Information processing device and method

Abstract

To provide guidance for a user to purchase a product that the user repeatedly purchases. [Solution] An estimation unit 33 estimates a future purchase time of a product based on a purchase history of the product by a user. A generation unit 34 generates guidance information for guiding the user to purchase the product in the future based on the estimated purchase time of the product. For example, the generation unit 34 generates guidance information for guiding the user to stores that have the product in stock at the estimated purchase time of the product and are within a certain geographical range from the user's location. A presentation unit 35 presents the guidance information generated for the product to a user terminal 10 at a time point a certain period before the estimated purchase time of the product, thereby presenting the guidance information to the user.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for providing guidance to a user on purchasing a product. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system that creates a shopping list that includes information on ingredients that are lacking and the quantities of those ingredients for a menu selected by the user, as well as the names and locations of stores that sell those ingredients, calculates the optimal shopping route for purchasing the ingredients, and guides the user along the calculated shopping route. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2005-172743 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Each user has products that he or she purchases periodically and repeatedly, but the types of such products and the timing of purchases vary from user to user.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide guidance for a user to purchase a product that the user repeatedly purchases. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, the present invention provides a system for providing a user with a shopping cart that includes an estimation unit that estimates a future purchase time of a product based on a purchase history of the product by the user, and a presentation unit that presents guidance information for guiding the user to purchase the product in the future to the user at a time a certain period prior to the estimated purchase time of the product. The guidance information includes information for guiding the user to stores that have the product in stock at the estimated purchase time of the product and that are within a certain geographical range from the user's location, and the geographical range is larger when the estimated purchase frequency of the product is equal to or greater than a threshold value than when the estimated purchase frequency of the product is less than the threshold value. The present invention provides an information processing device. The present invention also provides an information processing device comprising an estimation unit that estimates a future purchase time for a product based on a user's purchase history of the product, and a presentation unit that presents guidance information to the user to guide the user to purchase the product in the future at a time period prior to the estimated purchase time for the product, wherein the guidance information includes information for guiding the user to stores that have the product in stock at the estimated purchase time for the product and are within a certain geographical range from the user's location, and the geographical range is larger when the user's movement speed is equal to or greater than a threshold value than when the user's movement speed is less than the threshold value. The present invention also provides an information processing device comprising an estimation unit that estimates a future purchase time for a product based on the user's purchase history of the product, and a presentation unit that presents guidance information to the user to guide the user to purchase the product in the future at a certain period of time prior to the estimated purchase time for the product, wherein the guidance information includes information for guiding the user to stores that have the product in stock at the estimated purchase time for the product and that are within a certain geographical range from the user's location, and if the store does not have the product in stock at the estimated purchase time for the product, the guidance information includes information for providing information about the time when the product will be in stock at the store, and the presentation unit preferentially presents to the user either the guidance information including information for providing information about stores that are within a certain geographical range from the user's location or the guidance information including information about the time when the product will be in stock at the store. The present invention also provides an information processing device comprising an estimation unit that estimates a future purchase time for a product based on a user's purchasing history of the product, and a presentation unit that presents guidance information to the user to guide the user to purchase the product in the future at a point in time a certain period prior to the estimated purchase time for the product, and is characterized in that if the period in the purchasing history of the product during which the product has not been purchased exceeds the certain period, the guidance information is not presented to the user. The present invention also provides an information processing method comprising the steps of: a computer estimating a future purchase time for a product based on a user's purchase history for the product; and a computer presenting guidance information to the user for guiding the user to purchase the product in the future at a time period prior to the estimated purchase time for the product, wherein the guidance information includes information for guiding the user to stores that have the product in stock at the estimated purchase time for the product and are within a certain geographical range from the user's location, and wherein the geographical range is larger when the estimated purchase frequency for the product is equal to or greater than a threshold value than when the estimated purchase frequency for the product is less than the threshold value. The present invention also provides an information processing method comprising the steps of: a computer estimating a future purchase time for a product based on a user's purchase history of the product; and a computer presenting guidance information to the user for guiding the user to purchase the product in the future at a time period prior to the estimated purchase time for the product, wherein the guidance information includes information for guiding the user to stores that have the product in stock at the estimated purchase time for the product and are within a certain geographical range from the user's location, and wherein the geographical range is larger when the user's movement speed is equal to or greater than a threshold value than when the user's movement speed is less than the threshold value. The present invention also provides an information processing method comprising the steps of: a computer estimating a future purchase date for a product based on a user's purchase history for the product; and a computer presenting guidance information to the user at a time period prior to the estimated purchase date for the product to guide the user to purchase the product in the future, the guidance information including information for guiding the user to stores that have the product in stock at the estimated purchase date for the product and that are within a certain geographical range from the user's location; and if the store does not have the product in stock at the estimated purchase date for the product, the guidance information including information for informing the user of the time when the product will be in stock at the store; and in the presenting step, either the guidance information including information for guiding the user to stores that are within a certain geographical range from the user's location or the guidance information including information for informing the store of the time when the product will be in stock is presented to the user with priority. The present invention also provides an information processing method comprising the steps of: a computer estimating a future purchase time for a product based on a user's purchasing history for the product; and a computer presenting to the user guidance information for guiding the user to purchase the product in the future at a point in time a certain period prior to the estimated purchase time for the product, wherein if the period in the purchasing history of the product during which the product has not been purchased exceeds the certain period, the guidance information is not presented to the user. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide guidance for a user to purchase a product that the user has repeatedly purchased. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of an information processing system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a server device 30 according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a user terminal 10 according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a server device 30 according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 5] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the server device 30 according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the server device 30 according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 7] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the server device 30 according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 8] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the server device 30 according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation of the server device 30 according to the present embodiment. [Figure 10] 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen D displayed by the user terminal 10 according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 11] 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen D displayed by the user terminal 10 according to the present embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] [Embodiment] [composition] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The information processing system 1 is a system for predicting the purchase time of a product from purchase history information of the product by a user, and informing the user of the purchase of the product shortly before the predicted purchase time.

