Providing apparatus, providing method, providing program, and providing system

Abstract

To provide a device, a method, program, and a system for providing useful information for child-rearing users.SOLUTION: A provision device 100 is provided, comprising: a determination unit 133 configured to determine a pregnancy- or child-rearing-related attribute of a user based on actions related to child development taken by the user via a user terminal 10; a selection unit 134 configured to select provision information to be provided to the user based on the attribute determined by the determination unit 133; and a provision unit 135 configured to provide the user with the provision information selected by the selection unit 134 via the user terminal 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a providing apparatus, a providing method, a providing program, and a providing system.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, techniques for providing various information to users such as pregnant women during pregnancy and mothers raising children are known. As an example of such a technique, there is known a technique for providing a consultation page that includes consultations and answers belonging to a genre according to the developmental stage of the user's fetus or child among the consultation contents regarding child rearing (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the above-described conventional technology, there are cases where it cannot be said that useful information is provided to the user.

[0005] For example, the state of morning sickness during pregnancy is considered to vary depending on the user. However, in the above-described conventional technology, for users in the period when morning sickness is likely to occur, only a consultation page regarding morning sickness is provided. Therefore, the user has to select a consultation page regarding morning sickness that is similar to their own morning sickness from the registered consultation pages, which is time-consuming.

[0006] The present application has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to provide useful information to the user.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The providing device according to the present application includes a determination unit that determines an attribute related to pregnancy or child-rearing of the user based on the actions related to the growth of the child performed via the user's terminal, a selection unit that selects providing information to be provided to the user based on the attribute determined by the determination unit, and a providing unit that provides the providing information selected by the selection unit to the user.

Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to one aspect of the embodiment, it is possible to provide useful information to the user.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] At least the following matters become clear from the description in this specification and the accompanying drawings.

[0011] (Claim 1) A providing device, comprising: a determination unit that determines an attribute related to pregnancy or child-rearing of a user based on actions related to the growth of a child performed by the user via a terminal; a selection unit that selects providing information to be provided to the user based on the attribute determined by the determination unit; and a providing unit that provides the providing information selected by the selection unit to the user.

[0012] According to such a providing device, based on actions related to the growth of children, such as the user browsing news and articles related to the growth of children, submission information posted by other users, or the user posting submission information, the attributes related to the user's pregnancy or child-rearing are determined. Note that the providing device may determine the attributes of the user based on, for example, the content of various operations input by the user via the first terminal (for example, a smartphone), and the information browsed via the second terminal (for example, a tablet or a smart TV, etc.) according to the operations. That is, as long as the providing device performs the estimation of attributes based on various actions related to the growth of children performed by the user via the terminal, it may perform the estimation of attributes based on the actions performed in any manner. Then, the providing device selects the providing information to be provided to the user based on the determined attributes. And the providing device provides the selected providing information to the user. Thereby, the providing device can provide useful information for the user.

[0013] For example, as an attribute related to the user's pregnancy, based on the attribute that morning sickness is severe, the providing device can provide information useful for users with severe morning sickness. For example, as information useful for users with a lot of morning sickness, the providing device can provide information on menus and dietary methods that can reduce morning sickness. On the other hand, as an attribute related to the user's pregnancy, for users with less severe morning sickness, in addition to menus and dietary methods that can relieve morning sickness, the providing device can also provide information such as ingredients that should be added to daily meals for the health of the fetus.

[0014] In this way, since the providing device selects information beneficial to the user from the information related to pregnancy based on the attributes related to the user's pregnancy, it can save the trouble of the user searching for the information they want. In addition, since the providing device determines the attributes related to the user's pregnancy, it can provide appropriate information corresponding to different pregnancy-related states for each user.

[0015] (Claim 2) In addition, the providing device determines the attributes of the user based on the history of the growth information regarding the growth of the child that the user has viewed.

[0016] According to such a providing device, since the attributes of the user are determined based on the history of the growth information regarding the growth of the child that the user has viewed, for example, information regarding events that occurred at the age of the user's child can be provided.

[0017] (Claim 3) In addition, the providing device determines the attributes of the user based on the answer given by the user to a question regarding the growth of the child.

[0018] According to such a providing device, since the attributes of the user are determined based on the answer given by the user to a question regarding the growth of the child, the attributes of the user can be determined with high accuracy.

[0019] (Claim 4) In addition, the providing device receives, as the answer, a basic answer that is an answer to a predetermined question regarding the growth of the child, and at a timing different from the basic answer, receives an additional answer that is an answer to a question other than the predetermined question, and determines the attributes of the user based on the basic answer, or the basic answer and the additional answer.

