Server system, automatic purchasing system and purchasing service providing method

Abstract

To provide a new enjoyment in purchasing a commodity by associating online purchase of a commodity with a character whose behavior changes in accordance with a relationship with a user.SOLUTION: A server system manages user registration information including a contract spending amount, and prepares a character associated with character characteristics to provide a virtual communication experience in which a user terminal is executed as a man-machine interface. The server system automatically selects a purchase candidate that costs within the contract spending amount as an article to purchase from purchase candidates including substantial articles in the real world or items in a virtual world, using at least a purchase article selection tendency based on the character characteristics associated with the character.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic purchasing system and the like. [Background technology]

[0002] Characters whose behavior changes depending on the interaction with the user are often used in video games such as RPGs (role-playing games). For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which, when a text-based conversation (virtual communication) is held between a user and a character (NPC: non-player character) via a player character, the behavior of the character can be changed depending on the content of the conversation's responses. Of course, this is not limited to RPGs, but also in so-called breeding games in which a virtual pet is bred, a similar technique is known in which the growth of the pet changes depending on the operation of the player, the brooder.

[0003] In any case, it can be said that users (players) are interested in communicating with characters whose behavior changes depending on the user's actions. The same is true in online games, which have become the mainstream of video games in recent years, and communication with characters is considered one of the important elements that creates the appeal of online games.

[0004] On the other hand, a product purchasing system for purchasing products online is known. By using this system, a user can order products and have them shipped to a specified destination without visiting a physical store. For example, Patent Document 2 describes a server that accepts procedures for applying for regular purchases and changing the contents of the application. For example, Patent Document 3 describes a system that generates multiple plans for regular purchases based on the store's stock and shipping status and provides them to users. For example, Patent Document 4 describes a system that automatically performs procedures from accepting regular purchases to ordering, payment, and shipping. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-136411 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2002-117295 A [Patent Document 3] International Publication No. 2015 / 162715 [Patent Document 4] JP 2014-21564 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In conventional online product purchasing systems, users must select and operate the products they wish to purchase at any time they wish, and then decide to purchase the products. This purchasing style is the same as shopping at a physical store, even though the user does not visit the physical store. Once an order is placed on the product purchasing system, the purchased products are eventually delivered to the user via home delivery or other methods. From the user's perspective when receiving the package, it is obvious what has been delivered, so although there is the joy of purchasing a new product, there is no sense of surprise like when receiving something purchased by someone else.

[0007] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a new and enjoyable way of purchasing goods by associating a character whose behavior changes depending on the interaction with a user with online product purchases. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The first invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is a server system that is communicatively connected to a user terminal of each user, A user registration information management unit (e.g., the control board 1150 in FIG. 1, the server processing unit 200s in FIG. 9, the automatic purchase management unit 210, the user registration information management unit 212, the user registration information 600 in FIG. 13, and step S2 in FIG. 15) that manages user registration information for each user; character management means for managing, for each user, a character associated with a character characteristic and serving as a partner of the user in virtual communication executed using the user terminal of the user as a man-machine interface (e.g., the control board 1150 in FIG. 1, the server processing unit 200s in FIG. 9, the automatic purchase management unit 210, the character management unit 220, the character management data 650 in FIG. 14, steps S4 and S10 in FIG. 15); A control means (e.g., the control board 1150 in FIG. 1, the server processing unit 200s in FIG. 9, the automatic purchase management unit 210, the purchase control unit 234, steps S22 to S26 in FIG. 15) that automatically selects purchase items from a purchase candidate data group in which data on actual products in the real world and / or items in the virtual world (collectively referred to as "purchase candidates") is accumulated, using at least a purchase item selection tendency based on a character characteristic associated with the character of the user for each user; The server system includes:

[0009] The term "virtual world items" as used here refers to items used in video games in which a user is a player, virtual worlds on the Internet in which a user can freely move using an avatar, etc. Examples include weapons, armor, medicine, magic, skills, maps, land in the virtual world, objects in the virtual world, virtual pets, clothing and equipment worn by characters, etc. that can be used or owned by a player.

[0010] According to the first invention, the server system can provide the user with a virtual communication (e.g., text-based conversation) experience by controlling the character. Meanwhile, the server system can automatically select an item to be purchased from among purchase candidates based on the character characteristics associated with the character and perform the purchase process. From the user's perspective, the user can have an unprecedented experience in which the character to which the user has grown attached while enjoying communication selects an item to be purchased in a purchasing behavior. Thus, a new form of character usage is realized in which the character that was the subject of communication is involved in a purchase in the real world, providing a new fun in purchasing behavior.

[0011] The second invention is the server system of the first invention further comprising a communication control means for controlling the execution of the communication (for example, the control board 1150 in FIG. 1, the server processing unit 200s in FIG. 9, the automatic purchase management unit 210, the communication control unit 221, the conversation tendency definition data 550 in FIGS. 5 and 7, the applied conversation tendency ID 672 in FIG. 14, and step S4 in FIG. 15).

[0012] According to the second invention, the server system can control the execution of communication between characters.

[0013] The third invention is a server system of the second invention, in which the character management means has a character characteristic change control means (e.g., control board 1150 in FIG. 1, server processing unit 200s in FIG. 9, automatic purchase management unit 210, character characteristic change control unit 223, character setting information 660 in FIG. 14, characteristic parameter value 663, step S4 in FIG. 15) which changes and controls the character characteristics of the character that is the user's partner for each user.

[0014] According to the third invention, the server system can change the character characteristics for each user.

[0015] A fourth invention is a server system of the third invention, in which the character characteristic change control means changes and controls the character characteristics of the character that is the user's partner based on a communication history, which is a history of the communication related to the user.

[0016] According to the fourth invention, the server system can change the character characteristics of a character based on the communication history between the user and the character.

[0017] A fifth invention is a server system according to the fourth invention, wherein the character characteristics include a degree of intimacy between the character that is the user's partner and the user, and the character characteristic change control means changes and controls the degree of intimacy between the character that is the user's partner based on the communication history.

[0018] The "degree of intimacy" referred to here indicates the degree of interaction between the user and the character. For example, the cumulative length of time the character is used, the cumulative length of communication, the number of conversations, etc. can be parameters that indicate the degree of intimacy. In addition, parameter values ​​that indicate the emotions and feelings that the character has toward the user, which are set for the character based on these, (for example, parameter values ​​called favorability, favorability rating, intimacy, loyalty, reliability, etc.) can also be parameters that indicate the degree of intimacy. According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the server system can change the degree of intimacy between the character and the user.

[0019] A sixth invention is the server system according to the fifth invention, wherein the purchase item selection tendency includes a purchase item selection tendency based on the degree of intimacy.

[0020] According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the server system can change the tendency of selecting purchase items based on the degree of intimacy, so that the state of communication between the user and the character ultimately affects the tendency of selecting purchase items.

[0021] A seventh invention is a server system of the fifth or sixth invention, further comprising an item granting control means (e.g., control board 1150 in FIG. 1, server processing unit 200s in FIG. 9, automatic purchase management unit 210, item granting control unit 236, step S48 in FIG. 16) which controls the granting of a given item to the character that is the user's counterpart based on operational input by the user, and the character characteristic change control means changes and controls the intimacy degree of the character that is the user's counterpart based on the granting control result by the item granting control means.

[0022] According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the server system realizes a mechanism for users to give gifts to characters in the form of items, and the degree of intimacy with the characters can be changed according to the results of the item giving. This diversifies the forms of communication between the users and the characters, and improves the appeal of communication with the characters.

[0023] An eighth invention is a server system of any of the third to seventh inventions, wherein the character characteristic change control means changes and controls the character characteristics of the character that is the user's opponent based on the game result of a given game executed on the user terminal of the user.

[0024] According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the server system is enabled to change character characteristics based on the game results of a given game executed on a user terminal.

[0025] A ninth invention is a server system of any of the third to eighth inventions, wherein the user registration information includes a contracted consumption amount of the user, and the control means executes the purchase process by selecting as the purchase item a purchase candidate whose purchase price is within the contracted consumption amount of the user.

[0026] According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, automatic purchase can be realized using a regular purchase method.

[0027] A tenth invention is the server system of the ninth invention, wherein the character characteristic change control means changes and controls the character characteristics of the character that is the user's partner based on the processing result of the purchase process.

[0028] According to the tenth aspect of the invention, the server system becomes able to change character characteristics depending on the results of the purchase process, for example, what was done, how many items were purchased, when the purchases were made, how often the purchases were made, etc.

[0029] An eleventh invention is a server system according to the ninth or tenth invention, wherein the communication control means controls the communication of the character that is the partner of the user involved in the purchase process so that, after the purchase process is executed by the control means, the character asks for an evaluation of a product purchased in the purchase process and obtains an evaluation result.

[0030] According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, the server system can obtain information on the user's evaluation of the purchased product.

[0031] A twelfth aspect of the invention is the server system according to the eleventh aspect of the invention, wherein the character characteristic change control means changes and controls the character characteristics of the character that is the user's opponent based on the evaluation result.

[0032] According to the twelfth aspect, the server system is able to change the character characteristics based on the evaluation result.

[0033] A thirteenth invention is a server system of any of the ninth to twelfth inventions, wherein the communication control means controls the communication of a character that is the partner of a user involved in a purchase process when the control means executes the purchase process, so that the character reports to the user as if the character executed the purchase process himself.

[0034] According to the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the server system can make the user feel as if the character itself had made the purchase through the purchase process.

[0035] A 14th invention is a server system described in any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein the user registration information includes a contract period set for each user based on the user's setting operation with one unit period as one unit, the contract consumption amount is an amount per unit period, and the control means executes the purchase process each time the unit period elapses.

[0036] According to the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, the server system can provide an automatic purchasing service using a regular purchasing method for a contract period set by the user himself / herself, with each unit period being one unit.

[0037] A fifteenth invention is the server system of the fourteenth invention, wherein the control means executes the purchase process by selecting items to be purchased for the contract consumption amount during the unit period corresponding to the current date and time.

[0038] According to the fifteenth aspect of the present invention, the server system selects items to be purchased so that the contracted consumption amount is used up within a unit period.

[0039] A 16th invention is the server system of the 14th invention, further comprising a refund control means (e.g., the control board 1150 in FIG. 1, the server processing unit 200s in FIG. 9, the automatic purchase management unit 210, the refund control unit 238, the remainder handling setting 603g in FIG. 13, step S54 in FIG. 16) which performs control to grant valuable information equivalent to the remaining amount to the user when the total amount purchased in the purchasing process during the elapsed unit period is less than the contracted consumption amount.

[0040] According to the sixteenth aspect of the present invention, if the user has not purchased items worth the contracted consumption amount at the end of a unit period, in other words, if the contracted consumption amount has not been fully consumed, the server system can grant the remaining amount to the user. From another perspective, since the user does not need to consume the entire contracted consumption amount within a unit period, the user has more freedom in selecting items to purchase. This leads to a reduction in the processing load related to purchases. Also, when viewed over multiple consecutive unit periods, the purchase amounts in each unit period are more distinct.

[0041] A seventeenth invention is a server system according to the fourteenth invention, wherein the control means, when the unit period has elapsed and the total amount purchased in the purchasing process during the elapsed unit period is less than the contracted consumption amount, increases the contracted consumption amount for the next unit period by the remaining amount and executes the purchasing process.

[0042] According to the seventeenth aspect of the present invention, when the contract consumption amount of the purchased items has not been purchased at the end of the unit period, the server system can carry over the remaining amount to the next unit period.

[0043] An 18th invention is the server system of any of the 1st to 17th inventions, wherein the user registration information includes user profile information, and the purchase item selection tendency includes a purchase item selection tendency based on the profile information.

[0044] According to the eighteenth invention, the server system can change the selection tendency of purchase items according to the profile information of the user. For example, if the profile information includes the user's age, products that are incompatible with the user's age are not selected or are made less likely to be selected. In addition, if the profile information includes selection exclusion conditions for purchase items set based on the user's operation input, control is performed to exclude purchase candidates that meet the selection exclusion conditions and select purchase items, thereby preventing the user from purchasing products that do not meet his or her wishes.