[0010] As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing system 1 includes a user terminal 10 used by a user, a purchase history storage system 20 that stores information on the purchase history of products by the user, a server device 30 corresponding to the information processing device of the present invention, and a communication network 2 including a wireless communication network or a wired communication network that communicatively connects them. The user terminal 10 is a computer that the user can carry, such as a smartphone, a wearable device, or a tablet. The purchase history storage system 20 is a system that generates or acquires and stores information on the purchase history of products by each user in conjunction with an electronic payment system (not shown). The server device 30 may be composed of a single computer or may be composed of multiple computers. Although FIG. 1 shows one user terminal and one server device, there may be multiple of each.

[0011] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of the server device 30. The server device 30 is physically configured as a computer including a processor 3001, a memory 3002, a storage 3003, a communication device 3004, an input device 3005, an output device 3006, and a bus connecting these devices. Each of these devices operates with power supplied from a battery (not shown). In the following description, the word "device" can be read as a circuit, a device, a unit, and the like. The hardware configuration of the server device 30 may be configured to include one or more of the devices shown in FIG. 2, or may be configured without including some of the devices. In addition, the server device 30 may be configured by communicating and connecting multiple devices each having a different housing.

[0012] Each function in the server device 30 is realized by loading a specific software (program) onto hardware such as a processor 3001 and a memory 3002, so that the processor 3001 performs calculations, controls communications via a communication device 3004, and controls at least one of reading and writing of data in the memory 3002 and the storage 3003.

[0013] The processor 3001, for example, operates an operating system to control the entire computer. The processor 3001 may be configured with a central processing unit (CPU) including an interface with peripheral devices, a control device, an arithmetic unit, a register, etc. Also, for example, a baseband signal processing unit, a call processing unit, etc. may be realized by the processor 3001.

[0014] The processor 3001 reads out programs (program codes), software modules, data, etc. from at least one of the storage 3003 and the communication device 3004 into the memory 3002, and executes various processes according to the programs. The programs used are those that cause a computer to execute at least a part of the operations described below. The functional blocks of the server device 30 may be realized by a control program stored in the memory 3002 and running on the processor 3001. The various processes may be executed by one processor 3001, or may be executed simultaneously or sequentially by two or more processors 3001. The processor 3001 may be implemented by one or more chips. The programs may be transmitted to the server device 30 via a telecommunications line.

