Distribution device, distribution method, and program

Abstract

Provided are a distribution device, a distribution method, and a program that promote use of starting and operating an application program (app). 【Solution means】In a message distribution system configured by a distribution device, a plurality of user terminals, and a network, the distribution device 100 includes a storage unit that stores a plurality of messages classified into categories corresponding to times, a startup information acquisition unit that acquires startup information indicating that an app has been started in a user terminal, and a greeting message control unit that reads out a message belonging to a category of a time corresponding to the date and time when the startup information was acquired from the storage unit and sets a message randomly selected from the read messages as a greeting message to be transmitted to the user terminal at the time of starting the app, and a distribution unit that distributes the greeting message to the user terminal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a distribution device, a distribution method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Various application programs (apps) have been developed, and various methods have been studied to have many users use the apps. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique that can quickly realize a taxi dispatch order or a dispatch reservation only by a simple operation of a customer communication terminal.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in Patent Document 1, a message such as a reservation time or a taxi approach is notified to the user's terminal by push notification. In push notification, all or part of the content of the notified message is displayed on the lock screen of the smartphone or the upper end of the home screen, and in many cases, the user can grasp the content of the message notified by push notification without starting the app. For this reason, push notification does not always lead to the activation of the app, and there is a problem that it is impossible to promote the use such as starting the app and operating it.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object thereof is to provide a distribution device, a distribution method, and a program that can promote the use of starting and operating an application program (app).

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] One aspect of the present invention relates to a distribution device that distributes a message including information on services provided by a business operator and classified into a plurality of types, The message is classified into time categories and further classified into any of a plurality of notification types that are sub-categories according to the content of the message. pre As described above a storage unit that stores background images associated with known types, The application program for delivering the message is launched. to be transmitted to a user terminal As the message, belonging to the category at the time when the message is sent a greeting message control unit that selects the message from the storage unit, and according to the content of the message selected by the greeting message control unit of the sub-category to which the message belongs a background selection unit that acquires the background image corresponding to the notification type from the storage unit, and a distribution unit that distributes the message selected by the greeting message control unit to the user terminal with the background image acquired by the background selection unit as the background.

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is a distribution method performed by a computer including a storage unit that stores background images associated with notification types corresponding to the content of a message that distributes a message including information on services provided by a business operator and classified into a plurality of types, The message is classified into time categories and further classified into any of the notification types that are sub-categories. wherein a greeting message control unit The application program for delivering the message is launched. selects the message to be transmitted to a user terminal from the storage unit, a background selection unit acquires the background image corresponding to the notification type from the storage unit according to the content of the message selected by the greeting message control unit, and a distribution unit distributes the message selected by the greeting message control unit to the user terminal with the background image acquired by the background selection unit as the background. As the message, belonging to the category at the time when the message is sent selects the message from the storage unit, and a background selection unit of the sub-category to which the message belongs acquires the background image corresponding to the notification type from the storage unit according to the content of the message selected by the greeting message control unit, and a distribution unit distributes the message selected by the greeting message control unit to the user terminal with the background image acquired by the background selection unit as the background.

[0008] One aspect of the present invention is a computer including a storage unit that stores background images associated with notification types corresponding to the content of a message that distributes a message including information on services provided by a business operator and classified into a plurality of types, is a program to execute , The message is classified into time categories and further classified into any of the notification types that are sub-categories. The application program for delivering the message is launched. to be transmitted to a user terminal As the message, belonging to the category at the time when the message is sent To cause the memory unit to select the message and, according to the content of the selected message of the sub-category to which the message belongs A program that causes the memory unit to acquire the background image corresponding to the notification type, and to distribute the selected message to the user terminal with the acquired background image as the background.

Advantages of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to promote the use of starting and operating an application program (app).

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

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

[0012] (Regarding the Message Delivery System 10) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a message delivery system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The message delivery system 10 includes a delivery device 100, user terminals 300, and a network NW. The network NW may include a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), the Internet, a mobile communication network, a cellular network, or the like.

[0013] The delivery device 100 distributes operator information regarding services provided by an operator to the user terminals 300. The user terminal 300 is a terminal device such as a smartphone used by a user who uses services provided by an operator.

[0014] The operator may be any organization, company, or individual, for example, a local government. In this case, the local government as the operator provides information on procedures, events, etc. handled by the local government, information related to the lives of residents, and local government information such as local recommendations as services provided by the operator to the residents of the local government. That is, the local government as the operator distributes the local government information as operator information to the user terminals 300 used by the residents of the local government via the delivery device 100.

