Information processing device, wireless terminal, and information processing method

Abstract

To facilitate communication between users and healthcare professionals during face-to-face meetings conducted via a communication network. [Solution] The information processing device 1 includes a determination unit 133 that determines whether predetermined conditions for receiving a communication preferential service, which is a service that gives priority to communication in a communication network, have been met, including the execution of an interview application on the user terminal 2 for the user to conduct an interview with a medical professional via communication between the user terminal 2 used by the user and the medical professional terminal 3 used by the medical professional; and a request unit 134 that, when it is determined that the predetermined conditions have been met, requests the control device that controls the application of the communication preferential service to apply the communication preferential service to the communication.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, a wireless terminal, and an information processing method.

Background Art

[0002] A system is disclosed in which medical professionals remotely conduct interviews such as medical consultations with users via a communication network such as the Internet (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When a user and a medical professional conduct an interview via a communication network, there is a problem that communication between the user and the medical professional becomes difficult if the communication quality of the communication network deteriorates.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of these points, and an object thereof is to facilitate communication when a user and a medical professional conduct an interview via a communication network.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] An information processing device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a determination unit that determines whether predetermined conditions for receiving a communication preferential service, which is a service that gives preferential treatment to communication in a communication network, have been met, including the execution of an interview application on the user terminal for the user to conduct an interview with the medical professional via communication between the user terminal used by the user and the medical professional terminal used by the medical professional; and a request unit that, upon determining that the predetermined conditions have been met, requests a control device that controls the application of the communication preferential service to apply the communication preferential service to the communication.

[0007] The aforementioned predetermined conditions may include receiving a request from the medical professional's terminal for improvement in the quality of communication related to the interview.

[0008] The information processing device has a relay unit that relays information relating to the interview between the user terminal and the medical professional terminal by communicating with the user terminal via a first communication network and communicating with the medical professional terminal via a second communication network, and the predetermined condition includes that the voice indicated by the voice data of the medical professional received by the relay unit from the medical professional terminal as information relating to the interview indicates that the quality of the communication relating to the interview is below a predetermined quality, and the determination unit determines whether the predetermined condition has been met by determining whether the quality of the communication relating to the interview is below a predetermined quality based on the voice data of the medical professional received by the relay unit, and if the request unit determines that the predetermined condition has been met, it may request the control device to apply the communication preferential service to the communication on the second communication network.

[0009] The information processing device has a relay unit that relays information relating to the interview between the user terminal and the medical professional terminal by communicating with the user terminal via a first communication network and communicating with the medical professional terminal via a second communication network, wherein the predetermined condition includes that the image data of the user received by the relay unit from the user terminal as information relating to the interview indicates that the quality of the communication relating to the interview is below a predetermined quality, the determination unit determines whether the predetermined condition has been met by determining whether the quality of the communication relating to the interview is below the predetermined quality based on the image data received by the relay unit, and if the request unit determines that the predetermined condition has been met, it may request the control device to apply the communication preferential service to the communication on the first communication network.

[0010] The information processing device has an acquisition unit that acquires identification information to identify the purpose of the user's interview with the medical professional before the interview begins, and the predetermined condition includes that the purpose of the interview is a predetermined purpose, and the determination unit may determine whether the predetermined condition has been met by determining whether the purpose of the user's interview is a predetermined purpose based on the identification information acquired by the acquisition unit.

[0011] The acquisition unit may acquire questionnaire information showing the user's questionnaire as the identification information, and the determination unit may identify the purpose of the user's interview based on the questionnaire information acquired by the acquisition unit, and determine whether the identified purpose of the user's interview is the predetermined purpose.

[0012] The acquisition unit may acquire either medical history information showing the user's medical history or interview history information showing the history of the interview as the identification information, and the determination unit may identify the purpose of the user's interview based on the medical history information or the interview history information, and determine whether the identified purpose of the user's interview is the predetermined purpose.

[0013] The information processing device has an acquisition unit that acquires policy information from the medical professional indicating whether to prioritize images as part of the interview policy, and the predetermined condition includes that the medical professional's interview policy is to prioritize images, and the determination unit may determine whether the predetermined condition is met by determining whether the medical professional's interview policy is to prioritize images based on the policy information acquired by the acquisition unit.

[0014] The information processing device has a relay unit that relays information relating to the interview between the user terminal and the medical professional terminal by communicating with the user terminal via a first communication network and communicating with the medical professional terminal via a second communication network, and the predetermined conditions include the amount of data per unit time received from the user terminal or the medical professional terminal being greater than or equal to a predetermined amount, or the importance information indicating the importance of the received data being greater than or equal to a predetermined importance, and the determination unit determines whether the predetermined conditions have been met based on the amount of data per unit time received by the relay unit from the user terminal or the medical professional terminal, or the importance information received by the relay unit from the user terminal or the medical professional terminal, and if the request unit determines that the predetermined conditions have been met, it may request the control device to apply the communication preferential service to at least one of the communications in the first communication network and the communications in the second communication network.

[0015] The information processing device has a relay unit that relays information relating to the interview between the user terminal and the medical professional terminal, and when the requesting unit determines that the predetermined conditions have been met, it may request the control device to apply the communication preferential service to the communication between the user terminal and the information processing device.

[0016] The information processing device has a relay unit that relays information relating to the interview between the user terminal and the medical professional terminal, and when the request unit determines that the predetermined conditions have been met, it may request the control device to apply the communication preferential service to the communication between the medical professional terminal and the information processing device.