[0015] The memory 3002 is a computer-readable recording medium, and may be composed of at least one of, for example, a Read Only Memory (ROM), an Erasable Programmable ROM (EPROM), an Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (EEPROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), etc. The memory 3002 may also be called a register, a cache, a main memory (primary storage device), etc. The memory 3002 can store a program (program code), a software module, etc. that can be executed to implement the method according to this embodiment.

[0016] Storage 3003 is a computer-readable recording medium, and may be constituted by at least one of, for example, an optical disk such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc ROM), a hard disk drive, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk (e.g., a compact disk, a digital versatile disk, a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disk), a smart card, a flash memory (e.g., a card, a stick, a key drive), a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a magnetic strip, etc. Storage 3003 may be referred to as an auxiliary storage device.

[0017] The communication device 3004 is hardware (transmission / reception device) for performing communication between computers via at least one of a wired network and a wireless network, and is also called, for example, a network device, a network controller, a network card, or a communication module. Each device, such as the processor 3001 and the memory 3002, is connected by a bus for communicating information. The bus may be configured using a single bus, or may be configured using different buses between each device.

[0018] The server device 30 may be configured to include hardware such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc., and some or all of the functional blocks may be realized by the hardware. For example, the processor 3001 may be implemented using at least one of these pieces of hardware.

[0019] 3 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the user terminal 10. The user terminal 10 is a computer such as a smartphone, a mobile phone, a tablet, or a wearable terminal. The user terminal 10 is physically configured as a computer device including a processor 1001, a memory 1002, a storage 1003, a communication device 1004, an input device 1005, an output device 1006, a positioning device 1007, and a bus connecting these. The processor 1001, the memory 1002, and the storage 1003 are the same hardware as the processor 3001, the memory 3002, and the storage 3003 of the server device 30.

[0020] The communication device 1004 may be configured to include a high-frequency switch, a duplexer, a filter, a frequency synthesizer, and the like to realize, for example, at least one of Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) and Time Division Duplex (TDD). For example, a transmitting / receiving antenna, an amplifier unit, a transmitting / receiving unit, a transmission line interface, and the like may be realized by the communication device 1004. The transmitting / receiving unit may be implemented as a transmitting unit and a receiving unit that are physically or logically separated from each other.

[0021] The input device 1005 is an input device (e.g., a key, a microphone, a switch, a button, a sensor, etc.) that accepts input from the outside. The output device 1006 is an output device (e.g., a display, a speaker, an LED lamp, etc.) that performs output to the outside. Note that the input device 1005 and the output device 1006 may be integrated into one device (e.g., a touch screen).

[0022] The positioning device 1007 is, for example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) unit, and measures the position of the user terminal 10. In this embodiment, the position of the user terminal 10 is used as the position of the user who uses the user terminal 10.

[0023] 4 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the server device 30. In the server device 30, a processor 3001 reads a program or the like from a storage 3003 to a memory 3002 and executes the program, thereby realizing the functions of an acquisition unit 31, a storage unit 32, an estimation unit 33, a generation unit 34, and a presentation unit 35.

[0024] The acquisition unit 31 acquires various information. For example, the acquisition unit 31 acquires position information (including positioning date and time) indicating a position measured by the positioning device 1007 of the user terminal 10 together with identification information of the user terminal 10 via the communication network 2. In this embodiment, the identification information of the user terminal 10 is used as a user ID that identifies the user who uses the user terminal 10.

[0025] The acquisition unit 31 also acquires purchase history information regarding products purchased by each user from the purchase history accumulation system 20. The purchase history information includes the user ID of the user who purchased the product, a product ID for identifying the product purchased by the user, the purchase time, and a store ID for identifying the store where the product was purchased.

[0026] The storage unit 32 stores various types of information. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the storage unit 32 stores the user ID of the user acquired by the acquisition unit 31, the location information of the user, and the purchase history information of the user in association with each other.

