Information processing device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To provide an information processing apparatus, an information processing method and a program, configured to display more appropriate reference designs.SOLUTION: A processing unit of an information processing apparatus acquires design data which is generated on the basis of, an instruction of a user and pertains to a user design of an article which has a plurality of components, executes an extraction process of extracting at least one reference design from a plurality of reference designs of the article which is generated in advance on the basis of design data, causes a display unit to display information pertaining to the extracted reference design, and in the extraction process, derives a component similarity value which indicates a degree of similarity between each of some of or all reference designs in the plurality of reference designs and the user design for each of the plurality of components, derives a first index value on the basis of a plurality of component similarity values which consists of the component similarity values which are derived for each of the plurality of components, and extracts at least one reference design from the plurality of reference designs on the basis of the derived first index value.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 15

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a technology that enables users to customize the design of an item when purchasing the item on an EC (electronic commerce) site. In addition, a technology has been proposed that displays designs created by other users who have the same attributes and preferences as the user as reference designs to assist the user in coming up with design ideas (e.g., Patent Documents 1 and 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6034448 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 6709308 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, design trends are not necessarily shared between users who share the same attributes or preferences. For this reason, the above-mentioned conventional technology has a problem in that reference designs that are not helpful for the user who is designing are often displayed.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program capable of displaying a more appropriate reference design. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, an information processing device having a display unit that displays at least one reference design similar to design data according to the present invention comprises: A processing unit is provided, The processing unit includes: acquiring the design data relating to a user design of an article having a plurality of parts, the user design data being generated based on an instruction from the user; Similarity between the design data and a predetermined reference design After excluding reference designs with a certain percentage or more and displaying the at least one reference design corresponding to the design data on the display unit.

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, an information processing method according to the present invention includes: An information processing method executed by a computer of an information processing device having a display unit that displays at least one reference design similar to design data, acquiring the design data relating to a user design of an article having a plurality of parts, the user design data being generated based on an instruction from the user; Similarity between the design data and a predetermined reference design After excluding reference designs with a certain percentage or more and displaying the at least one reference design corresponding to the design data on the display unit.

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the program according to the present invention comprises: A computer of an information processing device having a display unit that displays at least one reference design similar to the design data, a function of acquiring the design data relating to a user design of an article having a plurality of parts, the design data being generated based on a user's instruction; Similarity between the design data and a predetermined reference design After excluding reference designs with a certain percentage or more a function of displaying the at least one reference design corresponding to the design data on the display unit; Make this a reality. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, a more appropriate reference design can be displayed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an information processing system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a server. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of user data. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a terminal device. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a design screen. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of user design data. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of part similarity value data. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of weighting data. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another example of the contents of weighting data. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the procedure for extracting a reference design in the first extraction method. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of second index value data. [Figure 12] 13A to 13C are diagrams illustrating the procedure for extracting reference designs in the second extraction method. [Figure 13] 13 is a diagram illustrating the procedure for extracting reference designs in the third extraction method. FIG. [Figure 14] 13 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of the design process. [Figure 15] 13 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of the reference design extraction process. [Figure 16] 13 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of a process for determining extracted reference designs when a first extraction method is used. [Figure 17] 13 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of the extracted reference design determination process in the case where a second extraction method is used. [Figure 18] 13 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of the extracted reference design determination process in the case where the third extraction method is used. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] <Configuration of information processing system> FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an information processing system 1 according to the present embodiment. The information processing system 1 includes a server 10 (information processing device) and a plurality of terminal devices 20. The server 10 and the plurality of terminal devices 20 are connected via a communication network N, and are capable of transmitting and receiving data to and from each other. The communication network N is, for example, the Internet, but is not limited thereto, and may be other networks such as a LAN (Local Area Network). The communication paths between the server 10 and the communication network N, and between the terminal devices 20 and the communication network N, may include wireless communication paths.

[0013] The multiple terminal devices 20 are devices used by different users. The terminal devices 20 may be either portable devices or stationary devices, such as smartphones, tablet terminals, or PCs (Personal Computers).

[0014] The server 10 executes various processes in response to requests from the terminal device 20, transmits the process results to the terminal device 20, and causes a screen related to the process results to be displayed on the display unit 25 (see FIG. 4) of the terminal device 20. The information processing system 1 provides an e-commerce service to the user of the terminal device 20 through this series of operations by the server 10 and the terminal device 20. The user of the terminal device 20 can operate the terminal device 20 to log in to this e-commerce service and purchase a product. In addition, in this e-commerce service, the user can customize the design of the product to be purchased by himself / herself. Customization of the product design will be described in detail later.

[0015] <Server configuration> FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the server 10. As shown in FIG. The server 10 includes a CPU 11 (Central Processing Unit), a RAM 12 (Random Access Memory), a storage unit 13, an operation unit 14, a display unit 15, a communication unit 16, and a bus 17. The components of the server 10 are connected to each other via the bus 17.

[0016] The CPU 11 is a processor that reads and executes the program 131 stored in the storage unit 13 and performs various arithmetic processing, thereby controlling the operation of each unit of the server 10. In this embodiment, the CPU 11 corresponds to a "processing unit." The processing unit may have multiple processors (e.g., multiple CPUs), and the multiple processes performed by the CPU 11 in this embodiment may be executed by the multiple processors. In this case, the multiple processors correspond to a "processing unit." In this case, the multiple processors may be involved in a common process, or the multiple processors may independently execute different processes in parallel.

[0017] The RAM 12 provides a working memory space for the CPU 11 and stores temporary data.

[0018] The storage unit 13 is a non-transitory recording medium readable by the CPU 11 as a computer, and stores a program 131 and various data. The storage unit 13 includes a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory. The program 131 is stored in the storage unit 13 in the form of a computer-readable program code. The data stored in the storage unit 13 include user design data 132, part similarity value data 133, weighting data 134, second index value data 135, and user data 136. The user design data 132 includes multiple design data related to the design of an article customized by a user. The part similarity value data 133, weighting data 134, and second index value data 135 are data referenced when presenting a reference design to a user, and will be described in detail later.

[0019] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the user data 136. As shown in FIG. In the user data 136, information on data items related to attributes and characteristics is registered for each of a plurality of users U (users U1, U2, U3, ...) who use the electronic commerce service. Among these, the attributes of user U include "age," "gender," and "place of residence." However, the user's attributes may not include some of these, and may also include other items. Furthermore, the characteristics of user U include "hobbies," "preferences," "behavioral tendencies," and "reference designs selected in the past." However, the user's characteristics may not include some of these, and may also include other items.

[0020] 3, the preferences of the user U include items such as "favorite color," "purchase history," and "registration as favorites." However, the items included in the preferences of the user U are not limited to these. The "favorite color" is, for example, a color designated by an input operation of the user U. Alternatively, a color that the user U likes may be estimated based on a tendency of a past purchase history or the like, and the estimated color may be registered. The "purchase history" indicates products that the user U has previously purchased in the electronic commerce service. "Favorites" refers to products that user U has registered as favorites in the electronic commerce service. In the "purchase history" and "favorites" fields, specific products may be registered, or the general name of the product may be registered.

[0021] 3, the items "average number of steps" and "watch wearing time" are included as the behavioral tendency of the user U. However, the items included in the behavioral tendency of the user U are not limited to these. The "average number of steps" refers to the average number of steps taken per day counted by a smartphone owned by the user U or an electronic wristwatch worn by the user U. For example, if the terminal device 20 is a smartphone, the step count data counted by the terminal device 20 and transmitted to the server 10 may be used. Also, if the terminal device 20 is a smartphone and the user U is wearing an electronic wristwatch that is communicatively connected to the smartphone, the step count data counted by the electronic wristwatch and transmitted to the server 10 via the smartphone may be used. The device that measures the number of steps (the terminal device 20 or the electronic wristwatch, etc.) is provided with a motion sensor that detects the motion state of the device, such as an acceleration sensor, an angular velocity sensor, and a geomagnetic sensor, and the number of steps is measured based on the detection result by the motion sensor. The "watch wearing time" indicates the average time per day that the electronic wristwatch is worn. The "watch wearing time" is automatically detected, for example, by a detection mechanism that the electronic wristwatch has, and the detection result is transmitted to the server 10 via a smartphone serving as the terminal device 20.