[0017] The information processing device may have a relay unit that relays information related to the interview between the user terminal and the terminal used by the user's associates and the medical professional terminal, and when it determines that the predetermined conditions have been met, it reduces the amount of data received from the associate terminal transmitted to at least one of the user terminal and the medical professional terminal.

[0018] The requesting unit may, upon the completion of the interview, request the control device to terminate the application of the preferential communication service to the communication. The request unit may transmit to the control device a request for the application of the preferential communication service, which includes user identification information for identifying the user and service identification information for identifying the services provided by the interview application.

[0019] The information processing device may further include a calculation unit that calculates the amount to be charged to at least one of the business operator providing the interview application or the medical professional, based on the application status of the communication preferential service to the communication of the user terminal.

[0020] A wireless terminal according to a second aspect of the present invention is a wireless terminal used by a user, and comprising: a determination unit that determines whether a predetermined condition for receiving application of a communication priority service, which is a service for prioritizing communication of a communication network related to communication of the wireless terminal, including that an interview application for the user to have an interview with a medical worker via communication between the wireless terminal and a medical worker terminal used by the medical worker is being executed, is satisfied; and a request unit that, when it is determined that the predetermined condition is satisfied, requests a control device that controls application of the communication priority service to apply the communication priority service to the communication.

[0021] An information processing method according to a third aspect of the present invention is executed by a computer, and comprising: a step of determining whether a predetermined condition for receiving application of a communication priority service, which is a service for prioritizing communication in a communication network, including that an interview application for a user to have an interview with a medical worker via communication between a user terminal used by the user and a medical worker terminal used by the medical worker is being executed on the user terminal, is satisfied; and a step of, when it is determined that the predetermined condition is satisfied, requesting a control device that controls application of the communication priority service to apply the communication priority service to the communication. [Effects of the Invention]

[0022] According to the present invention, it is possible to achieve the effect that communication can be facilitated when a user and a medical worker have an interview via a communication network. [Brief Description of the Drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] It is a diagram for explaining an overview of a communication system. [Figure 2] It is a diagram showing a functional configuration of an information processing apparatus. [Figure 3] It is a diagram showing an example of application history information. [Figure 4] It is a flowchart showing a flow of processing related to application of a communication priority service. [Figure 5] This is a diagram illustrating an example of conducting a medical interview that also includes the user's related parties. [Mode for Carrying Out the Invention]

[0024] [Overview of Communication System S] Figure 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of communication system S. The communication system S includes an information processing device 1, a user terminal 2, and a medical worker terminal 3, and is a system for realizing online medical interviews between a user using the user terminal 2 and a medical worker using the medical worker terminal 3.

[0025] The information processing device 1 is a computer for providing online medical services. The user terminal 2 is a wirelessly communicable terminal such as a personal computer or smartphone used by a user who utilizes the online medical service for conducting online interviews with medical workers. For example, by executing an interview application program for the user to conduct medical interviews with medical workers, the user terminal 2 can conduct medical interviews with the medical worker using the medical worker terminal 3.

[0026] The medical worker terminal 3 is a wirelessly communicable terminal such as a personal computer or smartphone used by a medical worker who provides online medical services. For example, by executing the interview application program, the medical worker terminal 3 can conduct medical interviews with the user of the user terminal 2.

[0027] The medical interview is, for example, an online medical consultation performed by a doctor as a medical worker for a user as a patient, or online medication guidance for prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs performed by a pharmacist for the user. In the following description, the medical interview is referred to as a medical interview, and the interview application is also referred to as an interview app.

[0028] The information processing device 1 relays communication between the user terminal 2 and the medical professional terminal 3 related to medical consultations. Specifically, the information processing device 1 receives image data of the user and audio data representing the user's voice transmitted from the user terminal 2 and transmits them to the medical professional terminal 3. In addition, the information processing device 1 receives image data of the medical professional and audio data representing the medical professional's voice transmitted from the medical professional terminal 3 and transmits them to the user terminal 2.

[0029] Furthermore, the information processing device 1 functions as a control device that controls the application of a communication preferential service to at least a portion of the communication between the user terminal 2 and the medical professional terminal 3. The communication preferential service is provided by a designated telecommunications carrier to the user terminal 2 of a user who uses the communication network provided by that carrier, in a 5G (5th Generation) SA (Stand Alone) area or 5G NSA (Non-Stand Alone) area developed by that carrier. The communication preferential service is a service that gives preferential treatment to the communication of user terminal 2 located in these areas compared to the communication of wireless terminals used by users who use the communication network provided by the designated telecommunications carrier but do not use the service. The communication preferential service is applied, for example, to user terminal 2 that is performing 5G communication.

[0030] A 5G SA area is an area where wireless communication is performed using, for example, dedicated communication equipment for 5G communication and 5G base stations. A 5G NSA area is an area where wireless communication is performed using, for example, dedicated communication equipment for 4G (4th Generation) communication, 4G base stations and 5G base stations.

[0031] The communication priority service is a slice network that virtually divides the communication network, and includes the application of a slice network where communication is prioritized, control that prioritizes the communication of user terminal 2 over best-effort communication, and delay guarantee that allocates wireless resources to the communication of user terminal 2 to guarantee delays and jitter within a certain period of time.

