Information processing system, information processing program, information processing method, and information processing apparatus

Abstract

To improve time for presenting detailed information by disposing a UI object for presenting the detailed information.SOLUTION: An information processing system 1000 includes: an image output part 64 for outputting a display image to a display device 70 during execution of a predetermined application; a UI object arrangement part 65 for disposing a guide UI object such that the guide UI object is included in a display image; a detailed information output part 64 for outputting detailed information correlated with a guide UI object to the display device 70 when a user performs instruction operation to the guide UI object included in a display image; and a UI object arrangement cancellation part 67 for removing a guide UI object from a display image so as not to be included in the display image when effective time passes after detailed information is read.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Prior Art

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing system, an information processing program, an information processing method, and an information processing apparatus that display detailed information in response to an instruction operation on a UI object.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in a display image of a predetermined application such as a game, a UI object such as an icon is displayed, and in response to a user's instruction operation on the UI object, an information processing system such as a game system that presents detailed information associated with the UI object is known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses arranging a balloon image 53 including words related to an advertisement video 38 as detailed information on a menu screen, that is, displaying a UI object such as the balloon image 53 for the purpose of allowing the user to view detailed information such as the advertisement video 38.

[0003] Such detailed information is basically valid only for a certain period, and after a certain period has elapsed, a new UI object is displayed in order to provide different detailed information.

Prior Art Documents

Non-Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] There was room for improvement in the time for presenting detailed information by arranging a UI object for presenting detailed information.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] An information processing system according to an aspect of the present invention includes: an image output unit that outputs a display image to a display device during execution of a predetermined application; a UI object arrangement unit that arranges a UI object so that the UI object is included in the display image; a detailed information output unit that outputs detailed information associated with the UI object to the display device when there is a user's instruction operation on the UI object included in the display image; and a UI object removal unit that removes the UI object from the display image so that the UI object is not included in the display image when a predetermined time has elapsed since the detailed information became a read state.

[0007] With this configuration, since the period for arranging the UI object for displaying the detailed information is set until a predetermined time has elapsed after the detailed information has been read, the detailed information can be presented to each user for an appropriate period.

[0008] In the information processing system described above, the UI object removal unit may consider the detailed information to have become the read state when any of the following occurs: when the first instruction operation is performed among the instruction operations on the UI object; when the detailed information output unit first outputs the detailed information to the display device; when all of the detailed information is first displayed on the display device; or when the first display of the detailed information ends.

[0009] In the information processing system described above, the display image may be a virtual space image obtained by photographing a virtual space with a virtual camera, and the UI object arrangement unit may arrange the UI object by superimposing it on the virtual space image.

[0010] In the information processing system described above, the display image may be a virtual space image obtained by photographing a virtual space with a virtual camera, and the UI object arrangement unit may arrange the UI object in the virtual space.

[0011] The above information processing system may further include first event generating means for generating a first event including the user who performed the instruction operation within the predetermined application until the predetermined time elapses after the UI object enters the read state.

[0012] With this configuration, since the event can be started in response to the user's instruction operation and continued for a predetermined time, it is possible to fairly give each user a period during which they can participate in the first event.

[0013] In the above information processing system, the first event may be an event in which the price of an item that can be purchased by the user within the application is lower than when the first event does not occur, and the user's instruction operation on the detailed information may output second detailed information for purchasing the item to the display device.

[0014] With this configuration, the user can easily participate in an event such as a discount sales campaign for items.

[0015] The above information processing system may further include second event generating means for generating a second event to be implemented within the application until a predetermined end time, and when the predetermined end time arrives before the predetermined time elapses after the detailed information regarding the second event enters the read state, the UI object removing means may remove the UI object from the display image without waiting for the elapse of the predetermined time.

[0016] With this configuration, it is possible to avoid a situation where detailed information regarding the event continues to be provided until after the event is completed.

[0017] In the above information processing system, the UI object removing means may further remove the UI object from the display image when the user performs a predetermined action in the first event or the second event.

[0018] With this configuration, when the user executes a predetermined action in an event to achieve the purpose of providing detailed information and further provision of detailed information becomes unnecessary, the arrangement of the UI object can be canceled.

[0019] In the above information processing system, in response to the detailed information changing from the unread state to the read state, with respect to the display mode of the UI object corresponding to the detailed information included in the display image, instead of a UI object in a first display mode that does not include notation regarding the predetermined time, a UI object in a second display mode including the notation may be arranged.

[0020] With this configuration, the user can recognize the passage of time until the predetermined time elapses (typically, the remaining time until the predetermined time elapses) by the UI object in the second display mode included in the display image.

[0021] In the above information processing system, the object arrangement means may select and arrange at least one of the UI objects from among a plurality of candidates.

[0022] With this configuration, when there are a plurality of UI objects to be arranged, instead of arranging all of them, the UI objects to be arranged can be narrowed down and arranged.

