two.

[0028] The entire body of the virtual pet VP is not always displayed on the screen of computer 20. Instead, the display shows the VP in transit from one computer 20 to another, or in a state where it is stopped midway through the transit. To elaborate on the former, for example, when moving from one computer 20 to another, only the nose may be displayed on the other computer 20's screen, while only the tail is displayed on the first computer 20's screen. This is referred to as the "display method" of the virtual pet VP.

[0029] Virtual pet VPs move like real animals, performing "animal-specific actions" such as following a cursor whose position changes based on employee input with their eyes, approaching and trying to touch it with their front paws, and approaching in a way that follows the speed and direction of the cursor's position change (walking, running, jumping, etc.).

[0030] (2) Setting the number of individuals The number of virtual pet VPs can be set based on factors such as the size of the office, the number of employees, the room situation, and the agreement of employees in each department. For example, it may be set to one or more for the entire company, one or more for each of departments A or B, or one or more for each of departments A or B only. If two or more are set for each department, each will be set as a different individual, and the same individual will not be set up in more than one instance. Also, if set up on a departmental basis, it is not necessary to set them up in all departments. In other words, some departments may not have virtual pet VPs, and virtual pet VPs may be set up in at least one department. Thus, virtual pet VPs can be owned company-wide or on a departmental basis, depending on the organization of the company.

[0031] In addition to treating a single virtual pet (VP) as a single entity, depending on the type of animal, multiple virtual pets (VPs) may be treated as a single entity, such as a male and female pair, a family with offspring, or a herd.

[0032] When a virtual pet (VP) is set up for each department (also called a "department-owned pet"), it will generally move within that department, but it may be moved to other departments under certain conditions (for example, from department A to department B, or from department B to department A). This aspect relates to the "restriction of movement" of department-owned pets, but for example, if an employee is transferred to another department due to a personnel change, the department-owned pet from the previous department may be moved to the employee's PC 20 in the other department to check in on them.

[0033] (3) Types of settings There are no particular restrictions on the types of animals that can be adopted as virtual pet VPs; any type of real-world animal can be chosen. In the real world, dogs and cats are said to be the most common pets kept in homes, but for virtual pet VPs, the type can be determined by the company and each department based on employee agreement.

[0034] In this regard, the types of animals may include, for example, imaginary animals such as kappa, dragons, and Godzilla (registered trademark), as well as mascot characters or yuru-chara based on animals. Whether they are real animals or imaginary animals, when they are made into virtual pet VPs, they will be modified to be more familiar as pets, and their movements will be configured to be realistic based on the generally recognized characters of each species.

[0035] The virtual pet VP may be configured to change its type. For example, it may be set to change daily or at regular intervals. As for the type, for example, dogs and cats may be set alternately, or if dogs are set continuously or intermittently, the breed of dog may be changed each time, or if cats are set continuously or intermittently, the breed of cat may be changed each time.

[0036] [Appearance conditions and display method] (1) Specify the timing of appearance Virtual pets (VPs) may appear only during certain time periods. For example, they may appear from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM to coincide with employee break times, or from 5:30 PM to 6:00 PM to coincide with the end of the workday.

[0037] In addition, the virtual pet VP may appear at times that reflect the actual life cycle (habits) of the animal being used. For example, it may appear when the animal is hungry, such as at lunchtime or snack time, or when it wants to play. These times do not have to be the same every day; multiple patterns may be prepared and determined randomly, and these patterns may be automatically generated.

[0038] (2) Appearance / non-appearance in response to employee requests When an employee wants a virtual pet VP to appear, they can input commands into computer 20 to request that the virtual pet VP be summoned. If multiple people summon the same virtual pet VP, it may appear on each computer 20 in the order in which it was summoned, or the order in which it appears may be randomly determined based on multiple summons made within a certain period of time.

[0039] On the other hand, if an employee does not want the virtual pet VP to appear, for example, during customer service or troubleshooting, and the appearance of the virtual pet VP is inappropriate for business purposes, the employee may instruct the virtual pet VP to go to another employee's computer 20 or to skip their own computer 20 by inputting commands into computer 20. Alternatively, a flag may be set in advance to prevent the virtual pet VP from appearing.