[0032] For example, if user terminal 2 is located in a 5G SA area, the communication of user terminal 2 will be subject to either throughput control, which applies a first slice network that virtually divides the communication network and guarantees a predetermined communication quality as a communication preference service, or priority control, which applies a second slice network that takes priority over best-effort communication applied to wireless terminals of users who are not using the communication preference service. Furthermore, if user terminal 2 is located in a 5G NSA area, the communication of user terminal 2 will be subject to communication control, which prioritizes the communication of user terminal 2 using the communication preference service over best-effort communication as a communication preference service.

[0033] Here, the communication network includes not only wireless communication networks but also wired core networks. Furthermore, when applying a communication priority service to a wireless terminal in a 5G SA area, the communication priority service may not include throughput control. Similar to the 5G NSA area, communication control may be applied that prioritizes the communication of user terminal 2 using the communication priority service over the communication of wireless terminals of users not using the communication priority service.

[0034] The information processing device 1 can apply preferential communication services to the communications of wireless terminals by controlling the allocation of resource blocks allocated to the communications of wireless terminals using the communication network provided in the 5G SA area or the communication network provided in the 5G NSA area. More specifically, the information processing device 1 requests the application of preferential communication services to the carrier's mobile core network, and switching of slice networks and wireless resource allocation methods is performed via the mobile core network.

[0035] The information processing device 1 applies a communication preferential service to at least a portion of the communication between the user terminal 2 and the medical professional terminal 3 when certain conditions for receiving the communication preferential service are met, including the fact that the interview application is running on the user terminal 2. In this way, communication between the user terminal 2 and the medical professional terminal 3 is given preferential treatment when an interview is conducted between a medical professional and a user, improving the communication quality. As a result, the information processing device 1 can facilitate communication between the user and the medical professional when conducting a medical interview via a communication network.

[0036] [Functional configuration of the information processing device 1] Next, the functional configuration of the information processing device 1 will be described. Figure 2 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the information processing device 1. The information processing device 1 includes a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a control unit 13.

[0037] The communication unit 11 is a communication interface for sending and receiving data with external devices such as the user terminal 2 and communication equipment that manages the communication network. The memory unit 12 is a storage medium for storing various types of data, and includes ROM, RAM, and hard disks. The memory unit 12 stores programs to be executed by the control unit 13. The memory unit 12 stores programs that cause the control unit 13 to function as an acquisition unit 131, a relay unit 132, a determination unit 133, a request unit 134, a calculation unit 135, and a billing unit 136.

[0038] The control unit 13 is, for example, a CPU. The control unit 13 functions as an acquisition unit 131, a relay unit 132, a determination unit 133, a request unit 134, a calculation unit 135, and a billing unit 136 by executing a program stored in the storage unit 12.

[0039] The acquisition unit 131 acquires identification information to identify the purpose of a medical consultation between the user of the user terminal 2 and a medical professional. For example, the acquisition unit 131 acquires questionnaire information showing the user's medical questionnaire as identification information. However, the acquisition unit 131 does not limit itself to acquiring questionnaire information as identification information. For example, the acquisition unit 131 may acquire medical history information showing the user's medical history or consultation history information showing the history of consultations as identification information. Alternatively, the acquisition unit 131 may present the user terminal 2 with a predetermined list of purposes for the medical consultation and acquire information indicating the purpose selected from among the multiple purposes as identification information. In this case, the multiple purposes of the medical consultation may include, for example, the type and symptoms of illness or injury, the provision of advice from a doctor regarding lifestyle habits, counseling by a doctor, etc.

[0040] The relay unit 132 relays information related to medical consultations between the user terminal 2 and the medical professional terminal 3. The relay unit 132 communicates with the user terminal 2 via a first communication network and with the medical professional terminal 3 via a second communication network, thereby relaying information related to consultations between the user terminal 2 and the medical professional terminal 3. For example, when the relay unit 132 receives a request from the user terminal 2 to start a medical consultation between the user and the medical professional using the medical professional terminal 3, and also receives a request from the medical professional terminal 3 to start a medical consultation between the medical professional and the user, it begins relaying information related to medical consultations between the user terminal 2 and the medical professional terminal 3.

[0041] The relay unit 132 receives image data of the user captured by the user terminal 2 and voice data of the user collected by the user terminal 2, and transmits the received image data of the user and voice data of the user to the medical professional terminal 3. Similarly, the relay unit 132 receives image data of the medical professional captured by the medical professional terminal 3 and voice data of the medical professional collected by the medical professional terminal 3 from the medical professional terminal 3, and transmits the received image data of the medical professional and voice data of the medical professional to the user terminal 2.

[0042] When the relay unit 132 receives a request to end the medical consultation from the user terminal 2 or the medical professional terminal 3, it terminates the relay of information related to the medical consultation between the user terminal 2 and the medical professional terminal 3.

[0043] The determination unit 133 determines whether predetermined conditions for receiving a communication priority service, which is a service that prioritizes communication in a communication network, have been met, including the fact that an interview application for the user to conduct an interview with a medical professional via communication between the user terminal 2 and the medical professional terminal 3 is running on the user terminal 2. For example, in response to receiving a request from the relay unit 132 to start a medical interview from the user terminal 2, the determination unit 133 determines that the interview application is running on the user terminal 2 and determines that the predetermined conditions have been met.

[0044] Here, the predetermined condition may consist of multiple subconditions, and may include conditions other than the condition that the interview application is running on the user terminal 2. The determination unit 133 may then determine that the predetermined condition has been met if all of the multiple subconditions constituting the predetermined condition are met.