[0023] In the above information processing system, the object arrangement means may select the UI object to be arranged from among the plurality of candidates based on the past user behavior history in the predetermined application.

[0024] With this configuration, when there are a plurality of UI objects to be arranged, an appropriate UI object can be selected and arranged for each user.

[0025] In the above information processing system, a priority may be set for each of the plurality of candidates, and the object placement means may select the UI object to be placed according to the priority.

[0026] With this configuration, when there are a plurality of UI objects to be placed, the UI objects can be selected and placed according to the priority.

[0027] In the above information processing system, the UI object placement means may periodically select the UI object to be placed.

[0028] With this configuration, after the placement of a certain UI object is canceled, a new UI object is not immediately placed in place of it, and a new UI object is placed after waiting for the next update timing.

[0029] In the above information processing system, when the UI object placement means selects the UI object to be placed, for the UI object for which the predetermined time has not elapsed since the detailed information became the read state, it may be preferentially selected over other UI objects.

[0030] With this configuration, it is possible to avoid the situation where a UI object for which the timing has started is not placed before the elapse of the predetermined time.

[0031] In the above information processing system, the UI object removal means may remove the UI object from the display image when a scene transition occurs in the predetermined application after the elapse of the predetermined time.

[0032] With this configuration, it is not necessary to update the display image only to immediately cancel the placement of the UI object.

[0033] In the information processing system described above, the detailed information output means may output the detailed information each time there is a user's instruction operation on the UI object included in the display image even after the detailed information has become in the read state.

[0034] With this configuration, the user can display the detailed information many times by performing an instruction operation.

[0035] An information processing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes an image output means for outputting a display image to a display device during execution of a predetermined application, a UI object arrangement means for arranging the UI object so that the UI object is included in the display image, a detailed information output means for outputting detailed information associated with the UI object to the display device when there is a user's instruction operation on the UI object included in the display image, and a UI object removal means for removing the UI object from the display image so that the UI object is not included in the display image when a predetermined time has elapsed after the detailed information has become in the read state.

[0036] Also with this configuration, in order to set the period during which the UI object for displaying the detailed information is arranged until a predetermined time has elapsed after the detailed information has been read, the detailed information can be presented to each user during an appropriate period.

[0037] An information processing method according to an aspect of the present invention includes a UI object arrangement step of arranging the UI object so that the UI object is included in the display image, an image output step of outputting the display image to the display device during execution of a predetermined application, a detailed information output step of outputting detailed information associated with the UI object to the display device when there is a user's instruction operation on the UI object included in the display image, and a UI object removal step of removing the UI object from the display image so that the UI object is not included in the display image when a predetermined time has elapsed after the detailed information has become in the read state.

[0038] Even with this configuration, in order to set the period during which the UI object for displaying detailed information is placed to be from when the detailed information has been read until a predetermined time has elapsed, it is possible to present the detailed information to each individual user during an appropriate period.

[0039] An information processing program according to an aspect of the present invention causes a computer of an information processing apparatus, during the execution of a predetermined application, to function as an image output means for outputting a display image to a display device, a UI object placement means for placing the UI object so that the UI object is included in the display image, a detailed information output means for outputting detailed information associated with the UI object to the display device when there is a user's instruction operation on the UI object included in the display image, and a UI object removal means for removing the UI object from the display image so that the UI object is not included in the display image when a predetermined time has elapsed since the detailed information has become a read state.

[0040] Even with this configuration, in order to set the period during which the UI object for displaying detailed information is placed to be from when the detailed information has been read until a predetermined time has elapsed, it is possible to present the detailed information to each individual user during an appropriate period.

Advantages of the Invention

[0041] According to the present invention, in order to set the period during which the UI object for displaying detailed information is placed to be from when the detailed information has been read until a predetermined time has elapsed, it is possible to present the detailed information to each individual user during an appropriate period.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0042]

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0043] Hereinafter, a game system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are merely examples of implementing the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the specific configurations described below. In implementing the present invention, specific configurations according to the embodiments may be appropriately adopted.

[0044] (Overall Configuration of the System) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The information processing system 1000 includes a server device 100 and game devices 200 as a plurality of information processing devices. The server device 100 and each of the plurality of game devices 200 can communicate with each other via a communication network 300. In the present embodiment, the game device 200 is a smartphone which is a multifunctional information processing device. The game device 200 is configured by installing an information processing program according to the present embodiment provided as an application program of the present embodiment in the smartphone.

[0045] Note that the game device 200 may be a dedicated game machine. Also in this case, the game device 200 can execute functions described later by executing the information processing program according to the present embodiment provided as game software. The game software may be provided to the dedicated game machine in a form of being downloaded via a communication network and in a method of mounting a cartridge on the dedicated game machine.