[0015] In the message delivery system 10 according to the present embodiment, a dedicated application program for transmitting operator information (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a "delivery app") is distributed, and by installing the delivery app on the user terminal 300, the user can obtain the operator information transmitted from the operator via the user terminal 300.

[0016] The distribution device 100 distributes personalized messages to the user terminal 300. The personalized message is a message different from the greeting message, and is not a notice addressed to an unspecified large number of people, but notifies the user individually of information regarding the content from various contents included in the distribution application. For example, in a case where a notice of a one-month postnatal examination is notified to a user who has submitted a childbirth notification to a local government, a personalized message is used.

[0017] The distribution device 100 distributes personalized messages to the user terminal 300 by push notification. The push notification is not a notification distributed as a response to a request from the user terminal 300, but a notification method that is spontaneously distributed from the distribution device 100. The push notification is displayed on the lock screen or the upper end of the home screen of the user terminal 300.

[0018] Figure 2 is a diagram for explaining the processing performed by the distribution device. Figure 2 shows an example of a screen of the distribution application in which a personalized message is displayed. As shown in this figure, in the distribution application, the personalized message is displayed in the display area E1, and contents other than the personalized message, such as event notifications, are displayed in the display area E2. The display area E1 is provided when the distribution application is launched due to a push notification of a personalized message. When the user swipes the display area E1, for example, a list of personalized messages or details of the content of the personalized message are displayed.

[0019] (Regarding the distribution device 100) FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the distribution device 100. The distribution device 100 includes a control unit 110, a communication unit 120, and a storage unit 130. These components are realized, for example, when a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executes a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including a circuit unit; circuitry) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or may be realized by the cooperation of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device (a storage device having a non-transitory storage medium) such as an HDD (HardDisk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a flash memory, or may be stored in a removable storage medium (a non-transitory storage medium) such as a DVD or a CD-ROM, and may be installed by mounting the storage medium on a drive device.

[0020] The communication unit 120 is a communication interface that connects the distribution device 100 to the network NW. The communication unit 120 communicates with the user terminal 300 via the network NW. For example, the communication unit 120 is a NIC (Network Interface Card) such as Ethernet (registered trademark) or LAN.

[0021] The control unit 110 controls each part of the distribution device 100. The control unit 110 includes a startup information acquisition unit 111, a greeting message control unit 112, a distribution unit 113, an individual message control unit 114, and a background selection unit 115.

[0022] The individual message control unit 114 distributes personal messages. The individual message control unit 114 manages the status of the personal messages notified to the user terminal 300. The status here refers to the status of whether the content of the personal message has been "read" by the user or "unread" without the content being confirmed. For example, when the individual message control unit 114 receives a personal message at the user terminal 300, it sets the status of the personal message to "unread".

[0023] Here, since the personal messages are distributed by push notifications, the personal messages are displayed on the lock screen or home screen of the user terminal 300 even when the distribution application is not activated on the user terminal 300. On the user terminal 300, the user can perform an operation to delete the push notification without activating the distribution application. Also, when the user activates the distribution application by tapping the push notification or the like, the personal message is displayed in the display area E1 shown in FIG. 2. When this display area E1 is swiped by the user, the individual message control unit 114 sets the status of the personal message to "read".

[0024] When the display area E1 is swiped and the personal message becomes "read", the individual message control unit 114 deletes the personal message displayed in the display area E1 of the user terminal 300, and displays the content other than the personal message, such as the notification of the event that has been displayed in the display area E2 until then, on the entire display screen of the user terminal 300 (that is, the display areas E1 and E2).

[0025] Here, conventionally, when the distribution application was launched in a state where there were no unread personal messages, content other than personal messages, such as notifications of events displayed in the display area E2 in FIG. 2, was displayed on the entire display screen of the user terminal 300 (that is, the display areas E1 and E2). That is, when there are unread personal messages at the time of launching the distribution application, personal messages are displayed in the display area E1, and when there are no unread personal messages, content other than personal messages is displayed in the entire display areas E1 and E2. Thus, depending on whether there are unread personal messages at the time of launching the distribution application, the screen layout at the time of launching the distribution application was different.