[0045] For example, the predetermined conditions may include a partial condition that a request for improvement in the quality of communication related to a medical consultation has been received from the medical professional terminal 3. For example, the determination unit 133 determines that the partial condition has been met when the acquisition unit 131 receives a request for improvement in the quality of communication related to a medical consultation from the medical professional terminal 3, which is sending and receiving data with the user terminal 2 via the relay unit 132.

[0046] In this way, the information processing device 1 requests the application of preferential communication services only when a medical professional desires improved communication quality. This reduces the costs associated with applying preferential communication services compared to a system where the application of preferential communication services is requested only if the consultation application is running.

[0047] Furthermore, the predetermined conditions may include a subcondition that at least one of the audio data of the user received by the relay unit 132 from the user terminal 2 as information related to the interview, and the image data of the user, is of a quality below a predetermined quality for the communication related to the interview.

[0048] For example, when the relay unit 132 receives audio data or image data from the user terminal 2, the determination unit 133 determines whether the quality of the communication related to the medical consultation is below a predetermined quality based on the audio data or image data, thereby determining whether the partial condition has been met. Specifically, the determination unit 133 analyzes the audio and images shown in the user's audio data or image data received from the user terminal 2 using known analysis techniques. The determination unit 133 then determines that the quality of the communication is below a predetermined quality if the amount of noise per unit time contained in the audio or image shown in the analyzed audio data or image data is above a predetermined amount, if the number of interruptions in the audio or image per unit time is below a predetermined amount, or if the size of the audio or image is below a predetermined amount, and determines that the partial condition has been met. The determination unit 133 also analyzes the images shown in the image data received from the user terminal 2. The determination unit 133 then uses known image analysis techniques to identify the degree of blurring of edges included in the image, and if the identified degree of blurring exceeds a predetermined threshold, it determines that the communication quality is below a predetermined quality, and determines that the partial condition has been met.

[0049] Furthermore, the predetermined conditions may include a subcondition that at least one of the audio data of the medical professional received by the relay unit 132 from the medical professional terminal 3 as information related to the medical consultation, and the image data of the medical professional, is of a quality below a predetermined quality for communication related to the medical consultation.

[0050] For example, when the relay unit 132 receives audio data or image data from the medical professional terminal 3, the determination unit 133 determines whether the quality of the communication related to the medical consultation is below a predetermined quality based on the audio data or image data, thereby determining whether the partial condition has been met. Specifically, the determination unit 133 analyzes the audio and images shown in the audio data or image data of the medical professional received from the medical professional terminal 3 using known analysis techniques. The determination unit 133 then determines that the quality of the communication is below a predetermined quality if the amount of noise per unit time contained in the audio or image shown in the analyzed audio data or image data is above a predetermined amount, if the number of interruptions in the audio or image per unit time is below a predetermined amount, or if the size of the audio or image is below a predetermined amount, and determines that the partial condition has been met. The determination unit 133 also analyzes the images shown in the image data received from the medical professional terminal 3. The determination unit 133 then uses known image analysis techniques to identify the degree of blurring of edges included in the image, and if the identified degree of blurring exceeds a predetermined threshold, it determines that the communication quality is below a predetermined quality, and determines that the partial condition has been met.

[0051] Furthermore, if the analyzed audio data contains audio indicating poor communication quality related to the medical consultation, such as "difficult to see" or "image is jerky," the determination unit 133 may determine that the communication quality is below a predetermined quality and that the partial condition has been met.

[0052] Furthermore, the specified conditions may include a subcondition that the purpose of the interview is a specified purpose. The specified purpose is, for example, a medical treatment in which the diagnosis based on images by a medical professional is important, such as the treatment of skin eczema or injuries.

[0053] For example, the determination unit 133 determines whether the purpose of the user's interview is a predetermined purpose by determining, based on at least one of the specific information acquired by the acquisition unit 131, namely the medical questionnaire information, the medical history information, and the interview history information. For example, a specific keyword for identifying a predetermined purpose is stored in the storage unit 12 in advance. The determination unit 133 determines that the purpose of the user's interview is a predetermined purpose if at least one of the medical questionnaire information, medical history information, and interview history information acquired by the acquisition unit 131 contains the specific keyword stored in the storage unit 12.

[0054] Furthermore, the specified conditions may include a subcondition that the medical professional's interview policy prioritizes images of the user. In this case, the acquisition unit 131 acquires policy information from the medical professional's terminal 3 before or at the start of the medical interview, indicating the interview policy, including whether or not the interview will be conducted with emphasis on images of the user.

[0055] The determination unit 133 then determines that the partial condition has been met if, at the start of a medical consultation between the user and the medical professional, the policy information acquired by the acquisition unit 131 indicates that the medical professional's consultation policy emphasizes the image of the user.

[0056] Furthermore, the predetermined conditions may include subconditions such as the amount of data received per unit time from the user terminal 2 or the medical professional terminal 3 being equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, or the importance information indicating the importance of the received data being equal to or greater than a predetermined importance level. In this case, the relay unit 132 receives the data along with the importance information indicating the importance of the data from the user terminal 2 or the medical professional terminal 3.

[0057] The relay unit 132 receives importance information from the user terminal 2 or the medical professional terminal 3, but is not limited to this. For example, the acquisition unit 131 may input a prompt to the large-scale language model that includes image data received from the user terminal 2 and an instruction sentence to cause the large-scale language model to identify the importance of the image data, and acquire importance information from the large-scale language model.