[0027] Furthermore, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the memory unit 32 stores the location information of the store, inventory information of products at the store, and arrival information of products at the store in association with the store ID of the store. The store ID and location information of the store are pre-stored information. The inventory information of products at the store includes product IDs of products in stock at the store and the number of products. The arrival information of products at the store includes product IDs of products scheduled to arrive at the store, the number of products, and the arrival time. This inventory information and arrival information are updated in response to notifications from a store management system (not shown) installed in each store (for example, a POS system that manages inventory information and arrival information of products at the store).

[0028] The storage unit 32 also stores product information related to each product in association with the product ID of the product, as illustrated in Fig. 7. The product information includes, for example, the product name, category, price, ingredients, word-of-mouth reviews, evaluations, or descriptions of the product.

[0029] Returning to Fig. 4, the estimation unit 33 estimates a future purchase time of a product based on the purchase history information of the product by the user. For example, the estimation unit 33 identifies, among the products included in the purchase history information, products that have been purchased a predetermined number of times or more per unit period, such as once or more per week, as products that the user will repeatedly purchase. Alternatively, the estimation unit 33 may identify products that the user will repeatedly purchase by inputting a product ID of the product that the user himself / herself repeatedly purchases into the user terminal 10 and notifying the server device 30 of the product ID.

[0030] Then, the estimation unit 33 replaces the purchase date and time history of the products identified as those repeatedly purchased by the user with a normal distribution, and estimates a period corresponding to the average value ± standard deviation as the time range of the purchase time of each product. The estimation of the purchase time of the product is not limited to the above example, and may be, for example, the average value, median, or mode of the purchase dates and times of each product included in the purchase history information. As a result, the storage unit 32 stores the product ID of the product repeatedly purchased by each user and the future purchase time of the product in association with the user ID of the user, as exemplified in FIG. 8.

[0031] The generation unit 34 generates guidance information for guiding the user to purchase the product in the future based on the estimated purchase time of the product. Specifically, the generation unit 34 searches for a store that has the product in stock at the estimated purchase time of the product, with reference to the information exemplified in Figs. 5 to 8. Then, the generation unit 34 searches for a store that has the product in stock and is within a certain geographical range from the user's position (for example, a circular range with a radius of Xm centered on the user's position, where X is an arbitrary value) with reference to the information exemplified in Figs. 5 to 8. Then, the generation unit 34 generates guidance information for guiding the user to purchase the product at the store, with reference to the information exemplified in Figs. 5 to 8.

[0032] Furthermore, the generation unit 34 refers to the information exemplified in FIGS. 5 to 8, and if the store does not have the product in stock at the estimated purchase time for the product, generates guidance information to inform the store of the time when the product will be in stock.

[0033] The presentation unit 35 transmits the generated guidance information for the product to the user terminal 10 at a time point a certain period before the estimated purchase time of the product, thereby presenting the guidance information to the user. The time point a certain period before the purchase time is, for example, a time point Y minutes (Y is an arbitrary value) before the purchase time.

[0034] [Operation] Next, the operation of the server device 30 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 9. In the following description, for example, when the server device 30 is described as a processing subject, this specifically means that the processor 3001 performs calculations by loading predetermined software (programs) onto hardware such as the processor 3001 and memory 3002, and controls communication by the communication device 3004 and reading and / or writing of data in the memory 3002 and storage 3003, thereby executing the processing. The same applies to the user terminal 10.

[0035] 9, an acquisition unit 31 repeatedly acquires location information of the user terminal 10 (user location information) via the communication network 2. The acquired location information is stored in a storage unit 32 as illustrated in FIG.

[0036] In FIG. 9, the acquisition unit 31 acquires purchase history information on products purchased by each user from the purchase history accumulation system 20 (step S11).

[0037] The estimation unit 33 estimates a future purchase time for each product included in the purchase history information that has been purchased a predetermined number of times or more per unit period, such as once a week or more (step S12).

[0038] The generation unit 34 sets a presentation time when guidance information for guiding the user to purchase the product in the future will be presented to the user (step S13).