[0020] According to such a providing device, since the providing device receives, as the answer, a basic answer that is an answer to a predetermined question regarding the growth of the child, and at a timing different from the basic answer, receives an additional answer that is an answer to a question other than the predetermined question, and determines the attributes of the user based on the basic answer, or the basic answer and the additional answer, the attributes of the user can be determined with high accuracy.

[0021] (Claim 5) In addition, the providing device provides the user with a new question regarding the growth of the child together with the provided information, and receives an answer to the new question as the additional answer.

[0022] According to such a providing device, along with the provided information, new questions regarding the growth of children are provided to the user, and answers to the new questions are received as additional answers, so that sufficient information can be obtained to determine the attributes of the user.

[0023] (Claim 6) In addition, the providing device provides the user with questions related to the provided information.

[0024] According to such a providing device, since questions related to the provided information are provided to the user, the attributes of the user can be determined with high accuracy.

[0025] (Claim 7) In addition, the providing device selects a number of provided information according to the determined attributes.

[0026] According to such a providing device, since a number of provided information according to the determined attributes are selected, useful provided information for the user can be selected with high accuracy.

[0027] (Claim 8) In addition, the providing device selects provided information of a type according to the determined attributes.

[0028] According to such a providing device, since provided information of a type according to the determined attributes are selected, useful provided information for the user can be selected with high accuracy.

[0029] (Claim 9) In addition, the providing device selects provided information with an amount of information according to the determined attributes.

[0030] According to such a providing device, since provided information with an amount of information according to the determined attributes are selected, useful provided information for the user can be selected with high accuracy.

[0031] (Claim 10) In addition, the providing device selects, as the provided information, posting information corresponding to the attributes of the user who is the destination of the provided information among the posting information posted by a plurality of users.

[0032] According to such a providing device, among the posting information posted by a plurality of users, since the posting information corresponding to the attributes of the user who is the destination of the provided information is selected as the provided information, useful provided information can be selected with high precision for the user.

[0033] (Claim 11) In addition, the providing device selects, as the provided information, posting information posted by other users whose attributes are similar to those of the user who is the destination of the provided information.

[0034] According to such a providing device, since the posting information posted by other users whose attributes are similar to those of the user who is the destination of the provided information is selected as the provided information, useful provided information can be selected with high precision for the user.

[0035] (Claim 12) In addition, the providing device selects the provided information from among posting information including information input by the other users and information selected by the other users from among predetermined information.

[0036] According to such a providing device, since the provided information is selected from among posting information including information input by the other users and information selected by the other users from among predetermined information, useful provided information can be selected with high precision for the user.

[0037] (Claim 13) In addition, the providing device estimates a plurality of attributes as the attributes of the user, and selects the provided information based on a combination of the plurality of determined attributes.

[0038] According to such a providing device, as attributes of the user, a plurality of attributes are estimated, and based on the combination of the determined plurality of attributes, the provided information is selected, so that useful provided information for the user can be selected with high accuracy.

[0039] (Claim 14) Further, the providing device further determines the attributes of the user based on information about the user's child.

[0040] According to such a providing device, since the attributes of the user are determined based on information about the user's child, the attributes of the user can be determined with high accuracy.

[0041] (Claim 15) Further, the providing device selects the provided information based on the attributes of the user and the relationship between the user and the child.

[0042] According to such a providing device, since the provided information is selected based on the attributes of the user and the relationship between the user and the child, useful provided information for the user can be selected with high accuracy.

[0043] (Claim 16) Further, as an attribute of the user, the providing device determines the gestational age of the fetus that the user is pregnant with.

[0044] According to such a providing device, as an attribute of the user, since the gestational age of the fetus that the user is pregnant with is determined, the attributes of the user can be determined with high accuracy.

[0045] (Claim 19) In addition, the provision system according to the embodiment includes a program installed in an information processing device and an application installed in a terminal. Further, such a program causes a computer included in the information processing device to execute a process of determining an attribute related to the user's pregnancy or child-rearing based on the behavior of the child related to the user's growth in the user's terminal, a process of selecting provision information to be provided to the user based on the determined attribute, and a process of providing the provision information selected by the selection procedure to the terminal. Further, such an application causes a computer included in the terminal to execute a process of outputting the provision information provided from the information processing device.

[0046] According to such a provision system, useful information can be provided to the user.

[0047] Hereinafter, an example of a mode for implementing a provision device, a provision method, a provision program, and a provision system (hereinafter referred to as "embodiment") will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the provision device, the provision method, the provision program, and the provision system are not limited by this embodiment. In addition, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same parts in the following embodiments, and duplicate descriptions are omitted. Further, the content described in the following embodiments may be any information, for example, an article, advertising content, etc.