[0058] The determination unit 133 then determines whether the partial condition is met based on the amount of data per unit time received by the relay unit 132 from the user terminal 2 or the medical professional terminal 3, or the acquired importance information. In other words, the determination unit 133 determines that the partial condition is met if the amount of data per unit time is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, or if the acquired importance information is equal to or greater than a predetermined importance level.

[0059] In this way, the information processing device 1 requests the application of the communication priority service when an important moment occurs in a medical consultation, thus reducing the cost associated with applying the communication priority service compared to a case where the application of the communication priority service is requested only on the condition that the consultation application is running. As an example of applying the communication priority service, if the amount of data per unit time between the user terminal 2 and the information processing device 1 exceeds a predetermined amount, the information processing device 1 may prioritize communication between the medical professional terminal 3 and the information processing device 1, and if the amount of data per unit time between the medical professional terminal 3 and the information processing device 1 exceeds a predetermined amount, the information processing device 1 may prioritize communication between the user terminal 2 and the information processing device 1.

[0060] When the determination unit 133 determines that the predetermined conditions for receiving preferential communication services have been met, the request unit 134 requests the application control device, which is a control device that controls the application of preferential communication services, to apply preferential communication services to the communication between the user terminal 2 and the medical professional terminal 3.

[0061] Specifically, when the determination unit 133 determines that the predetermined conditions for receiving preferential communication services have been met, the request unit 134 requests the application control device to apply preferential communication services to at least one of the following: communication between the user terminal 2 and the information processing device 1 in the first communication network, and communication between the medical professional terminal 3 and the information processing device 1 in the second communication network.

[0062] If the request unit 134 determines that the predetermined conditions have been met, and the determination unit 133 determines that the predetermined conditions have been met, the request unit 134 may request the application control device to apply a communication preferential service to the communication on the second communication network.

[0063] When the request unit 134 requests the control device to apply a communication preferential service to the communication between the user terminal 2 and the information processing device 1, it sends a request for the application of the communication preferential service to the application control device, which includes a user ID (Identification) as user identification information for identifying the user of the user terminal 2. The user ID is, for example, an ID that uniquely defines a line-based contract, such as an IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity).

[0064] Furthermore, if the predetermined conditions include a subcondition that the image data of the user received from the user terminal 2 as information related to the interview indicates that the quality of the communication related to the interview is below a predetermined quality, the request unit 134 may request the application control device to apply the communication preferential service to the communication on the first communication network if the determination unit 133 determines that the predetermined conditions have been met.

[0065] When the request unit 134 requests the application control unit to apply a communication preferential service to the communication between the medical professional terminal 3 and the information processing device 1, it requests the application of a communication preferential service to the communication of the medical professional terminal 3 by sending a request for the application of a communication preferential service, including the medical professional's user ID on the medical professional terminal 3, to the application control unit.

[0066] In this way, the information processing device 1 can apply preferential communication services only to communications between the user terminal 2 and the information processing device 1, and communications between the medical professional terminal 3 and the information processing device 1, where the communication quality is low and negatively impacts medical consultations. This reduces the costs associated with applying preferential communication services.

[0067] Furthermore, the request unit 134 requests the application control device to terminate the application of the communication preferential service for communications related to the medical consultation, in response to the completion of the medical consultation. For example, the request unit 134 requests the application control device to terminate the application of the communication preferential service for communications related to the medical consultation, in response to receiving a request to end the medical consultation from the user terminal 2 or the medical professional terminal 3. In this way, the communication preferential service is applied only when the medical consultation is being conducted, making it easier to secure communication resources and thus enabling effective use of communication resources.

[0068] When the request unit 134 finishes applying the communication priority service to the communication of user terminal 2, it associates the user ID of the medical professional who conducted the medical consultation with the user of user terminal 2, the start time of the application of the communication priority service, and the end time of the application of the communication priority service, and stores this information in the storage unit 12 as application history information. Figure 3 shows an example of the application history information. As shown in Figure 3, it can be confirmed that the user ID, the application start time, and the application end time are associated. The request unit 134 may also include the user ID of the user of user terminal 2 in the application history information.

[0069] The calculation unit 135 calculates the amount of charges related to the application of preferential communication services to be billed to at least one of the businesses providing the medical consultation application or the medical professionals, based on the application status of preferential communication services to the communication of the user terminal 2.

[0070] For example, the calculation unit 135 calculates the charge amount based on the time that the preferential communication service was applied to communications related to medical consultations. Specifically, the calculation unit 135 refers to the application history information stored in the storage unit 12 and aggregates the time that the preferential communication service was applied to communications related to medical consultations for each of multiple users within a unit period (for example, one month). Then, the calculation unit 135 calculates the charge amount based on the aggregated time. For example, the calculation unit 135 calculates the charge amount such that the longer the aggregated time, the higher the charge amount. In this way, the information processing device 1 can calculate an appropriate charge amount based on the time that the preferential communication service was applied.

[0071] Here, when the calculation unit 135 bills a medical professional for the amount charged for the application of the preferential communication service, it calculates the charge amount for each medical professional's user ID included in the application history information.

[0072] The calculation unit 135 calculated the charge amount based on the time for which the preferential communication service was applied to communications related to medical consultations, but is not limited to this. The calculation unit 135 may also calculate the charge amount based on the traffic volume of communications while the preferential communication service is applied to communications related to medical consultations.