[0022] Returning to FIG. 2, the operation unit 14 has a pointing device such as a mouse, a keyboard, and the like, and receives position inputs and key inputs by the operator of the server 10 and outputs the operation information to the CPU 11.

[0023] The display unit 15 includes a display device such as a liquid crystal display, and performs various displays on the display device in accordance with display control signals from the CPU 11.

[0024] The communication unit 16 performs a communication operation in accordance with a predetermined communication standard. The communication unit 16 transmits and receives data to and from the terminal device 20 via the communication network N through this communication operation.

[0025] <Terminal device configuration> FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the terminal device 20. As shown in FIG. The terminal device 20 includes a CPU 21, a RAM 22, a storage unit 23, an operation unit 24, a display unit 25, a communication unit 26, an environmental information acquisition unit 27, and a bus 28. The components of the terminal device 20 are connected to each other via the bus 28.

[0026] The CPU 21 is a processor that reads and executes the program 231 stored in the storage unit 23 and performs various arithmetic processing to control the operation of each unit of the terminal device 20. The terminal device 20 may have multiple processors (e.g., multiple CPUs), and the multiple processes executed by the CPU 21 of this embodiment may be executed by the multiple processors. In this case, the multiple processors may be involved in a common process, or the multiple processors may independently execute different processes in parallel.

[0027] The RAM 22 provides a working memory space for the CPU 21 and stores temporary data.

[0028] The storage unit 23 is a non-transitory recording medium readable by the CPU 21 as a computer, and stores the program 231 and various data. The storage unit 23 includes a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory. The program 231 is stored in the storage unit 23 in the form of a computer-readable program code. The program 231 includes, for example, a web browser. When the web browser is executed in the terminal device 20, the web browser can access a website of the electronic commerce service provided by the information processing system 1. On the web browser that has accessed the website, the processing results of various processes related to the electronic commerce service executed by the server 10 in response to an input operation by the user are displayed. For example, the user U of the terminal device 20 can purchase a product or customize the design of the product, which will be described later, on the web browser. Note that, instead of a general-purpose web browser, a dedicated application program for executing various processes related to the electronic commerce service may be used.

[0029] The operation unit 24 has at least one of an input device such as a pointing device, a keyboard, or a touch panel, and allows a user to input a command to the input device. U and outputs the operation information to the CPU 21.

[0030] The display unit 25 includes a display device such as a liquid crystal display, and performs various displays on the display device in accordance with display control signals from the CPU 21 .

[0031] The communication unit 26 performs a communication operation in accordance with a predetermined communication standard. The communication unit 26 transmits and receives data to and from the server 10 via the communication network N through this communication operation.

[0032] The environmental information acquisition unit 27 acquires information related to the environment around the terminal device 20 (the environment around the user of the terminal device 20) and outputs it to the CPU 21. The environmental information acquisition unit 27 includes at least one device for acquiring information related to the current position, temperature, or other weather conditions (humidity, air pressure, etc.) of the terminal device 20. For example, the environmental information acquisition unit 27 may have a module (satellite radio wave receiving processing unit) that receives radio waves transmitted from a positioning satellite of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) and calculates the current position and date and time as a device for acquiring information on the current position. The global positioning satellite system used is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a global positioning system (GPS), a GLONASS, or a quasi-zenith satellite system using a quasi-zenith satellite "Michibiki" or the like. The environmental information acquisition unit 27 may also have a thermometer as a device for acquiring information on the temperature.

[0033] <Operation of information processing system> Next, the operation of the information processing system 1 will be described, focusing on the operation related to customizing the design of an article. In this embodiment, the description will be given using an example in which a user U customizes the design of a wristwatch, which is an article that is a commodity, and purchases it.

[0034] The user U can log in to the electronic commerce service by starting up a web browser on the terminal device 20 used by the user U, accessing the website of the electronic commerce service, and inputting predetermined authentication information. The specific procedure of the login process is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a procedure in which the server 10 receives the user ID and password of the user U inputted on the terminal device 20, and if the received password matches a password registered in advance in association with the user ID as authentication data, the server 10 starts a login session.

[0035] When user U wishes to customize the design of a watch before purchasing it, he or she causes a design screen used to generate design data relating to the design of the watch to be displayed on the display unit 25 of the terminal device 20 using a web browser. In more detail, while accessing the website of an e-commerce service using the web browser, when user U performs an operation to call up the design screen, a display request for the design screen is sent from the terminal device 20 to the server 10. Upon receiving the display request, the server 10 generates screen configuration data constituting the design screen and sends it to the terminal device 20. The terminal device 20 causes the display unit 25 to display the design screen according to the received screen configuration data.

[0036] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the design screen 30. As shown in FIG. The design screen 30 includes a user design display area 31, a reference design display area 32, component design areas 33 to 35, and a design confirmation button 36. The reflection button 321 provided in the reference design display area 32 and the drop-down lists 331, 332, 341, 342, 351 to 353 provided in the component design areas 33 to 35 are operation target elements that are targets of user operation. When a user operation is performed on an operation target element on the design screen 30 (for example, a touch operation on a touch panel, or an operation of clicking a mouse with a mouse cursor on the operation target element, etc.), a processing request according to the user operation is transmitted from the terminal device 20 to the server 10. The server 10 executes processing according to the processing request, stores the processing result in the storage unit 13, transmits image configuration data of the design screen 30 reflecting the processing result to the terminal device 20, and updates the display content of the design screen 30 on the display unit 25.

[0037] In the user design display area 31, the design customized by the user U (user design) is displayed as an image of the wristwatch 40. More specifically, in the user design display area 31, the user design at the time when the design of the parts is customized in response to user operations in the part design areas 33-35 is displayed. In this embodiment, customization of the design of the wristwatch 40 is performed by first selecting the model of the wristwatch 40, and then changing part of the basic design of that model (the design of the parts). Therefore, the user design includes information about the model.

[0038] In the reference design display area 32, a predetermined number of reference designs related to the user design at that time are displayed as images of the wristwatch 50 to assist the user U in coming up with a design. From another perspective, the reference design is a model design that serves as a model for the design by the user U. In the example of FIG. 5, three reference designs are displayed in the reference design display area 32, but the number of reference designs displayed is not limited to three, and may be two or less, or four or more. The reference designs are created in advance by creators or designers and stored in the storage unit 13 of the server 10. Alternatively, a user design created by another user U may be used as the reference design. Like the user design, the reference design also corresponds to a modified basic design of a certain model of the wristwatch 40, and includes model information. In other words, the user design and the reference design are designs related to any model among multiple models of the wristwatch 40. The reference design displayed in the reference design display area 32 may be switched according to the modified user design every time the user design in the user design display area 31 is changed. Alternatively, a reference design corresponding to the user design at that time may be displayed in response to an instruction from the user U to display a reference design.

[0039] A reflect button 321 is displayed near each of the three reference designs. When the reflect button 321 is selected, the content of the reference design corresponding to the selected reflect button 321 is reflected in the user design in the user design display area 31. That is, the content of the user design is replaced with the content of the reference design. After the replacement, the design of the parts can be further customized using the part design areas 33 to 35. When the reference design is selected by the reflect button 321, the reference design ID of the selected reference design is registered in the data item of "previously selected reference design" of the user data 136. Note that instead of reflecting the entire reference design in the user design, it may be possible to reflect a part of the reference design (for example, for each part) in the user design. Also, instead of the reflect button 321, the above operation when the reflect button 321 is operated may be performed by selecting an image of the wristwatch 50 of the reference design. In this case, the reflect button 321 may be omitted.

[0040] The component design areas 33-35 are areas in which the design settings for the components of the wristwatch 40 are displayed, and are also areas in which input operations for changing the design of the components are received. The wristwatch 40 of this embodiment has three components whose designs can be changed. The three components are the watch face 41, the bezel 42, and the band 43. The component design areas 33-35 correspond to the watch face 41, the bezel 42, and the band 43, respectively. However, this is merely an example, and the design of any component constituting the wristwatch 40 may be changeable, or the designs of two or less or four or more components may be changeable. In these cases, a component design area may be provided for each component whose design can be changed.