[0040] Furthermore, to further enhance the realism of the animals, you may consider recreating their capriciousness and moods, and set them to ignore requests with a certain probability, so that they may not come even when called. Alternatively, you may set them to only come if the number of requests exceeds a certain threshold.

[0041] (3) Appearance due to dispatch When an employee notices that another employee (e.g., Mr. / Ms. XX) is feeling down, that employee may use their own computer 20 to send a dispatch request, for example, "Go to Mr. / Ms. XX's computer 20," to dispatch a virtual pet VP to Mr. / Ms. XX's computer 20. In this case, the dispatch request from the employee may be configured not to be ignored.

[0042] Furthermore, an employee may use their computer 20 to request the dispatch of a virtual pet VP to another employee (including other employees in other departments) to deliver documents or messages on an errand. In this case, if the other employee sends a thank-you message or reply for the errand, the other employee may return the virtual pet VP to the employee to convey these messages.

[0043] (4) Appearance during the meeting The employee in charge of the meeting may use their own computer 20 to make a virtual pet VP appear on the displays in the meeting room or on the screens of the meeting participants' computers 20, to lighten the mood or remind them of the meeting's end time.

[0044] (5) Appearance accompanied by others If an employee currently has a virtual pet VP appearing on their computer 20 screen, the computer 20 may be used to allow the employee to move to another location and have the virtual pet VP accompany them to that location. For example, when the employee specifies a destination, the virtual pet VP may appear on the screen of the computer 20 at that destination, or on the screen of a display in a conference room or on a digital signage display installed next to a vending machine, etc. The method of making the virtual pet VP appear on a digital signage display installed next to a vending machine, etc., has the implication that it can be made to appear when an employee takes a break during work.

[0045] (6) Alternative appearances When an employee is on a business trip or on leave due to illness or injury and does not have their computer 20 in Office 21 turned on, the virtual pet VP may be displayed on the screen of the company-issued mobile phone (smartphone) provided to the employee as an alternative.

[0046] [Additional Features] In addition to the various functions described above, the following distinctive additional functions may also be included. (1) Linking with attendance records The virtual pet VP could be linked to employee attendance records. For example, employees who leave work on time on days when early departure is permitted could be rewarded with the right to perform a specific action on their virtual pet VP from a pre-configured set of actions, such as feeding it, teaching it tricks, or equipping it with accessories, decorations, or clothing.

[0047] (2) Relationship with pets at home If an employee who keeps a pet at home registers their pet, a virtual pet VP (Virtual Player) consisting of the same type of animal as the registered real pet may appear on the employee's computer screen when they come to work.

[0048] (3) Employee health management From the perspective of employee health management, the status of employees may be monitored through cameras installed on PC 20. If there is no key input for a certain period of time, or if the camera observes that the employee is looking down or has their eyelids closed, and drowsiness is detected or suspected, the employee in charge of health management may input on their own PC 20, or if the situation has persisted for a certain period of time or other predetermined conditions are met, the virtual pet VP may be automatically displayed on the screen of the employee's PC 20. In this case, the virtual pet VP may be set to speak at an appropriate volume.

[0049] Furthermore, from a stress management perspective, the virtual pet VP may be automatically set to appear on the displays in the meeting room or on the screens of the attendees' personal computers 20 when conversation is not active during a meeting and silence persists for a certain period of time, or when the speaker's tone is strong and a certain volume is detected.

[0050] [Image of appearance] The following explains examples of how virtual pet VPs (Virtual Pets) might appear, referring to Figures 2 through 6. While these figures use "cats" as an example of virtual pet VPs, as mentioned earlier, the type of animal is not limited to "cats."

[0051] (1) Patterns of appearance on the computer screen Figure 2 illustrates the appearance patterns of the virtual pet VP on the screen of one computer 20 (21A / 21B / 22A / 22B). These appearance patterns are set regardless of the location of the computer 20 (whether it is in office 21 or teleworking 22, or whether it belongs to department A or department B). In the figure, (a) shows an example where the pet appears from the right side of the screen to the left side (of course, it may also appear from the left side to the right side), (b) shows an example where the pet appears from the top of the screen to the bottom (of course, it may also appear from the bottom to the top), and (c) shows an example where only one front paw appears first from the right side of the screen (of course, only part or all of the head may appear first, and in the case of backing away, only the tail or only one of the hind legs may appear first).

