Server system and video content providing server system

Abstract

To provide a server system for improving value relating to reception of e-commerce service in an EC site.SOLUTION: In a server system 1000, an e-commerce server system 1100a comprises a log-in processing part which, when receiving login account information from a user terminal 1500, transmits an internal processing user ID of the user to the user terminal to be stored, and a service provision processing part for providing e-commerce service based on the internal processing user ID received from the user terminal. A animation content providing server system 1100b comprises an animation database 580 which stores plural pieces of animation content associated with browsing permission conditions based on service reception information related to the e-commerce service, and an animation provision processing part for providing the animation content, in which the service reception information associated with the internal processing user ID received from the user terminal satisfies the browsing permission conditions, to the user terminal so as to be browsed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a server system and the like. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a technique has been disclosed for determining thumbnails of videos that can be distributed based on user information when distributing videos to a terminal device (see Patent Document 1). According to the technique of Patent Document 1, for example, a scene in the video that shows something that interests the user can be used as the thumbnail.

[0003] On the other hand, electronic commerce (e-commerce) services that use the Internet to conduct transactions are well known. Users can enjoy online shopping for products and services by accessing EC (Electric Commerce) sites. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-46064 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the technology of Patent Document 1 aims to draw the user's attention to thumbnails of viewable videos, and does not allow the viewable videos themselves to be changed by the user.

[0006] On the other hand, if video content that can be viewed for each user is determined based on service enjoyment information such as which product the user has purchased on an EC site, the provision of video content can serve as an incentive for purchasing products, etc.

[0007] The problem that the present invention aims to solve is to provide technology that can provide video content in order to increase the value associated with enjoying e-commerce services, such as purchasing products and services on an EC site, and that can motivate users to enjoy such services. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A first invention for solving the above problem is a server system (e.g., server system 1000 in FIG. 1) of an EC (Electronic Commerce) site that provides an e-commerce service, comprising: a user identification information storage means (e.g., internal processing ID table 560 in FIG. 3) that associates and stores, for each user, login account information with an internal processing user ID of the user used to enjoy the e-commerce service; a login processing means (e.g., login processing unit 231 in FIG. 10) that, when receiving the login account information from a user terminal (e.g., user terminal 1500 in FIG. 1), transmits the internal processing user ID of the user to the user terminal and stores it therein; and a service providing means that provides the e-commerce service based on the internal processing user ID received from the user terminal. The server system includes a service provision processing means (e.g., the service provision processing unit 233 in FIG. 10), a service enjoyment information storage means (e.g., the service enjoyment information 520 in FIG. 5) that stores service enjoyment information related to the e-commerce service in association with the user's internal processing user ID, a video content storage means (e.g., the video database 580 in FIG. 12) that stores a plurality of video contents each associated with a viewing permission condition based on the service enjoyment information, and a video provision processing means (e.g., the video provision processing unit 250 in FIG. 12) that provides the user terminal with video content that satisfies the viewing permission conditions according to the service enjoyment information associated with the internal processing user ID received from the user terminal so that the video content can be viewed by the user terminal.

[0009] As another invention, there is provided a video content providing server system (e.g., video content providing server system 1100b in FIG. 1) communicatively connected to an e-commerce server system (e.g., e-commerce server system 1100a in FIG. 1) of an EC (Electric Commerce) site providing an e-commerce service, the e-commerce server system including: a user identification information storage means for storing, for each user, login account information associated with an internal processing user ID of the user used to enjoy the e-commerce service; a login processing means for transmitting the internal processing user ID of the user to the user terminal and storing the internal processing user ID when the login account information is received from the user terminal; a service providing processing means for providing the e-commerce service based on the internal processing user ID received from the user terminal; A video content providing server system may be configured which includes a service enjoyment information storage means for storing service enjoyment information relating to the e-commerce service in association with the user's internal processing user ID, a video service connection control means (e.g., video service connection control unit 235 in FIG. 10) for connecting a user terminal to the video content providing server system, a video content storage means for storing a plurality of video contents each associated with viewing permission conditions based on the service enjoyment information, and a video providing processing means for acquiring the service enjoyment information associated with the internal processing user ID received from the user terminal from the e-commerce server system, and providing the video content whose acquired service enjoyment information satisfies the viewing permission conditions to the user terminal so as to be viewable.

[0010] According to the first invention, the login account information of a user is stored in association with an internal processing user ID, and when a user terminal logs in using the login account information, the corresponding internal processing user ID can be stored in the user terminal. Then, an e-commerce service can be provided to the user terminal based on the internal processing user ID received from the user terminal, and service enjoyment information related to the e-commerce service can be stored in association with the internal processing user ID. Meanwhile, a plurality of video contents can be stored in association with viewing permission conditions based on the service enjoyment information. Then, based on the internal processing user ID received from the user terminal, video contents whose corresponding service enjoyment information satisfies the viewing permission conditions can be provided to the user terminal in a viewable manner. That is, the user can access the EC site and view video contents corresponding to the e-commerce service enjoyed. According to this, it is possible to provide a technology that can provide video contents in a viewable manner to the user terminal in order to improve the value of enjoying the e-commerce service on the EC site, and can motivate the user to enjoy the service.

[0011] In addition, as a second invention, the video provision processing means may configure a server system of the first invention in which a viewing start link body, which instructs the user terminal to start viewing video content for which the service enjoyment information linked to the internal processing user ID received from the user terminal satisfies the viewing permission conditions, is displayed in a selectable manner on the user terminal.