[0041] The watch face 41 is the part of the wristwatch 40 that displays information such as the time, and includes a digital display unit in the case of a digital wristwatch 40, and includes hands and a dial in the case of an analog wristwatch 40. The bezel 42 is a frame-shaped member that surrounds the watch face 41. The band 43 is a belt-shaped member that is wrapped around the arm when worn on the arm. The component design area 33 is an area for setting the design of the watch face 41, the component design area 34 is an area for setting the design of the bezel 42, and the component design area 35 is an area for setting the design of the band 43.

[0042] In this embodiment, each of the above-mentioned components whose designs can be changed includes multiple design elements. Also, each of the drop-down lists 331, 332, 341, 342, 351 to 353 provided in the component design areas 33 to 35 corresponds to one design element of the corresponding component. By selecting from the drop-down list, multiple candidates representing the setting contents (design contents) of the design element can be displayed, and when one of the candidates is selected, the setting contents of the design element are changed to the contents of the selected candidate.

[0043] The watch face 41 includes a "display type" and a "background color" as design elements. The "display type" is a design element that specifies the combination of the display method (analog or digital) and the basic design type for each display method. The "background color" is a design element that specifies the color of the background area of ​​the digital display or the dial. The drop-down lists 331 and 332 in the component design area 33 correspond to the "display type" and "background color", respectively. The design of the watch face 41 is determined by the combination of the settings in the drop-down lists 331 and 332.

[0044] The bezel 42 includes "shape" and "bezel color" as design elements. "Shape" is a design element that specifies the combination of the shape of the bezel 42 and the design of the decoration, etc. "Bezel color" is a design element that specifies the color of the bezel 42. Drop-down lists 341 and 342 in the component design area 34 correspond to "shape" and "bezel color", respectively. The design of the bezel 42 is determined by the combination of the settings in the drop-down lists 341 and 342.

[0045] The band 43 includes "shape," "material," and "band color" as design elements. "Shape" is a design element that specifies the combination of the shape of the band 43 and the design of decoration, etc. "Material" is a design element that specifies the material of the band 43. "Band color" is a design element that specifies the color of the band. Drop-down lists 351 to 353 in the component design area 35 correspond to "shape," "material," and "band color," respectively. The design of the band 43 is determined by the combination of the settings in the drop-down lists 351 to 353.

[0046] When design customization begins, the settings in drop-down lists 331, 332, 341, 342, 351-353 reflect the design elements of the basic design (default design) of the model selected by user U. When a design element different from the design elements of the basic design is selected and confirmed by operating any of the drop-down lists, the design of the part is changed, and the design of wristwatch 40 is changed in accordance with the change in the design of the part. The change in the design of wristwatch 40 is reflected in the user design in user design display area 31.

[0047] It is not necessary for all parts to have multiple design elements, and the design of at least some parts may be determined by a single design element.

[0048] When the design confirmation button 36 is selected, the user design of wristwatch 40 at the time of selection is confirmed, and design data DD (see FIG. 6) relating to the confirmed user design is stored in user design data 132. User design data 132 also stores design data DD relating to the intermediate user design before design confirmation button 36 is operated. For example, every time the design of a part is changed in part design areas 33-35, design data DD relating to the intermediate user design is stored in user design data 132.

[0049] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the user design data 132. As shown in FIG. 6 corresponds to design data DD related to one user design (completed design or design in progress). Each design data DD includes data items of "user design ID", "user", and "model", and parts data related to each of "watch face", "bezel", and "band". The parts data related to each of "watch face", "bezel", and "band" includes data items of "parts design ID" and "selection order".

[0050] The data item "User Design ID" is a unique code given to the user design of the design data DD. A single user design can be identified by the "User Design ID." The data item "user" represents the user U corresponding to the user design of the design data DD. The data item "model" indicates the model corresponding to the user design of the design data DD. The data item "Component Design ID" is a code that represents the design details of the component. For example, the "Component Design ID" of "Watch Face" registers a code that is determined for each combination of the settings in the drop-down lists 331, 332. From this "Component Design ID", it is possible to identify the combination of the settings in the drop-down lists 331, 332, i.e., the design details of the watch face 41. The same applies to the codes for the "Component Design" of the "Bezel" and "Band". The data item of "selection order" indicates the order in which the watch face 41, the bezel 42, and the band 43 were selected for design determination after the start of customization of the user design on the design screen 30 (the order in which the operation of selecting the drop-down list in the component design area was performed). For example, for the user design with a "user design ID" of "D001" in FIG. 6, the "selection order" of the "watch face" is "1", the "selection order" of the "bezel" is "3", and the "selection order" of the "band" is "2", which indicates that the components were selected in the order of the watch face 41, the band 43, and the bezel 42 in the customization of the user design. This "selection order" is used to generate weighting data 134, which will be described later. Note that after a drop-down list of a certain component is selected and a list of the setting contents is displayed, there may be cases in which the selection of the drop-down list is terminated without changing the setting contents. In this case, it may be considered as a "selection" of the component and reflected in the "selection order", or it may be considered as no "selection" of the component and not reflected in the "selection order". In the latter case, where it is assumed that no "selection" of parts has been made, the order in which selections resulting in changes to the part designs were made is recorded in the "selection order."

[0051] Next, there will be described a method for extracting (determining) a reference design to be displayed in the reference design display area 32. As a method for determining a reference design, there are the following first to third extraction methods.

[0052] (First extraction method) The first extraction method includes the following steps (1-1) to (1-3). (1-1) From among all reference designs, reference designs to be extracted are narrowed down, and an extraction target group consisting of the reference designs to be extracted is identified. (1-2) For each reference design in the extraction target group, a first index value that indicates the degree of similarity with the user design is derived. (1-3) A predetermined number (three in this embodiment) of reference designs are extracted in descending order of the derived first index value. The contents of each step will be explained below.

[0053] In step (1-1), of all the reference designs, a group consisting of reference designs that are the same model as the user design at that time is identified as an extraction target group. By narrowing down the extraction target group in advance in this manner, when there are a large number of reference designs, the load of the reference design extraction process by the CPU 11 can be reduced. Note that when the number of reference designs is sufficiently small or when there is room for the processing load on the CPU 11, step (1-1) may be omitted and all reference designs may be extracted.

[0054] The method of identifying the extraction target group is not limited to the above. For example, a group of reference designs in which the design of a certain part is the same as that of the user design among all reference designs may be identified as the extraction target group. Alternatively, a group of reference designs in which the part similarity value of a certain part is equal to or greater than a reference value among all reference designs among the user design may be identified as the extraction target group. The part similarity value will be described later. The certain part may be predetermined for each model of the user design, or may be identified based on an instruction by the user U to specify any one of the multiple parts of the wristwatch 40.

[0055] Next, in step (1-2), a first index value is derived for each reference design in the extraction target group. The first index value is derived based on a plurality of part similarity values ​​consisting of the part similarity values ​​derived for each of the plurality of parts, after a part similarity value representing the similarity between the user design and the reference design for each of the plurality of parts is derived for each of the plurality of parts of wristwatch 40. For example, the first index value is derived by adding the plurality of part similarity values ​​to each other based on a weighting determined for each of the plurality of part similarity values. The part similarity value of each part is derived (identified) from part similarity value data 133.

[0056] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the part similarity value data 133. As shown in FIG. One data row of the part similarity value data 133 corresponds to one part design ID of one part (i.e., one design of one part). The part similarity value data 133 has data rows corresponding to all part design IDs of all parts. On the other hand, one data column of the part similarity value data 133 corresponds to one reference design. In the part similarity value data 133, the reference design is specified by a reference design ID (RF001, RF002, ...) unique to each reference design. The part similarity value data 133 has data columns corresponding to all reference design IDs. At the intersection of the data row and the data column, a part similarity value indicating the similarity between the design of the part corresponding to the data row and the design of the part of the reference design corresponding to the data column is registered. Therefore, by referring to the part similarity value data 133, it is possible to specify the similarity between any design of each part of the user design and the design of the corresponding part in each reference design. In FIG. 7, the part similarity value is expressed as an integer between 0 and 100. A part similarity value of 100 indicates that the design of the part corresponding to that data row is identical to the design of the part in the reference design corresponding to that data column. Note that the range of part similarity values ​​is not limited to 0 to 100, and can be any range as long as it reflects the similarity of the designs.