[0039] When the set presentation time arrives (step S14; YES), the generation unit 34 identifies a store that has the product in stock at the estimated purchase time for the product (here, the current time determined as YES in step S14) among stores within a certain geographical range from the user's location, and generates guidance information for guiding the user to the store (step S15). At this time, the generation unit 34 generates guidance information for informing the user of the time when the product will be in stock at the store.

[0040] The presentation unit 35 transmits the generated guidance information to the user terminal 10 (step S16). As a result, a screen D as shown in FIG. 10 is displayed on the user terminal 10. In addition to the product name of the product and the store name of the store to which the user is guided, this screen includes a soft button ("Details" in the figure) for transitioning to a page showing details of the store, a soft button ("Map" in the figure) for transitioning to a page showing the location of the store on a map, and a soft button ("Benefits" in the figure) for transitioning to a page showing benefits given to users who visit the store or purchase the product at the store. By referring to such guidance information, the user can learn about stores where the products that he or she usually purchases repeatedly can be purchased.

[0041] On the other hand, if the product is not in stock at the store at the estimated purchase time, the presentation unit 35 transmits guidance information to the user terminal 10 to display a screen D as exemplified in FIG. 11 (step S16). The screen exemplified in FIG. 11 includes a message that the product that the user repeatedly purchases is not in stock at a store near the user, as well as the name of the store where the product is scheduled to arrive and the arrival time. Furthermore, this screen D includes a soft button ("Details" in the figure) that transitions to a page showing details of the store, a soft button ("Map" in the figure) that transitions to a page showing the location of the store on a map, and a soft button ("Benefits" in the figure) that transitions to a page showing benefits given to users who visit the store or purchase the product at the store. By referring to such guidance information, the user can know that the product that he or she usually repeatedly purchases is out of stock and the next arrival time.

[0042] According to the present embodiment described above, it is possible to provide guidance for a user to purchase a product that the user has repeatedly purchased.

[0043] [Variations] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. The above-described embodiment may be modified as follows. In addition, two or more of the following modifications may be combined and implemented.

[0044] [Variation 1] In the above embodiment, the range in which the generating unit 34 searches for stores near the user when generating the guidance information is a geographic range based on the user's location. The size of this geographic range may be changed based on the purchase frequency of the product. For example, a product whose purchase frequency by the user is equal to or higher than a threshold may be considered to have a strong purchase motivation for the user, and the size of the above geographic range may be relatively large, whereas a product whose purchase frequency by the user is less than the threshold may be considered to have a not so strong purchase motivation for the user, and the size of the above geographic range may be relatively small. In this way, the generating unit 34 changes the size of the geographic range according to the frequency of the estimated purchase time for the product, making it possible to search for stores in which the product can be purchased in different geographic ranges according to the user's desire to purchase the product.

[0045] The size of the geographical range may be changed based on the user's moving speed. For example, when the user's moving speed is equal to or higher than a threshold, the user is deemed to be relatively easy to move long distances, and the size of the geographical range is relatively large, whereas when the user's moving speed is less than the threshold, the user is deemed not to be easy to move long distances, and the size of the geographical range is relatively small. The user's moving speed can be specified by calculating the amount of change per unit time in the location information history of the user during a predetermined period before the purchase time estimated by the estimation unit 33. In this way, the generation unit 34 changes the size of the geographical range according to the user's moving speed, making it possible to search for stores where the product can be purchased in geographical ranges of different sizes according to the ease of movement by the user.

[0046] The geographical range may be determined in advance for each user, for example, to be the range from a user's current location to the nearest store.

[0047] [Variation 2] In the above embodiment, the generation unit 34 identifies stores within a certain geographical range from the user's location that have the product in stock at the estimated time of purchase for the product, and generates guidance information to guide the user to those stores.On the other hand, if the product is not in stock at a store within a certain geographical range from the user's location at the estimated time of purchase for the product, the generation unit 34 generates guidance information to inform the user of the time when the product will be in stock at that store.

[0048] In response to this, the presentation unit 35 may present to the user either guidance information for providing information about stores within a certain geographical range from the user's location or guidance information for providing information about when products will be in stock at the store, with priority given to either. The term "prioritizing" as used here includes, for example, presenting only the guidance information that has priority, or presenting the guidance information that has priority to the user before the guidance information that has not priority.