[0073] In this case, the calculation unit 135 obtains traffic volume information from a communication control device that controls communication on the communication network, for example, traffic volume information indicating the amount of traffic for communications related to medical consultations while the preferential communication service is applied to those communications, and stores application history information including this traffic volume information in the storage unit 12. The calculation unit 135 refers to the application history information stored in the storage unit 12 and aggregates the traffic volume of communications related to medical consultations for each of multiple users within a unit period. Then, the calculation unit 135 calculates the charge amount based on the aggregated traffic volume. For example, the calculation unit 135 calculates the charge amount such that the higher the aggregated traffic volume, the higher the charge amount.

[0074] Alternatively, the calculation unit 135 may calculate the charge amount based on the number of times the preferential communication service has been applied to communications related to medical consultations. In this case, the calculation unit 135 refers to the application history information stored in the storage unit 12 and identifies the number of times the preferential communication service has been applied to communications related to medical consultations within a unit period. For example, the calculation unit 135 refers to the application history information and identifies the number of application history entries within a unit period as the number of times the preferential communication service has been applied to communications related to medical consultations. Then, the calculation unit 135 calculates the charge amount based on the number of application requests identified. For example, the calculation unit 135 calculates the charge amount such that the more application requests there are, the higher the charge amount.

[0075] The billing unit 136 bills the amount calculated by the calculation unit 135 to at least one of the businesses providing the consultation application and the medical professionals. For example, the billing unit 136 calculates the share of the amount calculated by the calculation unit 135 for the businesses providing the consultation application and the medical professionals based on a predetermined ratio between the businesses and the medical professionals, and bills the businesses providing the consultation application and the medical professionals' terminals 3 by sending billing information indicating the calculated share.

[0076] [Operation Flow] Next, we will explain the processing flow related to the application of communication preferential services in the information processing device 1. Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the processing flow related to the application of communication preferential services in the information processing device 1. The processing shown in Figure 4 starts when the interview application is executed on the user terminal 2. Furthermore, we will explain an example in which the processing shown in Figure 4 includes multiple subconditions, including the condition that the interview application is being executed on the user terminal 2, as part of the predetermined conditions for applying the communication preferential services.

[0077] First, the determination unit 133 determines whether the predetermined conditions for receiving preferential communication services for medical consultations have been met (S1). If the determination unit 133 determines that the predetermined conditions have been met (YES in S1), it proceeds to S2. If it determines that the predetermined conditions have not been met (NO in S1), it re-executes S1.

[0078] Next, the request unit 134 requests the control device that controls the application of the communication priority service to apply the communication priority service to the communication between the user terminal 2 and the medical professional terminal 3 (S2). In S3, the request unit 134 determines whether the execution of the interview application has finished, that is, whether the medical interview has finished. If the request unit 134 determines that the medical interview has finished (YES in S3), it moves the process to S4 and requests the control device that controls the application of the communication priority service to terminate the application of the communication priority service. If the request unit 134 determines that the medical interview has not finished (NO in S3), it re-executes S3.

[0079] [Example 1] In the above-described embodiment, the information processing device 1 functions as a determination unit 133 and a request unit 134, and when it determines that predetermined conditions for receiving the application of the communication preferential service, which is a service for prioritizing communication, to medical consultations, including the fact that the consultation application is running on the user terminal 2, it requests the application control device to apply the communication preferential service, but is not limited to this.

[0080] For example, the control unit of the user terminal 2 may function as a determination unit 133 and a request unit 134. The user terminal 2 may then determine whether predetermined conditions for receiving preferential communication services for medical consultations have been met, including the fact that the consultation application is running on the user terminal 2. In this case, the predetermined conditions may include subconditions other than the condition that the consultation application is running on the user terminal 2. These subconditions are conditions that can be determined on the user terminal 2 side, such as image data or audio data received from the medical professional terminal 3 via the information processing device 1 indicating that the quality of the consultation-related communication is below a predetermined quality.

[0081] Then, when the control unit of the user terminal 2 determines that predetermined conditions have been met, it requests the application control unit to apply a communication priority service to the communication between the user terminal 2 and the medical professional terminal 3.

[0082] Similarly, the control unit of the medical professional terminal 3 may function as a determination unit 133 and a request unit 134. The medical professional terminal 3 may then determine whether predetermined conditions for receiving preferential communication services for medical consultations have been met, including the fact that the consultation application is running on the medical professional terminal 3. In this case, the predetermined conditions may include subconditions other than the condition that the consultation application is running on the medical professional terminal 3. These subconditions are conditions that can be determined on the medical professional terminal 3 side, such as image data or audio data received from the user terminal 2 via the information processing device 1 indicating that the quality of the consultation-related communication is below a predetermined quality.

[0083] Then, when the control unit of the medical professional terminal 3 determines that predetermined conditions have been met, it requests the applicable control unit to apply a communication priority service to the communication between the user terminal 2 and the medical professional terminal 3. In this way, the load on the information processing device 1 is reduced, while making it easier for users and medical professionals to communicate when they have a face-to-face meeting via the communication network.

[0084] [Differentiation 2] In the above-described embodiment, the medical consultation is conducted between the user of user terminal 2 and the medical professional using medical professional terminal 3. However, it is not limited to this, and may also be conducted between the user of user terminal 2 and related parties of the user and the medical professional using medical professional terminal 3. Related parties of the user may be, for example, the user's caregiver or guardian.