[0057] When deriving the first index value, the weighting by which the part similarity value of each part is multiplied is specified from the weighting data 134. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the weighting data 134. As shown in FIG. In the weighting data 134 shown in FIG. 8, the weighting values ​​corresponding to each part of the wristwatch 40 are predefined and registered for each model of the wristwatch 40. For example, for the model "M01", the weighting of the watch face 41 is defined as "1.0", the weighting of the bezel 42 as "0.7", and the weighting of the band 43 as "0.5". The weighting for each model is defined so that the more eye-catching or characteristic parts of the model are, the greater the weighting. Note that in FIG. 8, the weighting values ​​for the same type of parts are different between different models, but this is merely an example, and the weighting values ​​may be predefined according to the model, resulting in the same weighting values ​​for the same type of parts being the same between different models.

[0058] An example of deriving a first index value using the weighting of the weighting data 134 in FIG. 8 is shown. For example, when deriving a first index value of the reference design "RF001" shown in FIG. 7 for the user design "D001" shown in FIG. 6, since the model of the user design is "M01", the weightings of the watch face 41, the bezel 42, and the band 43 are specified as "1.0", "0.7", and "0.5", respectively. Also, from FIG. 6, the component design IDs of the watch face 41, the bezel 42, and the band 43 in the user design "D001" are specified as "WF002", "BZ003", and "BD001", respectively. Therefore, the component similarity values ​​of each component for the reference design "RF001" are derived (specified) as "51", "80", and "40", respectively, by referring to the data rows of "WF002", "BZ003", and "BD001" in FIG. 7. The first index value is derived by adding up these part similarity values ​​with the weightings specified above, as follows: 51×1.0+80×0.7+40×0.5=127.

[0059] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing another example of the contents of the weighting data 134. As shown in FIG. In the weighting data 134 shown in FIG. 9, the weighting value corresponding to each part of the wristwatch 40 is determined according to the "selection order" of each part in the design data DD shown in FIG. 6. Specifically, the weighting of a part with a "selection order" of "1" is "1.0", the weighting of a part with a "selection order" of "2" is "0.7", and the weighting of a part with a "selection order" of "3" is "0.4". In other words, the weighting corresponding to each part is determined so that the earlier a part is selected by the user U for deciding the user design among multiple parts in the history of the instructions of the user U made for generating the user design, the greater the weighting corresponding to the part. The user U tends to select and decide the design by giving priority to the part that is important in the design (i.e., at an early stage). For this reason, by giving a greater weight to the part whose design is selected earlier, the part similarity value of the part that the user U emphasizes in the design can be reflected more significantly in the first index value. In addition, the weighting corresponding to each part may be determined according to other factors related to the history of user U's instructions given to generate the user design, such as the number of times the part was selected or the number of times the design of the part was changed.

[0060] An example of deriving a first index value using the weighting of the weighting data 134 in FIG. 9 is shown. For example, when deriving a first index value of the reference design "RF001" shown in FIG. 7 for the user design "D001" shown in FIG. 6, the weightings of the watch face 41, the bezel 42, and the band 43 are specified as "1.0", "0.4", and "0.7", respectively, from the data string of "D001" in FIG. 9. Also, as described above, from FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the part similarity values ​​of the watch face 41, the bezel 42, and the band 43 in the reference design "RF001" are specified as "51", "80", and "40", respectively. The first index value is derived as 51×1.0+80×0.4+40×0.7=111 by adding these part similarity values ​​with the weighting specified above.

[0061] It should be noted that the weighting values ​​in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are merely examples, and for example, the weighting values ​​corresponding to at least some of the multiple parts may be greater than 1. Furthermore, if it is desired that the part similarity value of each part is reflected evenly in the first index value, weighting may be omitted (in other words, each part may be weighted equally, for example, all at "1.0").

[0062] Next, in step (1-3), a predetermined number of reference designs (three in this embodiment) are extracted (determined). FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the procedure for extracting a reference design in the first extraction method. When the first index value is derived for each reference design (reference design ID) in the extraction target group by the above-mentioned method, the reference designs in the extraction target group are sorted, for example, in descending order of the first index value, as shown in the upper part of Figure 10. "No." in Figure 10 represents the arrangement order of each reference design when sorted in descending order of the first index value. Then, a predetermined number of designs (here, three) are extracted in order of the largest first index value. In the example of Figure 10, as shown in the lower part of Figure 10, three reference designs with reference design IDs of "RF231", "RF192", and "RF594" are determined as the reference designs to be displayed in the reference design display area 32.

[0063] (Second Extraction Method) Next, a second method for extracting a reference design will be described. The second extraction method includes the following steps (2-1) to (2-4). (2-1) From all reference designs, narrow down the reference designs to be extracted, and identify an extraction target group consisting of the reference designs to be extracted. (2-2) For each reference design in the extraction target group, a first index value that indicates the degree of similarity with the user design is derived. (2-3) A certain number of reference designs are extracted in descending order of the derived first index value, and a second index value corresponding to each of the extracted certain number of reference designs is derived (obtained). (2-4) From the certain number of reference designs, a predetermined number (three in this embodiment) of reference designs are extracted in descending order of the derived second index value. Steps (2-1) and (2-2) are the same as steps (1-1) and (1-2) in the first extraction method, respectively, and therefore will not be described here.

[0064] The second index value derived in step (2-3) is obtained from the second index value data 135. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the content of the second index value data 135. As shown in FIG. In the second index value data 135, a second index value is set and registered for each of all reference designs (reference design IDs) for a plurality of items (minor items in FIG. 11) related to the user's attributes, characteristics, and surrounding environment. The second index value is set so that the more a reference design is recommended when a certain minor item applies, the larger the second index value corresponding to that minor item. Here, "applying to a minor item" means that the content of that minor item matches the attributes, characteristics, or surrounding environment of the user U who created the user design. For example, the second index value corresponding to the minor item "surfing" is set so that the more a reference design is likely to be liked by a user U whose hobby is surfing, the larger the value.

[0065] Each small item belongs to one medium item, and each medium item belongs to one large item (user's attributes, characteristics, or surrounding environment). Some of the medium items and small items related to the user's attributes and characteristics correspond to data items in the user data 136 shown in Fig. 3. Note that the second index value data 135 does not necessarily have to include items related to all of the user's attributes, characteristics, and surrounding environment.

[0066] The medium items belonging to the large item "user attributes" are, for example, "age," "gender," and "place of residence." Among these, the medium item "age" has small items such as "teens" and "twenties," and the medium item "gender" has small items such as "male" and "female."

[0067] The medium items belonging to the major item "user characteristics" are, for example, "hobbies," "preferences," "behavioral tendencies," and "reference designs selected in the past." Of these, the medium item "hobbies" includes small items such as "surfing" and "mountain climbing." The medium item "preferences" includes small items such as "favorite color," "purchase history," and "favorite registration." The medium item "behavioral tendencies" includes small items such as "average number of steps." The medium item "reference designs selected in the past" includes small items that represent the reference design IDs of the reference designs. The second index value corresponding to each small item (reference design ID) of "reference designs selected in the past" is set so that the reference design that is more similar to the reference design of the small item is higher (i.e., more strongly recommended).

[0068] The medium items belonging to the large item "environment surrounding the user" are "temperature," "weather conditions," "season," and "current location." Among these, the medium item "temperature" includes small items such as "above 30°C" and "20°C to 30°C." The medium item "weather conditions" includes small items representing the weather such as "sunny" and "rainy," and small items representing weather-related parameters such as "wind speed," "air pressure," and "humidity." The medium item "current location" includes small items relating to city names, prefectures, regions, countries, and latitude ranges.