[0052] In Figure 2, the virtual pet VP is illustrated with (a) a side view, (b) a top view, and (c) a bottom view. However, the relationship between these viewpoints and the direction from which the virtual pet VP appears or the parts that appear first on the screen is not fixed, but should be depicted in a way that contributes to the expression of realism.

[0053] (2) Movement on the screen Figure 3 shows the movement of the virtual pet VP on the screen of one computer 20 (21A / 21B / 22A / 22B) as Pattern Example 1. In Pattern Example 1, (a) the virtual pet VP appears from the right side of the screen with its head showing, then (b) the front half of its body appears, (c) the whole body appears, (d) it stops and turns to face the employee, and then (e) only the back half of its body remains, crosses the screen and leaves from the left side of the screen. The virtual pet VP may simply pass by the screen, or it may stop and turn around midway as in (d), or, as mentioned above, it may take action toward the cursor.

[0054] Figure 4 shows, as Pattern Example 2, the movement of the virtual pet VP when an active window W is open on the screen of PC 20 (21A / 21B / 22A / 22B) in the case of Figure 3. In such a case, as shown in the figure, the virtual pet VP may pass behind window W from (c) to (d). Here, in Figure 4 (d), unlike Figure 3 (d), the virtual pet VP is shown passing by without stopping and turning to face the employee. However, it may also be made to turn around after passing window W, or turn around when window W is moved to create space.

[0055] (3) Movement across multiple computers within Office 21 Figure 5 shows the movement of a virtual pet VP across the screens of multiple PCs 20 (21A / 21B) located side-by-side within Office 21. The same virtual pet VP does not appear simultaneously in the same form on each employee's PC. To illustrate this point, Figure 5 illustrates a case where the front half of the virtual pet VP is displayed on PC (b), the back half on PC (c), and it is not displayed on PC (a). This indicates that the virtual pet VP is moving from PC (c) to PC (b), making it appear as if a real animal is walking around Office 21.

[0056] Unlike in Figure 5, in cases such as when two personal computers 20 are facing each other (not shown), the right and left halves of the virtual pet VP may be displayed separately on the two personal computers 20, or the front and back views may be displayed separately on the two personal computers 20. Thus, in this embodiment, since the virtual pet VP is managed uniquely for each identified individual, it will be displayed in different ways depending on the position and orientation of the multiple personal computers 20.

[0057] (4) When one unit is set in each category Figure 6 shows the movement of a virtual pet VP across the screens of multiple PCs 20 (21A / 21B) located within Office 21 and the screens of multiple PCs 20 (22A / 22B) related to telework 22 in Department A or Department B. The same virtual pet VP does not appear simultaneously in the same manner on each employee's PC. In this regard, Figure 6 illustrates a case where, when the entire body of the virtual pet VP is displayed on the screen of PC 20 (22A / 22B) related to telework 22 (d), the virtual pet VP is not displayed on PCs 20 (21A / 21B) located within Office 21 as shown in Figures 5(a), (b), and (c). Of course, in this case, the virtual pet VP is not displayed on the screens of the other PCs 20 (22A / 22B) related to telework 22 either.

[0058] (Components of server device 10) Next, referring again to Figure 1, we will further explain the configuration of each component of the server device 10, supplementing the functions of the virtual pet system 1 described with reference to Figures 2 through 6.

[0059] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 1, the server device 10 may include, as a processing unit 12, a display management unit 120, a terminal management unit 121, a location information management unit 122, and a reward granting unit 123, depending on the function of the virtual pet system 1, and as a storage unit 13, an employee information storage unit 130, a pet information storage unit 131, and a department information storage unit 132. Each part of the processing unit 12 can be implemented by the CPU of the server computer executing a program. The storage unit 13 can be implemented by the storage device of the server computer.

[0060] First, I will explain the employee information, pet information, and departmental information stored in the memory unit 13. This information is used to realize the functions of the virtual pet system 1 described above.

[0061] The employee information storage unit 130 stores the following items as employee information, as shown in Table 1.