[0046] (Overview of Display Image) FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a display image in a game according to an embodiment of the present invention. First, with reference to FIG. 2, an overview of the display image according to the present embodiment will be described. The game according to the present embodiment is a game that progresses by operating a player character in a virtual space. The player character moves in the virtual space according to the user's operation and executes various actions. The display image 641 during game execution is configured by superimposing UI objects such as icons and buttons on a game image obtained by photographing a virtual space and player characters, non-player characters, and various objects (cars, trees, terrain, etc.) in the virtual space with a virtual camera.

[0047] The UI objects are mainly displayed at the edges of the display image. In the present embodiment, in particular, the display image 641 includes a guide UI object 642 for presenting predetermined guide information to the user. By the user instructing the guide UI object 642, detailed guide information is displayed.

[0048] When there are multiple pieces of guidance information to be presented to the user, if all the guidance UI objects 642 of the guidance information are arranged in the display image 641, there will be insufficient space and the visibility of the virtual space will also decrease. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the number of guidance UI objects included in the display image 641 is limited to two. In the present embodiment, furthermore, a limit is also set on the time for arranging the guidance UI object in the display image.

[0049] (Overview of the System) FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The server device 100 includes a processor 10 that performs information processing as a server device, a storage device 20 that stores various data, and a communication device 30 that communicates with the game device 200 and other devices via a communication network 300. The processor 10 includes a game data providing unit 11 that provides game data to the game device 200 in response to a request from the game device 200, and a guidance information providing unit 12 that provides guidance information to the game device 200.

[0050] The game device 200 includes a storage device 40 that stores various data, a communication device 50 that communicates with the server device 100 and other devices via a communication network 300, a processor 60 that performs information processing as a game device, a display device 70 that displays a display image based on the information processing of the processor 60, and an input device 80 that receives an operation by the user and outputs an input signal to the processor 60.

[0051] The communication device 50 wirelessly connects to a router and communicates with the server device 100 and other devices via the communication network 300. In this embodiment, the display device 70 and the input device 80 are integrally configured as a touch panel. Therefore, the user can directly perform touch operations such as tapping and dragging on the object displayed on the display device 70. Note that the display device 70 and the input device 80 may be configured separately. In this case, a cursor may be displayed on the display device 70, and various operations may be performed while moving the cursor within the display image of the display device 70 by operating the input device 80 which is a controller.

[0052] The processor 60 is configured by the processor executing the information processing program of the embodiment of the present invention, and includes a game processing unit 61, an event generation unit 62, a detailed information output unit 63, an image output unit 64, a UI object arrangement unit 65, a timing unit 66, and a UI object removal unit 67. Note that the information processing program may be stored in a non-transitory storage medium and installed from there to the processor 60.

[0053] The game processing unit 61 executes game processing based on an application program, game data provided from the game data providing unit 11 of the server device 100, and an input signal from the input device 80. The event generation unit 62 generates an event in response to an instruction operation by the user for generating an event to the input device 80. When the detailed information output unit 63 receives an input signal indicating that the guide UI object 642 is specified from the input device 80, it outputs detailed information of the related guide. The image output unit 64 generates a display image to be displayed on the display device 70 and outputs it to the display device 70.

[0054] The UI object placement unit 65 selects a guide for placing the UI object from among a plurality of guides, and places the UI object of the selected guide so as to be included in the display image. The timing unit 66 starts timing when the detailed information of the guide information with the guide UI object placed in the display image becomes a read state, and determines whether or not the predetermined effective time set for the guide has elapsed. The UI object removal unit 67 sets the status of the guide information (see FIG. 7) to "elapsed effective time" when the timing unit 66 determines that the effective time has elapsed for the guide information with the guide UI object placed, and when other removal conditions are satisfied.

[0055] (Selection of guide information) As described above, in the display image of the game device 200, up to two guide UI objects are displayed. When there are three or more candidates for the guide information to be presented to the user, two pieces of guide information to be presented to the user are selected from among them.

[0056] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the content of the guide information stored in the storage device 20 of the embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, in the storage device 20, for each guide information, a guide ID for specifying the guide information, a guide UI object to be placed in the display image, detailed information showing the detailed content of the guide information, an event guided by the guide information, an end date and time which is the point in time when the presentation of the guide information ends, an effective time which is the time for placing the guide UI object in the display image of each game device 200, and at least one of the presentation conditions used when selecting the guide information are stored.

[0057] The guide UI object 642 is an image such as an icon, a button, or a tile, and as shown in FIG. 2, it represents the content of the guide information by characters or symbols. Also, as will be described later, the remaining time is displayed after the guide UI object 642 has been read. The detailed information is information that is displayed on the display device 70 when the user performs an instruction operation (specifically, tapping on the guide UI object 642) on the guide UI object 642. The detailed information may be information consisting of an image and text, or may be information including audio or video.