[0069] The above-mentioned medium items and small items are examples and are not limited to these. For example, the medium item of "behavioral tendency" may include small items related to the wristwatch 40 worn and the usage status (frequency of use) of its functions. Specifically, if the wristwatch 40 has a function for acquiring the frequency of wearing the wristwatch 40 (whether it is used every day, etc.), direction, number of steps, area, calories, etc., it may include small items related to the acquisition results. It may also include small items related to the model of the terminal device 20 (e.g., smartphone) used by the user U and the usage status (frequency of use) of its functions. In addition, the small items of "purchase history" and "favorite registration" may be the contents of purchase history and favorite registration in services other than the electronic commerce service provided by the information processing system 1. Furthermore, if there is no minor item that belongs to a medium item, a second index value may be associated with the medium item.

[0070] Steps (2-3) and (2-4) will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the procedure for extracting a reference design in the second extraction method. In step (2-3), the reference designs in the extraction target group are sorted, for example, in descending order of the first index value, as shown in the upper part of Fig. 12. Then, a certain number of reference designs (10 in Fig. 12) are extracted in descending order of the first index value, and a second index value corresponding to each of the extracted certain number of reference designs is derived (obtained). In the next step (2-4), a predetermined number (three in this embodiment) of reference designs are extracted from the certain number of reference designs in descending order of the derived second index value. In this manner, a first stage of extraction based on the first index value is performed in step (2-3), and a second stage of extraction based on the second index value is performed in the next step (2-4).

[0071] In detail, in step (2-3), first, the user data 136 is referenced, and any of the small items in FIG. 11 that fit the attributes or characteristics of the user U who created the user design is selected. Alternatively, any of the small items in FIG. 11 that fit the surrounding environment of the user U acquired by the environment information acquisition unit 27 of the terminal device 20 is selected. The user U may be able to select one small item from a plurality of small items that fit. Then, a second index value corresponding to the selected small item is acquired for each of the certain number of reference designs. In FIG. 12, the small item "Temperature: 30°C or higher" is selected, and a second index value corresponding to the small item is acquired for each of the reference designs No. 1 to 10.

[0072] Then, in step (2-4), as shown in the lower part of Fig. 12, a predetermined number (here, three) of the extracted 10 reference designs are extracted (determined) in descending order of the acquired second index value as reference designs to be displayed in the reference design display area 32. In the example of Fig. 12, of reference designs No. 1 to 10, "RF008" with the highest second index value, "RF048" with the second highest second index value, and "RF192" with the third highest second index value are extracted.

[0073] According to this second extraction method, a reference design that is recommended based on the attributes, characteristics, or surrounding environment of the user U can be extracted from reference designs similar to the user design and presented to the user U.

[0074] (Third Extraction Method) Next, a third method for extracting a reference design will be described. The third extraction method includes the following steps (3-1) to (3-5). (3-1) From all reference designs, narrow down the reference designs to be extracted, and identify an extraction target group consisting of the reference designs to be extracted. (3-2) For each reference design in the extraction target group, a first index value that indicates the similarity with the user design is derived. (3-3) For each reference design in the extraction target group, a second index value that is determined in association with each reference design is derived (obtained). (3-4) The first index value of each reference design is corrected based on the second index value. (3-5) A predetermined number (three in this embodiment) of reference designs are extracted in descending order of the corrected first index value. Steps (3-1) and (3-2) are the same as steps (2-1) and (2-2) in the second extraction method, respectively, and therefore will not be described here.

[0075] The method of deriving (obtaining) the second index value in step (3-3) is the same as a part of step (2-3) of the second extraction method. That is, first, the user data 136 is referenced, and any of the small items in FIG. 11 that fit the attributes or characteristics of the user U who created the user design is selected. Alternatively, any of the small items in FIG. 11 that fit the surrounding environment of the user U acquired by the environment information acquisition unit 27 of the terminal device 20 is selected. The user U may be able to select one small item from a plurality of small items that fit. Then, a second index value corresponding to the selected small item is acquired for each reference design of the extraction target group.

[0076] Steps (3-4) and (3-5) will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the procedure for extracting a reference design in the third extraction method. In step (3-3), when the second index value is acquired for each reference design of the extraction target group, in step (3-4), the first index value of each reference design is corrected based on the second index value. In the example shown in the upper part of FIG. 13, the second index value is added to the first index value to derive the corrected first index value. The correction method is not limited to simple addition, as long as the larger the second index value, the larger the increase amount or rate of increase. For example, the second index value may be converted to a value correlated with the magnitude of the second index value and then added to the first correction value. Alternatively, the first index value may be multiplied by the second index value or a value correlated with the second index value.

[0077] In the next step (3-5), as shown in the lower part of Fig. 13, a predetermined number (here, three) of reference designs are extracted (determined) in descending order of the post-correction first index value as reference designs to be displayed in the reference design display area 32. In the example of Fig. 13, the reference designs "RF005" with the highest post-correction first index value, "RF192" with the second highest, and "RF231" with the third highest are extracted.

[0078] According to such a third extraction method, it is possible to extract, from among reference designs similar to the user design, a reference design that is recommended according to the attributes, characteristics, or surrounding environment of the user U, and present it to the user U. In addition, since the first index value of each reference design included in the extraction target group is corrected, when there is a reference design that has a small first index value but is highly recommended according to the attributes, characteristics, or surrounding environment of the user U, the reference design can be extracted and presented.

[0079] In addition, multiple second index values ​​corresponding to multiple small items in Fig. 11 may be obtained, and the first index value of each reference design may be corrected based on these multiple second index values. This makes it possible to extract a reference design that is particularly recommended when it fits all of multiple small items (e.g., age and hobbies) of the user attributes, characteristics, and surrounding environment. Therefore, it is possible to extract a reference design that is more appropriate for the user U and is likely to help with design ideas.

[0080] The first extraction method may be combined with the second extraction method or the third extraction method. In other words, in addition to the reference designs extracted by the second extraction method and the third extraction method, a predetermined number of reference designs may be further extracted in descending order of the first index value.

[0081] Also, reference designs that are too similar to the user design may be excluded from extraction targets. This is because a reference design that is too similar to the user design may be difficult to use as an aid for coming up with design ideas. For example, when using the weighting data 134 in FIG. 8, if the user design and the reference design are completely identical (all part similarity values ​​are 100), the first index value will be the maximum value "220". Therefore, for example, reference designs whose first index value is a predetermined percentage or more of the maximum value (for example, 95% or more) may be set to be excluded from extraction targets. Alternatively, an upper limit of the first index value to be extracted may be set.

[0082] <Design process control procedure> Next, a design process executed by the CPU 11 of the server 10 to realize the above-mentioned operation of the information processing system 1 will be described. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the control procedure of the design process. The design process is started when a display request for the design screen 30 is sent from the terminal device 20 and received by the server 10 in order to customize the design of the item (wristwatch 40) to be purchased.

[0083] When the design process is started, the CPU 11 displays the design screen 30 on the display unit 25 of the terminal device 20, and accepts an input operation by the user U for changing the design (step S101).

[0084] The CPU 11 determines whether it is time to display the reference design in the reference design display area 32 (step S102). Here, the CPU 11 determines that it is time to display the reference design when, for example, the design of any part has been changed after the reference design was last displayed (updated). The timing to display the reference design is not limited to this, and may be when, for example, the user U issues an instruction to display the reference design.

[0085] When it is determined that it is time to display the reference design ("YES" in step S102), the CPU 11 executes a reference design extraction process (extraction process) described later (step S103) to extract a reference design to be displayed. The CPU 11 also displays the extracted reference design in the reference design display area 32 of the design screen 30 (step S104).

[0086] The CPU 11 determines whether or not an instruction to introduce the reference design into the user design has been given (step S105). Here, the CPU 11 determines that an instruction to introduce the reference design into the user design has been given when an operation to select the reflect button 321 in the reference design display area 32 has been performed.

[0087] If it is determined that an instruction has been given to introduce the reference design into the user design ("YES" in step S106), the CPU 11 replaces the user design with the instructed reference design and updates the contents of the user design display area 31 and the component design areas 33 to 35 to the contents of the reference design (step S106).