[0045] A nineteenth aspect of the present invention is an automatic purchasing system including a user terminal of each user and the server system of any one of the first to eighteenth aspects of the present invention.

[0046] According to the nineteenth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to realize an automatic purchasing system that exhibits the same effects as any one of the first to eighteenth aspects of the present invention. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0047] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an automatic purchasing system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is a front view showing a configuration example of a user terminal. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of services provided by an automatic purchasing system. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of communication with a character. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining characteristics of different character types. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration of product selection tendency definition data. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration of conversation tendency definition data. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a user terminal in the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the server system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of programs and data stored in a server storage unit of the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration of user situation estimation reference data (part 1). [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration of user situation estimation reference data (part 2). [Figure 13] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration of user registration information. [Figure 14] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of character management data. [Figure 15]5 is a flowchart for explaining a process flow relating to one user in the server system of the first embodiment. [Figure 16] Flowchart continuing from Figure 15. [Figure 17] FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a user terminal in the second embodiment. [Figure 18] 16 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of processing in a server system in a modified configuration in which approval of a purchase is sought from a user (corresponding to the portion depicted in FIG. 15). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0048] An example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described below, but it goes without saying that the form to which the present invention can be applied is not limited to the following embodiment.

[0049] [First embodiment] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an automatic purchasing system. The automatic purchasing system 1000 is a computer system that includes a server system 1100 and a user terminal 1500 that are connected to each other via a network 9 so that data communication between them is possible, and provides a service in which a user 2 uses the user terminal 1500 to purchase products online.

[0050] The network 9 refers to a communication path that allows data communication. In other words, the network 9 includes a dedicated line (dedicated cable) for direct connection, a LAN (Local Area Network) using Ethernet (registered trademark), etc., as well as a telephone communication network, a cable network, the Internet, and other communication networks, and the communication method may be either wired or wireless.

[0051] The server system 1100 includes, for example, a keyboard 1106, a touch panel 1108, and a purchase candidate DB (database) 1140, and a control board 1150 is mounted on the main unit.

[0052] The control board 1150 is equipped with various microprocessors such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 1151, a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), various IC memories 1152 such as a VRAM, RAM, and ROM, and a communication device 1153. Note that a part or the whole of the control board 1150 may be realized by an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or an SoC (System on a Chip).

[0053] The server system 1100 realizes a function for providing an online product purchasing service by the control board 1150 performing calculations based on predetermined programs and data, including the provision of programs executable by the user terminal 1500 and data required for the execution of the programs.

[0054] Although only one user terminal 1500 is depicted in FIG. 1, in actual system operation, a plurality of user terminals 1500 can access the server system 1100 at the same time.

[0055] Also, although the server system 1100 is depicted as if it were a single server device, it may be realized by a configuration of multiple devices. For example, the server system 1100 may be configured to include multiple blade servers each sharing a function, and connected to each other via an internal bus so that data communication is possible. Furthermore, the location of the hardware constituting the server system 1100 does not matter. It may be configured such that multiple independent servers installed in remote locations communicate data via the network 9 to function as the server system 1100 as a whole.

[0056] For example, the purchase candidate DB 1140 is a database of information about real-world real products that can be purchased by the automatic purchasing system 1000. The purchase candidate DB 1140 does not need to be located in the same geographical location as the server system 1100. Also, for example, in a case where the operator of the automatic purchasing system 1000 collaborates with a product provider, the purchase candidate DB 1140 may be a database owned by the product provider that provides the products. Of course, the purchase candidate DB 1140 is not limited to one, and may be multiple. Also, the purchase candidate DB 1140 may include a mail order site, a reservation site for accommodation, etc., as long as it is configured to be automatically accessible using an API provided by the site.

[0057] In this embodiment, the products handled by the purchase candidate DB 1140 are not limited to real-world real products. For example, they may be items in a virtual world. The items in the virtual world are items used in video games in which the user is a player, virtual worlds on the Internet in which the user can freely act using an avatar, and the like. For example, the items include weapons, armor, medicine, magic, skills, maps, land in the virtual world, items in the virtual world, virtual pets, clothes and tools worn by virtual characters, and the like that can be used or owned by the player.

[0058] FIG. 2 is a front view showing an example of the configuration of the user terminal 1500. As shown in FIG. The user terminal 1500 is a computer system used by a user who has completed a registration procedure to use the automatic purchasing system of this embodiment, and is an electronic device that can access the server system 1100 via the network 9. The user terminal 1500 of this embodiment is a device known as a smartphone, but may be a wearable computer such as a smart watch or smart glasses, a portable game device, a tablet computer, a personal computer, or the like, as long as it is a computer. The functional connection state of multiple devices such as a smartphone and a smart watch communicatively connected to the smartphone may be treated as a single user terminal 1500.

[0059] The user terminal 1500 includes a directional input key 1502, button switches 1504, a touch panel 1506 that functions as an image display device and a contact position input device, an internal battery 1509, a speaker 1510, a microphone 1512, a camera 1520, a control board 1550, and a memory card reader 1542 that can read and write data from a memory card 1540 that is a computer-readable storage medium. In addition, a power button, a volume control button, etc. that are not shown are provided. In addition, an IC card reader that can read and write data contactlessly from an IC card type credit card or prepaid card that can be used to pay for the use of the automatic purchasing system may be provided.

[0060] The control board 1550 is equipped with (1) a CPU 1551 and various microprocessors such as a GPU, DSP, etc., (2) various IC memories 1552 such as VRAM, RAM, ROM, etc., (3) a wireless communication module 1553 for wireless communication with mobile phone base stations and wireless LAN base stations connected to the network 9, (4) a positioning module 1554, (5) a three-axis acceleration sensor 1555, (6) a three-axis gyro 1556, (7) an interface circuit 1557, etc.

[0061] The positioning module 1554 acquires geographical position information of the user terminal 1500. In this embodiment, the position coordinates in the real space can be acquired by using an existing positioning system. That is, the positioning module 1554 provides a positioning function in the user terminal 1500 by receiving a signal provided by the positioning system and outputting positioning information at a predetermined cycle (for example, every second). In this embodiment, a GPS (Global Positioning System) is used as the positioning system. Therefore, the positioning module 1554 can use an existing "GPS module" or "GPS receiver". The "positioning information" includes the positioning date and time (for example, UTC: Coordinated Universal Time), position coordinates (latitude, longitude, altitude), direction, etc. The positioning system to be used is not limited to GPS and can be appropriately selected. For example, the positioning module 1554 can be replaced with a configuration of a communication device that wirelessly connects to a wireless base station of a mobile phone or a wireless base station of a Wi-Fi network, and a direction sensor. That is, location information that has been previously determined for the currently connected wireless base station may be acquired and used as the location coordinates of the user terminal 1500 in real space.

[0062] The interface circuit 1557 includes a driver circuit for the touch panel 1506, a circuit for receiving signals from the directional input keys 1502 and the button switches 1504, an output amplifier circuit for outputting audio signals to the speaker 1510, an input signal generation circuit for generating a signal of the audio picked up by the microphone 1512, and a signal input / output circuit for the memory card reader 1542.

[0063] These elements mounted on the control board 1550 are electrically connected via a bus circuit or the like, and are connected so as to be able to read and write data and send and receive signals. Note that a part or all of the control board 1550 may be configured with an ASIC, FPGA, or SoC. The control board 1550 stores programs and various data for realizing the functions of a user terminal in an IC memory 1552.

[0064] In this embodiment, the user terminal 1500 is configured to download programs and various setting data from the server system 1100, but may be configured to read them from a storage medium such as a memory card 1540 obtained separately.

[0065] In addition to the processes related to the use of the automatic purchasing system, the control board 1550 also executes a process of continuously recording and managing the user's "behavioral history information," or so-called life log. "Behavioral history information" includes the user's location history information (so-called GPS log), online game play history information (so-called game play log), online video viewing history information, website mail order history information, photos of food taken to manage the calories of meals, heart rate and blood pressure history, etc.

[0066] Specifically, the control board 1550 accumulates, as "behavior history information", the geographical location information (GPS location coordinates) acquired by the positioning module 1554, the measurement data of the three-axis acceleration sensor 1555, and the measurement data of the three-axis gyro 1556 in a time series in association with the measurement time. By analyzing these pieces of information in a time series, the control board 1550 accumulates user location history information that can tell when and where the user was and how he or she moved. When using heart rate, blood pressure, weight, body temperature, and the like as the behavior history information, a wearable computer (e.g., a smart watch) having a sensor and a communication device for measuring the heart rate, blood pressure, weight, and body temperature, a weight scale having a sensor and a communication device, and the like may be appropriately included as elements constituting the user terminal 1500.

[0067] In addition, with regard to the video viewing history information and the mail order purchase history information, each history may be accumulated independently each time the respective service is used, or the respective history information may be obtained when needed using a pre-recorded user account and password by utilizing an API provided by each service.

[0068] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an outline of the service provided by the automatic purchasing system 1000. The automatic purchasing system 1000 of this embodiment is a system that provides an automatic product selection type regular purchasing service with a virtual communication experience. A user makes a contract for regular purchasing in advance with the operator of the automatic purchasing system 1000. The contract contents include a contract period with a unit period (e.g., 10 days, one month, etc.) as one unit, and a contract consumption amount to be paid per one unit period. For example, in a case where the unit period is one month and the contract consumption amount is 3000 yen per unit period, if the contract period is six months, it becomes a regular purchasing contract in which 3000 yen (total 18,000 yen) is paid every month for six months.

[0069] The "contract consumption amount" referred to here corresponds to the contract amount, and is the amount paid by the user as consideration for purchasing the product. The consideration to be used can be appropriately selected depending on the setting of the payment method related to the contract. In this embodiment, the consideration for the regular purchase is paid by electronic payment using a credit card registered in advance at the time of the contract by the user. The contract consumption amount is the actual contract amount. Other considerations that may be used include virtual currency, prepaid points, items purchased separately online, and automatically granted points that are automatically granted to registered users over time.

[0070] The automatic purchasing system 1000 automatically purchases the merchandise for the contracted consumption amount once or multiple times for each unit period of the contract period. In other words, the automatic purchasing system 1000 performs purchasing processing by executing: 1) an automatic product selection process which, at a timing autonomously determined without the user's own selection operation, automatically selects purchase items from a group of products (purchase candidates) registered in the purchase candidate DB 1140 by referring to the product-related information 10 (10a, 10b, ...) corresponding to each product, so that the purchase items fall within the contracted consumption amount; 2) an automatic payment process which automatically pays the product price and shipping fee for the automatically selected purchase items, without the user's own selection operation; and 3) a delivery procedure process which automatically arranges for the purchase items to be delivered to the user, without the user's own selection operation.

[0071] The product-related information 10 is information prepared for each type of product, and includes information that can be used for automatic product selection. For example, the product-related information 10 may include product name, product category, rarity, purchase price, color, shape, capacity, expiry date or best before date, country of origin, raw materials, etc. The type of information to be included in the product-related information 10 can be appropriately set depending on the algorithm of automatic product selection to be adopted and what options to be provided to the user 2 for refusing to purchase (for example, restrictions on country of origin, restrictions on raw materials, etc.).

[0072] The automatic purchasing system 1000 sets a character 4 as a support character related to automatic purchasing for each user. The design of the character 4 may be a human (e.g., a virtual idol, an anime character, etc.), or a design of a virtual animal, a robot, an imaginary creature, etc. It can be set appropriately. The behavior of the character 4 is controlled so that it has the intelligence to be able to communicate with the user 2 on a daily basis.

[0073] The "communication" referred to here is virtual communication that is executed using a user terminal as a man-machine interface so that the user feels as if he or she is communicating with an artificial intelligence. The form of communication may be, for example, conversation (either text conversation or voice conversation), or indirect exchange of feelings and intentions through non-verbal means (e.g., body language, gestures, etc.) such as the behavior of an animal toward its owner, and the content may be appropriately set according to the design of the character 4.