[0058] The detailed information is, for example, guidance on events, invitations to join various services, and invitations to presents. Among the events, there is a first event that includes the user who has performed the instruction operation in the game until the effective time has elapsed after the user has instructed the guide UI object 642 and the detailed information has become read, and a second event that continues until a predetermined end time regardless of whether the detailed information has become read and the user can participate. The first event is, for example, a discount sale campaign in which the price of an item that the user can purchase in the game is cheaper than usual. The second event is, for example, a campaign in which a specific service can be experienced for free. The content of the event is stored in the storage device 20.

[0059] The effective time is the time from when the user has made the detailed information read until the presentation of the guide information to the user ends, and is set for each guide information to, for example, 10 minutes, 1 hour, 24 hours, etc. The end date and time is the date and time when the presentation of the guide information ends for any user regardless of whether the user has made the detailed information read.

[0060] The prompting conditions are the conditions for preferentially presenting the guidance information. These prompting conditions may include conditions related to the user's past behavior history in the game, such as the history of item purchases, the usage history of various services, the time when the game was started, etc. When the guidance information is, for example, a discount sales campaign for a specific item, the prompting conditions may be set as, for example, the user ID satisfies a predetermined condition (targeting only a certain percentage of users), the item has not been purchased, and the item is not currently in possession. When the guidance information is, for example, a discount sales campaign for a package of beginner items, the prompting conditions may be set as, for example, the user has started playing the game within a predetermined time (e.g., within 48 hours) and the package has not been purchased. Also, the prompting conditions may preferentially present the ones with a higher priority set in association with each guidance information. For example, in this embodiment, the priority is one of low, medium, high, and highest, but more detailed and more levels may be set.

[0061] When there are three or more pieces of guidance information, the guidance information providing unit 12 selects the guidance information that satisfies the prompting conditions and provides it to the game device 200. Here, the guidance information providing unit 12 may narrow down the guidance information by imposing only a part of the prompting conditions. Also, it may be provided to the game device 200 without judging the prompting conditions. For example, in the above example of the discount sales campaign for a specific item, among the prompting conditions, the guidance information providing unit 12 of the server device 100 judges only the condition that the item has not been purchased, and if the condition is satisfied, it is provided to the game device 200.

[0062] The UI object placement unit 65 of the game device 200 selects two UI objects to be displayed on the display image from among a plurality of pieces of guide information provided by the server device 100 and places them on the display image. Specifically, the UI object placement unit 65 of the game device 200 narrows down the guide information by determining presentation conditions not determined by the server device 100, and further selects the guide information to be presented according to the priority. Here, for guide information whose detailed information has become a read state and the counting of the countdown of the valid time has started, the UI object placement unit 65 sets the priority to the highest, or selects it as the guide information to be placed on the display image regardless of the level of the priority.

[0063] (Presentation of detailed information) FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the presentation of detailed information according to an embodiment of the present invention. When the user performs an operation of instructing the guide UI object 642 shown in the display image 641 of FIG. 2 (for example, tapping the guide UI object 642), the detailed information output unit 63 superimposes and displays the detailed information window 643 on the game image as shown in FIG. 5. When the display device 70 and the input device 80 are provided separately, for example, the guide UI object 642 may be instructed by operating the cursor displayed on the display device 70 by operating a mouse as the input device 80 and performing a pointing operation on the button as the guide UI object 642. When the input device 80 is a keyboard, the guide UI object 642 may be instructed by a key input.

[0064] As shown in FIG. 2, when the guide UI object 642 is displayed on the display image 641 and is within the valid time, the detailed information window 643 pops up in response to an instruction to the guide UI object 642. The example of FIG. 5 shows the details of the guide information of a promotional campaign for a discount sale of a beginner's pack of items for a user who has just started the game.

[0065] The detailed information includes a button 644 for instructing to purchase the guided item (beginner pack) and a button 645 for instructing not to purchase. When button 644 is instructed, the scene transitions to the item purchase scene, and further detailed information for item purchase is presented. If there is a user operation related to item purchase at the transition destination, the process for item purchase starts. On the other hand, when button 645 is instructed, the detailed information window 643 closes and returns to the normal display image including the game image.

[0066] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of presenting detailed information according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this example, the detailed information is a guide for experiencing a monthly service, specifically, it guides the experience of Course A of the monthly service provided with a plurality of courses. The detailed information window 643' includes a button 646 for applying for the experience and a button 647 for closing the detailed information window 643'.

[0067] (Valid time for presenting guide information) As described above, the guide information is provided with a valid time, and the guide information indicated by the guide UI object 642 is presented to each user in a time-limited manner. After the guide UI object 642 is arranged on the game screen, when the detailed information of the guide UI object 642 becomes the read state, the timing unit 66 starts timing, and the countdown of the valid time starts. Note that even after it becomes the read state, as long as it is within the valid time, the detailed information can be presented any number of times by instructing the guide UI object 642.

[0068] In addition, when the guide information is a guide for an event, the event occurrence unit 62 may generate an event including the user, that is, an event that the user can participate in or use, in response to the first instruction of the guide UI object 642. For example, when the event is a discount sale campaign for a predetermined item, the event occurrence unit 62 generates this time-limited discount sale campaign and starts the discount sale for this user.