[0026] By not launching the application, the user cannot notice more detailed and important information of personal messages, or useful services prepared in the distribution application, such as information on procedures and events handled by the local government, information related to the lives of residents, and recommended information for the region. For example, it is considered highly likely that users who delete push notifications without launching the distribution application or users who have never received push notifications will not launch the application. As a countermeasure, in this embodiment, the user can be made aware that some message is displayed in the display area E1, and utilization such as launching and operating the application can be promoted.

[0027] Specifically, in this embodiment, when the distribution application is launched in a state where there are no unread personal messages, "other messages" different from personal messages are displayed in the display area E1. Furthermore, as "other messages", messages (greeting messages) that give a feeling of greeting or concern are distributed.

[0028] When the distribution app is launched, by delivering a greeting message to start a conversation with the user, the user can feel that the app cares about them. If the user feels cared about, according to the so-called "reciprocity of goodwill" principle in behavioral economics, the user will be motivated to operate the distribution app. For example, if the user launches the distribution app without knowing that a greeting message will be delivered, they may be surprised and touched by the timely delivery of the greeting message and decide to try operating the app. After the user knows that a greeting message will be delivered at startup, they will start the distribution app while expecting the content notified by the greeting message. This can help users get used to launching the distribution app and also get them accustomed to operating the app.

[0029] For example, the distribution app contains various types of content corresponding to the information of the business operator. For example, the local government as the business operator includes information on disaster prevention and crime prevention, living and procedures, child-rearing, education, health and welfare, tourism and events, public relations, garbage, etc. in the local government information distributed via the app, and also includes content corresponding to items obtained by further subdividing these items. Thus, the local government information covers a very wide range. Also, the amount of each piece of information often tends to be large. Thus, it is also assumed that it may be difficult for users to find the information they want when the distribution app contains various types of content.

[0030] If the operation of the distribution application is induced, the user is directed to operate the distribution application, and the user gets used to the operation of the distribution application, the user can grasp by himself / herself what kind of content is included in the distribution application and what kind of operations should be performed to view what kind of content. As a result, the user can appropriately search for desired content from various contents included in the distribution application according to his / her own interests and concerns. If the user can appropriately search for the desired content, the inquiries from the user to the local government can be reduced, and the user himself / herself can appropriately perform administrative procedures. Therefore, it can contribute to the proper operation of the local government.

[0031] Hereinafter, mainly, a configuration in which a greeting message is displayed in the display area E1 in response to the distribution application being started in a state where there is no "unread" personal message will be described.

[0032] Returning to the description of FIG. 3, the storage unit 130 includes a storage device such as an HDD, an SSD, or a flash memory. The storage unit 130 stores, for example, greeting message information 131, greeting message distribution history information 132, and background information 133. The greeting message information 131 is information regarding the greeting message to be distributed to the user terminal 300. The greeting message distribution history information 132 is information indicating the history of the greeting messages distributed to the user terminal 300. The background information 133 is information regarding the background screen of the greeting message.

[0033] The startup information acquisition unit 111 acquires startup information. The startup information is information notified from the user terminal 300 to the distribution device 100 in response to the user terminal 300 being operated by the user or the like and the distribution application being started. The distribution device 100 receives the startup information notified from the user terminal 300 by the communication unit 120, and outputs the startup information received by the communication unit 120 to the startup information acquisition unit 111. Thereby, the startup information acquisition unit 111 acquires the startup information via the communication unit 120. The startup information acquisition unit 111 outputs the acquired startup information to the greeting message control unit 112.

[0034] The greeting message control unit 112 controls the distribution of greeting messages. The greeting message control unit 112 makes a startup determination triggered by obtaining startup information from the startup information acquisition unit 111. This startup determination is a process of determining whether the distribution application is started in a state where there is no "unread" personal message.

[0035] For example, when the greeting message control unit 112 starts the distribution application by tapping a push notification displayed on the lock screen or home screen of the user terminal 300, it determines that the distribution application is started in a state where there is an "unread" personal message. On the other hand, when the greeting message control unit 112 starts the distribution application by tapping an icon of the distribution application displayed on the home screen of the user terminal 300, which is a method other than tapping the push notification, it determines that the distribution application is started in a state where there is no "unread" personal message.

[0036] If the greeting message control unit 112 determines in the startup determination that the distribution application is started in a state where there is no "unread" personal message, it reads the greeting message information 131 from the storage unit 130, and uses the message randomly selected from the messages in the read greeting message information 131 as the greeting message to be sent to the user terminal 300 when the distribution application is started. The greeting message control unit 112 outputs information indicating the content of the message selected as the greeting message to the distribution unit 113.