[0074] The automatic purchasing system 1000 executes a communication process that enables communication between the user 2 and the character 4 on a daily basis, regardless of whether or not a product is purchased. 4, the automatic purchasing system 1000 displays a character 4 on a touch panel 1506 of a user terminal 1500, and controls the behavior of the character 4 as if the character 4 lived within the display screen. In controlling the behavior and action, the automatic purchasing system 1000 controls speech so that the character 4 speaks to the user 2, encouraging communication, and controls the character 4 so that when the user 2 speaks to the character 4, the character 4 responds to the speech, thereby achieving communication.

[0075] In the example of FIG. 4, the lines of a character 4 are displayed in a speech bubble 3, and a user 2 uses a software keyboard 7 to input his or her own remarks, engaging in a conversation through text input and text output.

[0076] As mentioned above, the purchased product is delivered to the delivery address registered in advance using an existing delivery system. From User 2's perspective, the product will be delivered suddenly one day. Therefore, User 2 can experience the joy and fun of receiving something that someone other than himself / herself has independently purchased and given as a gift, something that was not possible with conventional online purchases.

[0077] In addition, after the product is delivered, the automatic purchasing system 1000 utilizes communication between the character 4 and the user 2 to make a report that makes it appear as if the character 4 had secretly selected and purchased the product and arranged for its delivery without the user 2 knowing.

[0078] Specifically, the automated purchasing system 1000 stores the delivery tracking number acquired during the delivery procedure, periodically accesses the home delivery system's delivery tracking website for undelivered purchased items, and monitors the delivery status of undelivered purchased items by that delivery tracking number using APIs and other services provided by the website. Then, when the delivery status of the delivery tracking number indicates that delivery has been completed, a report is sent to the user terminal 1500, and a message is displayed prompting the user to enter a user rating for the product purchased this time.

[0079] User 2 is informed by character 4 of the origin of the suddenly sent product, and at the same time has the opportunity to communicate with character 4 about the purchased item. In other words, User 2 not only enjoys the convenience of purchasing an item online, but also the sense of surprise as if the item were a gift, and the enjoyment of communication based on the purchase of the item.

[0080] FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining characteristics of each type of character 4. As shown in FIG. The user 2 can select the type of character 4 to be used by the user from among a plurality of options.

[0081] The characters 4 are set to have different characteristics depending on their type. Specifically, the automatic purchasing system 1000 has a characteristic origin library 527 (6a, 6b, ...) as a database for each type of character 4 (4a, 4b, ...). Each characteristic origin library 527 includes product selection tendency definition data 530 and conversation tendency definition data 550 for various assumed situations.

[0082] When the user 2 starts using the system, the automatic purchasing system 1000 selects and applies the default product selection tendency definition data 530 from the characteristic origin library 527 of the character 4 used by the user 2, and selects and applies the default conversation tendency definition data 550. Then, at a given timing, the automatic purchasing system 1000 reselects tendency definition data that matches the situation and state of the user 2 at that time and the state of the conversation between the user 2 and the character 4, and uses it for controlling the automatic product selection and conversation thereafter. As a result, the character 4 shows a predetermined characteristic according to the type of the character at the beginning of use. Then, as the use progresses, while maintaining the characteristics in a broad sense, in small points, it gradually begins to show characteristics according to the situation at the time, and the user 2 appears to be behaving in a "human-like" manner.

[0083] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the product selection tendency definition data 530. As shown in FIG. The product selection tendency definition data 530 includes various data that define the tendency and characteristics of the character 4 regarding product selection. The tendency defined by the product selection tendency definition data 530 is set so that a different feature is generated for each characteristic origin library 527 (see FIG. 5) from that in other libraries. In other words, the product selection tendency is set so as to include a product selection tendency based on the character setting.

[0084] Specifically, one item selection trend definition data 530 includes a unique trend ID 531 , an application status 532 , and trend content data 540 .

[0085] The application condition 532 describes, as a single condition or a combination of multiple conditions, the situation that must be met in order for the definition data to be selected and applied to the control of the character 4. Specifically, the application status 532 is described using a time condition 533 within the contract period, a collected information condition 534, and a character setting condition 535. One or more of the conditions describing the application status 532 may be omitted, and conditions regarding parameters other than these may be added as appropriate. Also, each of these conditions can be set to be substantially unconditional.

[0086] The time condition 533 within the contract period is a condition regarding the current time relative relationship within the contract period. For example, the time condition 533 within the contract period can be set to the content such as "the last day of the contract period" or "the first half of the contract period", and it can be determined whether the condition is satisfied by comparing the contract start date and time with the current date and time.

[0087] The collected information condition 534 is a condition for information automatically collected as information related to the user 2. The "collected information" referred to here includes information related to user registration, behavior history information, communication history, inference results inferred from the information, purchase history, user evaluations of purchased items, etc. The collected information condition 534 is written by combining one or more conditions that use the collected information as a parameter.

[0088] Specifically, the collected information condition 534 includes a profile condition 534a, a behavior history condition 534b, a communication history condition 534c, an estimated user situation condition 534d, a purchase history condition 534e, a user evaluation condition 534f, and a contract content condition 534g. Of course, other conditions may also be included as appropriate.

[0089] The profile conditions 534a are conditions on personal information declared by the user 2 at the time of user registration. For example, the conditions are conditions on address, name, age, sex, date of birth, occupation, family structure, date of birth of family members, etc. Since the product selection tendency definition data 530 associates the application situation 532 with the tendency content data 540, it can be said that the product selection tendency definition data 530 substantially includes the product selection tendency based on the profile information of the user 2.

[0090] The behavior history condition 534b is a condition for the behavior history information automatically recorded and managed by the user terminal 1500, and is described using data included in the behavior history information (e.g., the location of the user 2, the distance traveled by the user 2, the amount of exercise, the length of time spent playing a game, the estimated food calorie value ingested, etc.) as parameters. Specifically, the behavior history condition 534b can be set to, for example, "at home," "at work," "walked 10,000 steps," "8 hours or more of game play time," "excessive calories," etc.

[0091] The communication history condition 534c is a condition related to the past communication record between the user 2 and the character 4, and can be determined from the communication history. For example, the communication history condition 534c can be set to "(the cumulative communication time length) reaches 100 hours" or "(the number of conversations exchanged in communication) reaches 1000 conversations".

[0092] The estimated user situation condition 534d is a condition about the user's state or the user's situation estimated from the collected information and automatically collected information obtained by automatically crawling websites based on the collected information.

[0093] Specifically, the automatic purchasing system 1000 identifies the geographical range of user 2's activities on that day (for example, names on a map or names of railway lines, etc.) from the history of location information in the behavior history, and acquires current events such as traffic conditions, incidents, accidents, weather, and temperature in the range of activities by automatically patrolling websites using the identification result as key information. Therefore, as the estimated user situation condition 534d, conditions such as "encountered a thunderstorm," "caught in traffic jam," and "maximum temperature exceeded 35°C" can be set.

[0094] Furthermore, by analyzing the content of the communication, if keywords such as "tired," "tired," "after an all-nighter," or "don't want to eat" are included, it is estimated that user 2 is tired. Also, if the keywords include words such as "hospital" or words indicating a medical condition, it is estimated that user 2 is sick. Therefore, the analysis results such as "estimated fatigue state" or "estimated sick state" can be set as the estimated user situation condition 534d.

[0095] In addition, if the behavior history includes information about the game play history, it is possible to know how much the user has played the game. Therefore, for example, the estimated user situation condition 534d can be set to "the game play time exceeds 8 hours a day (excessive game play)".

[0096] Furthermore, if the behavioral history includes the calorie intake of food (or image data of food eaten or menu names for estimating and calculating the calorie intake), the dietary habits of user 2 can be known. Therefore, for example, the estimated user situation condition 534d can be set to contents such as "daily calorie intake exceeds (standard value)" or "(nutritional component name) is insufficient."

[0097] The purchase history condition 534e is a condition related to the purchase history, and can also be said to be a condition related to the experience value of the character 4 as a supporter of automatic purchases. The automatic purchasing system 1000 stores the purchase history for each user (described later). Therefore, for example, the purchase history condition 534e can be set to contents such as "reach a cumulative 100 items" or "reach a cumulative 100 purchases."

[0098] The user evaluation condition 534f is a condition regarding the evaluation by the user 2 of the purchased product, and can also be said to be the product selection performance of the character 4. The automatic purchasing system 1000 stores information on the user evaluation of the purchased product in association with the purchase history. Therefore, as the user evaluation condition 534f, for example, contents such as "average evaluation is less than 3 points out of 5 points" or "no points out of 5 points within (the past specified period)" can be set.

[0099] The contract content condition 534g is a condition on the contract content, and is described using ranges and thresholds based on settings (described later) such as the length of the contract period, the contract consumption amount, and how to handle the remaining contract consumption amount.

[0100] The character setting conditions 535 are conditions related to the character setting of the character 4, and include, for example, a character use history condition 535a and a friendship degree condition 535b. Of course, data other than these can also be included as appropriate.

[0101] The character usage history condition 535a is a condition regarding the length of time the user 2 has been with the character 4 and the history as a support character. The conditions can be described by the time elapsed since the start of the automatic purchasing contract, the time of access to the automatic purchasing system 1000, and the like. The number of times the contract has been automatically renewed can also be known from the time elapsed since the start of the automatic purchasing contract and the contract period. Thus, for example, the contents of "3 months since use", "100 hours accumulated", "3 or more automatic renewals", and the like can be set as the character usage history condition 535a.

[0102] The character use history condition 535a may be replaced with a character experience value, a character growth level, etc. Of course, in this case, the character experience value and the character growth level are automatically updated and changed as one of the controls related to character management based on the length of time the character is used and the communication history (especially the content of the conversation).

[0103] The intimacy degree condition 535b is a condition for the "intimacy degree", which is one of the parameters related to the setting of the character 4 (described in detail later). The automatic purchasing system 1000 changes the intimacy degree at a given timing based on the communication history, the evaluation result of the purchased product, and the like.

[0104] The trend content data 540 is the content defined by the definition data, and at least one of the trend content data 540 is prepared for one item selection trend definition data 530. The trend content data 540 includes purchase execution timing criteria 541, total cost conditions per purchase 542, and purchase item selection trend setting data 544.

[0105] The purchase execution timing criteria 541 are conditions that must be met to execute an automatic purchase. The parameters describing the purchase execution timing criteria 541 can be parameters adopted in relation to each condition of the application status 532. Thus, for example, the contents of the purchase execution timing criteria 541 can be set as "every unit period has elapsed," "Saturday or Sunday," "public holiday," "the day after a pre-set payday," "fatigue," "birthday," "days when the user did not leave the house," etc. Time periods such as "morning" and "midnight" may also be set. In addition, the remaining contract consumption amount can be used to set contents such as "less than three days remaining in the contract period and 50% or more of the remaining contract consumption amount."

[0106] Since the characteristic origin library 527 is prepared for each type of character 4, and the application status 532 includes conditions on character settings related to the character characteristics of character 4, such as the character usage history condition 535a and the intimacy degree condition 535b, it can be said that the purchase execution timing standard 541 includes a timing standard based on the character setting of character 4.

[0107] The number of purchase execution timing criteria 541 included in one product selection tendency definition data 530 can be set arbitrarily. Therefore, for example, when setting a characteristic of making a big purchase using the entire contract amount per unit period of a regular purchase only once in a contract unit period, it is sufficient to prepare only one purchase execution timing criteria 541 such as "last day of contract unit period."

[0108] The total consideration condition per purchase 542 is a condition for the budget per automatic purchase, and can be set as a predetermined value or range of the available contract consumption amount, a ratio to the contract amount per unit period, etc. It can also be set to "full amount."

[0109] The purchase item selection tendency setting data 544 includes various data that defines the tendency to select an item to purchase from a group of multiple types of items. In other words, it can be said that it defines the restrictions at the time of selection and the premise of selection. In addition, when attention is paid to the fact that the application situation 532 includes the familiarity degree condition 535b, it can be said that the selection tendency defined by the product selection tendency definition data 530 includes the selection tendency of purchase items based on the familiarity degree.