[0085] Figure 5 shows an example of a medical consultation that includes the user's associates. As shown in Figure 5, the relay unit 132 relays communication between the user terminal 2, the medical professional terminal 3, and the associate terminal 4 used by the user's associates. Specifically, the relay unit 132 transmits the user's captured image and audio data received from the user terminal 2 to the medical professional terminal 3 and the associate terminal 4. The relay unit 132 also transmits the medical professional's captured image and audio data received from the medical professional terminal 3 to the user terminal 2 and the associate terminal 4.

[0086] Furthermore, the relay unit 132 transmits data showing the captured images and audio of the person concerned, received from the person concerned terminal 4, to the user terminal 2 and the medical professional terminal 3. When the determination unit 133 determines that predetermined conditions have been met, the relay unit 132 reduces the amount of data received from the person concerned terminal 4 transmitted to at least one of the user terminal 2 and the medical professional terminal 3.

[0087] For example, the relay unit 132 degrades the data received from the relevant party terminal 4, that is, reduces the amount of data, and transmits it to at least one of the user terminal 2 and the medical professional terminal 3. Alternatively, the relay unit 132 may reduce the amount of data transmitted to at least one of the user terminal 2 and the medical professional terminal 3 by not transmitting the data received from the relevant party terminal 4 to at least one of the user terminal 2 and the medical professional terminal 3. In this way, in a medical consultation in which relevant parties participate, it is possible to suppress the strain on communication capacity caused by data received from the relevant party terminal 4 of a third party, and to suppress a deterioration in communication quality.

[0088] [Difference 3] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the request unit 134 transmitted a request for application of a communication preferential service including a user ID to the application control device, but it is not limited to this. The request unit 134 may also transmit a request for application to the application control device including a service ID as service identification information for identifying the service of a communication application, and a user ID.

[0089] In this case, the application control device applies the communication priority service to the communication network corresponding to the user ID included in the application request, specifically to the communication of the user ID included in the application request that corresponds to the service ID included in the application request. The application control device also transmits application information to the information processing device 1 for applying the communication priority service to the communication corresponding to the service ID. For example, if the communication priority service is the application of a slice network to a communication, the application information is information related to URSP (User Equipment Route Selection Policy). If the communication priority service is priority control, where communication is given priority over best-effort communication, the application information is information indicating the bearer on which priority control is performed. The application control device may also transmit the application information for applying the communication priority service to the communication corresponding to the service ID to the user terminal 2 corresponding to the user ID, or to the medical professional terminal 3 connected to the user terminal 2.

[0090] The information processing device 1 transmits the received application information to the user terminal 2 and the medical professional terminal 3. When sending and receiving data related to the medical consultation application, the relay unit 132 of the information processing device 1 and the user terminal 2 and the medical professional terminal 3 send and receive data based on the application information. In this way, the information processing device 1 can apply preferential communication services exclusively to communications related to the medical consultation application.

[0091] [Differentiation Example 4] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the communication preference service is defined as the application of a slice network, control that prioritizes the communication of user terminal 2 over best-effort communication, and delay guarantee that allocates wireless resources to the communication of user terminal 2 to guarantee delays and jitter within a certain period of time, but it is not limited to this. For example, the communication preference service may be the removal of the communication speed limit that is applied when user terminal 2 communicates more than a predetermined amount of data specified in the rate plan, and the removal of the communication speed limit that is applied when user terminal 2 communicates more than a predetermined amount of data within a certain period of time. Alternatively, the communication preference service may be zero rating, which excludes the amount of data transmitted and received by user terminal 2 related to medical consultations from the measurement of the user's data communication volume.

[0092] [Effects of Information Processing Device 1] As described above, the information processing device 1 according to this embodiment determines whether predetermined conditions for receiving a communication priority service, which is a service that prioritizes communication in a communication network, have been met, including the fact that an interview application for a user to conduct an interview with a medical professional via communication between the user terminal 2 and the medical professional terminal 3 is running on the user terminal 2. In this way, the information processing device 1 makes it easier for a user and a medical professional to communicate when conducting an interview via a communication network.

[0093] Furthermore, this invention will make it possible to contribute to Goal 9 of the United Nations-led Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), "Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation."

[0094] Although the present invention has been described above using embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of its gist. For example, all or part of the apparatus can be configured by functionally or physically distributing and integrating in any unit. Furthermore, new embodiments resulting from any combination of multiple embodiments are also included in the embodiments of the present invention. The effects of the new embodiments resulting from the combinations are combined with the effects of the original embodiments. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0095] 1. Information Processing Device 2 User terminals 3. Medical personnel terminals 4. Related parties' terminals 11 Communications Department 12 Storage section 13 Control Unit 131 Acquisition Department 132 Relay Unit 133 Judgment section 134 Request part 135 Calculation Section 136 Billing Department

Claims

1. A determination unit that determines whether predetermined conditions for receiving a communication preferential service, which is a service that gives preferential treatment to communications in a communication network, have been met, including the fact that an application for conducting interviews with a medical professional is running on the user terminal, which is used by the user to conduct interviews with the medical professional via communication between the user terminal used by the user and the medical professional terminal used by the medical professional, When it is determined that the predetermined conditions are met, the control device that controls the application of the communication preferential service is instructed to request the application of the communication preferential service to the communication, An information processing device having