[0012] According to the second invention, when video content is provided to a user terminal, for video content whose service enjoyment information satisfies the viewing permission condition, a viewing start link that instructs the user to start viewing the video content can be selectably displayed on the user terminal.

[0013] In addition, as a third invention, the server system of the second invention may be configured such that the video content includes a jump destination video content that can be viewed during or at the end of viewing of other video content (hereinafter collectively referred to as "jump timing"), and when there is a jump destination video content for which the service enjoyment information linked to the internal processing user ID received from a user terminal satisfies the viewing permission conditions, the video providing processing means causes the user terminal to display the viewing start link body of the jump destination video content at the jump timing.

[0014] According to the third invention, the browsing start link can be displayed on the user terminal at the jump timing during or at the end of browsing of the video content.

[0015] In addition, as a fourth invention, the server system of any of the first to third inventions may be configured such that the service enjoyment information includes purchase information in the e-commerce service, and the video content storage means stores video content linked to the viewing permission conditions based on the purchase information.

[0016] According to the fourth invention, video content is prepared that is linked to viewing permission conditions based on purchase information in an e-commerce service, and video content whose viewing permission conditions are met by the user's purchase information on an EC site can be provided for viewing on the user's user terminal.

[0017] As a fifth invention, the server system of the fourth invention may be configured such that the viewing permission condition based on the purchase information is that a specific product or a specific combination of products is purchased.

[0018] According to the fifth invention, video content can be prepared that is linked to the purchase of a specific product or a specific combination of products as a viewing permission condition, and the video content can be provided in a viewable manner to the user terminal of a user who has purchased the product or combination of products.

[0019] In addition, as a sixth invention, the server system of any of the first to fifth inventions may be configured such that the service enjoyment information includes membership rank information of the user in the e-commerce service, and the video content storage means stores video content linked to the viewing permission conditions based on the membership rank information.

[0020] According to the sixth invention, video content is prepared that is linked to viewing permission conditions based on member rank information in an e-commerce service, and video content whose user's member rank information satisfies the viewing permission conditions can be provided for viewing on the user's user terminal.

[0021] As a seventh aspect of the present invention, the server system according to the sixth aspect of the present invention may be configured such that the member rank information is information on whether or not the user is a paying member.

[0022] According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, for example, it is possible to prepare video content that is linked to being a paid member as a viewing permission condition, and provide the video content to a user terminal of a paid member user so that the content can be viewed.

[0023] As an eighth aspect of the present invention, the server system according to the sixth aspect of the present invention may be configured such that the member rank information is information on a rank based on a history of use of the e-commerce service.

[0024] According to the eighth invention, video content is prepared that is linked to a rank based on the history of use of e-commerce services as a viewing permission condition, and the video content can be provided for viewing to user terminals of users with the corresponding rank.

[0025] In addition, as a ninth invention, the server system of any of the first to eighth inventions may be configured such that the service enjoyment information includes visit history information of the EC site, and the video content storage means stores video content linked to the viewing permission conditions based on the visit history information.

[0026] According to the ninth invention, video content is prepared that is linked to viewing permission conditions based on the visit history information of an EC site, and video content whose user's visit history information satisfies the viewing permission conditions can be provided for viewing on the user terminal of the user. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0027] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a server system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a top screen of an EC site. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of an internal processing ID table. [Figure 4] 11 is a flowchart showing an outline of a video providing process. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of service enjoyment information. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration of purchase information. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of member rank information. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a display example of a browsing start link. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another display example of a browsing start link body. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of an e-commerce server system. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration of user management data. [Figure 12] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a video content providing server system. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of video content data. [Figure 14] 4 is a flowchart showing a process flow focusing on data transmission and reception in a user terminal, an e-commerce server system, and a video content providing system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0028] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, and the forms to which the present invention can be applied are not limited to the following embodiments. In addition, in the description of the drawings, the same parts are given the same reference numerals.

[0029] [Overall configuration] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a server system 1000 in this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the server system 1000 includes an e-commerce server system 1100a, which is a server system for an EC (Electronic Commerce) site, and a video content providing server system 1100b, and is connected to a user terminal 1500 carried by a user via a network 9 so as to be able to communicate data with each other.

[0030] 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.

[0031] The e-commerce server system 1100a is managed by a business operator who operates an EC site, which is a website that provides e-commerce services, and performs processing related to the sale of products and provision of services handled on the EC site. In this embodiment, the e-commerce server system 1100a manages products for sale in a product database 570. Then, the e-commerce server system 1100a accepts product orders from user terminals 1500 and makes arrangements for delivery of the purchased products to the user of the user terminal 1500.

[0032] The video content providing server system 1100b includes a video database 580 that manages video content, and provides the video content to the user terminal 1500 so that the video content can be viewed. In this embodiment, a viewing request from the user terminal 1500 is accepted via an EC site, and control is performed to distribute the specified video content to the user terminal 1500. Note that the video content providing server system 1100b may directly accept a viewing request from the user terminal 1500, and control the distribution of the specified video content to the user terminal 1500.

[0033] The user terminal 1500 is a computer system used by a user, and can access an EC site published by the e-commerce server system 1100a by executing a dedicated or general-purpose browser program. In this embodiment, the user terminal 1500 can access the video content providing server system 1100b via the EC site, and can purchase products on the EC site and view video content. The form of the user terminal 1500 is not particularly limited, and can take the form of a mobile phone, a portable game device, a stationary home game device, a controller for a stationary home game device, an arcade game device, a tablet computer, a wearable computer, etc., in addition to the personal computer 1500-1 and the smartphone 1500-2 shown in FIG. 1.