[0049] For example, for a user who repeatedly purchases products that are commonly used as ingredients for dinner (such as meat or vegetables), if the estimated purchase time for such products is shortly before the typical dinner time (such as between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. every day), the system will treat such products as likely to be consumed that day and prioritize guidance information to guide users to stores within a certain geographical range from the user's location.

[0050] On the other hand, for products that are relatively unlikely to be consumed on the same day (e.g. additive-free jelly, organic vegetables, baby food, etc.), there is a high possibility that they will be out of stock and there are few substitutes, so priority is given to guidance information informing the store of the time when the product will be in stock. Whether or not a product is likely to be consumed on a day including such a purchase date can be determined by storing information indicating whether or not the product is likely to be consumed on the day including the purchase date in association with each product ID, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, and referring to that information. This makes it possible to present the user with guidance information that corresponds to whether or not the product is likely to be consumed on a day including the purchase date.

[0051] [Variation 3] The generating unit 34 may generate guidance information including information for guiding the purchase of a similar product that is in stock at the store and is similar to the product when the product is out of stock at the estimated purchase time for the product. Whether products are similar to each other can be determined by, for example, storing information indicating that the products are similar in advance in association with each product ID that corresponds to similar products as shown in FIG. 7, and referring to the information. This allows the user to purchase a similar product that is similar to the product he or she desires, even if the product itself is out of stock.

[0052] [Variation 4] The generating unit 34 may be configured not to generate guidance information for purchasing a product when the period of time during which the product has not been purchased exceeds a certain period in the purchase history information of the product. This makes it possible to avoid presenting guidance information to the user for a product that the user has not purchased for a certain period of time or more, that is, a product that is unlikely to be purchased repeatedly by the user.

[0053] [Variation 5] Furthermore, when a period of time during which a product has not been purchased in the purchase history information exceeds a certain period, the generating unit 34 may generate guidance information that includes benefits for purchasing other products that belong to the same category as the product and are frequently purchased by other users. This allows the user to learn about other products similar to the product that the user has stopped purchasing repeatedly because the user has grown tired of it, etc. Furthermore, it is possible to motivate the user to purchase the product.

[0054] [Variation 6] For example, if there is a user who often buys and eats ramen at a ramen shop, when a new ramen shop opens within a predetermined range based on the user's position (for example, a circular range with a radius of 500 m centered on the user's position), the user's user terminal 10 may be notified of this fact from the presentation unit 35 of the server device 30. This allows the user to know about new stores that sell products or services that the user often purchases.

[0055] [Other variations] The block diagrams used to explain the above embodiments show functional blocks. These functional blocks (components) are realized by any combination of at least one of hardware and software. The method of realizing each functional block is not particularly limited. That is, each functional block may be realized by using one device that is physically or logically combined, or may be realized by using two or more devices that are physically or logically separated and directly or indirectly connected (for example, by wire, wirelessly, etc.). The functional blocks may be realized by combining the one device or the multiple devices with software.

[0056] Functions include, but are not limited to, judgment, determination, judgment, calculation, computation, processing, derivation, investigation, search, confirmation, reception, transmission, output, access, resolution, selection, selection, establishment, comparison, assumption, expectation, consideration, broadcasting, notifying, communicating, forwarding, configuring, reconfiguring, allocating, mapping, and assignment. For example, a functional block (component) that performs the function of transmission is called a transmitting unit or a transmitter. As described above, there is no particular limitation on the method of realization of either of these.

[0057] For example, the server device 30 in one embodiment of the present disclosure may function as a computer that performs the processing of the present disclosure.

[0058] Each aspect / embodiment described in the present disclosure may be applied to at least one of systems using LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE-A (LTE-Advanced), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4G (4th generation mobile communication system), 5G (5th generation mobile communication system), FRA (Future Radio Access), NR (new Radio), W-CDMA (registered trademark), GSM (registered trademark), CDMA2000, UMB (Ultra Mobile Broadband), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.20, UWB (Ultra-WideBand), Bluetooth (registered trademark), and other suitable systems, and next-generation systems extended based on these. In addition, a combination of multiple systems (e.g., a combination of at least one of LTE and LTE-A and 5G, etc.) may be applied.