[0062] [Table 1]

[0063] The pet information storage unit 131 stores the following items as pet information, as shown in Table 2.

[0064] [Table 2]

[0065] The departmental information storage unit 132 stores the following items as departmental information, as shown in Table 3.

[0066] [Table 3]

[0067] Each part of the processing unit 12 performs the necessary processing based on this stored information, as follows:

[0068] The display management unit 120 registers employees (users) who use the virtual pet system 1, manages the display of the configured virtual pet VP on each of the multiple employees' (users') personal computers 20 (user terminals), and displays a unique virtual pet VP according to predetermined conditions, which can be moved through each of the multiple employees' (users') personal computers 20 (user terminals) included in the employee's (user's) location information. The virtual pet is displayed in different ways depending on the position and orientation of each of the multiple employees' (users') personal computers 20 (user terminals). Here, each virtual pet VP is managed uniquely for each identified individual and can move within the digital space, which means that a virtual pet VP of the same individual is a single entity across all the personal computers 20 participating in this system. For example, when moving between two side-by-side personal computers 20, only the front half is displayed on one personal computer 20, and only the back half is displayed on the other personal computer 20.

[0069] The display management unit 120 can display a virtual pet VP to a specific employee's (user's) PC 20 (user terminal) based on input from one employee's (user's) PC 20 (user terminal), and / or automatically according to the respective situations of multiple employees (users). Here, being able to display a virtual pet VP means that one employee can send a virtual pet VP to the PC 20 of another employee (Mr. / Ms. XX) who is feeling unwell, or that one employee can send a virtual pet VP to another employee (including other employees in other departments) on an errand to deliver documents or messages.

[0070] A virtual pet VP can be set up to correspond to at least one of multiple departments (department A / department B) if the organization consists of multiple departments, and the display management unit 120 will display a unique virtual pet VP for each of the multiple departments. Here, each of the multiple departments may be department A within office 21, department B within office 21, department A related to telework 22, department B related to telework 22, or department A that combines office 21 and telework 22, or department B that combines office 21 and telework 22.

[0071] Furthermore, if, for example, a virtual pet VP is set up in department A but not in department B, under certain conditions, the virtual pet VP from department A may be moved to department B and displayed on PCs 22A / 22B.

[0072] The display management unit 120 ensures that the virtual pet VP is displayed exclusively on each employee's (user's) PC 20, as well as on display terminals that can be used in common by multiple employees (users). Here, display terminals that can be used in common by multiple employees (users) include, for example, a display in a conference room that attendees can view together, or digital signage attached to a vending machine in a break area.

[0073] In addition to the above, the server device 10 may further include a reward granting unit 123 that grants rewards to employees (users) who have achieved specified actions regarding healthcare (health management) within the company (organization), allowing them to perform specific actions with the virtual pet VP.

[0074] A specific action may be selectable from multiple actions on the virtual pet VP. In this case, the display management unit 120 may display the process of the specific action selected by the user from the multiple actions, as well as the subsequent virtual pet VP, only on the personal computer 20 (user terminal) of the employee (user) to whom the benefit has been granted.

[0075] Furthermore, from the perspective of promoting healthcare (health management), it may be useful to allow other employees to view the process of granting benefits and the results of granting them. Therefore, the display management unit 120 may also display the process of a specific action being performed and the subsequent virtual pet VP on other employees' PCs 20. This allows other employees to view the virtual pet VP being fed, taught tricks, or wearing accessories.

[0076] The terminal management unit 121 manages the personal computers 20 (user terminals) of multiple employees (users) participating in the virtual pet system 1. In addition to the personal computers 20 (21A / 21B / 22A / 22B) in the office 21 and the telework 22, it also manages company-owned mobile terminals etc. owned by the employee associated with the personal computer 20 so that the virtual pet VP can be displayed as an alternative when the personal computer 20 is not started for any reason (business trip, vacation, etc.).

[0077] The location information management unit 122 manages the location information of each of the multiple employees (users). The location information includes the employee's seating position within the office 21 and whether or not they are teleworking 22. In some cases, employees may use a combination of office work and teleworking 22, so if this is the case, the location information also includes whether or not they are on office work or teleworking 22 schedules.