[0034] [detail] 2 is a diagram showing an example of the top screen of an EC site. As shown in Fig. 2, the top screen includes a "Buy" menu M11 and a "Watch" menu M13.

[0035] 1. Service provision processing First, the Buy menu M11 on the top screen is a menu that is selected when a user wants to shop on an EC site. A user can purchase a desired product by selecting the product from the Buy menu M11 and performing a purchase operation.

[0036] For this purpose, when the "buy" menu M11 is selected on the user terminal 1500 that has accessed the EC site, the e-commerce server system 1100a performs a service provision process to provide the e-commerce service. Specifically, first, the e-commerce server system 1100a performs control to display a list screen (product list screen) of products handled on the EC site. The user selects the product to be purchased on this product list screen and performs a purchase operation.

[0037] In this embodiment, when purchasing a product on an EC site, the user is requested to perform a login procedure. Therefore, if the user is not logged in at the time of the purchase operation, the e-commerce server system 1100a controls the display of a login screen on the user terminal 1500 where the purchase operation is performed. Also, if the user does not have a registered account, the e-commerce server system 1100a requests the user to register the account prior to the login procedure. In this case, the e-commerce server system 1100a controls the display of an account registration screen on the user terminal 1500.

[0038] Then, when the user inputs personal information such as name, delivery address, phone number, and payment information on the account registration screen, the e-commerce server system 1100a performs processing related to the account registration. That is, a unique user ID is issued to the user as login account information, and information about the user including the input personal information and password is associated with the user ID and registered. In addition, an internal processing user ID that corresponds one-to-one with the user ID is also issued, and the two are associated and registered in the internal processing ID table. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the internal processing ID table 560. As shown in FIG. 3, the internal processing ID table 560 is a data table in which the internal processing user ID is associated with the user ID of each user who has completed the account registration. The internal processing user ID is a user ID used for internal processing of the system, and is not public in principle, so it can also be called a private user ID. However, what is meant by "private" is that it is not an ID that is generally available because it is not required for user operation, and it does not have to be private at all times; it may be possible to make it displayable by entering a specific command, or it may be displayed in a form that is difficult to identify on the screen, or displayed within a specific character string so that it can be confirmed from outside.

[0039] On the other hand, when the user inputs a user ID, password, etc. on the login screen, the e-commerce server system 1100a performs login processing such as authentication. In the login processing of this embodiment, when the input user ID is authenticated, the corresponding internal processing user ID is read from the internal processing ID table 560 and stored in the user terminal 1500 using a cookie or the like. Thereafter, the logged-in state of the user terminal 1500 is maintained. In this embodiment, when in the logged-in state, it is possible to carry out a purchase procedure after a purchase operation and to view video content after a viewing operation, which will be described later.

[0040] Returning to the purchase operation in the buy menu M11 in Fig. 2, if the purchase operation on the user terminal 1500 is detected and an account registration process or login process is performed as appropriate, the e-commerce server system 1100a cooperates with an external electronic payment server operated by an electronic payment service provider or the like to carry out the purchase procedure for the specified product. During the purchase procedure, the electronic payment server responds to an inquiry from the e-commerce server system 1100a and carries out a process to settle the purchase price of the product with the user's credit card, prepaid card, or the like. Then, the e-commerce server system 1100a carries out processes such as arranging delivery of the product for which settlement by the electronic payment server has been completed.

[0041] 2.Video provision processing Next, the watch menu M13 on the top screen is a menu to be selected when a user wishes to view video content registered in the video database 580. The user can view the video content by specifying the video content to be viewed from this watch menu M13 and performing a viewing operation.

[0042] For this purpose, when the user terminal 1500 that has accessed the EC site selects the "Watch" menu M13, the e-commerce server system 1100a connects the user terminal 1500 to the video content providing server system 1100b. Meanwhile, the video content providing server system 1100b performs video providing processing and provides the video content to the user terminal 1500 connected by the e-commerce server system 1100a so that the video content can be viewed. FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining an outline of the procedure of the video providing processing in this embodiment. Note that FIG. 4 shows the flow of the video providing processing focusing on one user terminal (hereinafter also referred to as "target user terminal") 1500 connected to the video content providing server system 1100b, and when multiple user terminals 1500 are connected, this processing is performed for each of the user terminals 1500.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 4, in the video providing process, when a user terminal 1500 is connected by the e-commerce server system 1100a (step S1: YES), the video content providing server system 1100b controls the user terminal (target user terminal) 1500 to display a list screen (content list screen) of video contents that can be viewed by the user (step S3).

[0044] Here, the video contents registered in the video database 580 include video contents that can be viewed by all users unconditionally (hereinafter referred to as "unconditional video contents"), and video contents to which viewing permission conditions are associated (hereinafter referred to as "conditional video contents"). The viewing permission conditions are set in advance for each conditional video content as conditions based on service enjoyment information related to the e-commerce services provided by the e-commerce server system 1100a.

[0045] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the service enjoyment information 520. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the purchase information 530, and FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the member rank information 540. The service enjoyment information 520 includes purchase information 530 of the user in the e-commerce service, member rank information 540 of the user in the e-commerce service, and EC site visit history information 550 of the user, and is managed for each user who has registered an account in the e-commerce server system 1100a. In more detail, as will be described later with reference to FIG. 11, the service enjoyment information 520 is set in the user management data 510 in association with the user ID 511, and is linked to the internal processing user ID of the corresponding user by the setting of the internal processing ID table 560.