[0059] The present invention may be an information processing method including the steps of estimating a future purchase time of a product based on a purchase history of the product by a user, generating guidance information for guiding the user to purchase the product in the future, and presenting the generated guidance information for the product to the user at a time a certain period before the estimated purchase time of the product. The processing procedures, sequences, flow charts, etc. of each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be reordered as long as there is no contradiction. For example, the methods described in this disclosure present various step elements using an exemplary order and are not limited to the specific order presented.

[0060] The input and output information may be stored in a specific location (e.g., memory) or may be managed using a management table. The input and output information may be overwritten, updated, or added to. The output information may be deleted. The input information may be transmitted to another device.

[0061] The determination may be based on a value represented by a single bit (0 or 1), a Boolean value (true or false), or a numerical comparison (e.g., comparison with a predetermined value).

[0062] Although the present disclosure has been described in detail above, it is clear to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described in the present disclosure. The present disclosure can be implemented in modified and altered forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the claims. Therefore, the description of the present disclosure is intended to be illustrative and does not have any limiting meaning on the present disclosure.

[0063] Software, whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise, should be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc. Also, software, instructions, information, etc. may be transmitted or received over a transmission medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using wired technologies (such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)), and / or wireless technologies (such as infrared, microwave, etc.), then such wired and / or wireless technologies are included within the definition of a transmission medium.

[0064] The information, signals, etc. described in this disclosure may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies. For example, the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, chips, etc. that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or photons, or any combination thereof. In addition, terms explained in this disclosure and terms necessary for understanding this disclosure may be replaced with terms having the same or similar meanings.

[0065] Furthermore, the information, parameters, etc. described in this disclosure may be expressed using absolute values, may be expressed using relative values ​​from a predetermined value, or may be expressed using other corresponding information.

[0066] As used in this disclosure, the phrase "based on" does not mean "based only on," unless expressly stated otherwise. In other words, the phrase "based on" means both "based only on" and "based at least on."

[0067] Any reference to an element using a designation such as "first," "second," etc., used in this disclosure does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. These designations may be used in this disclosure as a convenient method of distinguishing between two or more elements. Thus, a reference to a first and a second element does not imply that only two elements may be employed or that the first element must precede the second element in some way.

[0068] The "part" in the configuration of each of the above devices may be replaced with "means," "circuit," "device," etc.

[0069] When the terms "include," "including," and variations thereof are used in this disclosure, these terms are intended to be inclusive, similar to the term "comprising." Further, when used in this disclosure, the term "or" is not intended to be an exclusive or.

[0070] In this disclosure, where articles have been added due to translation, such as a, an, and the in English, the disclosure may include that the nouns following these articles are in the plural form.

[0071] In the present disclosure, the term "A and B are different" may mean "A and B are different from each other." The term may also mean "A and B are each different from C." Terms such as "separate" and "coupled" may also be interpreted in the same way as "different." [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 1: information processing system, 2: communication network, 10: user terminal, 1001: processor, 1002: memory, 1003: storage, 1004: communication device, 1005: input device, 1006: output device, 1007: positioning device, 20: purchase history accumulation system, 30: server device, 31: acquisition unit, 32: memory unit, 33: estimation unit, 34: generation unit, 35: presentation unit, 3001: processor, 3002: memory, 3003: storage, 3004: communication device.

Claims

1. an estimation unit that estimates a future purchase time of the product based on a user's product purchase history; a presentation unit that presents guidance information for guiding the user to purchase the product in the future to the user at a time a certain period prior to an estimated purchase time for the product; Equipped with the guidance information includes information for guiding the user to stores that have the product in stock at the estimated purchase time of the product and that are within a certain geographical range from the user's location; The geographic range is larger when the estimated purchase frequency for the product is equal to or greater than a threshold value than when the estimated purchase frequency for the product is less than the threshold value.