[0088] When step S106 is completed, or when it is determined in step S105 that no instruction has been given to introduce the reference design into the user design ("NO" in step S105), the CPU 11 determines whether or not the user design has been decided as the design of the wristwatch 40 to be purchased (step S107). For example, when the user U performs an operation to select a purchase decision button (not shown) on the design screen 30, the CPU 11 determines that the user design at that time has been decided as the design of the wristwatch 40 to be purchased. When it is determined that the user design has not been decided as the design of the wristwatch 40 to be purchased ("NO" in step S107), the CPU 11 returns the process to step S102, and when it is determined that the user design has been decided as the design of the wristwatch 40 to be purchased ("YES" in step S107), the CPU 11 ends the design process.

[0089] FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a control procedure for the reference design extraction process. When the reference design extraction process is called, the CPU 11 specifies an extraction target group of reference designs based on the user design at that time (step S201). For example, the CPU 11 extracts reference designs that are the same model as the user design at that time from all reference designs, and sets them as the extraction target group. Alternatively, the CPU 11 extracts reference designs that have the same design of a part between the user design and the reference design, or have a part similarity value of a part equal to or greater than a reference value from all reference designs, and sets them as the extraction target group.

[0090] The CPU 11 selects one reference design belonging to the extraction target group (step S202), and derives (specifies) a part similarity value for each part of the selected reference design (step S203). That is, the CPU 11 specifies the part design ID of each part of the user design by referring to the user design data 132 in Fig. 6, and specifies the part similarity value corresponding to each part for the selected reference design by referring to the part similarity value data 133 in Fig. 7.

[0091] The CPU 11 specifies the weighting of each part (step S204). For example, when the setting is such that weighting is specified for each model of the user design, the CPU 11 specifies the model of the user design by referring to the user design data 132 of Fig. 6, and specifies the weighting of each part associated with the model in the weighting data 134 of Fig. 8. When the setting is such that weighting is specified according to the selection order of each part by the user U, the CPU 11 specifies the weighting of each part associated with the user design at that time in the weighting data 134 of Fig. 9 generated based on the selection order.

[0092] The CPU 11 adds the component similarity values ​​of the respective components with the weighting determined in step S204 to derive a first index value (step S205).

[0093] The CPU 11 determines whether the first index value has been derived for all reference designs included in the extraction target group (step S206). If it is determined that the first index value has not been derived for any reference design in the extraction target group ("NO" in step S206), the CPU 11 selects the next reference design belonging to the extraction target group (step S207) and returns the process to step S203.

[0094] When it is determined that the first index values ​​have been derived for all the reference designs in the extraction target group ("YES" in step S206), the CPU 11 executes an extracted reference design determination process (step S208) to be described later, and extracts a predetermined number of reference designs to be displayed in the reference design display area 32. When step S208 ends, the CPU 11 returns the process to the design process.

[0095] FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of the extracted reference design determination process in the case where the first extraction method is used. When the extraction reference design determination process is called, the CPU 11 selects a predetermined number of reference designs (in this embodiment, three) from among the reference designs of the extraction target group in descending order of the first index value, and determines them as reference designs to be extracted (step S301). When step S301 ends, the CPU 11 returns the process to the reference design extraction process.

[0096] FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of the extracted reference design determination process in the case where the second extraction method is used. When the extracted reference design determination process is called, the CPU 11 determines the second index value item to be used (subitem in the second index value data 135 in FIG. 11) (step S401). In detail, the CPU 11 refers to the user data 136 and selects any item that fits the attribute or characteristic of the user U who is creating the user design. Alternatively, the CPU 11 selects any item that fits the surrounding environment of the user U acquired by the environment information acquisition unit 27 of the terminal device 20.

[0097] The CPU 11 extracts a certain number of reference designs (10 in the example of FIG. 12) from the reference designs in the extraction target group in descending order of the first index value. Furthermore, for each of the certain number of extracted reference designs, the CPU 11 refers to the second index value data 135 in FIG. 11 and derives (obtains) the second index value of the item determined in step S401 (step S402).

[0098] The CPU 11 selects a predetermined number (in this embodiment, three) of reference designs in descending order of the acquired second index value, and determines them as reference designs to be extracted (step S403). When step S403 ends, the CPU 11 returns the process to the reference design extraction process.

[0099] FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of the extracted reference design determination process in the case where the third extraction method is used. When the extracted reference design determination process is called, the CPU 11 determines the item of the second index value to be used (step S501). The process of step S501 is the same as the process of step S401 in FIG.

[0100] The CPU 11 refers to the second index value data 135 in FIG. 11, and derives (obtains) the second index value of the item determined in step S501 for each reference design in the extraction target group (step S502).

[0101] The CPU 11 corrects the first index value for each reference design based on the second index value (step S503). For example, the CPU 11 adds the second index value to the first index value to obtain the corrected first index value.

[0102] The CPU 11 selects a predetermined number (three in this embodiment) of reference designs in descending order of the corrected first index value, and determines them as reference designs to be extracted (step S504). When step S504 ends, the CPU 11 returns the process to the reference design extraction process.

[0103] <Effects> As described above, the server 10 as an information processing device according to this embodiment includes the CPU 11 as a processing unit, and the CPU 11 acquires design data DD related to a user design of a wristwatch as an article having multiple parts, which is generated based on an instruction from the user U, executes an extraction process to extract at least one reference design from multiple reference designs of the article generated in advance based on the design data DD, and displays information related to at least one reference design extracted by the extraction process on the display unit 25. In the extraction process, a part similarity value representing the similarity between each of some or all of the multiple reference designs and the user design for each of the multiple parts is derived for each of the multiple parts, a first index value is derived based on the multiple part similarity values ​​consisting of the part similarity values ​​derived for each of the multiple parts, and at least one reference design is extracted from the multiple reference designs based on the derived first index value. As a result, it is possible to extract and display a reference design having a high similarity between the design of each part and the user design from among the multiple reference designs. Therefore, it is possible to display a more appropriate reference design that is likely to help a user who is customizing a design get ideas for a design. Furthermore, the user U can customize the design to his / her liking by a simple method such as replacing the user design with a reference design or incorporating a part of the reference design into the user design.

[0104] The first index value is derived by adding up the multiple part similarity values ​​based on the weighting determined for each part. This allows the part similarity values ​​of important parts, such as parts that are easy to attract attention or parts that the user U considers important in terms of design, to be more significantly reflected in the first index value. Therefore, even if parts other than the important parts are not similar, reference designs in which the important parts are similar are more likely to be extracted, so that a reference design that the user U is likely to feel is more appropriate when viewing the entire product can be extracted and displayed.

[0105] In addition, the user design and the multiple reference designs are designs related to any one of multiple wristwatch models, and the weighting is a value determined in advance according to the model corresponding to the user design. By appropriately determining the weighting for each model, for example, the part similarity value of important parts such as eye-catching parts and characteristic parts in the basic design of the model can be more significantly reflected in the first index value.

[0106] The weighting is a value determined according to the history of instructions given by the user U for generating the design data DD. This allows the part similarity values ​​of important parts that the user U considers important in the design to be more significantly reflected in the first index value. This makes it possible to display more appropriate reference designs that are likely to help the user U come up with design ideas.

[0107] Furthermore, the design data DD is generated based on an instruction from the user U to determine the design of at least some of the multiple parts for each part, and the weighting is determined so that the earlier a part is selected by the user U from among the multiple parts in the history to determine its design, the greater the weighting corresponding to that part. The user U tends to prioritize (i.e., decide the design of) parts that are more important in terms of design (at an earlier stage). For this reason, by weighting parts that are selected earlier, the part similarity value of parts that the user U considers important in terms of design can be reflected more significantly in the first index value.

[0108] In the first extraction method of the reference design, the CPU 11 extracts at least one reference design from a plurality of reference designs in the extraction process in descending order of the derived first index value. This makes it possible to easily extract and display reference designs that are highly similar to the user design.