[0046] Purchase information 530 includes the type, quantity, and purchase amount of products purchased by the user on the EC site. In this embodiment, purchase information 530 is accumulated and stored for each order as the order history of the user, as shown in Fig. 6. Specifically, purchase information 530 includes order ID 531, order date and time 532, delivery information 533 such as shipping date, arrival date, and delivery company, payment method 534, and purchased product information 535. In addition, the purchased product information 535 includes the product name of the product purchased in the corresponding order, the purchase quantity, the payment amount per product, and the total payment amount.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 7, the member rank information 540 includes a member type 541 and a member rank 543. In this embodiment, a user can become a free member by registering an account, but can become a paid member who can receive more advantageous benefits than a free member by paying a predetermined membership fee. The member type 541 stores identification information of whether the user is a paid member or a free member. In the case of a paid member, a rank is set based on the history of enjoying e-commerce services. In this embodiment, four ranks, "normal", "silver", "gold" and "platinum", are set according to the cumulative total amount of payment for each order (cumulative total payment). The rank increases according to the cumulative total payment of the user. Of course, the number of ranks may be two or three, or may be five or more. The member rank 543 is set when the corresponding member type 541 is a paid member, and stores identification information of the rank to which the user belongs.

[0048] Visit history information 550 is updated and stored as needed on the number of times and frequency of access to the EC site by the user, access date and time, etc. It may also be configured to update and store the number of times and frequency of purchases of products, the number of times and frequency of viewing of video content, video content ID 591 of the viewed video content (see FIG. 13), etc.

[0049] The conditional video content includes content for which viewing permission conditions are set based on purchase information such as a specific product or a specific combination of products. Thus, the conditional video content can be registered in the video database 580 as video content that can be viewed only by users who have purchased a specific product on an EC site.

[0050] In addition, for example, purchase points are linked to products sold on an EC site, and when a user purchases a product, the purchase points are given to the user, and the number of purchase points acquired by each user is managed. Then, for example, a conditional video content may be included in which the viewing permission condition is "the number of acquired purchase points exceeds a predetermined number." In addition, the viewing permission condition may include "purchasing a predefined "winner" product" as a sub-condition (AND condition or OR condition with other conditions). For example, a specific product may be set as a "winner," or a "winner" product may be randomly selected and set. The "winner" product may be changed every predetermined period, such as every day or month. In addition, the "winner" product may be made public or may be kept private. If the sub-condition is an OR condition and the "winner" product is kept private, even a user with a small number of purchase points will satisfy the viewing permission condition if the product he or she happens to purchase is a "winner." When the sub-condition is an AND condition, for example, even if the number of purchased points exceeds a predetermined number, the viewing permission condition is not satisfied unless a "winner" product is purchased.

[0051] The conditional video content includes, for example, video content in which a viewing permission condition is set based on membership rank information that specifies a membership type or a membership rank. Specifically, the condition may be whether or not the user is a paid member, or a specific membership rank. As a result, the conditional video content can be registered in the video database 580 as video content that can be viewed only by users who are paid members, or video content that can be viewed only by users who belong to a specific rank and whose cumulative payment amount exceeds a predetermined amount.

[0052] The conditional video content may include, for example, video content that is set as a viewing permission condition based on visit history information of an EC site that specifies the number of times or frequency of access to the EC site. In addition, the condition may include, for example, video content that is set as a viewing permission condition such as "the number of consecutive visits to the EC site every day exceeds a predetermined number of days" or "a specific video content (which may be unconditional video content or conditional video content) has already been viewed." In this way, the conditional video content may be registered in the video database 580 as, for example, video content that can be viewed when the EC site is accessed a predetermined number of times or more or accessed frequently, video content that can be viewed when the EC site is accessed every day without fail, video content that can be viewed when a certain video content has already been viewed, etc. In addition, the conditional video content may include video content that is set as a viewing permission condition such as the number of times or frequency of purchasing a product, the number of times or frequency of viewing a video content, etc.

[0053] Return to step S3 in Fig. 4. In this embodiment, the content list screen displays a list of unconditional video contents registered in the video database 580. The user then selects one piece of unconditional video content that he or she wishes to watch on this content list screen and performs a viewing operation. When the video content providing server system 1100b detects a viewing operation on the noted user terminal 1500 (step S5: YES), it starts distribution control of the unconditional video content selected by the viewing operation and provides the video content to the noted user terminal 1500 so that it can be viewed (step S7).

[0054] In this embodiment, when the user terminal 1500 stores an internal processing user ID in its own terminal during a browsing operation, the user terminal 1500 automatically transmits the internal processing user ID to the video content providing server system 1100b. Therefore, when the video content providing server system 1100b receives the internal processing user ID from the noted user terminal 1500 (step S9: YES), the video content providing server system 1100b performs control to acquire service enjoyment information of the user of the noted user terminal 1500 from the e-commerce server system 1100a (step S11). Specifically, first, the e-commerce server system 1100a is notified of a request to acquire service enjoyment information together with the internal processing user ID received in step S9. In response to this, the e-commerce server system 1100a reads out a user ID corresponding to the internal processing user ID from the internal processing ID table 560. Then, the service enjoyment information 520 is read out from the user management data 510 (see FIG. 11) of the corresponding user according to the user ID, and transmitted to the video content providing server system 1100b.