[0078] Here, regarding seating locations within Office 21 for office work, if seats are unique to each employee, employee locations may be managed using seating chart information with pre-set locations and orientations. Alternatively, if seats are free-address and change daily or over time, employee locations may be dynamically managed by acquiring beacon information related to PCs 20 obtained using beacons installed within Office 21. The orientation of PCs 20 may be determined based on a pre-determined seating chart within Office 21, or based on a seating chart in a digital space created from beacon information and the seating chart. Furthermore, the distinction between office work and telework 22 may be determined by dynamically acquiring the movement of PCs 20 using GPS information. The seating chart information mentioned above may include the location and orientation of desks and / or chairs, and assuming that PCs 20 are placed on desks, the orientation of PCs 20 may be determined to conform to the location and orientation of desks and / or chairs. If PCs 20 can acquire their own location and orientation, this information may be acquired from PCs 20 as part of the seating chart information.

[0079] Furthermore, the location information management unit 122 may also have a function to edit information related to seating arrangements in the digital space. For example, it may have a function to arbitrarily edit information to create a seating arrangement diagram in the digital space based on seating arrangement diagrams, beacon information, and GPS information, and the display management unit 120 may determine the display mode of the virtual pet VP based on this edited information.

[0080] With the configuration described above, the virtual pet system 1 according to this embodiment displays a virtual pet VP of the same individual on each person's PC in a way that makes it appear as if they are keeping a real animal in their office, so that it is clear that each person's virtual pet VP is unique.

[0081] (Example of operation of Virtual Pet System 1) Next, with reference to Figure 7, an example of the operation of the virtual pet system 1 will be explained. Since many of the functions described above are performed automatically in this system, here we will show an example of operation in which the virtual pet VP is displayed based on input operations by an employee (user).

[0082] Figure 7 is a timing chart showing an example of the operation of the virtual pet system 1. This example is implemented as a method for displaying the virtual pet VP through each step described below, and as a program to be executed by a computer that displays the virtual pet VP through the processing related to each step.

[0083] Figure 7 schematically shows the main information exchange between one personal computer 20 and one server device 10. Here, as an example, we will focus on the case where an employee makes a request to summon a virtual pet VP, as shown in the embodiment described in Figure 5 above. The case where one personal computer 20 and one server device 10 cooperate is shown, but as shown in Figure 5, personal computers 21A / 21B related to (a), (b), and (c) within the office 21 are involved, so the distinction will be indicated as necessary.

[0084] First, in step S100, an employee (for example, an employee using the personal computer 21A / 21B related to Figure 5(a)) makes a request to the server device 10 so that the virtual pet VP will be displayed on their personal computer 21A / 21B.

[0085] In step S102, the server device 10 instructs the PC 21A / 21B of an employee who made a request to display the virtual pet VP. However, here, to explain how the virtual pet VP moves between PCs 20 as shown in Figure 5, the virtual pet VP is first instructed to appear and be displayed on the PC 21A / 21B related to Figure 5(c). The PC 21A / 21B on which it first appears can be set arbitrarily.

[0086] In step S104, based on instructions from the server device 10, the virtual pet VP appears and is displayed on the personal computers 21A / 21B shown in Figure 5(c).

[0087] Subsequently, in step S106, based on instructions from the server device 10, the virtual pet VP does not move directly from (c) to (a) in Figure 5, but rather moves to the PC 21A / 21B related to (b) as the shortest route based on the employee's location information, for example, and is displayed. In Figure 5, the virtual pet VP is shown in the process of moving from (c) to (b).

[0088] Subsequently, in step S108, the virtual pet VP moves from (b) to (a) in Figure 5 and is displayed. In Figure 5, the virtual pet VP is shown in the process of moving from (c) to (b), so (a) indicates that it has not yet arrived.

[0089] Although each embodiment has been described in detail above, the invention is not limited to any particular embodiment, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope described in the claims. Furthermore, it is possible to combine all or more of the components of the embodiments described above.

[0090] For example, in the embodiment described above, the virtual pet VP is an animal-derived pet (companion animal), but in a broader sense, it may also be derived from plants or artificial creations (such as robots). In this case, depending on the virtual pet VP adopted, anthropomorphism or the use of a means of transport may be combined so that it can move between employees' PCs 20.