[0037] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of greeting message information 131. As shown in FIG. 4, the greeting message information 131 is information in which a category, a greeting message ID, a greeting message, a notification type, etc. are associated. The category is information indicating classification for each time zone for sending greetings, and here, it indicates classifications such as morning, noon, evening, night, etc. The greeting message ID is information that uniquely identifies the greeting message. The greeting message indicates the content of the greeting message. The notification type indicates a type corresponding to the content of the greeting message. In the example of this figure, the notification type indicates one of the types of location, community, bus operation, and others. In this way, the greeting message information 131 indicates a plurality of messages classified into categories corresponding to times. That is, the storage unit 130 stores, as the greeting message information 131, a plurality of messages classified into categories corresponding to times.

[0038] Note that in this figure, the storage unit 130 is exemplified as storing a message including a greeting corresponding to the time zone of a day, but it is not limited to this. As the greeting message information 131, it is sufficient that at least a message including a greeting corresponding to a time is stored. For example, a message including a greeting corresponding to a season, a season, a time, a calendar, the twenty-four solar terms, etc. may be stored.

[0039] The greeting message control unit 112 reads out the greeting message information 131 belonging to the category of the time corresponding to the date and time when the activation information is acquired from the storage unit 130, and uses, as the greeting message, a message randomly selected from the messages in the read greeting message information 131. When, as the greeting message information 131, greeting messages corresponding to the time zones of a day such as morning, noon, evening, night, etc. are stored as shown in the example of FIG. 4, the greeting message control unit 112 randomly selects a greeting message from the messages belonging to the category of the time zone corresponding to the time when the activation information is acquired. For example, when the time at which startup information is acquired is between 5:00 and 10:59, the greeting message control unit 112 extracts a series of message groups corresponding to the greeting message IDs (M1), (M2),... in FIG. 4 as greeting messages belonging to the "morning" category, and selects a message randomly selected from the extracted message groups as the greeting message. When the time at which startup information is acquired is between 11:00 and 16:59, the greeting message control unit 112 extracts a series of message groups corresponding to the greeting message IDs (D1), (D2), (D3),... in FIG. 4 as greeting messages belonging to the "noon" category, and selects a message randomly selected from the extracted message groups as the greeting message. When the time at which startup information is acquired is between 17:00 and 22:59, the greeting message control unit 112 extracts a series of message groups corresponding to the greeting message IDs (E1), (E2),... in FIG. 4 as greeting messages belonging to the "evening" category, and selects a message randomly selected from the extracted message groups as the greeting message. When the time at which startup information is acquired is between 13:00 and 4:59 of the next day, the greeting message control unit 112 extracts a series of message groups corresponding to the greeting message ID (N1),... in FIG. 4 as greeting messages belonging to the "night" category, and selects a message randomly selected from the extracted message groups as the greeting message.

[0040] The background selection unit 115 selects a background image to be set as the background of the greeting message. The background selection unit 115 reads the background information 133 from the storage unit 130 in response to the greeting message being selected by the greeting message control unit 112.

[0041] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of background information 133. As shown in FIG. 5, the background information 133 is information in which a notification type and a background image are associated. The notification type indicates a type corresponding to the content of the message. Here, the notification type indicates any one of location, community, bus operation, and others, and corresponds to the notification type of the greeting message information 131 shown in FIG. 4. In this figure, the background image is designed according to the notification type. For example, the background image of the notification type corresponding to "location" is designed to evoke an image of a map. The background image of the notification type corresponding to "bus operation" is designed to evoke an image of a route map. The background image of the notification type corresponding to "community" is designed to evoke an image of a region or a streetscape. Note that in the example of this figure, although the outlines of the map, route map, etc. designed on the background image are clearly drawn, it is not limited to this. In the background image, a light design in which the outlines of the map, route map, etc. are not clearly drawn and the outline part gradually merges with the background color may be used.

[0042] The background selection unit 115 selects a background image corresponding to the notification type of the greeting message selected by the greeting message control unit 112. The background selection unit 115 specifies the notification type associated with the greeting message selected by the greeting message control unit 112 by referring to the greeting message information 131. The background selection unit 115 selects a background image corresponding to the specified notification type and outputs the image information of the selected background image to the distribution unit 113.

[0043] The distribution unit 113 transmits a greeting message to the user terminal 300. The greeting message is transmitted to the user terminal 300 so that the content of the greeting message selected by the greeting message control unit 112 is displayed on the background selected by the background selection unit 115.