[0048] [Embodiment] [1. Example of a Provision System] Next, an example of the provision system according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the provision system according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the provision system 1 includes a user terminal 10 and a provision device 100.

[0049] The user terminal 10 according to the embodiment is an information processing apparatus used by a user. The user terminal 10 is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a notebook PC (Personal Computer), a desktop PC, a mobile phone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), or the like. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the user terminal 10 is a smartphone.

[0050] The providing apparatus 100 according to the embodiment is realized by, for example, a server apparatus, a cloud system, or the like. Specifically, the providing apparatus 100 determines an attribute related to the user's pregnancy or child-rearing based on an answer to a question regarding the growth of the user's child. Then, the providing apparatus 100 selects providing information to be provided to the user based on such an attribute. And the providing apparatus 100 provides such providing information to the user.

[0051] 〔1-1. Regarding the content provided by the providing system〕 Here, the providing system 1 shown in FIG. 1 provides growth information, which is information related to the growth of a child, such as pregnancy, childbirth, or child-rearing, to the user via the user terminal 10. For example, the providing system 1 provides, as growth information, an article explaining foods that are good to consume during pregnancy, exercises recommended during pregnancy, methods for reducing morning sickness, and the like. In addition, the providing system 1 provides, as growth information, posted information posted by each user, such as information that a certain action reduced morning sickness or that it was good to consume this food, which is information related to the growth of a child. Note that the growth of a child here includes pregnancy, childbirth, child-rearing, and the like. For example, the growth of a child includes not only the fetus in pregnancy and childbirth but also matters related to parents including the mother, caregivers, or guardians who raise children, such as matters related to the growth of the fetus or child and matters related to the people associated with childbirth. Also, for example, the growth of a child includes information related to morning sickness, which is a change in the mother's physical condition during pregnancy.

[0052] In addition to such articles and posting information, for example, products for infants such as diapers, baby bottles, powdered milk, baby carriers, etc., products used by pregnant users such as maternity wear, and various products and services related to the growth of children such as children's clothing and toys (for example, kindergartens, infant-themed parks, temporary childcare for infants, etc.) may be provided as growth information along with various advertisements and information related thereto.

[0053] In addition, the provided growth information may include corporate content such as articles and posting information registered by companies. Here, corporate content refers to content such as articles registered by various companies, for example, articles or posts regarding products or services provided by the companies. Note that corporate content may be content that includes information related to the growth of children, together with, for example, links to web content regarding the companies' products or services or advertisement images with links set therein.

[0054] In addition, the providing system 1 has a function of managing growth information using content called a note. For example, a note is content generated for each set of a user and the user's attributes, and is content for managing information desired by the user by summarizing various articles and posting information posted by each user. For example, a note includes things such as users' testimonials, things the users want to do, and things that are better to do, summarized for each predetermined theme.

[0055] For example, the providing device 100 receives a designation of information to be registered in a notebook from a user at the 15th week of pregnancy. For example, among the various pieces of information provided by the providing device 100, such as an article selected by the user from various articles or posted information such as a testimonial posted by another user, the providing device 100 associates the information selected by the user with the notebook. Then, when the user views the notebook, the providing device 100 provides the information associated with the notebook in a state where it is added to the notebook. That is, the notebook is a function of a scrapbook in which various pieces of information related to child-rearing are registered. Note that the providing device 100 may add various lists (for example, tasks such as things the user wants to do) and information input by the user into the notebook.

[0056] Then, when the operation of the user or a predetermined condition is satisfied, the providing device 100 publishes the notebook. For example, when the user performs a publication operation on the notebook or when the user goes from the 15th week of pregnancy to the 16th week of pregnancy (that is, when the user's temporal condition changes), the providing device 100 associates the user's attributes with the notebook and sets the notebook to a published state. As a result, the providing device 100 provides the published notebook to other users similar to the attributes associated with the notebook.

[0057] [[1-2. Outline of the Processing Executed by the Providing System]] Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 2, the outline of the processing executed by the providing device 100 will be described along the flow. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the outline of the providing process executed by the providing device 100 according to the embodiment. First, as shown in FIG. 2, the providing device 100 receives growth information such as testimonials and various contents such as notebooks from the users U2 and U3 using the user terminals 12 and 13, and registers them in a predetermined storage device (step S1).