[0110] Specifically, the purchase selection tendency setting data 544 includes, for example, a selection number condition 544a, a product type condition 544b, a category priority order 544c, a rare product selection priority order 544d, and a discounted product selection priority order 544e. Of course, other data may also be included as appropriate. For example, a configuration may be possible that includes a popular product priority order for preferentially selecting popular products obtained by cross-searching the purchase histories of all users.

[0111] The selection quantity condition 544a is a condition regarding the total number of products selected per purchase. For example, the selection quantity condition 544a can be set to "1", "1 to 5", "3 or more", or "unlimited (effectively equivalent to no setting of the condition)".

[0112] The product type condition 544b is a condition regarding the type of product selected for one purchase. For example, the product type condition 544b may be set to "one type," "multiple types," or "unlimited."

[0113] The category priority 544c sets a selection priority based on the product category when selecting a product. The product category is included in the management information for each product included in the product group, and is referred to when selecting a product. The category priority 544c is realized in the form of, for example, a list in which categories are arranged in order of priority, or a list in which category types correspond to their priorities. In this case, by setting all priorities to "1", it is possible to make the tendency of product selection substantially unaffected by the priority order of the category.

[0114] The rare product selection priority 544d indicates the degree to which products in the product category set to "limited" or "unreleased (meaning that their existence has not been revealed to the user)" are given priority for selection. In the current product selection, if a random lottery is used to determine whether or not limited / unreleased products are given priority, the rare product selection priority 544d can be described as the probability of winning. In this case, if the rare product selection priority 544d is set to "100%, products in the product category set to "limited" or "unreleased" are always given priority for selection. If the rare product selection priority 544d is set to "50%," limited / unreleased products tend to be selected occasionally (50% of the time). If the rare product selection priority 544d is set to a value less than 50%, limited and unreleased products tend to be selected less often. In other words, it can be said that the trend content data 540 defined by the product selection trend definition data 530 includes definition information regarding the product selection trend related to the rarity conditions of the product to be selected.

[0115] The discounted product selection priority 544e indicates the degree to which products with the product category set to "discount" are given priority in selection. If a random drawing is used to determine whether or not discounted products are given priority in the current product selection, the discounted product selection priority 544e can be described as the probability of winning. In this case, if the discounted product selection priority 544e is set to "100%", products with the product category "discount" are always given priority in selection. If the rare product selection priority 544d is set to "50%," discounted products tend to be selected occasionally (50% of the time). If the discounted product selection priority 544e is set to a value less than 50%, discounted products tend to be selected less often.

[0116] By appropriately setting the application situation 532 of the product selection tendency definition data 530 and the tendency content data 540, it is possible to give the character 4 various product selection tendencies in various situations that the character 4 and the user 2 are in. By the synergistic effect of the situation setting, tendency setting, and character 4 design, it is possible to present the character 4 as if it has some intelligence and shops in a unique way.

[0117] For example, the following definition data is prepared for the product selection tendency definition data 530. That is, among the collected information conditions 534, the contract content condition 534g is set to "use up", the other conditions are set to "unlimited", the purchase execution timing criterion 541 is set to "last day of contract period", the total consideration condition per purchase is set to "full balance", the selection number condition 544a is set to "unlimited", and the product type condition 544b is set to "unlimited". When such product selection tendency definition data 530 is applied, the character 4 will select products so as to use up the contract consumption amount exactly on the final day of the contract period.

[0118] Furthermore, the set value of the purchase selection tendency setting data 544 may be set to an appropriate range, and the automatic purchasing system 1000 may randomly determine the value to be actually applied from within the range of set values ​​at the time of product selection. In this configuration, the selection of the product to be purchased is given appropriate selection tendency and fluctuation due to the "characteristics" setting, and the automatic purchasing system 1000 can make it appear as if a character 4 with an individual personality is selecting the product, in other words, as if an intelligent entity like a human is selecting the product.

[0119] In this way, the product selection tendency definition data 530 has the nature of being one of the personality definition data that defines the "personality" of the type of character 4 to which the definition data corresponds through the act of selecting a product. Therefore, it is possible to produce a character whose "personality" gradually changes depending on how the application situation 532 is set.

[0120] Specifically, for example, by focusing on the user evaluation condition 534f, two types of application statuses 532, "10 or more consecutive maximum evaluations not achieved" and "10 or more consecutive maximum evaluations achieved", are prepared. Then, in the conversation tendency definition data 550 in which the purchase candidate DB 1140 is set to "10 or more consecutive maximum evaluations not achieved", the tendency content data 540 is set to a pattern of making small purchases one by one. Conversely, in the conversation tendency definition data 550 in which the purchase candidate DB 1140 is set to "10 or more consecutive maximum evaluations achieved", the tendency content data 540 is set to a pattern of making large purchases one after another. In this example, it is possible to produce a character 4 who is cautious at first but makes bold purchases when praised repeatedly.

[0121] The presentation of the individuality, traits, and character of character 4, utilizing the settings of the application situation and the corresponding tendencies, is also applied to tendencies relating to communication (specifically, conversation with character 4).

[0122] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the conversation tendency definition data 550. As shown in FIG. The conversation tendency definition data 550 includes a unique tendency ID 551, an application status 552, daily conversation setting data 558, and purchase report setting data 559. Of course, data other than these may also be included as appropriate.

[0123] The application status 552 can be described in the same manner as the application status 532 of the product selection tendency definition data 530 .

[0124] The daily conversation setting data 558 defines the lines of the character 4 in conversations during normal communication. One piece of daily conversation setting data 558 includes utterance conditions, which are conditions under which the lines of the data are uttered, the contents of the lines (text and voice data), and utterance action data, which is data defining the actions of the character 4 when uttering. Of course, data other than these can also be included as appropriate.

[0125] The purchase report setting data 559 defines the lines used for the purchase report through the communication carried out after the delivery of the purchased product. One purchase report setting data 559 includes a report trigger condition, a report line content, an evaluation request line content, and report action data. Of course, other data than these can also be included as appropriate.

[0126] The report triggering condition is a condition regarding the timing of executing the report, and can be set appropriately. For example, the time period such as "morning", "after dusk", or "late night" can be set as the condition.

[0127] The report dialogue content is the dialogue content when reporting the purchase. The dialogue is an element that represents the personality of the character 4, so it is preferable to set the dialogue taking into consideration consistency with the appearance of the corresponding character 4.

[0128] The evaluation request dialogue content is the content where the character 4 asks the user for an evaluation of the purchased item and prompts input of the evaluation. The input evaluation is used to change the setting of the character 4, and the change is fed back as the tendency of the selected item or the tendency of the conversation through the selection of the item selection tendency definition data 530 or the conversation tendency definition data 550.

[0129] Conversation tendency definition data 550 that does not set the purchase report setting data 559 is also prepared. When the conversation tendency definition data 550 that does not set the purchase report setting data 559 is applied, the character 4 does not make a purchase report. In other words, the purchase report can be made a characteristic of the character 4 to "slack off" on making a purchase report. Alternatively, the purchase report setting data 559 is set, but setting data including a report frequency setting (e.g., a probability of 1 / 10, etc.) may be prepared, and the server system 1100 may decide whether or not to make a purchase report by random drawing with the probability of the report frequency setting each time a purchase report should be made. In this case, the frequency of "slacking off" or "forgetting" to make a report can be made different depending on the type of character.

[0130] In this way, the conversation tendency definition data 550 has the nature of being one of the personality definition data that defines the "personality" of the type of character 4 to which the definition data corresponds through the content of the conversation and the action taken when speaking. Therefore, it is possible to produce a character whose "personality" gradually changes depending on how the application situation 552 is set.

[0131] Specifically, for example, two types of application status 552, "1000 conversations not reached" and "1000 conversations reached", are prepared by focusing on the communication history condition 554c. In the conversation tendency definition data 550 of the application status 552 of the purchase candidate DB 1140 = "1000 conversations not reached", the content of the lines in the daily conversation setting data 558 is set to a content with few words or short sentences, such as only speaking broken words. Conversely, in the conversation tendency definition data 550 of the application status 552 of the purchase candidate DB 1140 = "1000 conversations reached", the content of the lines in the daily conversation setting data 558 is set to eloquent content (for example, content that incorporates personal pronouns into sentences and speaks things clearly). In this example, when the communication between the user 2 and the character 4 exceeds a certain threshold, it is possible to produce a character that suddenly removes the wall in his heart and becomes talkative.

[0132] 8 is a functional block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a user terminal 1500 in this embodiment. The user terminal 1500 includes an operation input unit 100, a voice input unit 102, an image capture unit 104, a positioning unit 106, a device processing unit 200, a sound output unit 390, an image display unit 392, a communication unit 394, and a device storage unit 500.

[0133] The operation input unit 100 outputs an operation input signal corresponding to various operation inputs made by a user to the device processing unit 200. For example, this can be realized by a push switch, a joystick, a touch pad, a track ball, an acceleration sensor, a gyro, a CCD module, etc. Examples of this include the direction input key 1502, the button switch 1504, and the touch panel 1506 in Fig. 2.

[0134] The voice input unit 102 collects the voice of the user 2 and outputs a voice signal to the device processing unit 200. This corresponds to the microphone 1512 in Fig. 2. When communication is performed by voice input, the voice input unit 102 is used as a second operation input unit.

[0135] The photographing unit 104 generates photographed image data and outputs it to the device processing unit 200. In the example of Fig. 2, this corresponds to the camera 1520. When the action history information includes a record of what was eaten and the calories of the food eaten, the photographing unit 104 is used as a third operation input unit for photographing and inputting the food eaten.

[0136] The positioning unit 106 receives radio waves and the like from the positioning system, generates position information, and outputs it to the device processing unit 200. In the example of Fig. 2, this corresponds to the positioning module 1554. When the action history information includes the position information, the positioning unit 106 is used.

[0137] The device processing unit 200 is realized by electronic components such as a microprocessor such as a CPU or GPU, or an IC memory, and controls input and output of data between each functional unit including the operation input unit 100 and the device storage unit 500. Then, it executes various arithmetic processing based on predetermined programs and data, operation input signals from the operation input unit 100, and various data received from the server system 1100, to control the operation of the user terminal 1500. This corresponds to the control board 1550 in FIG. 2.

[0138] The device processing unit 200 in this embodiment has a life log management unit 202, a client terminal control unit 204, a timing unit 280, a sound generation unit 290, an image generation unit 292, and a communication control unit 294.

[0139] The life log management unit 202 controls the recording and management of behavioral history information, i.e., the life log. It is realized by an application program separate from the automatic purchasing system 1000. For example, the life log management unit 202 is realized by an application that automatically records the range of daily activities and destinations, an application for playing online games, an application program that estimates calories ingested and calories burned, etc.

[0140] The client terminal control unit 204 performs various controls to cause the user terminal 1500 to function as a user terminal in the automatic purchasing system 1000. Specifically, the client terminal control unit 204 realizes a function as a client device that communicates with the server system 1100, and realizes a function as a man-machine interface for experiencing virtual communication with the character 4.

[0141] The timekeeping unit 280 uses a system clock to keep track of the current date and time, time limit, and the like.

[0142] The sound generation unit 290 is realized, for example, by a digital signal processor (DSP), a processor such as a voice synthesis IC, or an audio codec capable of playing audio files, and generates sound signals for music, sound effects, and various operation sounds, and outputs them to the sound output unit 390.

[0143] The sound output unit 390 is realized by a device that outputs (emits) sound based on the sound signal input from the sound generation unit 290. This corresponds to the speaker 1510 in FIG.

[0144] The image generating unit 292 generates various image data and controls the generation and output of image signals for displaying those images on the image display unit 392 .

[0145] The image display unit 392 displays various images based on the image signal input from the image generation unit 292. For example, the image display unit 392 can be realized by an image display device such as a flat panel display, a projector, or a head mounted display. In this embodiment, the touch panel 1506 in FIG. 2 corresponds to this.

[0146] The communication control unit 294 executes data processing related to data communication, and realizes data exchange with external devices via the communication unit 394.

[0147] The communication unit 394 realizes communication by connecting to the network 9. For example, it is realized by a wireless communication device, a modem, a TA (terminal adapter), a jack for a wired communication cable, a control circuit, etc., and corresponds to the wireless communication module 1553 in FIG.