[0069] Thus, in this embodiment, for the guide information, by setting not only the end date and time but also the valid time, the guide information can be presented fairly to multiple users. For example, when the guide information is a discount sales campaign for items, if only the end date and time are set, there will be a difference in the period during which the campaign can be utilized between a user who was presented with the campaign information well before the end date and time (e.g., one week before) and a user who was presented with the campaign information when the end date and time (e.g., three days before) is approaching. In contrast, in this embodiment, since the countdown of the valid time (e.g., 48 hours) starts after the detailed information becomes the read state, the same available time is given to any user.

[0070] On the other hand, it is possible that the guide information may be information that is not interesting to the user. Therefore, it is not appropriate to place the guide UI object 642 of such guide information on the game image for a long time after the user first views the detailed information of such guide information. Conversely, a user who is interested in the guide information may want to confirm the detailed information again after first viewing the detailed information of such guide information. Thus, in this embodiment, as described above, the countdown of the valid time (e.g., 10 minutes) starts after the detailed information becomes the read state, and the placement of the guide UI object 642 is released when the valid time elapses so that the detailed information can be confirmed as many times as desired during the valid time without immediately deleting the guide UI object 642 after it becomes the read state.

[0071] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of the arrangement guide information stored in the storage device of the game device according to the present embodiment. In the storage device 40 of the game device 200, information about the guide information in which the guide UI object 642 is arranged in the game image of the game device 200 is stored. The arrangement guide information includes a guide ID, a status, and remaining time information. As the status, there are three statuses: "unread" indicating that the guide UI object 642 has not been instructed yet and the detailed information has never been presented, "read" indicating a state where the detailed information has already been presented, that is, a read state, and "expired effective time" indicating that the effective time has already passed. The remaining time is the time obtained by subtracting the time measured by the timer unit 66 from the effective time of the guide information. It decreases as the timer unit 66 measures time and becomes 0 when the effective time has passed.

[0072] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a display image in the game according to the embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 8 in particular, the state after the guide information has become the read state is shown. Note that FIG. 2 is an example in which the guide information is in the unread state. Comparing FIG. 2 and FIG. 8, in response to the detailed information changing from the unread state to the read state, the display mode of the guide UI object included in the display image changes from a display mode (FIG. 2) that does not include the notation regarding the measurement by the timer unit 66 to a display mode (FIG. 8) that includes the notation. Specifically, after the guide information has become the read state, a remaining time display 6421 for presenting the guide information is added to the guide UI object 642.

[0073] The timing unit 66 starts timing by setting the status in the layout guide information (see Fig. 7) of the guide information to "read" when the guide UI object 642 is first instructed and its detailed information is first presented. In this way, the timing unit 66 starts timing when the detailed information of the guide information becomes the read state. More precisely, it starts timing by considering that the detailed information has become the read state when the first instruction operation on the guide UI object is performed. Instead, the timing unit 66 may start timing by considering that the detailed information has become the read state when the detailed information output unit 63 first outputs the detailed information to the display device 70. Also, the timing unit 66 may start timing by considering that the detailed information has become the read state when all of the detailed information is first considered to be displayed on the display device 70, such as when the detailed information is scrolled by the user on the screen so that all of the detailed information is displayed on the display device, or when the video presented as the detailed information is played to the end. Furthermore, the timing unit 66 may start timing by considering that the detailed information has become the read state when the first display of the detailed information ends.

[0074] After the detailed information of the guide information becomes the read state, the UI object layout unit 65 adds the remaining time display 6421 for presenting the guide information to the guide UI object 642. The UI object layout unit 65 updates the remaining time display 6421 for presenting the guide information at a predetermined cycle with reference to the remaining time in the layout guide information (see Fig. 7). Specifically, when the remaining time is 1 day or more, the UI object layout unit 65 displays the remaining time in units of days as the remaining time display 6421 and updates the remaining time display 6421 at a 1-day cycle. When the remaining time is less than 1 day and 1 hour or more, the UI object layout unit 65 displays the remaining time in units of hours as the remaining time display 6421 and updates the remaining time display 6421 at a 1-hour cycle. When the remaining time is less than 1 hour and 1 minute or more, the UI object layout unit 65 displays the remaining time in units of minutes as the remaining time display 6421 and updates the remaining time display 6421 at a 1-minute cycle. When the remaining time is less than 1 minute, the UI object layout unit 65 displays the remaining time in units of seconds as the remaining time display 6421 and updates the remaining time display 6421 at a 1-second cycle.