[0091] Furthermore, while the above-described embodiment focuses on virtual pet videography (VP), companies that keep real animals as pets may use a system that combines virtual pet VP with their actual pets. For example, a real pet could be filmed, the video processed, and then displayed superimposed visually with the virtual pet VP.

[0092] Furthermore, while the above-described embodiment explains the case where the processing unit 12 and the storage unit 13 are provided on a single server device 10 of the company introducing the system, if the virtual pet system 1 is provided by an external service provider, the processing unit 12 and the storage unit 13 may be distributed between the service provider and the company introducing the system, and the individual parts of the processing unit 12 and the individual parts of the storage unit 13 may also be distributed to suit the structure of the service provider and the company introducing the system. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0093] 1. Virtual Pet System 10 Server devices 12 Processing Units 120 Display management department 121 Terminal Management Department 122 Location information management department 123 Special Offer Section 13 Storage section 130 Employee Information Storage Department 131 Pet Information Storage Unit 132 Department information storage section 20 User Terminals 21 Office 21A User terminal (in department A within the office) 21B User terminal (in department B within the office) 22 Telework 22A User terminal (in Department A for teleworking) 22B User terminal (in Department B for teleworking) 30 LAN 31 WiFi / SIM 32 Networks VP Virtual Pet W Window

Claims

1. A virtual pet system for managing virtual pets in a digital space managed by an organization, A terminal management unit manages the user terminals of multiple users participating in the virtual pet system, A location information management unit manages the location information of each of the aforementioned multiple users, The system includes a display management unit that manages the display of the configured virtual pet on each of the user terminals of the aforementioned multiple users, Each virtual pet is uniquely managed for each identified individual and is capable of moving within the digital space. The display management unit is a virtual pet system that displays the virtual pet in different ways according to the location and orientation of each of the user terminals of the multiple users included in the location information.

2. The virtual pet system according to claim 1, wherein the display management unit can display the virtual pet to a specific user's user terminal by dispatching it based on input from one user's user terminal and / or automatically according to the status of each of the multiple users.

3. If the organization consists of multiple departments, the virtual pet is set up to correspond to at least one of the multiple departments. The virtual pet system according to claim 1, wherein the display management unit displays the virtual pet uniquely for each of the multiple departments.

4. The virtual pet system according to claim 1, wherein the display management unit uniquely displays the virtual pet on each of the user terminals of the multiple users, as well as on a display terminal that can be used in common by the multiple users.

5. The virtual pet system according to claim 1, further comprising a reward granting unit that grants a reward to a user who has achieved a specified action regarding healthcare in the said organization, allowing the user to perform a specific action on the virtual pet.

6. The aforementioned specific action can be selected from a plurality of actions for the virtual pet, The virtual pet system according to claim 5, wherein the display management unit displays the process of performing the specific action selected by the user from the plurality of actions, and the virtual pet thereafter, only on the user terminal of the user to whom the benefit has been granted.

7. A method for running a virtual pet system on a computer to manage virtual pets in a digital space managed by an organization, A terminal management step for managing the user terminals of multiple users participating in the virtual pet system, A location information management step for managing the location information of each of the aforementioned multiple users, The system includes a display management step for managing the display of the configured virtual pet on each of the user terminals of the aforementioned multiple users, Each virtual pet is uniquely managed for each identified individual and is capable of moving within the digital space. The display management step is a method for displaying the virtual pet in different ways according to the location and orientation of each of the user terminals of the multiple users included in the location information.

8. A program that causes a computer to run a virtual pet system for managing virtual pets in a digital space managed by an organization, A terminal management process that manages the user terminals of each of the multiple users participating in the virtual pet system, A location information management process that manages the location information of each of the aforementioned multiple users, The system includes a display management process that manages the display of the configured virtual pet on each of the user terminals of the aforementioned multiple users, Each virtual pet is uniquely managed for each identified individual and is capable of moving within the digital space. The display management process is a program that displays the virtual pet in different ways according to the location and orientation of each of the user terminals of the multiple users included in the location information.

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