[0148] The terminal storage unit 500 stores programs for implementing given functions in the terminal processing unit 200, various data, and the like. It is also used as a working area for the terminal processing unit 200, and temporarily stores the results of calculations executed by the terminal processing unit 200 according to various programs, input data input from the operation input unit 100, and the like. These functions are implemented by, for example, IC memories such as RAM and ROM, magnetic disks such as hard disks, and optical disks such as CD-ROMs and DVDs. The IC memory 1552 and memory card 1540 mounted on the control board 1550 in FIG. 2 correspond to these. A configuration using online storage is also possible.

[0149] Specifically, the device storage unit 500 records a life log management program 501 for causing the device processing unit 200 to function as the life log management unit 202, a client program 502 for causing the device processing unit 200 to function as the client terminal control unit 204, action history information 503 (life log), and a current date and time 800. Of course, data other than these can also be stored as appropriate.

[0150] FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the server system 1100. The server system 1100 includes an operation input unit 100s, a server processing unit 200s, a sound output unit 390s, an image display unit 392s, a communication unit 394s, and a server storage unit 500s.

[0151] The operation input unit 100s is a means for inputting various operations for managing the server, and corresponds to the keyboard 1106 in FIG.

[0152] The server processing unit 200s is realized by electronic components such as processors serving as arithmetic circuits, such as a CPU, GPU, ASIC, and FPGA, as well as IC memories, and controls input and output of data between each functional unit including the operation input unit 100s and the server storage unit 500s.The server processing unit 200s performs various types of arithmetic processing based on predetermined programs and data, operation input signals from the operation input unit 100s, data received from the user terminal 1500, etc., and performs integrated control of the operation of the server system 1100.

[0153] The server processing unit 200s includes an automatic purchase management unit 210, a timer unit 280s, a sound generation unit 290s, an image generation unit 292s, and a communication control unit 294s. Of course, other functional units may also be included as appropriate.

[0154] The automatic purchasing management unit 210 realizes the functions of the server system 1100 in the automatic purchasing system 1000. Specifically, the automatic purchasing management unit 210 includes a user registration information management unit 212, a character management unit 220, a collected information management unit 230, a communication history management unit 232, a purchase control unit 234, an item granting control unit 236, and a refund control unit 238.

[0155] The user registration information management unit 212 manages user registration information including the contracted consumption amount and the delivery address of the purchased item for each user. Specifically, the user registration information management unit 212 sets the contracted consumption amount of the user based on the setting operation of the user.

[0156] The character management unit 220 manages, for each user, an AI (Artificial Intelligence) character that will be a partner of the user in virtual communication executed using the user terminal of the user as a man-machine interface. 220 has 1) a communication control unit 221 that controls the actions of character 4 in communication, specifically, conversation and actions during conversation, and 2) a character characteristic change control unit 223 that changes and controls the character settings of character 4 for each user.

[0157] When a purchase process is executed, the communication control unit 221 controls the character 4 that is the partner of the user 2 involved in the purchase process so that the character 4 reports to the user as if the character 4 had executed the purchase through the purchase process itself.

[0158] Specifically, the communication control unit 221 selects the setting data whose report triggering condition matches the current situation from among the purchase report setting data 559 of the conversation tendency definition data 550, and causes the character 4 to speak using the report dialogue content. As described above, the characteristic origin library 527 is provided with the conversation tendency definition data 550 without the purchase report setting data 559. Therefore, the communication control unit 221 variably controls whether or not the character 4 makes a report each time a purchase process is executed, based on the character setting of the character 4.

[0159] The report dialogue content includes the content that the character 4 asks for an evaluation of the purchased item. Therefore, after the purchase process is executed, the communication control unit 221 controls the character 4, who is the partner of the user 2 involved in the purchase process, to ask for an evaluation of the product purchased in the purchase process and obtain the evaluation result.

[0160] The character characteristic change control unit 223 changes and controls the character characteristics of the character for each user. Specifically, the character characteristic change control unit 223 changes and controls the character setting of the character 4 based on the communication history. The "degree of intimacy" parameter used to determine the intimacy degree condition 535b (see FIG. 5) that describes the application status 532 of the product selection tendency definition data 530 is one of the character settings that are subject to change control.

[0161] Furthermore, the character characteristic change control unit 223 controls the change of the character setting of the character 4 involved in the automatic purchase of the purchased item based on the evaluation result of the purchased item. Specifically, the value of the "degree of intimacy" parameter managed for each character 4 is changed to increase the degree of intimacy if the evaluation result is higher than a predetermined reference value, and is changed to decrease the degree of intimacy if the reference value is not reached. Note that the "reference value" and the amount of change used to change the degree of intimacy are defined as different predetermined values ​​for each type of character 4, which is one way of making the difference between the types of character 4 apparent.

[0162] The collected information management unit 230 manages, for each user, the automatic collection and recording of collected information related to that user, which includes at least a communication history that is a history of virtual communication. Specifically, the collected information management unit 230 acquires a copy of the behavior history information 503 (life log) at a given timing from the user terminal 1500. Thus, the collected information management unit 230 has a function as a life log acquisition control unit that acquires the life log of each user from the user terminal.

[0163] Furthermore, the collected information management unit 230 automatically patrols websites based on the acquired behavior history information 503 (life log) and automatically collects information for estimating the user's situation and state. As an example of automatic collection, the user's current location and travel route are identified from the acquired behavior history information 503 (life log), and the name of a region including the current location and travel route is determined. Then, the determined region name is used as a search word to obtain weather information for the region from a specified website that handles weather forecasts and weather reports. Also, the determined region name is used as a search word to obtain information such as traffic congestion and train delays for the region from a specified website that handles traffic information.

[0164] The communication history management unit 232 manages a communication history, which is a history of virtual communication, for each user.

[0165] The purchase control unit 234 executes a purchase process by performing an automatic product selection process for automatically selecting, for each user 2, a purchase item whose purchase price is within the contracted consumption amount of the user from a given purchase candidate DB 1140 using at least the product selection tendency based on the communication history of the user 2, and a delivery procedure process for the purchased item to the delivery address registered for the user 2. Then, the purchase history is recorded and managed.

[0166] Specifically, the purchase control unit 234 variably determines the number and combination of items to be selected for purchase for each user.

[0167] The purchase control unit 234 then variably controls the execution timing of the purchase process based on the purchase execution timing criteria based on the communication history. As described above, the product selection tendency definition data 530 stores application situations 532 and tendency content data 540 in association with each other (see FIG. 6). The application situations 532 include communication history conditions 534c and describe the situations in which the application should be applied. The tendency content data 540 includes purchase execution timing criteria 541. Thus, the purchase control unit 234 variably controls the execution timing of the purchase process based on the communication history.

[0168] In addition, the purchase execution timing criteria 541 also includes a criterion set to "every unit period elapses." If this purchase execution timing criteria is followed, the purchase control unit 234 will execute the purchase process every time a unit period elapses.

[0169] Furthermore, the purchase control unit 234 performs control in accordance with the settings for handling the remainder of the contract consumption amount (remainder handling settings 603g; see FIG. 13) in relation to the contract contents. Specifically, if the setting for handling the remainder indicates "carryover," when a unit period has elapsed and the total amount purchased in the purchase process during the elapsed unit period is less than the contracted consumption amount, the purchase control unit 234 increases the contracted consumption amount for the next unit period by the remaining amount and executes the purchase process.

[0170] The item granting control unit 236 performs control to grant a given item to the character 4, who is the opponent of the user, based on the operation input of the user. The "item" referred to here is a character item set to be used by the character 4. For example, the items can be clothing and equipment of the character 4, food of the character 4, household goods and collection items owned by the character 4, and the like. The granting of the item is realized by a predetermined operation in which the user 2 equips the character 4 with an item obtained separately. The item may be obtained, for example, in relation to a game played on the user terminal 1500, or may be purchased through a mail order service executed on the user terminal 1500. Such information is included in the action history information.

[0171] When one unit period has elapsed, if the total amount purchased in the purchase process during the elapsed unit period is less than the contracted consumption amount, the refund control unit 238 performs control to grant valuable information equivalent to the remaining amount to the user. The user selects and sets the handling of the remainder from among the options of "return," "carryover," and "use up (meaning consumption so that no remainder remains)" when setting the contract. The return control unit 238 performs control when the setting is "return." The granting of valuable information can be realized, for example, by returning a medium for paying the contract consumption amount, granting a coupon, granting a product or a character item, etc.

[0172] The timekeeping unit 280s uses a system clock to keep track of the current date and time, time limit, and the like.

[0173] The sound generation unit 290s is realized by executing an IC or software that generates or decodes voice data, and generates or decodes voice data such as operation sounds related to system management of the server system 1100. In a configuration in which a voice reading the lines of the character 4 is output from the user terminal 1500, the line voice data may be decoded. Then, the voice signal related to system management is output to the sound output unit 390s.

[0174] The sound output unit 390s outputs sound in response to the input audio signal. In the example of FIG. 1, this corresponds to a speaker (not shown) provided in the main device or the touch panel 1108.

[0175] The image generating unit 292s generates images, synthesizes images, and outputs image signals for displaying them on the image display unit 392s. In this embodiment, the image generating unit 292s is responsible for part of the function of generating various images and videos, such as images related to system management of the server system 1100 and data for displaying the character 4 on the user terminal 1500. In this embodiment, the image generating unit 292s renders an image of the character 4 captured by a virtual camera installed in a virtual three-dimensional space. Note that it is also possible to configure the user terminal 1500 to render the image of the character 4, and in that case, the rendering function can be omitted from the image generating unit 292s. Of course, when the character 4 is displayed as a two-dimensional image (flat image), the rendering function can be omitted.

[0176] The communication control unit 294s executes data processing related to data communication, and realizes data exchange with an external device via the communication unit 394s.

[0177] The communication unit 394s realizes communication by connecting to the network 9. For example, it is realized by a wireless communication device, a modem, a TA (terminal adapter), a jack for a wired communication cable, a control circuit, etc. In the example of FIG. 1, it corresponds to the communication device 1153.

[0178] The server storage unit 500s stores programs and various data for implementing various functions for the server processing unit 200s to comprehensively control the server system 1100. It is also used as a working area for the server processing unit 200s, and temporarily stores the results of calculations executed by the server processing unit 200s according to various programs. This function is implemented by, for example, IC memory such as RAM or ROM, magnetic disks such as hard disks, optical disks such as CD-ROMs or DVDs, online storage, etc. In the example of FIG. 1, this corresponds to storage media such as IC memory 1152 and hard disks mounted on the main unit, and purchase candidate DB 1140.

[0179] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of programs and data stored in the server storage unit 500s. The server storage unit 500s stores a server program 505, a delivery client program 506, product management data 510, character initial setting data 520, user situation estimation reference data 560, user registration information 600, character management data 650, and a current date and time 800. Of course, data other than these can also be stored as appropriate.

[0180] Product management data 510 is prepared for each product that can be purchased through the automated purchasing system 1000. One piece of product management data 510 includes, for example, a unique product name, a product category, a purchase price, product-related information (e.g., color, size, country of origin, raw material names, etc.), a discount rate, and inventory quantity. Of course, other data than these may also be included as appropriate.

[0181] The character initial setting data 520 is provided for each type of character 4, and stores various initial setting data and related data relating to the character. One character initial setting data 520 includes, for example, a character type 521, character model data 523, characteristic parameter value change pattern data 525, and characteristic origin library 527. Of course, data other than these can also be included as appropriate.

[0182] The characteristic parameter value change pattern data 525 is data that defines a pattern of how to change parameter values ​​(character settings) related to the characteristics of the character 4, and the change pattern is set to differ for each character type 521. Specifically, in this embodiment, each character 4 has a characteristic parameter value "degree of intimacy" that indicates the degree of virtual favor or affinity that the character 4 has toward the user 2 who uses the character. The characteristic parameter value change pattern data 525 defines on what parameters the degree of intimacy is changed and how it is changed.