[0044] FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the processing performed by the distribution device. FIG. 6 shows an example of a screen displayed when the distribution application is launched in a state where there is no personal message with the status of "unread". As shown in this figure, a greeting message is displayed in the display area E1. Contents such as event notifications are displayed in the display area E2. For example, when the user swipes the display area E1, the greeting message is erased. In response to the display area E1 being swiped, the distribution device 100 erases the greeting message, and then displays the contents other than the greeting message, such as the event notification that has been displayed in the display area E2 until then, on the entire display screen of the user terminal 300 (that is, the display areas E1 and E2).

[0045] As described above, in the present embodiment, in response to the distribution application being launched in a state where there is no personal message with the status of "unread", a greeting message is displayed in the display area E1 where the personal message is displayed. Thereby, the user can be made aware that some message is displayed in the display area E1, and the use of launching and operating the application can be promoted.

[0046] Here, the greeting message control unit 112 may select a greeting message based on the distribution history. The distribution history is the history of sending the greeting message sent to the user terminal 300. For example, when the distribution unit 113 distributes a greeting message, it issues a distribution history ID, associates the distribution date and time of the distributed greeting message, the greeting message ID, etc. with the issued distribution history ID to generate a distribution history, and stores the generated distribution history in the greeting message distribution history information 132.

[0047] FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 are diagrams showing an example of greeting message delivery history information 132 of the embodiment. The greeting message delivery history information 132 is information in which a delivery history ID, a delivery date and time, a greeting message ID, a reaction, etc. are associated. The delivery history ID is information that uniquely identifies the delivery history. The delivery date and time indicates the date and time when the greeting message was delivered. The greeting message ID is information that uniquely identifies the greeting message. The reaction is a reaction from the user who received the greeting message.

[0048] As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the delivery history may include a reaction from the user who received the greeting message. The reaction from the user who received the greeting message can be obtained by any method. For example, when the greeting message displayed in the delivery app is swiped, options such as "good" and "bad" are displayed together with a question such as "How was the greeting message?". The user selects an option according to the reaction felt from the greeting message. When an option is selected by the user, information indicating the selection result is notified from the user terminal 300 to the delivery device 100. When the delivery device 100 receives the selection result notified from the user terminal 300, the delivery device 100 stores a reaction corresponding to the received selection result in the greeting message delivery history information 132 as the reaction from the user to the greeting message.

[0049] The greeting message control unit 112 may distribute a message with a good user response as a greeting message. In this case, when selecting a greeting message, the greeting message control unit 112 reads out the greeting message distribution history information 132 from the storage unit 130. The greeting message control unit 112 extracts a message that matches the extraction conditions from the read greeting message distribution history information 132. The extraction conditions are the conditions for extracting candidates for the greeting message to be selected this time from the messages in the greeting message information 131. For example, the greeting message control unit 112 extracts, as the extraction conditions, from the messages belonging to the category of the time corresponding to the date and time when the activation information was received, messages to which a reaction is equal to or greater than a threshold value, for example, "good" or "fairly good" is associated, from the greeting message distribution history information 132. The greeting message control unit 112 sets the message randomly selected from the extracted messages as the greeting message.

[0050] Alternatively, the greeting message control unit 112 may extract messages from the greeting message information 131 with a distribution frequency equal to or less than a threshold value as extraction conditions, from among the messages belonging to the category of the time corresponding to the date and time when the activation information was received. For example, when the time when the activation information was received is in the time zone belonging to the category of "morning", among the messages in the greeting message information 131 with the greeting message ID of "Mn (n = 1, 2,...)", messages with a distribution frequency equal to or less than a threshold value, for example, messages with no record of being distributed even once, are extracted. The greeting message control unit 112 sets the message randomly selected from the extracted messages as the greeting message. In FIG. 7, in the greeting message delivery history information 132, as messages belonging to the category of "morning", four delivery histories corresponding to delivery history IDs TX1 to TX4 are shown, indicating that the messages of greeting message IDs (M1), (M5), (M3), and (M2) have been delivered respectively (reference sign H1). In this case, for example, when the time when startup information is received next time belongs to the time zone of the "morning" category, the greeting message control unit 112 extracts, as a message that meets the extraction conditions, the message corresponding to the greeting message ID (M4) for which there is no delivery record yet in the delivery history.