[0075] When the timekeeping unit 66 determines that the effective time has elapsed for the guidance information, the UI object removal unit 67 removes the guidance UI object 642 from the display image. Specifically, the UI object removal unit 67 updates the status in the arrangement guidance information (see FIG. 7) of the guidance information for which the effective time has elapsed to "effective time elapsed". However, in the present embodiment, the UI object removal unit 67 does not immediately remove the guidance UI object 642 of the guidance information for which the predetermined time has elapsed and the remaining time has become 0 from the display image. Instead, the UI object arrangement unit 65 sets the remaining time display 6421 to 0 or displays a message indicating that the effective time has expired or the like.

[0076] When the game processing unit 61 updates the display image due to the progress of the game and the transition to a new scene, etc., the UI object removal unit 67 refers to the arrangement guidance information in the storage device 40 and removes the guidance UI object 642 of the guidance information whose status is "effective time elapsed" from the display image 641. In response to this, the UI object arrangement unit 65 arranges only the guidance UI object 642 to be displayed so that the updated display screen does not include the guidance UI object 642 of the guidance information. Examples of the scene transition for updating such a display image include when moving to another game stage, opening the setting screen, or returning from the game stage to the home screen. Thus, in the present embodiment, the guidance UI object 642 is not immediately removed from the display image when the effective time has elapsed. Therefore, the guidance UI object 642 for which the effective time has elapsed and the arrangement has already been released may be included in the display screen 641 and may be instructed.

[0077] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a display image when a guide UI object of guide information whose valid time has elapsed in an embodiment of the present invention is instructed. When the guide UI object 642 of the guide information whose valid time has elapsed is instructed, the detailed information output unit 63 outputs an end notification window 648 shown in FIG. 9 instead of the detailed information window to perform an end display of the guide. This end notification window 648 is provided with a display indicating that the guide has ended and a button 649. When the button 649 is instructed, the end notification window 648 closes and returns to the game screen. Note that the UI object arrangement unit 65 may remove the guide UI object 642 of the guide information whose valid time has elapsed from the display image at this timing.

[0078] FIG. 10 is a flowchart of an information processing method executed in a game device according to an embodiment of the present invention. This flowchart starts when a user logs in to the game in the game device 200, that is, when starting the game from a state where the game is not being played. First, a guide update process for updating the guide UI object 642 to be arranged, that is, the guide information presented to the user, is performed (step S1). Next, the game device 200 performs a guide display process for presenting the guide information (step S2). Then, the game device 200 performs a guide removal process to remove the guide UI object 642 of the guide information whose valid time has elapsed after being read from the display image (step S3).

[0079] FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the guide update process according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the guide update process (step S1 in FIG. 10), the UI object layout unit 65 determines whether it is the first login after the update timing (step S11). If it is not the first login after the update timing (No in step S11), the process proceeds to the guide process (step S2 in FIG. 10). If it is the first login after the update timing (Yes in step S11), the UI object layout unit 65 inquires the server device 100 about the guide information to be presented. Note that even if the update timing occurs during the login, it is determined that it is the first login after the update timing (Yes in step S11). In the present embodiment, the update timing is set as a predetermined time every day, that is, the update is performed at most once a day. The update timing is not limited to this, and for example, it may be every 12 hours (two updates a day), every two days (one update every two days), or any specified date and time.

[0080] When the UI object layout unit 65 is the first login after the update timing, it inquires the server device 100 about the guide information to be presented and receives the provision of the guide information to be presented from the server device 100. Then, it selects the guide information to be presented in the game device 200 from these (step S12) and arranges the guide UI object 642 (step S13). The selection of the guide UI object 642 here is as described above. In this way, the UI object layout unit 65 periodically updates the guide UI object to be arranged.

[0081] In this way, even if the arrangement of the guide information is cancelled and the guide UI object is removed, the UI object layout unit 65 does not immediately arrange a new guide UI object. Instead, it sets an update cycle (for example, one day) and updates the guide UI object to be arranged when it is the first login after exceeding the update timing. Thereby, it is not necessary for the game device 200 to frequently access the server device 100, and the communication load is reduced.

[0082] FIG. 12 is a flowchart of the guide display process according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the guide process (step S2 in FIG. 10), the detailed information output unit 63 determines whether there has been an instruction operation on the guide UI object 642 (step S21). If there is no such instruction operation (No in step S21), the timer unit 66 determines whether the elapsed time of the timer for the guide information whose detailed information has already been read has exceeded the valid time of the guide information (step S27). If the valid time has not elapsed (No in step S27), the process directly proceeds to the guide removal process (step S3 in FIG. 10).

[0083] If the valid time has elapsed (Yes in step S27), the UI object arrangement release unit 67 changes the status of the arrangement guide information in the storage device 40 of the guide information to "elapsed valid time" (step S28).

[0084] If there has been an instruction operation on the guide UI object 642 (Yes in step S21), the detailed information output unit 63 refers to the arrangement guide information in the storage device 40 (see FIG. 7) and checks the status of the guide information (step S22). If the status of the guide information is "unread" ( "unread" in step S22), the event generation unit 62 generates an event if the guide information is information of the first event (step S23), the timer unit 66 starts timing the valid time (step S24), and the detailed information output unit 63 outputs the detailed information (step S25). If the status of the guide information is "read" ( "read" in step S22), since the event has already occurred and the timing has already started, the detailed information output unit 63 directly outputs the detailed information (step S25).