[0183] Specifically, one piece of characteristic parameter value change pattern data 525 includes information on the change requirement, the type of parameter to be changed, and the amount of change. The characteristic parameter value change pattern data 525 includes the following change pattern data:

[0184] That is, the characteristic parameter value change pattern data 525 includes change pattern data in which the change requirement is set to "give a character a specific character item" and the change target parameter value is "degree of intimacy." This allows the character characteristic change control unit 223 to change and control the degree of intimacy of the given character 4 based on the result of controlling the granting of the character item.

[0185] The characteristic parameter value change pattern data 525 also includes change pattern data in which the change requirement is set to "make a purchase that satisfies a given condition (e.g., described in terms of conditions related to the purchase date and time, the type of purchased item, and the number of purchases)" and the parameter value to be changed is set to "degree of intimacy." This allows the character characteristic change control unit 223 to control the change of the character setting information related to the character characteristics of character 4 based on the processing result of the purchase process.

[0186] The characteristic parameter value change pattern data 525 also includes change pattern data in which the change requirement is set to "update the game play results played on the user terminal 1500", the parameter value to be changed is set to "degree of intimacy", and the amount of change is set to be determined according to the game play results. This allows the character characteristic change control unit 223 to control the change of the character characteristics of the character 4 based on the game results of a given game executed on the user terminal 1500.

[0187] The user situation estimation criteria data 560 is prepared for each type of state of user 2 or situation in which user 2 is placed, which is estimated based on information (collected information) collected by the automatic purchasing system 1000 relating to user 2, and defines the criteria for estimating that user 2 is in that state or condition.

[0188] For example, Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of user situation estimation reference data 560 for making an estimation based on information automatically acquired by automatically crawling websites on the Internet. Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of user situation estimation reference data 560 for making an estimation based on a communication history between a user 2 and a character 4.

[0189] One piece of user situation estimation reference data 560 stores preparation information designation 561, judgment requirements 563, and user situation estimation results 565 in association with each other.

[0190] The preparation information specification 561 specifies information to be prepared as material for making an estimation based on the standard data. Specifically, in the example of the preparation information designation 561 shown in FIG. 11, the preparation information designation 561 includes a user location history 561a and a current affairs news type 561b. The user location history 561a is a list of geographical information (e.g., administrative district name, area name, public transportation route name, etc.) of the location of the user 2 by time period (e.g., morning, afternoon, evening, night, commuting time, etc.) obtained from the behavior history information of the user 2. It may be read as tracking data of the user location. The current affairs news type 561b specifies the type of news (e.g., weather information, earthquake information, traffic information, event information, sale information, etc.). The automatic purchasing system 1000 referring to the user situation estimation reference data 560 of FIG. 11 obtains the user location history 561a from the behavior history information, performs automatic patrol processing on a predetermined website dealing with the current affairs news indicated by the current affairs news type 561b, and automatically acquires the specified current affairs news associated with the geographical information indicated by the user location history 561a.

[0191] 12, the preparation information specification 561 specifies a communication time length 561d in a given specified period (e.g., the current day, the past week, etc.), a specified keyword list 561e, and an appearance statistics type 561f for each specified keyword. The automatic purchasing system 1000, which refers to the user situation estimation reference data 560 in Fig. 12, obtains the communication time length 561d from the user terminal 1500, and obtains a statistical value (e.g., the number of appearances, the appearance rate, etc.) indicated by the appearance statistics type 561f for each keyword indicated by the specified keyword list 561e.

[0192] The judgment requirement 563 specifies a requirement for recognizing the probability of deriving the user situation estimation result 565 from the prepared preparation information specification 561. The user situation estimation result 565 indicates the estimated situation of the user 2.

[0193] For example, the judgment requirement 563 shown in FIG. 11 is that the type of information specified by the current events news type 561b (e.g., sudden heavy rain) is automatically collected in the location during each time period (e.g., 17:00 to 18:00, around Ikebukuro) determined by the user location history 561a. The user situation estimation result 565 is set to "encountered heavy rain on the way home."

[0194] On the other hand, if the user situation estimation result 565 of the example of FIG. 11 is set in the estimated user situation condition of the product selection tendency definition data 530 (see FIG. 6) and a tendency to select goods for heavy rain is set in the tendency content data 540, it is possible to set the purchasing behavior of the character 4 to understand that the master, user 2, has been caught in heavy rain and to voluntarily purchase goods for the master.

[0195] 12 is that a statistical value (e.g., total number of occurrences) indicated by an occurrence statistics type 561f of any of the keywords (e.g., words or phrases that are said to be uttered when fatigued, such as tired or exhausted) in a specified keyword list 561e during a communication time length 561d (e.g., the past three days) reaches a judgment criterion indicated by the judgment requirement 563. And a user state estimation result 565 is set to “accumulated fatigue”.

[0196] On the other hand, by setting the user situation estimation result 565 of the example of FIG. 12 in the estimated user situation condition of the product selection tendency definition data 530 (see FIG. 6) and setting a tendency to select goods and food items that are useful for recovering from fatigue, and the favorite foods of user 2 to cheer him up, in the tendency content data 540, it becomes possible to set the purchasing behavior of character 4 to understand that user 2, who is the master, is exhausted, and to voluntarily purchase goods and food for the master.

[0197] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the user registration information 600. As shown in FIG. User registration information 600 is prepared for each user 2 and stores various registration information related to the user. Specifically, the user registration information 600 includes a unique user account 601, contract content information 603, a used character ID 605, personal information 610, a contract consumption balance 620, and automatically collected information 622. Of course, data other than these may also be included as appropriate.

[0198] The contract content information 603 includes, for example, a contract start date and time 603a, a unit period 603b, a contract period 603c, a contract consumption amount 603d, selection / exclusion conditions 603e, an automatic renewal setting 603f indicating whether or not to perform automatic renewal after the contract expires, and a remaining handling setting 603g. Of course, other information may be included as appropriate depending on the contract content.

[0199] The contract period 603c is written as an integer multiple of the unit period 603b. When making a contract, the user 2 can select how many unit periods 603b are to be set as the contract period 603c.

[0200] The contracted consumption amount 603d indicates the amount to be paid by the user 2 per unit period 603b (or per contract period 603c). In this embodiment, a periodical purchase method is used in which the amount of the contracted consumption amount 603d is paid before the start of the unit period 603b, so the contracted consumption amount 603d has the meaning of a "prepaid amount," but the payment form and meaning of the contracted consumption amount 603d are not limited to this. For example, it may be "individual automatic payment" in which the amount is automatically paid for each purchase without setting a fixed amount, or "amount upper limit" in which an upper limit is set for the amount that can be used during the unit period 603b. At the time of contract, multiple options are presented to the user 2, and the contracted consumption amount 603d is set according to the setting operation by the user.

[0201] The selection exclusion conditions 603e store information for identifying items to be excluded from automatic purchasing product selection. For example, product name, country of origin, product category, number of days remaining until expiration date, ingredient names, etc. The information that can be set in the selection exclusion conditions 603e is included in information about each product in the product group (product-related information in the product management data 510) (see FIG. 10).

[0202] The remainder handling setting 603g is a setting as to whether to handle the remainder when the unit period 603b has elapsed and the total amount purchased in the purchase process during the elapsed unit period is less than the contract consumption amount. The remainder handling setting 603g is set by the user selecting one of the options "return", "carry over", or "use up" when setting up the contract.

[0203] The personal information 610 includes profile information 611, electronic payment information 613, and delivery address 615. Of course, other data may also be included as appropriate.

[0204] The contents included in the profile information 611 can be set appropriately. The profile information 611 can include, for example, address, name, age, birthday, sex, occupation, family structure, birthdays of family members, hobbies and interests, etc. Information corresponding to the hobby names and content of preferences that can be set in the hobbies and interests is included in information about each product in the product group (product related information in the product management data 510), and it can be determined whether the product corresponds to the hobbies and interests.

[0205] The electronic payment information 613 is information for paying the contract consumption amount 603d by electronic payment. For example, the electronic payment information 613 can be a credit card number, prepaid points, etc. The electronic payment information 613 may be included in the contract content information 603.

[0206] The contract consumption balance 620 indicates the remainder obtained by subtracting the purchase price of the products purchased during the current contract period 603c from the contract consumption amount 603d. In the automatic selection of purchased items, a selection process is performed so that the total purchase price of the purchased items is equal to or less than the value indicated by the contract consumption balance 620.

[0207] The automatically collected information 622 stores information related to the user that is automatically collected by the server system 1100 and information derived therefrom. Specifically, the automatically collected information 622 stores duplicated behavior history information 623, information collected during automatic patrol 624, a user situation estimation result list 625, and communication history data 626.

[0208] The duplicated behavior history information 623 is a duplicate of the behavior history information 503 (see FIG. 8) recorded and managed by the user terminal 1500.

[0209] The information collected during automatic crawling 624 is information acquired by the server system 1100 by automatically crawling predetermined websites, including current news.

[0210] The user situation estimation result list 625 is a list of user situation estimation results 565 estimated to correspond to the current situation of the user 2 according to the user situation estimation reference data 560 (see FIG. 11 and FIG. 12). The user situation estimation result list 625 is used to determine the estimated user situation condition 534d of the product selection tendency definition data 530 (see FIG. 6) and the estimated user situation condition 554d of the conversation tendency definition data 550 (see FIG. 7).

[0211] The communication history data 626 is created each time communication is made with the character 4 used by the user, and records when and what the communication was. For example, a character ID indicating a communication partner, a date and time of communication, a character's remark, and a user's remark are stored in chronological order in one communication history data 626. The date and time of communication is the date and time from when the character 4 or the user 2 spoke to the user until the conversation was interrupted.

[0212] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the character management data 650. As shown in FIG. Character management data 650 is prepared for each character 4 associated with user 2, and stores various information related to the character. Specifically, one character management data 650 includes a unique character ID 651, a user account 653, character setting information 660, an applicable product selection tendency ID 670, an applicable conversation tendency ID 672, character control data 680, and purchase history data 684.

[0213] The character setting information 660 stores the latest setting parameter values ​​of the character 4 managed by the management data. Specifically, the character setting information 660 includes a character type 661 and a characteristic parameter value 663. Of course, data other than these may also be included as appropriate.

[0214] The characteristic parameter value 663 stores parameter values ​​referenced for selecting product selection tendency definition data 530 and conversation tendency definition data 550 according to the situation at any given time from the characteristic origin library 527 (see FIG. 5), that is, parameter values ​​that determine the characteristics to be specifically expressed. Therefore, changing and controlling the characteristic parameter value 663 is equivalent to changing and controlling the character characteristics.

[0215] Specifically, the characteristic parameter value 663 includes a cumulative usage time length 663a, a cumulative communication time length 663b, a number of conversations 663c, a number of purchases 663d, a user evaluation statistic 663e, and a favorability level 663f. Of course, conditions related to parameters other than these can also be included as appropriate. For example, conditions related to the total amount of purchases made up to now, distribution conditions of genres of purchased items, and the like can be included in the characteristic parameter value 663. Conversely, one or more of the above examples may be omitted.

[0216] In other words, the various parameters that are the characteristic parameter values ​​663 can be said to be parameters that indicate the degree and depth of the relationship between the user 2 and the character 4. Therefore, the characteristic parameter values ​​663 can also be said to be “intimacy degree information.”

[0217] The cumulative usage time length 663a is the cumulative elapsed time since the character began to be used, and is automatically updated.

[0218] The communication cumulative time length 663b is the cumulative time that the character has communicated with the user 2, and is automatically updated.

[0219] The number of conversations 663c is the total number of statements made between the character 4 and the user 2 when the character engaged in conversational communication with the user 2, and is automatically updated.

[0220] The number of purchases 663d is the cumulative number of times automatic purchases have been made for the character, and is automatically updated by the character property change control unit 223 every time a purchase is made.

[0221] The user evaluation statistics 663e are statistics (e.g., average, maximum, minimum, median, etc.) of user evaluations of items automatically purchased by the character, and are automatically updated by the character characteristic change control unit 223 every time an evaluation result is input. In other words, the character characteristic change control unit 223 changes and controls the character characteristics of the character 4 involved in the purchase that is the origin of the evaluation, based on the evaluation result.

[0222] The favorability 663f is a parameter value indicating the degree of favor or affinity that the character has toward the user 2. For example, it is an integer ranging from "0 (hate)" to "100 (love)", and the initial value at the start of use is set to "50 (normal; neither like nor dislike)."