[0051] Alternatively, the greeting message control unit 112 may include words that arouse the user's desire to collect in the greeting message. The collection here means collecting the greeting messages delivered to the user terminal 300 as the greeting messages acquired by the user. For example, the greeting message control unit 112 generates completion information based on the delivery history. The completion information is information regarding the greeting messages acquired by the user, and is, for example, information indicating the ratio of the number of greeting messages delivered to the user to the total number of messages in the delivery application, the number of undelivered messages, and the like. The greeting message control unit 112 includes the "completion information" in the greeting message. For example, the greeting message control unit 112 uses, as a message including the completion information in the message of greeting message ID (M1), a message that follows the message "Good morning. Recently...", and adds a guidance sentence such as "Two more to go and the greeting messages in the'morning' category will be complete." or "Eight out of nine greeting messages in the'morning' category have been collected." as the greeting message. In FIG. 8, in the delivery history corresponding to the delivery history ID TX4, it is shown that the message of greeting message ID (M4#) has been delivered (reference sign H2). This indicates that a message with the completion information added to the message corresponding to the greeting message ID (M4) has been delivered as the greeting message.

[0052] FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing performed by the message distribution system. The user terminal 300 activates the distribution application (step S10). In response to the activation of the distribution application in the user terminal 300, the user terminal 300 transmits activation information to the distribution device 100. When the distribution device 100 receives the activation information from the user terminal 300, it randomly selects a greeting message ID belonging to the category of the time zone corresponding to the time when the activation information was received (step S11). The distribution device 100 reads the storage unit 130 based on the selected greeting message ID, and acquires the message corresponding to the selected greeting message ID as a greeting message (step S12). The distribution device 100 distributes the greeting message to the user terminal 300 (step S13). The distribution device 100 distributes the greeting message by transmitting greeting message information (information including the content of the greeting message and the background image, etc.) to the user terminal 300. The user terminal 300 receives the greeting message from the distribution device 100 (step S14), and displays the received greeting message in the display area E1 of the distribution application (step S15). The user terminal 300 determines whether an operation to restart the distribution application has been performed (step S16). For example, when the user wishes to collect greeting messages or wishes to have the next greeting message distributed, the user performs an operation to restart the distribution application. That is, the user performs an operation to restart the distribution application after performing an operation to terminate the distribution application. When an operation to restart the distribution application is performed in step S16, the distribution device 100 returns to step S10. On the other hand, when an operation to restart the distribution application is not performed in step S16, the distribution device 100 ends the process.

[0053] In the flowchart shown in FIG. 9, the case where a greeting message ID is selected in step S11 and a greeting message corresponding to the greeting message ID is acquired from the greeting message information 131 in step S12 is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In step S11, a message may be randomly selected from messages belonging to a category of a time zone corresponding to the time when the activation information is received, and the selected message may be used as the greeting message. In this case, step S12 can be omitted.

[0054] As described above, the message distribution system 10 of the embodiment includes a storage unit 130, an activation information acquisition unit 111, a greeting message control unit 112, and a distribution unit 113. The storage unit 130 stores greeting message information 131 (a plurality of messages classified into categories corresponding to times). The activation information acquisition unit 111 acquires activation information indicating that a distribution application (application program) has been activated in the user terminal 300. The greeting message control unit 112 reads out greeting message information 131 (messages belonging to the category of the time corresponding to the date and time when the activation information is acquired) from the storage unit 130 for the date and time corresponding to the acquired activation information. The greeting message control unit 112 sets, as a greeting message to be transmitted to the user terminal 300 at the time of activation of the distribution application, a message randomly selected from the read messages. The distribution unit 113 distributes the greeting message to the user terminal 300. Thereby, in the management system 1 of the embodiment, a greeting message corresponding to the time when the distribution application is activated in the user terminal 300 can be distributed, and it is possible to show more consideration for the user than when simply distributing a message that does not include a seasonal greeting, and according to the principle of "reciprocity of kindness", the user can be induced to operate the distribution application. Therefore, it is possible to promote the use of starting and operating an application program (app).

[0055] Also, in the message distribution system 10 of the embodiment, the storage unit 130 stores greeting message information 131 (a message including a greeting corresponding to a time zone as a time period). The greeting message control unit 112 selects a greeting message from the messages belonging to the category of the time zone corresponding to the time when the start information is received. Thereby, in the message distribution system 10 of the embodiment, it is possible to distribute a greeting message including a greeting corresponding to a time zone such as "Good morning", "Hello", "Good evening", etc., and achieve the same effect as the above-described effect.