[0055] When the service enjoyment information is acquired, the video content providing server system 1100b extracts, from among the conditional video contents registered in the video database 580, the conditional video contents for which the service enjoyment information satisfies the viewing permission conditions (step S13). As described above, in this embodiment, the video database 580 registers conditional video contents for which conditions based on purchase information, conditions based on member rank information, and conditions based on visit history information are set as viewing permission conditions. Thus, by the process here, conditional video contents for which the product purchased by the user of the noted user terminal 1500 on the EC site or a combination of the purchased products is set as the viewing permission conditions are extracted. In addition, conditional video contents for which the member type or member rank of the user satisfies the viewing permission conditions are extracted. Alternatively, conditional video contents for which the number of accesses or access frequency of the EC site by the user satisfies the viewing permission conditions are extracted.

[0056] Next, when there is a conditional video content extracted in step S13, the video content providing server system 1100b sets the video content as the jump destination video content (step S15). When multiple conditional video contents are extracted, all of them may be set as the jump destination video content, or a predetermined number selected from them may be set as the jump destination video content. In addition, at this time, the conditional video content that has not been viewed by the user of the noted user terminal 1500 may be selected preferentially. In this embodiment, the jump destination video contents are set to a maximum of four, and the jump destination video contents are randomly selected from the extracted conditional video contents.

[0057] After selecting the jump destination video content, the video content providing server system 1100b waits until the jump timing arrives. Then, when the jump timing arrives (step S17: YES), the video content providing server system 1100b controls the display of a browsing start link body that instructs the user to start browsing the jump destination video content (step S19).

[0058] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the display of a browsing start link I. In this embodiment, the jump timing is the end of viewing the video content for which distribution control has been started in step S7 of FIG. 4 (i.e., the end of viewing the unconditional video content selected from the content list screen). Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, when viewing of the video content is ended, a browsing start link I for the jump destination video content is displayed on the playback screen W2. In FIG. 8, four browsing start links I are displayed side by side. If there is a jump destination video content that the user wants to watch, the user can view it by touching the browsing start link I.

[0059] Specifically, each browsing start link I has a link destination embedded therein for jumping to the conditional video content and browsing the video content, and the video content providing server system 1100b displays the browsing start link I as a thumbnail image of the conditional video content. Then, as shown in Fig. 4, when any of the browsing start links I is touched on the noted user terminal 1500 (step S21: YES), the video content providing server system 1100b starts control for delivering the corresponding video content according to the link destination of the browsing start link I, and provides the video content to the noted user terminal 1500 so that it can be viewed (step S23).

[0060] Thereafter, if it is not determined that the process is to be completed (step S25: NO), the process returns to step S3 and the above-described process is repeated.

[0061] The jump timing is not limited to the end of viewing of the unconditional video content, and may be a timing during the viewing. For example, a timing during viewing that is to be the jump timing may be set in advance based on the time from the start of playback, or a predetermined timing during the viewing may be set as the jump timing for each unconditional video content. In this case, control is performed to display a viewing start link I of the jump destination video content on the playback screen of the video content, for example, during viewing of the unconditional video content, according to the setting of the jump timing. The viewing start link I displayed at this time may be a small thumbnail or a display such as a marker of a predetermined shape.

[0062] Also, for each unconditional video content, a video content ID 591 (see FIG. 13) of the conditional video content, which is the jump destination video content, may be set together with the setting of the jump timing. Then, when the service enjoyment information of the user of the noted user terminal 1500 satisfies the browsing permission condition, the display of the browsing start link I may be controlled at the jump timing.

[0063] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a display example in which a browse start link I is displayed during browsing. In the example of Fig. 9, two browse start links I are displayed on the playback screen W3. In the configuration in which a browse start link I is displayed during browsing as in this example, the display timing of the browse start link I (i.e., jump timing) may be identifiably displayed in the playback bar B3. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 9, for example, the display color of positions P31, P33, and P35 corresponding to the jump timings of the playback bar B3 is changed from the others, thereby controlling to identifiably display the jump timings during browsing.

[0064] Furthermore, the display of the browsing start link I may be controlled not only during or at the end of viewing of unconditional video content, but also during or at the end of viewing of conditional video content, i.e., at a predetermined timing during or at the end of viewing of a jump destination video content (conditional video content) resulting from selection of the browsing start link I, as the jump timing. In this case, after starting distribution control of the jump destination video content in step S23 of Fig. 4, the process returns to step S15. Then, the jump destination video content is selected again from the conditional video content extracted in the previous step S14, and the display of the browsing start link I is controlled after waiting for the jump timing.

[0065] [Function configuration] 1. E-commerce server system Fig. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of an e-commerce server system 1100a. As shown in Fig. 10, the e-commerce server system 1100a of this embodiment includes an operation input unit 100, an e-commerce server processing unit 200a, an image display unit 390, a communication unit 394, and an e-commerce server storage unit 500a.

[0066] The operation input unit 100 is used to input various operations for system management, maintenance, etc., and can be realized by, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, or the like.

[0067] The e-commerce server processing unit 200a can be realized by electronic components such as various microprocessors such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), DSP (Digital Signal Processor), IC memory, ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-programmable gate array), SoC (System on a Chip), etc., and controls input and output of data between the operation input unit 100 and each unit of the device including the e-commerce server storage unit 500a. Then, it performs various arithmetic processing based on predetermined programs and data, operation input signals from the operation input unit 100, data received from the user terminal 1500, etc., and generally controls the operation of the e-commerce server system 1100a.