[0223] The cumulative usage time length 663a, the cumulative communication time length 663b, the number of conversations 663c, and the number of purchases 663d can be said to be parameters that represent the experience value of the character as a support character related to automatic purchases. In particular, the cumulative communication time length 663b and the number of conversations 663c indicate larger values ​​as the character and user 2 become closer, so they can be said to be parameters that reflect the closeness between the two. The user evaluation statistical value 663e can be said to be a parameter that indicates the usefulness of the character's product selection from the user's perspective.

[0224] The favorability 663f is automatically updated at a given timing by referring to characteristic parameter value change pattern data 525 (see FIG. 10) associated with the character type of the character. The characteristic parameter value change pattern data 525 defines the changes using variables such as cumulative usage time length 663a, cumulative communication time length 663b, number of conversations 663c, number of purchases 663d, user evaluation statistics 663e, and predetermined keywords included in words used in communication directed at the character.

[0225] Specifically, the characteristic parameter value change pattern data 525 is set to change the favorability 663f to be higher when it is determined that the communication cumulative time length 663b or the number of conversations 663c is steadily increasing relative to the usage cumulative time length 663a. Also, the characteristic parameter value change pattern data 525 is set to change the favorability 663f to be higher the higher the evaluation of the user evaluation statistical value 663e and the higher the occurrence rate of friendly keywords in the keywords. Conversely, the characteristic parameter value change pattern data 525 is set to change the favorability 663f to be lower the lower the user evaluation statistical value 663e and the higher the occurrence rate of aggressive keywords or insulting keywords in the keywords.

[0226] The applied product selection tendency ID 670 indicates which product selection tendency definition data 530 from the characteristic origin library 527 is currently being applied to the character, and stores the tendency ID 531 (see FIG. 6).

[0227] Applied conversation tendency ID 672 indicates which conversation tendency definition data 550 from trait origin library 527 is currently being applied to the character, and stores the tendency ID 551 (see FIG. 7).

[0228] Character control data 680 includes control data for controlling various actions of the character, including its display and communication.

[0229] Purchase history data 684 is created each time an automatic purchase is made, and records when and what was purchased, and the user evaluation result. One piece of purchase history data 684 stores, for example, purchase date and time, total price, purchase details (number of items purchased and total purchase price for each item), delivery tracking number, and user evaluation result. Of course, other data may also be stored as appropriate. The user evaluation result may be an evaluation for each type of item in the purchase details, or an evaluation for an entire purchase regardless of whether a single or multiple items were purchased, or both.

[0230] The purchase history data 684 may be of a disclosed type that can be externally referenced, or of a non-disclosed type that cannot be externally referenced. Either of these types may be switchable by the user 2. Furthermore, the purchase history data 684 itself may be arbitrarily deleted by the user 2, or may be controlled to be automatically deleted at a given timing to appear as part of the automatic behavior of the character.

[0231] Next, the operation of the automatic purchasing system 1000 of this embodiment will be described. 15 and 16 are flowcharts for explaining the flow of processing for one user 2 in the server system 1100. The flow of processing explained here is realized by a user terminal 1500 on which a client program 502 is executed being communicatively connected to the server system 1100 on which a server program 505 is executed. When the user 2 operates the user terminal 1500, the operation input is transmitted to the server system 1100.

[0232] As shown in FIG. 15, the server system 1100 executes a user registration process (step S2). Specifically, the server system 1100 displays options for contract contents on the user terminal 1500 and accepts a setting operation. The user terminal 1500 transmits information on the setting operation by the user to the server system 1100. The server system 1100 sets the contract content information 603 of the user based on the setting operation by the user. Similarly, the server system 1100 accepts and sets the user account 601 and personal information 610 (see FIG. 13).

[0233] Next, the server system 1100 initializes the character 4 used by the user 2, and starts automatic updating of the character setting information 660 and the associated automatic updating of the product selection tendency and conversation tendency applied to the character (step S4).

[0234] Specifically, the server system 1100 presents types of characters 4 selectable on the user terminal 1500 and accepts the selection of the character type by the user 2. The server system 1100 sets the accepted selection result to the used character ID 605 (see FIG. 13) and the character type 661 of the character setting information 660 of the character management data 650 (see FIG. 14). Then, the server system 1100 sets the characteristic parameter value 663 to a predetermined initial value, and then starts automatic update of the characteristic parameter value 663.

[0235] The server system 1100 also sets the applied product selection tendency ID 670 and the applied conversation tendency ID 672 to values ​​indicating the default product selection tendency definition data 530 and the default conversation tendency definition data 550, respectively, corresponding to the used character. Then, the server system 1100 thereafter selects one definition data, whose application status 532 (see FIG. 6) is satisfied, from the product selection tendency definition data 530 of the characteristic origin library 527 at a given timing (for example, every time a predetermined time has elapsed), and changes the applied product selection tendency ID 670 to its tendency ID 531. Similarly, the server system 1100 repeatedly executes control to select one definition data, whose application status 552 (see FIG. 7) is satisfied, from the conversation tendency definition data 550 of the characteristic origin library 527, and change the applied conversation tendency ID 672 to its tendency ID 551.

[0236] Next, the server system 1100 starts the automatic collection process of the automatically collected information 622 (step S6). After this, the server system 1100 transmits a request for providing the behavior history information 503 to the user terminal 1500 at a given timing. When the user terminal 1500 receives this, it returns the behavior history information 503. Then, the server system 1100 records this as duplicated behavior history information 622a.

[0237] Furthermore, the server system 1100 collects information specified in the preparation information specification 561 for each user situation estimation reference data 560 (see Figs. 11 and 12) at a given timing, and stores it as information collected during automatic patrol 624. Then, the server system 1100 adds a user situation estimation result 565 of the reference data for which the judgment requirement 563 is satisfied to a user situation estimation result list 625 of the user registration information 600 of the user (see Fig. 13). Conversely, the server system 1100 excludes a user situation estimation result 565 of the reference data for which the judgment requirement 563 is not satisfied from the user situation estimation result list 625.

[0238] Next, the server system 1100 executes a collection process for the contract consumption amount 603d, initializes the contract consumption amount balance 620 to the collected contract consumption amount 603d (step S8), and starts a communication process for executing virtual communication between the character 4 and the user 2 (step S10). After this, the automatic purchasing system 1000 starts providing the automatic purchasing service until the contract expires. The server system 1100 starts to continuously control the behavior of the character 4. The character 4 is displayed on the screen of the user terminal 1500, and is controlled to behave as if he lives there.

[0239] Specifically, the server system 1100 selects setting data for which the utterance condition is satisfied from the daily conversation setting data 558 of the conversation tendency definition data 550 indicated by the applied conversation tendency ID 672, and makes the character 4 speak according to the setting data. This makes the user 2 think that the character 4 is talking to the user 2. Also, when the user 2 inputs a predetermined talking operation on the user terminal 1500, the user 2 thinks that the character 4 is talking in response to this. Each time such communication is performed, the server system 1100 accumulates the communication history data 626 (see FIG. 14) and changes the parameter values ​​related to the communication history in the character setting information 660.

[0240] After the communication process is started, the server system 1100 constantly monitors the arrival of the purchase execution timing (step S20). Specifically, it monitors whether the purchase execution timing criterion 541 of the product selection tendency definition data 530 indicated by the applied product selection tendency ID 670 is satisfied. If the purchase execution timing criterion 541 is satisfied (YES in step S20), the server system 1100 executes the purchase process (steps S22 to S26) without notifying the user 2 of the satisfaction.

[0241] That is, the server system 1100 automatically selects a purchase item so that the contract consumption amount balance 620 is less than or equal to the total price condition per purchase 542 in the product selection tendency definition data 530 indicated by the applied product selection tendency ID 670 (step S22). In making the selection, the server system 1100 selects items so that the purchase item selection tendency setting data 544 in the product selection tendency definition data 530 is satisfied, and products that satisfy the selection exclusion condition 603e are excluded.

[0242] Next, the server system 1100 automatically performs the settlement procedure by deducting the purchase price from the contract consumption balance 620, and creates new purchase history data 684 (step S24). The server system 1100 then automatically performs the delivery procedure for the newly purchased item (step S26). The delivery procedure shall be carried out using an automatic reception system provided by an existing delivery company. At that time, the server system 1100 obtains a uniquely assigned delivery tracking number and registers it in the newly created purchase history data 684. The user rating of this history data shall be set to "unrated" as the initial value.

[0243] The server system 1100 constantly monitors the delivery status of purchased items whose user ratings in the purchase history data 684 remain "unrated" (step S40). Specifically, the server system 1100 automatically patrols websites managed by delivery companies and obtains the latest delivery status information using the delivery tracking number obtained in the course of the delivery procedure.

[0244] If the delivery status indicates that delivery has been completed, the server system 1100 determines that the purchased item has arrived at the user 2's hand, and has the character 4 report the purchase (step S42), ask for a user evaluation of the purchased item for which the purchase report was made, and record the user evaluation (step S44). Specifically, the server system searches for setting data in which the report triggering condition is satisfied from the purchase report setting data 559 of the conversation tendency definition data 550 indicated by the applied conversation tendency ID 672, and has the character 4 report the purchased item through communication with the character 4 according to the setting data. Also, according to the setting data, the server system has the character 4 utter lines requesting an evaluation, and prompts the user to input a user evaluation. The input user evaluation is recorded in the purchase history data 684 (see FIG. 14) of the purchased item for which the purchase report was made.

[0245] Turning now to FIG. 16, the server system 1100 grants a character item to the character 4 in response to the input of the item granting operation (step S48).

[0246] After step S10, the server system 1100 monitors whether the contract period 603c has ended. If the contract period 603c has not ended (NO in step S50), it further judges whether the unit period 603b has ended. If the unit period 603b has ended (YES in step S52), the server system 1100 controls the contract consumption amount balance 620 at that time to be returned to the user 2 as valuable information or carries it over to the next unit period 603b (step S54) in accordance with the setting of the remainder handling setting 603g. The server system 1100 then collects the contract consumption amount 603d and reinitializes the contract consumption amount balance 620 (step S64) to continue providing the service.

[0247] If the contract period 603c has expired (YES in step S50) and the automatic renewal setting 603f is set to "automatic renewal on" (YES in step S62), the server system 1100 collects the contract consumption amount 603d and reinitializes the contract consumption amount balance 620 (step S64), and continues providing the service.

[0248] However, if the automatic update setting 603f is not set to "automatic update enabled" (NO in step S62), the server system 1100 ends the control and display of the character 4 (step S66), and ends the series of processes.

[0249] As described above, according to this embodiment, the automatic purchasing system 1000 controls the character 4 as a support character related to automatic purchasing, and provides the user 2 with a virtual communication experience through text-based conversation, while automatically collecting various information related to the user, including the communication history. Based on the communication history, the automatic purchasing system 1000 can automatically select a product, make a payment, and even carry out a delivery procedure, without the user 2 knowing about it. From the user 2's perspective, the product has been purchased without his / her knowledge, and has been delivered to him / her before he / she knows it. Therefore, the user can feel the joy and fun of having someone other than himself / herself voluntarily purchase something and give it to him / her as a present.

[0250] Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Comparing this embodiment with the first embodiment, the difference is that in the first embodiment, the automatic purchase management unit 210 is realized in the server system 1100, but in this embodiment, it is realized in the user terminal 1500. In the following, the differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the same components as in the first embodiment will be given the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0251] The server system 1100 in this embodiment is responsible for managing product management data 510 and providing information to the user terminal 1500, and functions as a stand-alone system without having the functionality of the automatic purchase management unit 210. That is, as shown in Fig. 17, the user terminal 1500 has the automatic purchase management unit 210 instead of the client terminal control unit 204 (see Fig. 8).

[0252] Accordingly, the terminal memory unit 500 stores an automatic purchasing program 504 for causing the device processing unit 200 to realize the function of the automatic purchasing management unit 210, character initial setting data 520, user situation estimation standard data 560, user registration information 600 of the user using the user terminal 1500, and character management data 650.