[0056] Also, the message distribution system 10 of the embodiment further includes a background selection unit 115. The storage unit 130 further stores a plurality of backgrounds corresponding to the content of the message. The background selection unit 115 reads background information 133 (a plurality of backgrounds corresponding to the content of the message) from the storage unit 130 in response to the selection of the greeting message by the greeting message control unit 112, and selects a background corresponding to the content of the greeting message from the read background information 133 as the background of the greeting message. Thereby, in the message distribution system 10 of the embodiment, it is possible to distribute a message with a background corresponding to the content of the greeting message, and achieve the same effect as the above-described effect.

[0057] Also, the message distribution system 10 of the embodiment further includes an individual message control unit 114. The individual message control unit 114 controls to distribute an individual message (an individual message different from the greeting message and addressed from a business operator to a user) to the user terminal 300 by push notification. The greeting message control unit 112 determines whether the distribution application is launched in response to the distribution of the individual message, or whether the distribution application is launched regardless of the distribution of the individual message. For example, when the greeting message control unit 112 starts the delivery app by tapping a push notification displayed on the lock screen or home screen of the user terminal 300, etc., it determines that the delivery app has been started with "unread" personal messages, that is, the delivery app has been started in response to the delivery of personal messages. On the other hand, when the greeting message control unit 112 starts the delivery app by tapping an icon of the delivery app displayed on the home screen of the user terminal 300, etc., in a method other than tapping the push notification, it determines that the delivery app has been started with no "unread" personal messages, that is, the delivery app has been started independently of the delivery of personal messages. When the greeting message control unit 112 determines that the delivery app has been started independently of the delivery of personal messages, it selects a greeting message. Thereby, in the message delivery system 10 of the embodiment, a greeting message can be delivered when the delivery app is started independently of the delivery of personal messages. For this reason, even if a personal message is not notified, the user can be prompted to start the delivery app, and the same effects as those described above can be achieved.

[0058] Also, in the message delivery system 10 of the embodiment, the greeting message control unit 112 controls the delivery app so that a greeting message is displayed in a display area (display area E1) where a personal message is displayed. Thereby, in the message delivery system 10 of the embodiment, the user can be made aware that some message is displayed in the display area (display area E1), and the use of starting and operating the app can be promoted.

[0059] Also, in the message delivery system 10 of the embodiment, the storage unit 130 further stores greeting message delivery history information 132 (delivery history of greeting messages sent to the user terminal 300). When selecting a greeting message, the greeting message control unit 112 reads the delivery history from the storage unit 130. The greeting message control unit 112 randomly selects a message with a delivery frequency equal to or lower than a threshold value from the messages belonging to the category corresponding to the time when the activation information was received, among the messages read from the delivery history read from the storage unit 130, and sets it as the greeting message. Thereby, in the message delivery system 10 of the embodiment, it is possible to deliver a greeting message that has not been sent to the user terminal 300 or has been sent only very rarely, from the messages prepared in advance as the greeting message information 131, and achieve the same effect as the above-described effect.

[0060] Also, in the message delivery system 10 of the embodiment, the storage unit 130 further stores greeting message delivery history information 132 (delivery history of greeting messages sent to the user terminal 300). When selecting a greeting message, the greeting message control unit 112 reads the greeting message delivery history information 132 from the storage unit 130. When the ratio of the already delivered messages among the messages belonging to the category corresponding to the time when the activation information was received is equal to or higher than a threshold value in the read greeting message delivery history information 132, the greeting message control unit 112 includes a statement corresponding to that ratio in the greeting message. Thereby, in the message delivery system 10 of the embodiment, it is possible to include a statement such as "Two more to go and the greeting messages in the 'Morning' category will be complete." in the greeting message. Therefore, it is possible to encourage the user to want to collect greeting messages, and achieve the same effect as the above-described effect.

[0061] Also, in the message delivery system 10 of the embodiment, the storage unit 130 further stores greeting message delivery history information 132 (reactions to the greeting messages sent to the user terminal 300). When selecting a greeting message, the greeting message control unit 112 reads out the greeting message delivery history information 132 (reactions to the greeting messages sent to the user terminal 300) from the storage unit 130. Based on the read greeting message delivery history information 132 (reactions to the greeting messages sent to the user terminal 300), the greeting message control unit 112 randomly selects, from the messages belonging to the category of the said period corresponding to the date and time when the activation information was received, a message whose reaction to the greeting message sent to the user terminal 300 is equal to or greater than a threshold value, as the greeting message. Thereby, in the message delivery system 10 of the embodiment, a message with a favorable reaction from the user can be delivered as a greeting message, achieving the same effect as the effect described above.