2. The aforementioned predetermined conditions include receiving a request from the medical professional's terminal for improvement of the quality of communication related to the interview. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The system has a relay unit that communicates with the user terminal via a first communication network and with the medical professional terminal via a second communication network, thereby relaying information related to the interview between the user terminal and the medical professional terminal. The aforementioned predetermined conditions include the fact that the voice data of the medical professional received by the relay unit from the medical professional's terminal as information relating to the interview indicates that the quality of the communication relating to the interview is below a predetermined quality, The determination unit determines whether the predetermined conditions have been met by determining whether the quality of the communication related to the interview is below a predetermined quality based on the voice data of the medical professional received by the relay unit. When the requesting unit determines that the predetermined conditions have been met, it requests the control device to apply the communication preferential service to the communication in the second communication network. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

4. The system has a relay unit that communicates with the user terminal via a first communication network and with the medical professional terminal via a second communication network, thereby relaying information related to the interview between the user terminal and the medical professional terminal. The predetermined conditions include the fact that the image data of the user received by the relay unit from the user terminal as information relating to the interview indicates that the quality of the communication relating to the interview is below a predetermined quality, The determination unit determines whether the predetermined conditions are met by determining whether the quality of the communication relating to the interview is below the predetermined quality based on the image data received by the relay unit. When the requesting unit determines that the predetermined conditions have been met, it requests the control device to apply the communication preferential service to the communication in the first communication network. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

5. Before the aforementioned interview begins, the system includes an acquisition unit that acquires identification information to identify the purpose of the user's interview with the medical professional. The aforementioned predetermined conditions include that the purpose of the interview is the predetermined purpose, The determination unit determines whether the predetermined conditions have been met by determining whether the purpose of the user's interview is the predetermined purpose based on the identification information acquired by the acquisition unit. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

6. The acquisition unit acquires, as the identification information, questionnaire information indicating the user's questionnaire, The determination unit identifies the purpose of the user's interview based on the questionnaire information acquired by the acquisition unit, and determines whether the identified purpose of the user's interview is the predetermined purpose. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5.

7. The acquisition unit acquires, as the identification information, medical history information showing the user's medical history or interview history information showing the interview history. The determination unit identifies the purpose of the user's interview based on the medical history information or the interview history information, and determines whether the identified purpose of the user's interview is the predetermined purpose. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5.

8. The system has an acquisition unit that obtains policy information from the aforementioned medical professional indicating whether to prioritize images as part of the interview strategy. The aforementioned specified conditions include the fact that the medical professional's interview policy emphasizes imaging, The determination unit determines whether the predetermined conditions are met by determining, based on the policy information acquired by the acquisition unit, whether the policy for the medical professional's interview is one that emphasizes images. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

9. The system has a relay unit that communicates with the user terminal via a first communication network and with the medical professional terminal via a second communication network, thereby relaying information related to the interview between the user terminal and the medical professional terminal. The aforementioned predetermined conditions include the amount of data received per unit time from the user terminal or the medical professional terminal being equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, or the importance information indicating the importance of the received data being equal to or greater than a predetermined importance level. The determination unit determines whether the predetermined conditions are met based on the amount of data per unit time received by the relay unit from the user terminal or the medical professional terminal, or the importance information received by the relay unit from the user terminal or the medical professional terminal. When the requesting unit determines that the predetermined conditions have been met, it requests the control device to apply the communication preferential service to at least one of the communications in the first communication network and the communications in the second communication network. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

10. The system includes a relay unit that relays information related to the interview between the user terminal and the medical professional terminal. When the requesting unit determines that the predetermined conditions have been met, it requests the control device to apply the communication preferential service to the communication between the user terminal and the information processing device. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

11. The system includes a relay unit that relays information related to the interview between the user terminal and the medical professional terminal. When the requesting unit determines that the predetermined conditions have been met, it requests the control device to apply the communication preferential service to the communication between the medical professional terminal and the information processing device. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

12. The system includes a relay unit that relays information related to the interview between the user terminal and the terminal used by the user's associates and the medical professional terminal, and, when it determines that the predetermined conditions are met, reduces the amount of data received from the associate terminal transmitted to at least one of the user terminal and the medical professional terminal. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

13. The requesting unit, upon the completion of the meeting, requests the control device to terminate the application of the preferential communication service to the communication. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

14. The request unit transmits to the control device a request for the application of the preferential communication service, which includes user identification information for identifying the user and service identification information for identifying the service provided by the interview application. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

15. The system further includes a calculation unit that calculates the amount to be charged to at least one of the business operator providing the interview application or the medical professional, based on the application status of the communication preferential service to the communication of the user terminal. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

16. A wireless terminal used by a user, A determination unit determines whether predetermined conditions for receiving a communication preferential service, which is a service that prioritizes communication on the communication network related to the communication of the wireless terminal, are met, including the execution of an interview application for the user to conduct an interview with the medical professional via communication between the wireless terminal and the medical professional terminal used by the medical professional. When it is determined that the predetermined conditions are met, the control device that controls the application of the communication preferential service is instructed to request the application of the communication preferential service to the communication, A simple wireless terminal.

17. A computer executes The steps include determining whether predetermined conditions for receiving a communication preferential service, which is a service that prioritizes communication in a communication network, have been met, including the fact that an application for conducting interviews with a medical professional is running on the user terminal, which is used by the user terminal and the medical professional terminal used by the medical professional, via communication between the user terminal and the medical professional terminal, and When it is determined that the predetermined conditions are met, the user requests the control device that controls the application of the preferential communication service to apply the preferential communication service to the communication; An information processing method having

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