[0058] Subsequently, the providing device 100 provides various contents and questions regarding the growth of the child to the user terminal 11 used by the user U1 (step S2). More specifically, the providing device 100 distributes the content selected from among the various contents based on the attributes regarding the growth of the child of the user U1. For example, when the user U1 is at the 10th week of pregnancy, the providing device 100 provides an article containing information useful for a pregnant woman at the 10th week of pregnancy, posted information posted by other users at the 10th week of pregnancy, and the like. Further, the providing device 100 provides a question having relevance to the content to be provided together with the content. For example, when the content is content regarding the diet method for children, the providing device 100 provides the user with a question having relevance to the provided content, such as "What is your child's favorite food?", together with the content regarding the diet method for children. In this way, the providing device 100 can cause the user to answer the question after checking the content by transmitting the question together with the content. Also, the providing device 100 can cause the user to answer the question with a clearer image. For example, the providing device 100 can prompt the user to select the user's type with an image of searching for a maternity hospital by providing a question "What type of maternity hospital searcher are you?" together with a general article about maternity hospitals.

[0059] Incidentally, the providing device 100 may provide a plurality of questions. For example, in addition to the question "What type of maternity hospital are you looking for?", the providing device 100 may provide a question "Diagnosis of the type of maternity hospital search". Thereby, the providing device 100 can provide the question "What type of maternity hospital are you looking for?" to users who have read general articles about maternity hospitals and who may select their own type, and allow the users to answer about their own type. On the other hand, the providing device 100 can provide the question "Diagnosis of the type of maternity hospital search" to users who have read general articles about maternity hospitals but who cannot yet select their own type. In this way, by providing a plurality of questions, the providing device 100 can appropriately provide users with questions that match the images the users have. Also, although the providing device 100 has been described as an example of providing questions together with content, it is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the providing device 100 may provide only questions to the users.

[0060] Then, the providing device 100 receives the answer of the user U1 to the provided question and registers it in the storage device (step S3). Subsequently, the providing device 100 determines the attributes of the user U1 based on the actions taken by the user via the user terminal 11, such as the browsing history of content such as articles and post information and the answers (answers to the questions provided in step S2 and answers to other questions provided in advance, etc.), which are actions related to the growth of children (step S4). For example, the providing device 100 determines whether the morning sickness of the user is severe or whether the user prefers content with a large amount of information based on the tendency of the content browsed by the user and the content of the answers to the questions.

[0061] Then, the providing device 100 selects the content to be provided to the user U1 according to the attributes of the user U1 (step S5). For example, assume that the user's attribute is severe morning sickness. Also assume that the provided information is information regarding methods for relieving morning sickness. In this case, based on the attribute that the user has severe morning sickness, the providing device 100 selects, as the provided information to be provided to the user, information regarding methods for relieving morning sickness. Then, the providing device 100 provides the selected content to the user U1 (step S6). Note that the providing device 100 is not necessarily limited to the process of providing content such as articles and posted information, and may provide content that combines a plurality of pieces of information such as the aforementioned notes.

[0062] In this way, the providing system 1 estimates the attributes of the user and provides content (for example, various growth information, notes, etc.) according to the estimated attributes. For example, the providing system 1 selects the content to be provided to the user according to the attributes of the user such as the severity of morning sickness and whether the user prefers content with a large amount of information, and provides the selected content to the user. As a result of such processing, the providing system 1 can provide useful information to the user. In addition, by providing content that combines a plurality of pieces of information such as notes, the providing system 1 enables the user to obtain and use a plurality of pieces of information suitable for the user's mental and physical state such as the user's state and values, and thus can encourage the user to reduce the man-hours required for further searching and selecting information of interest to the user.

[0063] [[2. An Example of the Functional Configuration of the Providing Device 100]] Subsequently, returning to FIG. 1, an example of the functional configuration of the providing device 100 will be described. In the following description, after an example of the function exerted by each functional configuration of the providing device 100 is described, the flow of processing executed by the providing device 100 by each functional configuration will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the providing device 100 includes a communication unit 110, a storage unit 120, and a control unit 130.

[0064] (Regarding the Communication Unit 110) The communication unit 110 is realized by, for example, a NIC or the like. The communication unit 110 is connected to the network N by wire or wirelessly, and transmits and receives information to and from the user terminal 10.

[0065] (Regarding the storage unit 120) The storage unit 120 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory element such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or an optical disk. The storage unit 120 has a user database 121, a growth information database 122, and a note database 123.

[0066] (Regarding the user database 121) The user database 121 according to the embodiment stores information about the user. Here, FIG. 3 shows an example of the user database 121 according to the embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the user database 121 stores information having items such as "user ID (Identifier)", "user information", and "attribute information". Further, in the "attribute information", information having items such as "number of weeks", "type", and "browsing tendency" is stored.