[0062] The entire or a part of the message distribution system 10 and the distribution device 100 in the above-described embodiment may be realized by a computer. In that case, a program for realizing this function may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on this recording medium may be read into a computer system and executed to be realized. Here, the "computer system" shall include hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices. Further, the "computer-readable recording medium" refers to a portable medium such as a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a ROM, a CD-ROM, etc., and a storage device such as a hard disk incorporated in a computer system. Furthermore, the "computer-readable recording medium" also includes those that dynamically hold a program for a short time like a communication line when transmitting a program via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line, and those that hold a program for a certain period of time like a volatile memory inside a computer system serving as a server or a client in that case. Also, the above program may be for realizing a part of the aforementioned functions, and may further be realized in combination with a program already recorded in a computer system for realizing the aforementioned functions, and may also be realized using a programmable logic device such as an FPGA.

[0063] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and designs and the like within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention are also included.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0064] 10…Message distribution system 100…Distribution device 110…Control unit 111…Startup information acquisition unit 112…Greeting message control unit 113…Distribution unit 114…Individual message control unit 115…Background selection unit 130…Storage unit 300…User terminal

Claims

1. A distribution device that distributes a message including information about services that are provided by a business operator and are classified into a plurality of types, comprising: The message is classified into a time category and into one of a plurality of notification types, which are subcategories according to the content of the message; a storage unit that stores a background image associated with the notification type; a greeting message control unit that selects, from the storage unit, a message that belongs to the category of the time when the message is to be transmitted as the message to be transmitted to a user terminal on which an application program that distributes the message is started; a background selection unit that acquires, from the storage unit, the background image corresponding to the notification type of the subcategory to which the message belongs, in accordance with the content of the message selected by the greeting message control unit; a delivery unit that delivers the message selected by the greeting message control unit to the user terminal, the greeting message having the background image acquired by the background selection unit as a background; A distribution device comprising:

2. The message includes information that the notification type is “location”, The background image associated with the information whose notification type is “location” includes an image showing a map, the background selection unit selects the background image including a map in response to the greeting message control unit selecting the message whose notification type is “location”, The distribution unit distributes the message including information about a location against a map background to the user terminal. The distribution device according to claim 1 .

3. The message includes information that the notification type is “community”, The background image associated with the information whose notification type is “community” includes an image showing a region or a streetscape, the background selection unit selects the background image including a region or a streetscape in response to the greeting message control unit selecting the message having the notification type of “community”, The distribution unit distributes the message including information about a community having a background of a region or a streetscape to the user terminal. The distribution device according to claim 1 .

4. The message includes information that the notification type is “transportation operation”, the background image associated with the information whose notification type is “transportation operation” includes an image showing a route map, the background selection unit selects the background image including a route map in response to the greeting message control unit selecting the message whose notification type is “transportation operation”, The distribution unit distributes the message including information about the operation of a transportation facility against a background of a route map to the user terminal. The distribution device according to claim 1 .

5. A method for distributing a message including information about a service provided by a business operator and classified into a plurality of types, the method comprising: The message is classified into a time category and into one of the notification types, which is a subcategory; a greeting message control unit selects from the storage unit, as the message to be transmitted to a user terminal on which an application program for transmitting the message is started, the message belonging to the category of the time when the message is to be transmitted; a background selection unit that acquires from the storage unit the background image corresponding to the notification type of the subcategory to which the message belongs in accordance with the content of the message selected by the greeting message control unit; a delivery unit delivering, to the user terminal, the message selected by the greeting message control unit, with the background image acquired by the background selection unit as a background; Delivery method.

6. A program to be executed by a computer having a storage unit that delivers a message including information about a service provided by a business operator and classified into a plurality of types, and stores a background image associated with a notification type according to the content of the message, The message is classified into a time category and into one of the notification types, which is a subcategory; selecting, from the storage unit, a message belonging to the category at the time of transmitting the message as the message to be transmitted to a user terminal on which an application program for distributing the message has been started; obtaining, from the storage unit, the background image corresponding to the notification type of the subcategory to which the message belongs, according to the content of the selected message; Delivering the selected message to the user terminal against the background of the acquired background image. program.

Images