[0068] The e-commerce server processing unit 200 a includes a user management unit 210 and a service management unit 230 .

[0069] The user management unit 210 performs processes related to account registration and manages data of each user linked to a user ID (login account information). For example, it can execute processes such as assigning a unique user ID to a user who has completed account registration, registration information management processes for registering and managing personal information by user ID, and usage history management processes for managing login and logout history. Of course, it can also appropriately include management processes for other data linked to user IDs other than these.

[0070] The service management unit 230 opens the EC site and performs various processes related to the provision of e-commerce services. The service management unit 230 includes a login processing unit 231, a service provision processing unit 233, and a video service connection control unit 235.

[0071] The login processing unit 231 is a functional unit that performs login processing. When a login request is received from a user terminal 1500 after the user has entered a user ID and password on the login screen, the login processing unit 231 reads the user's internal processing user ID from the internal processing ID table 560, transmits it, and stores it in the user terminal 1500.

[0072] The service provision processing unit 233 is a functional unit that performs service provision processing, and provides e-commerce services based on the internal processing user ID received from the user terminal 1500. In this embodiment, it performs various processes to realize online shopping for the user in the purchase menu M11 (see FIG. 2). Furthermore, when the service provision processing unit 233 receives a request to acquire service enjoyment information from the video content providing server system 1100b, it reads out the service enjoyment information 520 from the user management data 510 of the corresponding user based on the internal processing user ID, and transmits it to the video content providing server system 1100b.

[0073] The video service connection control unit 235 connects the user terminal 1500 to the video content providing server system 1100b. In this embodiment, when a connection request is received from the user terminal 1500 as a result of the user selecting the "Watch" menu M13 (see FIG. 2) on the EC site, the video service connection control unit 235 connects the user terminal 1500 to the video content providing server system 1100b.

[0074] The image display unit 390 displays various screens for system management etc. based on the image signal input from the e-commerce server processing unit 200a. For example, it can be realized by an image display device such as a flat panel display, a projector, or a head mounted display.

[0075] The communication unit 394 is a communication device for transmitting and receiving data to and from an external device (for example, the video content providing server system 1100b or the user terminal 1500), and realizes communication by connecting to the network 9. For example, it can be realized by a wireless communication device, a modem, a TA (terminal adapter), a jack for a wired communication cable, a control circuit, etc.

[0076] The e-commerce server storage unit 500a stores in advance or temporarily stores each time processing is performed programs for operating the e-commerce server system 1100a and implementing various functions of the e-commerce server system 1100a, and data used during execution of the programs, etc. For example, these can be implemented by IC memories such as RAM and ROM, magnetic disks such as hard disks, optical disks such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, etc.

[0077] For example, the e-commerce server storage unit 500a stores an e-commerce service providing program 501, user management data 510, an internal processing ID table 560 shown in Fig. 3, and a product database 570. In addition, other necessary data such as timers, counters, and various flags can also be stored as appropriate.

[0078] The e-commerce service providing program 501 is a program for causing the e-commerce server processing unit 200 a to function as the user management unit 210 and the service management unit 230 .

[0079] User management data 510 is prepared for each user who has completed user registration, and stores various data for managing the user. Specifically, one user management data 510 includes the user's user ID 511, password 513, personal information 515, and service enjoyment information 520 described with reference to Figs. 5 to 7, as shown in Fig. 11.

[0080] Personal information 515 stores the name, address, phone number, payment information, etc., entered by the user when registering the account.

[0081] The product database 570 stores information about products sold on the EC site. For example, for each product sold, the product ID, product name, unit price, inventory information, etc. are stored. If the product is digital content such as music, movies, e-books, games, etc., data on the content is also stored.

[0082] 2.Video content provision server system Fig. 12 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a video content providing server system 1100b. In Fig. 12, the same components as those in the e-commerce server system 1100a are denoted by the same reference numerals. As shown in Fig. 12, the video content providing server system 1100b of this embodiment includes an operation input unit 100, a video server processing unit 200b, an image display unit 390, a communication unit 394, and a video server storage unit 500b.

[0083] The video server processing unit 200b can be realized by various microprocessors such as a CPU, GPU, DSP, etc., IC memory, ASIC, FPGA, SoC, etc., and controls input and output of data between the operation input unit 100 and each unit of the device including the video server storage unit 500b. It performs various arithmetic processing based on predetermined programs and data, operation input signals from the operation input unit 100, data received from the user terminal 1500, etc., and centrally controls the operation of the video content providing server system 1100b.

[0084] The moving image server processing unit 200 b includes a moving image providing processing unit 250 .

[0085] The video providing processing unit 250 is a functional unit that performs video providing processing, and provides video content so that it can be viewed, to the user terminal 1500 connected to the video content providing server system 1100b by the video service connection control unit 235 of the e-commerce server system 1100a. In this embodiment, the video providing processing unit 250 performs the following functions: (1) display control of a content list screen for the user terminal 1500; (2) control of delivery of video content (unconditional video content) in response to a viewing operation on the content list screen; (3) control of notifying the e-commerce server system 1100a of a request to acquire service enjoyment information when an internal processing user ID is received from the user terminal 1500 at an appropriate timing such as during a viewing operation, and control of acquiring service enjoyment information of the user of the user terminal 1500; (4) control of selecting conditional video content whose service enjoyment information satisfies the viewing permission condition as a jump destination video content, and control of displaying a viewing start link I of the jump destination video content at a predetermined jump timing; and (5) control of delivery of the jump destination video content (conditional video content) in response to a selection operation of the viewing start link I.