[0085] Even if there has been an instruction operation on the UI object (Yes in step S21), if the status of the guide information is "elapsed valid time", an end notification window 648 is output to perform a guide end display (step S26).

[0086] FIG. 13 is a flowchart of the guide removal process according to an embodiment of the present invention. The game processing unit 61 determines whether or not the scene will transition according to the progress of the game (step S31). For example, in the game, game data of the virtual space is provided from the server device 100 to the game device 200, and the game device 200 expands this game data in the memory and performs game processing. However, when moving to a virtual space other than the virtual space provided from the server device 100, the game device 200 acquires new game data from the server device 100, or expands new game data in the memory. For example, in such a case, the scene will transition in the game device 200.

[0087] At the time of this scene transition, the UI object arrangement unit 65 checks the status of the arrangement guide information in the storage device 40. If there is guide information whose status is "expired effective time" (in step S32, "expired effective time"), the guide UI object 642 is deleted from the display image and the process ends. If there is no guide information whose status is "expired effective time" (in step S32, "not reached effective time"), the process proceeds directly to the logout confirmation (step S4 in FIG. 10).

[0088] Although not shown in the figure, there are other cases where the guide UI object is removed at the time of scene transition. First, regarding the second event that occurs regardless of whether the guide UI object 642 is in the read state, if the end date and time has already arrived, the UI object removal unit 67 sets the status to "expired effective time" without waiting for the expiration of the effective time even if the detailed information has been read and before the effective time has passed. The UI object arrangement unit 65 excludes the guide UI object 642 from the guide UI objects 642 to be arranged at the time of scene transition.

[0089] Also, when the purpose of the guidance information is achieved by the user executing a predetermined action according to the guidance information, for example, when the guidance information is a promotion campaign for a predetermined item and the user purchases the item, it is considered that the purpose of the guidance information is achieved. The UI object removal unit 67 sets the status to "expired valid time" without waiting for the expiration of the valid time, and the UI object placement unit 65 excludes the guide UI object 642 to be placed from the guide UI objects 642 to be placed when the scene transitions. Alternatively, the UI object removal unit 67 may set the status to "expired valid time" on the condition that the detailed information has been viewed a predetermined number of times, and the UI object placement unit 65 may exclude the guide UI object 642 from the guide UI objects 642 to be placed when the scene transitions.

[0090] As described above, according to the information processing system of the embodiment of the present invention, since the period for placing the guide UI object for displaying the detailed information of the guide information is set from when the detailed information becomes read until the expiration of the valid time, the detailed information of the guide information can be presented to each user in an appropriate period.

[0091] Note that the information presented to the user by instructing the UI object is not limited to the guidance information, and may be other information presented for a limited time. In the above embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a game application has been described. However, this application is not limited to the game application, and can be applied to any other application.

[0092] Also, in the above embodiment, the information processing system 1000 is composed of the server device 100 and the game device 200 as the information processing device. Instead, the functions of the storage device 20 and the guide information providing unit 12 may be provided in the game device 200, and the above functions may be realized by the information processing device alone.

[0093] Also, in the above-described embodiment, the UI object placement unit 65 places the guide UI object in a form that is superimposed on the virtual space image. However, alternatively, the UI object placement unit 65 may place the guide UI object in the virtual space. In this case, the image output unit 64 outputs a virtual space image obtained by photographing the virtual space in which such a guide UI object is placed with a virtual camera, so that the guide UI object is displayed on the display screen of the display device 70.

[0094] Also, in the above-described embodiment, even after the effective time has elapsed since the guide UI object 642 was first instructed and the detailed information became the read state, the guide UI object 642 was not immediately removed from the display image. After setting the status of the guide information to "effective time elapsed", the guide UI object 642 was removed during the scene transition. However, alternatively, the guide UI object 642 may be immediately removed from the display screen when the effective time has elapsed, or the guide UI object 642 of the guide information with the effective time elapsed may be removed from the display image according to another trigger.

Industrial Applicability

[0095] The present invention has an effect of being able to present detailed information of guide information to individual users during an appropriate period, and is useful as an information processing system or the like that displays detailed information according to an instruction operation on a UI object.