23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

2. An estimation unit that estimates a future purchase time of the product based on a user's product purchase history; a presentation unit that presents guidance information for guiding the user to purchase the product in the future to the user at a time a certain period prior to an estimated purchase time for the product; Equipped with the guidance information includes information for guiding the user to stores that have the product in stock at the estimated purchase time of the product and that are within a certain geographical range from the user's location; The geographical range is larger when the user's moving speed is equal to or greater than a threshold value than when the user's moving speed is less than the threshold value.

23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

3. An estimation unit that estimates a future purchase time of the product based on a user's product purchase history; a presentation unit that presents guidance information for guiding the user to purchase the product in the future to the user at a time a certain period prior to an estimated purchase time for the product; Equipped with the guidance information includes information for guiding the user to stores that have the product in stock at the estimated purchase time of the product and that are within a certain geographical range from the user's location; the guidance information includes information for informing the customer when the product is not in stock at the store at the estimated purchase time of the product, and The presentation unit presents to the user, with priority, either the guidance information including information for providing guidance to stores within a certain geographical range from the user's location or the guidance information including information for providing guidance regarding a time when the product will be in stock at the store.

23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

4. An estimation unit that estimates a future purchase time of the product based on a user's product purchase history; a presentation unit that presents guidance information for guiding the user to purchase the product in the future to the user at a time a certain period prior to an estimated purchase time for the product; Equipped with If the period during which the product has not been purchased in the purchase history exceeds a certain period, the guidance information is not presented to the user.

23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

5. The guidance information is guidance information that, when a period during which the product has not been purchased in the purchase history exceeds a certain period, guides the purchase of another product that belongs to the same category as the product and is frequently purchased by other users, and includes a benefit for purchasing the other product.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4.

6. A method for predicting a future purchase time of a product by a computer based on a user's product purchase history; a step of presenting, by the computer, guidance information for guiding the user to purchase the product in the future, to the user at a time a certain period prior to the estimated purchase time of the product; Equipped with the guidance information includes information for guiding the user to stores that have the product in stock at the estimated purchase time of the product and that are within a certain geographical range from the user's location; The geographic range is larger when the estimated purchase frequency for the product is equal to or greater than a threshold value than when the estimated purchase frequency for the product is less than the threshold value.

23. An information processing method comprising:

7. A method for determining when a user will purchase a product in the future based on the user's product purchase history, comprising: a step of presenting, by the computer, guidance information for guiding the user to purchase the product in the future, to the user at a time a certain period prior to the estimated purchase time of the product; Equipped with the guidance information includes information for guiding the user to stores that have the product in stock at the estimated purchase time of the product and that are within a certain geographical range from the user's location; The geographical range is larger when the user's moving speed is equal to or greater than a threshold value than when the user's moving speed is less than the threshold value.

23. An information processing method comprising:

8. A method for predicting a future purchase time of a product by a user based on the user's product purchase history; a step of presenting, by the computer, guidance information for guiding the user to purchase the product in the future, to the user at a time a certain period prior to the estimated purchase time of the product; Equipped with the guidance information includes information for guiding the user to stores that have the product in stock at the estimated purchase time of the product and that are within a certain geographical range from the user's location; the guidance information includes information for informing the customer when the product is not in stock at the store at the estimated purchase time of the product, and In the step of presenting, the guidance information is presented to the user with priority given to either the guidance information including information for guiding the user to stores within a certain geographical range from the user's location or the guidance information including information for guiding the user to a time when the product will be in stock at the store.

23. An information processing method comprising:

9. A method for determining when a user will purchase a product in the future based on the user's product purchase history, comprising: a step of presenting, by the computer, guidance information for guiding the user to purchase the product in the future, to the user at a time a certain period prior to the estimated purchase time of the product; Equipped with If the period during which the product has not been purchased in the purchase history exceeds a certain period, the guidance information is not presented to the user.

23. An information processing method comprising:

10. The guidance information is guidance information for guiding the purchase of another product which belongs to the same category as the product and is frequently purchased by other users when a period during which the product has not been purchased in the purchase history of the product exceeds a certain period, and includes a benefit for the purchase of the other product.

10. The information processing method according to claim 9.

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