[0253] In addition, when an item to be purchased is automatically selected, the product management data 510 may be referenced each time by the user terminal 1500 accessing the server system 1100, or the product management data 510 may be downloaded from the server system 1100 at a given time and a copy thereof may be stored in the terminal memory unit 500 for reference.

[0254] The flow of processing related to automatic purchase by the user terminal 1500 in this embodiment is the same as the flowchart in Fig. 15. That is, in the flowcharts in Fig. 15 and 16, the execution subject of various processes and controls should be replaced by the user terminal 1500 instead of the server system 1100. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to obtain the same effects as the first embodiment.

[0255] [Modifications] Although the embodiment to which the present invention is applied has been described above, the forms to which the present invention can be applied are not limited to the above-described forms, and constituent elements can be added, omitted, or modified as appropriate.

[0256] (Variation 1) For example, in the first embodiment, an example was given in which the automatic purchasing system 1000 was realized in a client-server type computer system, but the server system 1100 may be omitted and the automatic purchasing system 1000 may be realized in a computer system in which multiple user terminals 1500 are connected in a peer-to-peer manner. In that case, one of the user terminals 1500 is made to perform the functions of the server system 1100 of the first embodiment. Alternatively, the functions of the automatic purchasing management unit 210 may be shared among multiple user terminals 1500.

[0257] Similarly, from the perspective of sharing the functions of the automatic purchase management unit 210, it is also possible to configure the user terminal 1500 to realize and share some of the functions of the automatic purchase management unit 210 (e.g., the character management unit 220, the communication history management unit 232, etc.) based on the first embodiment.

[0258] (Variation 2) In the above embodiment, the surprise element of the automatic purchase is emphasized, and the configuration is such that approval is not sought from the user 2 for the purchase, but approval from the user 2 can also be sought. Explaining this specifically based on the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 18, after the automatic selection of the purchase item, the server system 1100 controls the character 4 so that the character 4 begs the user 2 for approval of the purchase of the item selected by the automatic product selection (step S23A). Then, the server system 1100 waits for the product purchase after the automatic product selection for a predetermined time limit. Then, when the server system 1100 detects user approval (for example, an operation on a YES / NO input icon or input of a word indicating approval) within the time limit (YES in step S23B), it performs automatic payment procedures and delivery arrangement procedures. If user approval is not obtained within the time limit (NO in step S23B), the automatic payment procedures and delivery arrangement procedures are skipped.

[0259] In this configuration, if the lines of the character 4 seeking approval are of the suggestion type, such as "I think (name of item to purchase) would be good, what do you think?", the automatic purchasing system 1000 will function as a system for suggesting items to purchase.

[0260] Furthermore, as described above, the purchase candidate DB 1140 is not limited to a database owned by a product provider that provides products, but may also be a mail-order site, a reservation site for accommodation, etc. In this case, the automatic purchasing system 1000 essentially functions as a concierge-type automatic purchasing system 1000 that automatically patrols mail-order sites, reservation sites for accommodation, etc. via the Internet, etc., to select and suggest purchase items.

[0261] (Variation 3) Furthermore, the number of characters 4 per user can be set appropriately. A configuration in which one user 2 uses multiple characters 4 is also possible. In this case, although the multiple characters 4 appear to be multiple, they may be essentially one entity controlled by one character management data 650 in terms of internal processing. Of course, a configuration in which character management data 650 is assigned to each of the multiple characters 4 may also be used.

[0262] In the latter configuration (configuration in which character management data 650 is assigned to each of a plurality of characters 4), a configuration in which the user 2 assigns a contract consumption amount 603d to each character 4 may be added. In other words, the purchase control unit 234 may regard the permitted consumption amount allocated from the contracted consumption amount for each character 4 in accordance with the user's setting operation as the contracted consumption amount for the automatic purchase related to that character, and execute the purchase process for each character.

[0263] (Variation 4) The property origin library 527 itself, or the data contained in the library, is not necessarily fixed, but can be changed as appropriate. For example, the operator of the automatic purchasing system 1000 may make the change, or user 2 may make a separate purchase at an online shopping site managed by the operator of the automatic purchasing system 1000 (or by using an online shopping function provided within the service of the automatic purchasing system 1000).

[0264] (Variation 5) Also, it is possible to configure so that the setting values ​​of each item of the trend content data 540 (see FIG. 6) are determined each time based on the character setting information 660 of the character 4.

[0265] Specifically, for example, the characteristic parameter value 663 may include a "spendthrift setting value" in the sense of a personality parameter value related to spending, and a function or table data may be set in the total amount per purchase condition 542 to calculate the total amount using the "spendthrift setting value" as a variable. For example, the characteristic parameter value 663 may include a “preference setting value” in the sense of a personality parameter value related to preferences, and the rare product selection priority 544d may be set to a function or table data that calculates the priority value using the “preference setting value” as a variable. Of course, the items of tendency content data 540 defined by functions or table data, and the parameters included in character setting information 660 that are variables in the functions or table data, can be appropriately combined and set in ways other than these examples.

[0266] Furthermore, the initial values ​​of parameters included in the character setting information 660, which are variables in the function or table data, may be set by the user 2 himself / herself. For example, based on the first embodiment, the server system 1100 may grant the user 2 allocable points of "100" as one process related to the initialization of the character setting information 660, and execute a process of setting the initial values ​​of those parameters according to the allocation operation of the user 2.

[0267] (Variation 6) Furthermore, the automatic purchasing system 1000 of the above embodiment may also function as a game providing system that provides an online game using the user terminal 1500. Specifically, when an operation to start game play is input on the user terminal 1500, the server system 1100 may start functioning as a game server. In this case, the character 4 is positioned as a player character that is operated and grown by the user 2, or an NPC that accompanies the player character.

[0268] (Variation 7) In the above embodiment, each user 2 selects the character 4 to be used by himself / herself. That is, the character 4 of each user 2 is unique to that user, but this is not limited to the above. For example, in the process of selecting the character 4, copies of the characters 4 used by other users (for example, a character 4 of a celebrity, a randomly selected character 4, etc.) can be included in the options. [Explanation of symbols]

[0269] 2. User 4. Character 10. Product related information 200s…Server processing section 202…Life Log Management Department 204...Client terminal control unit 210…Automatic Purchasing Management Department 212...User registration information management department 220…Character Management Department 221…Communication control section 223…Character characteristic change control unit 230…Collection Information Management Department 232…Communication History Management Department 234...Purchase control unit 500s…Server storage 503...Activity history information 505...Server program 510...Product management data 520...Character initial setting data 521…Character type 527…Trait Origin Library 530…Product selection tendency definition data 550…Conversation trend definition data 559…Purchase report setting data 600...User registration information 603...Contract details information 603b…Unit period 603c…Contract period 603d…Contract consumption amount 603e…Selection and exclusion conditions 611…Profile information 615…Shipping destination 622…Automatically collected information 626…Communication history data 650…Character management data 660…Character setting information 663f…Favourability 670…Applicable product selection tendency ID 672…Applicable conversation trend ID 684...Purchase history data 1000…Automatic Purchasing System 1100...Server system 1150…Control board 1500: User terminal

Claims

1. A server system that is communicatively connected to a user terminal of each user, A user registration information management means for managing user registration information for each user; a history information management means for managing play history information of a predetermined game for each user; a character management means for managing a character associated with a product selection tendency for each user and a character of a partner of the user in virtual communication executed using the user terminal of the user as a man-machine interface; A control means for each user that performs the following operations: (1) when an application condition based on the play history information of the user is satisfied, automatically selects a purchase product from a purchase candidate data group in which data on items usable in the game (hereinafter referred to as "purchase candidate products") is accumulated in accordance with the contents set as the product selection tendency associated with the other character of the user, and sets the purchase product in a purchase standby state; (2) controls the other character of the user to request the user for purchase approval of the purchase product in the purchase standby state; and (3) executes purchase processing for the selected purchase product when the purchase approval is given by the user; A server system comprising:

2. A server system that is communicatively connected to a user terminal of each user, A user registration information management means for managing user registration information for each user; a history information management means for managing play history information of a predetermined game for each user; a character management means for managing a character associated with a product selection tendency for each user and a character of a partner of the user in virtual communication executed using the user terminal of the user as a man-machine interface; a control means for each user that performs the following operations: (a) automatically selects a purchase item from a purchase candidate data group in which data on items usable in the game (hereinafter referred to as "purchase candidate items") is accumulated, in accordance with the contents set as the product selection tendency associated with the other character of the user, when an application condition based on the play history information of the user is satisfied; and (b) controls the other character of the user to perform a given action related to purchase toward the user after the purchase process of the selected purchase item. A server system comprising:

3. The character management means manages a character selected from a plurality of characters based on a selection operation of the user as the opponent character of the user, The control means variably controls the total number and / or the number of types of purchase items to be automatically selected per purchase in accordance with the other character of the user.

3. The server system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. a communication control means for controlling execution of the communication; The server system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising:

5. A communication control means for controlling execution of the communication; Further comprising: the character management means manages a character selected from a plurality of characters based on a selection operation by the user as the other character of the user; when the purchase process is executed by the control means, the communication control means variably controls a frequency of execution of a purchase report to the user, the purchase report being made as if the other character of the user involved in the purchase process had executed the purchase through the purchase process by himself / herself, in accordance with the other character of the user; The server system according to claim 1 .

6. The character management means manages a character selected from a plurality of characters based on a selection operation of the user as the opponent character of the user, the control means executes purchase of the purchase product by automatic selection for each given unit period, and variably controls a purchase execution timing of the purchase product in one unit period in accordance with the other character of the user; The server system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The user registration information includes a contracted consumption amount of the user, the control means executes the purchase process by selecting, as the purchased product, a purchase candidate whose purchase price is within the contract consumption amount of the user; The server system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

8. The user registration information includes a contract period set for each user based on a setting operation of the user, the contract period being one unit of a unit period; The contract consumption amount is an amount per unit period, The control means executes the purchase process for each unit period. The server system according to claim 7.

9. a refund control means for controlling, when the unit period has elapsed, the granting of valuable information equivalent to the remaining amount to the user if the total amount purchased in the purchase process during the elapsed unit period is less than the contracted consumption amount; The server system of claim 8 further comprising:

10. when the unit period has elapsed and the total amount purchased in the purchasing process during the elapsed unit period is less than the contracted consumption amount, the control means increases the contracted consumption amount for the next unit period by the remaining amount and executes the purchasing process. The server system according to claim 8.

11. The user registration information includes user profile information; The product selection tendency includes a purchasing product selection tendency based on the profile information. The server system according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. A user terminal of each user; A server system according to any one of claims 1 to 11; An automated purchasing system comprising:

13. A computer system comprising: A user registration information management process for managing user registration information for each user; a history information management process for managing play history information of a predetermined game for each user; A character management process for managing a character associated with a product selection tendency for each user, the character being a partner character of the user in virtual communication executed using the user terminal of the user as a man-machine interface; A control process for each user, which performs the following: (1) when an application condition based on the play history information of the user is satisfied, automatically selects a purchase product from a purchase candidate data group in which data on items usable in the game (hereinafter referred to as "purchase candidate products") is accumulated in accordance with the content set as the product selection tendency associated with the other character of the user, and sets the purchase product in a purchase standby state; (2) controls the other character of the user to request the user for purchase approval of the purchase product in the purchase standby state; and (3) executes purchase processing for the selected purchase product when the purchase approval is given by the user. Execute the purchase service delivery method.

14. A computer system comprising: A user registration information management process for managing user registration information for each user; a history information management process for managing play history information of a predetermined game for each user; A character management process for managing a character associated with a product selection tendency for each user, the character being a partner character of the user in virtual communication executed using the user terminal of the user as a man-machine interface; A control process for each user, (a) when an application condition based on the play history information of the user is satisfied, automatically selecting a purchase item from a purchase candidate data group in which data on items usable in the game (hereinafter referred to as "purchase candidate items") is accumulated in accordance with the contents set as the product selection tendency associated with the other character of the user, and (b) controlling the other character of the user to perform a given action related to purchase toward the user after the purchase process of the selected purchase item; Execute the purchase service delivery method.

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