Explanation of Signs

[0096] 10 Processor 11 Game Data Provision Unit 12 Guide Information Provision Unit 20 Storage Device 30 Notification Device 40 Storage Device 50 Communication Device 60 Processor 61 Game Processing Unit 62 Event Generation Unit 63 Detailed Information Output Unit 64 Image output unit 65 UI object placement unit 66 Timing unit 67 UI object removal unit 70 Display device 80 Input device 100 Server device 200 Game device 300 Communication network 641 Display image 642 Guide UI object 643, 643´ Detailed information window 644 - 648, 649 Button 648 End notification window 6421 Remaining time display 1000 Information processing system

Claims

1. During the execution of a predetermined application, image output means for outputting a display image to a display device, UI object arrangement means for arranging the UI object so that the UI object is included in the display image, When there is a user's instruction operation on the UI object included in the display image, detailed information output means for outputting the detailed information associated with the UI object to the display device, UI object removal means for removing the UI object from the display image so that the UI object is not included in the display image when a predetermined time has elapsed since the detailed information became the read state, An information processing system comprising:

2. The UI object removal means determines that the detailed information has become the read state when any of the following occurs: when the first instruction operation is performed among the instruction operations on the UI object, when the detailed information output means first outputs the detailed information to the display device, when all of the detailed information is first displayed on the display device, or when the first display of the detailed information ends. The information processing system according to claim 1.

3. The display image is a virtual space image obtained by photographing a virtual space with a virtual camera, The UI object arrangement means arranges the UI object by superimposing it on the virtual space image. The information processing system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The display image is a virtual space image obtained by photographing a virtual space with a virtual camera, The UI object arrangement means arranges the UI object in the virtual space. The information processing system according to claim 1 or 2.

5. The information processing system according to claim 1, further comprising first event generation means for generating a first event including the user who performed the instruction operation within the predetermined application until the predetermined time elapses after the UI object becomes the read state.

6. The first event is an event in which the price of an item that can be purchased by the user within the application is cheaper than when the first event does not occur, and second detailed information for purchasing the item is output to the display device by a user's instruction operation on the detailed information. The information processing system according to claim 5.

7. further comprising second event generating means for generating a second event to be executed within the application until a predetermined end point; The UI object removing means removes the UI object from the display image without waiting for the elapse of the predetermined time when the predetermined end point arrives before the elapse of the predetermined time after the detailed information regarding the second event becomes in the read state, according to any one of claims 1 to 6. Information processing system.

8. The UI object removing means further removes the UI object from the display image when the user executes a predetermined action in the first event, according to the information processing system of claim 5.

9. The UI object removing means further removes the UI object from the display image when the user executes a predetermined action in the second event, according to the information processing system of claim 7.

10. The UI object arranging means, in response to the detailed information changing from the unread state to the read state, replaces the UI object in the first display mode that does not include the notation regarding the predetermined time with the UI object in the second display mode that includes the notation regarding the display mode of the UI object corresponding to the detailed information included in the display image, according to any one of claims 1 to 9. Information processing system.

11. The UI object arranging means selects and arranges at least one of the UI objects from a plurality of candidates, according to any one of claims 1 to 10. Information processing system.

12. The UI object arranging means selects the UI object to be arranged based on the past user behavior history in the predetermined application from among the plurality of candidates, according to the information processing system of claim 11.

13. A priority is set for each of the plurality of candidates, The UI object arranging means selects the UI object to be arranged according to the priority, according to the information processing system of claim 11 or 12.

14. The UI object arranging means periodically selects the UI object to be arranged, according to any one of claims 1 to 13. Information processing system.

15. When the UI object arranging means selects the UI object to be arranged, for the UI object for which the predetermined time has not elapsed since the detailed information became the read state, it preferentially selects it over other UI objects. The information processing system according to claim 14.

16. When a scene transition occurs in the predetermined application after the elapse of the predetermined time, the UI object removing means removes the UI object from the display image. The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

17. Even after the detailed information has become the read state, every time there is a user instruction operation on the UI object included in the display image, the detailed information output means outputs the detailed information. The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

18. During the execution of a predetermined application, an image output means for outputting a display image to a display device, A UI object arranging means for arranging the UI object so that the UI object is included in the display image, When there is a user instruction operation on the UI object included in the display image, a detailed information output means for outputting the detailed information associated with the UI object to the display device, A UI object removing means for removing the UI object from the display image so that the UI object is not included in the display image when a predetermined time has elapsed since the detailed information became the read state, An information processing apparatus comprising:

19. A UI object arranging step of arranging the UI object so that the UI object is included in the display image, An image output step of outputting the display image to a display device during the execution of a predetermined application, A detailed information output step of outputting the detailed information associated with the UI object to the display device when there is a user instruction operation on the UI object included in the display image, A UI object removing step of removing the UI object from the display image so that the UI object is not included in the display image when a predetermined time has elapsed since the detailed information became the read state, An information processing method including:

20. Causing a computer of an information processing apparatus to During the execution of a predetermined application, an image output means for outputting a display image to a display device, UI object arranging means for arranging the UI object so that the UI object is included in the display image, detail information output means for outputting, to the display device, detail information associated with the UI object when there is a user's instruction operation on the UI object included in the display image, UI object removing means for removing the UI object from the display image so that the UI object is not included in the display image when a predetermined time has elapsed since the detail information became a read state, An information processing program that functions as such.

Images