[0109] In the second extraction method of the reference designs, the CPU 11 extracts a certain number of reference designs in the extraction process in descending order of the derived first index value, derives a second index value corresponding to each of the extracted certain number of reference designs, and extracts at least one reference design in descending order of the derived second index value from the multiple reference designs. In this way, after extracting reference designs similar to the user design based on the first index value, it is possible to further narrow down reference designs suitable for the user U from a perspective other than the similarity to the user design based on the second index value.

[0110] In a third method for extracting reference designs, the CPU 11 derives a second index value determined in association with each of some or all of the reference designs in the extraction process, corrects the first index value of each of some or all of the reference designs based on the derived second index value, and extracts at least one reference design from the multiple reference designs based on the corrected first index value. This makes it possible to further narrow down reference designs suitable for the user U from among reference designs similar to the user design, from a viewpoint different from the similarity to the user design.

[0111] The second index value is determined for each of a plurality of items related to at least one of the attributes, characteristics, and surrounding environment of the user U, and is set so that the more a reference design is recommended when a certain item among the plurality of items applies, the larger the second index value corresponding to that certain item, and the CPU 11 acquires the second index value corresponding to an item among the plurality of items that applies to the attributes, characteristics, or surrounding environment of the user U at the time of execution of the extraction process. This makes it possible to extract and display a reference design recommended according to the attributes, characteristics, or surrounding environment of the user U from among reference designs similar to the user design.

[0112] The above attributes include at least one of age, sex, and place of residence. This makes it possible to extract and display reference designs recommended in terms of the attributes of user U. For example, reference designs that are popular with other users of the same age, sex, or place of residence as user U can be extracted and displayed.

[0113] The above characteristics include at least one of hobbies, tastes, behavioral tendencies, and reference designs selected in the past. This makes it possible to extract and display reference designs recommended in terms of the characteristics of user U. For example, it is possible to extract and display reference designs that are popular with other users who share the same hobbies, tastes, or behavioral tendencies as user U, or reference designs similar to reference designs selected in the past by user U. More specifically, it is also possible to extract reference designs that are popular with other users who use a certain function of wristwatch 40 with a similar frequency.

[0114] The surrounding environment includes at least one of temperature, weather conditions, season, and current location. This makes it possible to extract and display reference designs recommended in terms of the surrounding environment of the user U. For example, reference designs similar to watches that are often purchased in temperatures and weather conditions similar to the surrounding environment of the user U, or reference designs similar to watches that are often purchased at the current location of the user U, can be extracted and displayed.

[0115] Moreover, the user design and the multiple reference designs are designs related to any one of multiple models of the article, and in the extraction process, the CPU 11 identifies a reference design from the multiple reference designs that is the same model as the user design, and derives a first index value for the identified reference design. By narrowing down the group of extraction targets in advance in this manner, when there are a large number of reference designs, the load of the reference design extraction process by the CPU 11 can be reduced. Furthermore, according to the method of using reference designs of the same model as the group of extraction targets, it is possible to easily narrow down reference designs that are somewhat similar to the user design.

[0116] In addition, in the extraction process, the CPU 11 identifies, among the multiple reference designs, reference designs in which the design of a part included in the multiple parts is the same as that of the user design, or a part similarity value of a part between the user design and the multiple reference designs is equal to or greater than a reference value, and derives a part similarity value representing the similarity between the identified reference design and the user design for each of the multiple parts. This also makes it possible to easily narrow down reference designs that are somewhat similar to the user design.

[0117] The product to be designed may be a wristwatch. This makes it possible to extract and display a reference design for a wristwatch that is suitable for the user U.

[0118] The information processing method according to the present embodiment is executed by the CPU 11 as a computer of the server 10 as an information processing device, acquires design data DD related to a user design of an article having multiple parts generated based on an instruction from a user U, executes an extraction process to extract at least one reference design from multiple reference designs of a wristwatch generated in advance based on the design data DD, and displays information related to at least one reference design extracted by the extraction process on the display unit 25. In the extraction process, a part similarity value representing the similarity between each of some or all of the multiple reference designs and the user design for each of the multiple parts is derived for each of the multiple parts, a first index value is derived based on the multiple part similarity values ​​consisting of the part similarity values ​​derived for each of the multiple parts, and at least one reference design is extracted from the multiple reference designs based on the derived first index value. As a result, it is possible to extract and display a reference design having a high similarity between the design of each part and the user design from the multiple reference designs. Therefore, it is possible to display a more appropriate reference design that is likely to help a user who is customizing a design get ideas for a design.

[0119] In addition, the program 131 according to this embodiment causes the CPU 11 as a computer of the server 10 as an information processing device to realize a function of acquiring design data DD related to a user design of an article having multiple parts, generated based on an instruction from a user U, a function of executing an extraction process of extracting at least one reference design from multiple reference designs of a wristwatch generated in advance based on the design data DD, and a function of displaying information related to at least one reference design extracted by the extraction process on the display unit 25. In the extraction process, a part similarity value representing the similarity between each of some or all of the multiple reference designs and the user design for each of the multiple parts is derived for each of the multiple parts, a first index value is derived based on the multiple part similarity values ​​consisting of the part similarity values ​​derived for each of the multiple parts, and at least one reference design is extracted from the multiple reference designs based on the derived first index value. As a result, it is possible to extract and display a reference design having a high similarity between the design of each part and the user design from among the multiple reference designs. Therefore, it is possible to display a more appropriate reference design that is likely to help a user who is customizing a design get ideas for a design.

[0120] <Other> The description of the above embodiment is merely an example of the information processing device, the information processing method, and the program according to the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in the above embodiment, an example was described in which an image of the extracted reference design wristwatch 50 is displayed in the reference design display area 32, but instead of or in addition to this, other information related to the extracted reference design, such as the reference design ID, component design ID, component appearance, and creator, may be displayed.

[0121] In addition, although the information processing system 1 provides an electronic commerce service, the present invention is not limited to this, and the information processing system 1 may generate design data for an item other than the subject of electronic commerce. For example, the information processing system 1 may simply be used by the user U to design an item.

[0122] In the above embodiment, the processes performed by the server 10 as an information processing device may be executed by the terminal device 20. In this case, the terminal device 20 corresponds to the information processing device, and the CPU 21 of the terminal device 20 corresponds to the processing unit.

[0123] In the above embodiment, a wristwatch is exemplified as an article to be designed, but the article is not limited to this. The article to be designed may be an electronic device such as an electronic musical instrument, an electronic toy, or an electrical appliance, or may be an article other than an electronic device, such as clothing, shoes, accessories, or any other object.

[0124] Furthermore, the design data DD does not have to include data on all of the parts of the product. For example, when the design data DD includes data on only some of the parts, the designs of the parts other than the some of the parts may be considered to be designated with a predetermined (default) design.

[0125] Furthermore, the part similarity value, the first index value, and the second index value do not necessarily have to be numerical values, and may be predetermined codes or symbols (for example, A, B, C, . . . ) that indicate the magnitude of a degree.

[0126] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the component similarity value is derived by referring to the component similarity value data 133, but the method of deriving the component similarity value is not limited to this. For example, the component similarity value may be derived by a well-known image analysis process based on an image of the component in the user design and an image of the component in the reference design. This image analysis process may include a process used in similar image search, for example, a process of comparing feature amounts derived from component images to determine the similarity.

[0127] In the above description, the storage units 13 and 23 are used as computer-readable media for the program according to the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this example. As other computer-readable media, information recording media such as HDD, SSD, flash memory, and CD-ROM can be applied. In addition, carrier waves are also applied to the present invention as a medium for providing data of the program according to the present invention via a communication line.