[0086] The communication unit 394 is a communication device for transmitting and receiving data to and from an external device (for example, the e-commerce server system 1100a or the user terminal 1500), and is connected to the network 9 to realize communication.

[0087] The video server storage unit 500b stores in advance or temporarily stores each time processing is performed programs for operating the video content providing server system 1100b and implementing various functions of the video content providing server system 1100b, and data used during execution of the programs, etc. For example, these can be implemented by IC memories such as RAM and ROM, magnetic disks such as hard disks, optical disks such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, etc.

[0088] For example, the video server storage unit 500b stores a video providing program 502 and a video database 580. In addition, other necessary data such as timers, counters, and various flags can also be stored as appropriate.

[0089] The moving image providing program 502 is a program for causing the moving image server processing unit 200 b to function as the moving image providing processing unit 250 .

[0090] Video database 580 accumulates and stores a plurality of video content data 590. Specifically, one video content data 590 includes video content ID 591 of the corresponding video content, video type 593, viewing permission conditions 595, and video data 597, as shown in FIG.

[0091] The video type 593 stores identification information as to whether the video content is unconditional video content or conditional video content. The viewing permission condition 595 is set when the corresponding video type 593 is conditional video content. In this embodiment, the viewing permission condition 595 is set for each conditional video content as a condition based on service enjoyment information (purchase information, member rank information, visit history information) related to the e-commerce service provided by the e-commerce server system 1100a.

[0092] [Processing flow] 14 is a flowchart explaining the flow of processing focusing on transmission and reception of data such as a user ID for internal processing performed by the user terminal 1500, the e-commerce server system 1100a, and the video content providing server system 1100b in response to a user's operational input on the EC site. The processing explained here is realized by the e-commerce server processing unit 200a in the e-commerce server system 1100a reading and executing the e-commerce service providing program 501, and the video server processing unit 200b in the video content providing server system 1100b reading and executing the video providing program 502.

[0093] First, when the user terminal 1500 is not yet logged in when a product purchase operation or video content viewing operation is performed on the user terminal 1500, the user terminal 1500 accepts input of a user ID and password on a login screen and notifies the e-commerce server system 1100a of a login request (step S101). At that time, the user terminal 1500 notifies the input user ID, etc. together with the login request. In response to this, the login processing unit 231 in the e-commerce server system 1100a starts login processing. In this login processing, the login processing unit 231 reads out an internal processing user ID corresponding to the user ID received from the user terminal that made the login request from the internal processing ID table 560, and transmits it to the user terminal 1500 to store it (step S201). For example, the user terminal 1500 stores the received internal processing user ID in its own terminal as part of cookie information (step S103).

[0094] Furthermore, when the purchase menu M11 (see FIG. 2) is selected on the user terminal 1500 (step S105: YES) and a purchase operation is performed (step S107: YES), the internal processing user ID stored in the terminal is notified to the e-commerce server system 1100a (step S109). Meanwhile, in the e-commerce server system 1100a, the service provision processing unit 233 performs service provision processing and provides an e-commerce service based on the internal processing user ID received from the user terminal 1500 (step S203). In this embodiment, the user ID of the corresponding user is read from the internal processing ID table 560 based on the internal processing user ID, and processing related to the purchase procedure, delivery arrangements, etc. is performed by referring to the personal information 515 linked to the user ID.

[0095] Also, when the "Watch" menu M13 (see FIG. 2) is selected on the user terminal 1500 (step S111: YES), the user terminal 1500 notifies the e-commerce server system 1100a of a connection request to the video content providing server system 1100b (step S113). In response to this, the video service connection control unit 235 in the e-commerce server system 1100a performs control to connect the user terminal 1500 to the video content providing server system 1100b (step S205). As a result, when the user terminal 1500 is connected to the video content providing server system 1100b (step S301: YES), the video content providing processing unit 250 in the video content providing server system 1100b starts video providing processing, and provides the video content (unconditional video content or conditional video content) registered in the video database 580 to the user terminal 1500 so that it can be viewed.

[0096] Specifically, as described with reference to Fig. 4, in the video provision process, first, control is performed to display a content list screen on the user terminal 1500, and a list of unconditional video contents is presented to the user. Then, when one of the contents is selected from the list on the content list screen and a viewing operation is performed, distribution control is performed for the unconditional video content. Also, as shown in Fig. 14, when a viewing operation is performed on the content list screen (step SS115: YES), the user terminal 1500 notifies the video content provision server system 1100b of the internal processing user ID of the terminal (step S117).

[0097] On the other hand, in the video content providing server system 1100b, when an internal processing user ID is received from the connected user terminal 1500 in the video providing process (step S303: YES), the video providing processing unit 250 notifies the e-commerce server system 1100a of a request to acquire service enjoyment information together with the received internal processing user ID (step S305). In response to this, the service providing processing unit 233 in the e-commerce server system 1100a reads out the user ID corresponding to the internal processing user ID received from the video content providing server system 1100b from the internal processing ID table 560, reads out the service enjoyment information 520 linked with the user ID, and transmits it to the video content providing server system 1100b (step S207).