[0128] Furthermore, it goes without saying that the detailed configurations and operations of the components of the server 10 and the terminal device 20 in the above embodiment can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0129] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents. The inventions described in the claims originally attached to this application are set forth below. The claim numbers in the appended claims are the same as those in the claims originally attached to this application. [Additional Notes] <Claim 1> A processing unit is provided, The processing unit includes: acquiring design data relating to a user design of an article having a plurality of parts, the design data being generated based on an instruction from the user; performing an extraction process for extracting at least one reference design from a plurality of reference designs of the article that have been previously generated based on the design data; displaying information related to the at least one reference design extracted by the extraction process on a display unit; In the extraction process, deriving a part similarity value representing a degree of similarity between the user design and a part or all of the reference designs for each of the plurality of parts; deriving a first index value based on a plurality of part similarity values ​​comprising the part similarity values ​​derived for each of the plurality of parts; extracting the at least one reference design from the plurality of reference designs based on the derived first index value; Information processing device. <Claim 2> 2 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first index value is derived by adding the plurality of part similarity values ​​together based on a weighting determined for each part for each of the plurality of part similarity values. <Claim 3> The user design and the plurality of reference designs are designs relating to any one of a plurality of models of the article, The weighting is a value that is predetermined according to the model corresponding to the user design. 3. The information processing device according to claim 2. <Claim 4> 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the weighting is a value determined according to a history of instructions given by the user for generating the design data. <Claim 5> the design data is generated based on an instruction from the user for determining a design of at least some of the plurality of components for each component; The weighting is determined such that the earlier a part is selected by the user for design determination among the plurality of parts in the history, the greater the weighting corresponding to the part. The information processing device according to claim 4. <Claim 6> 6. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein in the extraction process, the processing unit extracts the at least one reference design from the plurality of reference designs in descending order of the derived first index value. <Claim 7> The processing unit, in the extraction process, extracting a certain number of the reference designs in descending order of the derived first index value, and deriving a second index value corresponding to each of the extracted certain number of reference designs; extracting the at least one reference design from the certain number of reference designs in descending order of the derived second index value; 6. The information processing device according to claim 1. <Claim 8> The processing unit, in the extraction process, Deriving a second index value corresponding to each of the part or all of the reference designs; correcting the first index value of each of the part or all of the reference designs based on the derived second index value; extracting the at least one reference design from the plurality of reference designs based on the corrected first index value; 6. The information processing device according to claim 1. <Claim 9> the second index value is determined for each of a plurality of items related to at least one of the attributes, characteristics, and surrounding environment of the user, and is set so that the more the reference design is recommended when a certain item among the plurality of items applies, the larger the second index value corresponding to the certain item becomes; The processing unit acquires the second index value corresponding to the item that fits the attribute, characteristic, or surrounding environment of the user at the time of executing the extraction process, among the plurality of items. 9. The information processing device according to claim 7 or 8. <Claim 10> The information processing device according to claim 9 , wherein the attributes include at least one of age, sex, and place of residence. <Claim 11> The information processing device according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the characteristics include at least one of hobbies, preferences, behavioral trends, and the reference designs selected in the past. <Claim 12> 12. The information processing device according to claim 9, wherein the surrounding environment includes at least one of temperature, weather conditions, season, and a current location. <Claim 13> The user design and the plurality of reference designs are designs relating to any one of a plurality of models of the article, The processing unit, in the extraction process, Identifying a reference design that is the same model as the user design among the plurality of reference designs; Deriving the first index value for the identified reference design; 13. The information processing device according to claim 1. <Claim 14> The processing unit, in the extraction process, Identifying a reference design among the plurality of reference designs, in which a design of a certain part included in the plurality of parts is the same as that of the user design, or in which the part similarity value of the certain part between the user design and the reference design is equal to or greater than a reference value; deriving, for each of the plurality of parts, the part similarity value representing a similarity between the specified reference design and the user design for each of the plurality of parts; 13. The information processing device according to claim 1. <Claim 15> 15. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the article is a wristwatch. <Claim 16> An information processing method executed by a computer of an information processing device, acquiring design data relating to a user design of an article having a plurality of parts, the design data being generated based on an instruction from the user; performing an extraction process for extracting at least one reference design from a plurality of reference designs of the article that have been previously generated based on the design data; displaying information related to the at least one reference design extracted by the extraction process on a display unit; In the extraction process, deriving a part similarity value representing a degree of similarity between the user design and a part or all of the reference designs for each of the plurality of parts; deriving a first index value based on a plurality of part similarity values ​​comprising the part similarity values ​​derived for each of the plurality of parts; extracting the at least one reference design from the plurality of reference designs based on the derived first index value; Information processing methods. <Claim 17> The computer of the information processing device A function of acquiring design data relating to a user design of an article having a plurality of parts, the design data being generated based on an instruction from a user; A function of executing an extraction process of extracting at least one reference design from a plurality of reference designs of the article that have been generated in advance based on the design data; a function of displaying information related to the at least one reference design extracted by the extraction process on a display unit; and Realize this, In the extraction process, deriving a part similarity value representing a degree of similarity between the user design and a part or all of the reference designs for each of the plurality of parts; deriving a first index value based on a plurality of part similarity values ​​comprising the part similarity values ​​derived for each of the plurality of parts; extracting the at least one reference design from the plurality of reference designs based on the derived first index value; program. [Explanation of symbols]

[0130] 1. Information Processing Systems 10 Server (information processing device) 11 CPU (processing unit) 12 RAM 13 Storage section 131 Programs 132 User Design Data 133 Part Similarity Value Data 134 Weighted Data 135 Second Index Value Data 136 User Data 14 Control section 15 Display 16 Communications Department 17 Bus 20 Terminal Equipment 21 CPU 22 RAM 23 Memory section 231 Programs 24 Control section 25 Display section 26 Communications Department 27 Environmental Information Acquisition Department 28 Bus 30 Design screen 31 User design display area 32 Reference design display area 321 Reflect button 33~35 Parts Design Area 331, 332, 341, 342, 351~353 Drop-down list 36 Design confirmation button 40, 50 Watches 41 Watch Faces 42 Bezel 43 Bands DD design data N Communication Network U User

Claims

1. An information processing device having a display unit that displays at least one reference design similar to design data, The information processing device includes: A processing unit is provided, The processing unit includes: acquiring the design data relating to a user design of an article having a plurality of parts, the user design data being generated based on an instruction from the user; displaying, on the display unit, the at least one reference design corresponding to the design data, after excluding reference designs whose similarity between the design data and a predetermined reference design is equal to or greater than a predetermined ratio; Information processing device.

2. The processing unit includes: deriving a part similarity value representing the degree of similarity between the user design and each of some or all of the reference designs for each of the plurality of parts; deriving a first index value based on a plurality of part similarity values ​​comprising the part similarity values ​​derived for each of the plurality of parts; displaying at least one reference design on the display unit after excluding a reference design in which the derived first index value is equal to or greater than a predetermined ratio of a maximum value that the first index value can take from the plurality of reference designs; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the first index value is derived by adding the plurality of part similarity values ​​to each other based on a weighting determined for each part for each of the plurality of part similarity values.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the weighting is a value determined according to a history of instructions given by the user for generating the design data.

5. the weighting is a value determined according to the number of times the user selected the part or changed the part for generating the design data; The information processing device according to claim 4.

6. The information processing device according to claim 2 , wherein the processing unit extracts the at least one reference design from the plurality of reference designs in descending order of the derived first index value.

7. The processing unit includes: when a design of any one of the plurality of components is changed by an instruction from the user after the at least one reference design is displayed on the display unit, the first index value corresponding to the changed design data is newly derived and the at least one reference design is displayed on the display unit. The information processing device according to any one of claims 2 to 6.

8. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the article is a wristwatch.

9. An information processing method executed by a computer of an information processing device having a display unit that displays at least one reference design similar to design data, acquiring the design data relating to a user design of an article having a plurality of parts, the user design data being generated based on an instruction from the user; displaying, on the display unit, the at least one reference design corresponding to the design data, after excluding reference designs whose similarity between the design data and a predetermined reference design is equal to or greater than a predetermined ratio; Information processing methods.

10. A computer of an information processing device having a display unit that displays at least one reference design similar to the design data, a function of acquiring the design data relating to a user design of an article having a plurality of parts, the design data being generated based on a user's instruction; a function of displaying, on the display unit, the at least one reference design corresponding to the design data after excluding reference designs whose similarity between the design data and a predetermined reference design is equal to or greater than a predetermined ratio; To achieve this, program.

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