[0098] In addition, in the video content providing server system 1100b, the video provision processing unit 250 selects the jump destination video content, controls the display of the browsing start link I, and controls the delivery of the jump destination video content (conditional video content) based on the service enjoyment information received from the e-commerce server system 1100a in step S307 (see steps S13 to S23 in Figure 4).

[0099] As described above, according to the present embodiment, a user can view conditional video content whose viewing permission conditions are satisfied by information about the e-commerce service provided on the EC site, such as the user's purchase information, membership rank information, and visit history information on the EC site. This makes it possible to provide video content on a user terminal so that the video content can be viewed as added value for the e-commerce service provided on the EC site, thereby providing a technology that can motivate users to view the service.

[0100] In the above embodiment, if the user terminal 1500 is not yet logged in at the time of the browsing operation on the content list screen, a login procedure is requested, and then distribution control of the selected unconditional video content is performed. In contrast, a configuration may be adopted in which distribution control of the unconditional video content is performed while the user is still not logged in. In that case, selection of a jump destination video content is performed only when the user is logged in at the time of the browsing operation, and display of the browsing start link body I at the jump timing is controlled. And, if the user is not yet logged in at the time of the browsing operation, display control of the browsing start link body I may not be performed.

[0101] In addition, in the above embodiment, an example was given of the server system 1000 in which the e-commerce server system 1100a and the video content providing server system 1100b are configured as separate systems. However, the configuration is not limited to a separate system, and an integrated server system having the functions of the e-commerce server system 1100a and the functions of the video content providing server system 1100b may be configured. [Explanation of symbols]

[0102] 1000…Server system 1100a...E-commerce server system 100...Operation input section 200a: E-commerce server processing section 210...User Management Department 230…Service Management Department 231...Login processing unit 233...Service provision processing unit 235...Video service connection control unit 390...Image display section 394…Communications Department 500a…E-commerce server memory section 501…E-commerce service provision program 510...User management data 511...User ID 515…Personal information 520...Service usage information 530...Purchase Information 535...Purchase information 540…Member rank information 541…Member type 543…Member rank 550... Visit history information 560: ID table for internal processing 570...Product database 1100b...Video content providing server system 200b...Video server processing section 250…Video provision processing section 500b…Video server storage section 502...Video provision program 580…Video database 590...Video content data 591...Video content ID 593...Video type 595... Viewing permission conditions 597...Video data 1500: User terminal 9. Network

Claims

1. A server system for an EC (Electric Commerce) site that provides e-commerce services, a service providing processing means for providing the e-commerce service to a user; a point management means for managing points for each user in accordance with the reception of services related to the e-commerce service; a specific product setting means for setting a specific product among products that the user can purchase as the service; a video content storage means for storing a plurality of video contents linked to a viewing permission condition indicating that the points satisfy a given threshold condition and that the specific product has been purchased; a video providing processing means for providing the user with video content for which the points of the user satisfy the viewing permission condition in a viewable manner; A server system comprising:

2. a point setting means for setting points for each product that the user can purchase as part of receiving the service; Further comprising: The point management means manages points set for products purchased by the user as the user's points for receiving the service. The server system according to claim 1 .

3. A server system for an EC (Electric Commerce) site that provides e-commerce services, a service providing processing means for providing the e-commerce service to a user; a service receiving information storage means for storing service receiving information relating to the e-commerce service for each user; a video content storage means for storing a plurality of video contents each associated with a viewing permission condition based on the service enjoyment information; a video providing processing means for providing the user with video content that satisfies the viewing permission condition in the service enjoyment information of the user in a viewable manner; Equipped with The service enjoyment information includes visit history information and product purchase information of the user, the video content storage means stores video content associated with the viewing permission conditions based on the visit history information and the product purchase information; Server system.

4. The service enjoyment information includes membership rank information of the user in the e-commerce service, the video content storage means stores video content associated with the viewing permission conditions based on the member rank information; The server system according to claim 3.

5. The member rank information is information on whether or not the member is a paid member. The server system according to claim 4.

6. The member rank information is information on a rank based on a user's history of using the e-commerce service. The server system according to claim 4.

7. A video content providing server system communicatively connected to an e-commerce server system of an EC (Electric Commerce) site that provides e-commerce services, The e-commerce server system includes: a service providing processing means for providing the e-commerce service to a user; a point management means for managing points for each user in accordance with the reception of services related to the e-commerce service; Equipped with a specific product setting means for setting a specific product among products that the user can purchase as the service; a video content storage means for storing a plurality of video contents linked to a viewing permission condition indicating that the points satisfy a given threshold condition and that the specific product has been purchased; a video providing processing means for acquiring information on the points of the user from the e-commerce server system and providing the user with video content for which the points of the user satisfy the viewing permission condition in a viewable manner; A video content providing server system comprising:

8. A video content providing server system communicatively connected to an e-commerce server system of an EC (Electric Commerce) site that provides e-commerce services, The e-commerce server system includes: a service providing processing means for providing the e-commerce service to a user; a service receiving information storage means for storing service receiving information relating to the e-commerce service for each user; Equipped with a video content storage means for storing a plurality of video contents each associated with a viewing permission condition based on the service enjoyment information; a video providing processing means for acquiring the service enjoyment information of the user from the e-commerce server system, and providing the user with video content for which the acquired service enjoyment information satisfies the viewing permission conditions in a viewable manner; Equipped with The service enjoyment information includes visit history information and product purchase information of the user, the video content storage means stores video content associated with the viewing permission conditions based on the visit history information and the product purchase information; Video content providing server system.

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