[0067] The "user ID" is an identifier for identifying the user. The "user information" is information about the user associated with the "user ID". For example, the user information is the name of the user, the address of the user, the age and gender of the user, the hobbies of the user, and the like. Further, the "attribute information" is a preset attribute, and is information indicating various attributes related to child-rearing such as pregnancy, childbirth, and child-rearing of the user indicated by the associated "user ID".

[0068] For example, "number of weeks" is the number of weeks associated with the "user ID", indicating the number of weeks elapsed since pregnancy, i.e., information regarding the fetal age. Note that the "number of weeks" may also indicate the number of weeks, months, or years elapsed since childbirth, i.e., the weekly, monthly, or annual age of the child, etc. "Type" is information regarding the type associated with the "user ID". Here, the type (hereinafter may be denoted as Type) indicates the type to which the user indicated by the associated "user ID" belongs among the preset types of users regarding child-rearing. That is, the type indicates characteristics of the user regarding pregnancy and child-rearing, etc.

[0069] For example, when the morning sickness of pregnant woman A is severe and the morning sickness of pregnant woman B is not severe, even if other attributes of pregnant woman A and pregnant woman B are the same or similar, pregnant woman A and pregnant woman B are determined to be of different types. Also, when the morning sickness of pregnant woman A and pregnant woman B is severe, even if other attributes of pregnant woman A and pregnant woman B are not similar, pregnant woman A and pregnant woman B may be determined to be of the same type. On the other hand, for example, when pregnant woman A and pregnant woman B have a plurality of attributes including morning sickness that are the same or similar, pregnant woman A and pregnant woman B may be determined to be of the same type. Also, the type referred to here is not limited to a type based on physical characteristics such as physical condition and constitution like morning sickness, but may also be a type based on mental characteristics such as values and preferences like wanting to use the latest service, wanting to use natural or naturally derived products.

[0070] "Browsing tendency" is the browsing tendency associated with the "user ID", indicating a browsing tendency regarding browsing, such as the number of times of browsing content, etc. For example, in FIG. 3, "U1" identified by the user ID has user information of "user information #1", a number of weeks of "5W", a type of "T1", and a browsing tendency of "information overload". Note that in the example shown in FIG. 3, the type is represented by an abstract symbol such as "T1", but the type may also be information indicating the specific tendency of the user, etc.

[0071] In addition, in FIG. 3, examples such as "number of weeks", "type", and "browsing tendency" are described as attribute information. However, in addition to these, various attributes related to child-rearing may be registered. For example, in the user database 121, as "attribute information", there are various user policies related to child-rearing that may be related, such as whether or not to send a child to a private kindergarten or school and whether or not to emphasize the use of natural foods, the physical or mental state of the user that may be related to various child-rearing, such as whether or not there is a parental home in the neighborhood and the user's underlying diseases, economic situation, etc. Any information indicating an attribute may be adopted as long as it indicates an attribute related to child-rearing. Also, "type" may be a classification determined from information indicating any of these attributes. In the following description, when simply described as "attribute", it shall indicate various attributes including type.

[0072] (Regarding the growth information database 122) The growth information database 122 according to the embodiment stores information regarding the state of the mother according to the progress of pregnancy. Here, FIG. 4 shows an example of the growth information database 122 according to the embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the growth information database 122 has items such as "growth information ID", "content type", "tag information", "number of weeks", "Type", and "attribute".

[0073] The "growth information ID" is an identifier for identifying growth information. The "content type" is information regarding the type of content associated with the "growth information ID". The "tag information" is information regarding the tag of the content associated with the "growth information ID".

[0074] The "number of weeks" is the number of weeks associated with the "growth information ID", which is information regarding the number of weeks indicating the time elapsed since pregnancy, that is, the gestational age of the fetus. "Type" is information regarding the type associated with the "growth information ID". The "attribute" is information regarding the attribute associated with the "growth information ID", which is information regarding the attribute of the user, and for example, is information indicating an attribute of the user that has a high relevance to the growth information indicated by the "growth information ID".

[0075] For example, in FIG. 4, "C1" identified by the growth information ID has a content type of "article", tag information of "swelling", a week number of "5W", a Type of "T1", and an attribute of "Z1". In the example shown in FIG. 3, the type is represented by an abstract symbol such as "T1", but the type may be information indicating the specific tendency of the user. Also, in the example shown in FIG. 4, the attribute is represented by an abstract symbol such as "Z1", but the attribute may be information indicating the attribute of the user.

[0076] (Regarding the note database 123) In the note database 123, information regarding notes is registered. FIG. 5 shows an example of the note database 123 according to the embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the note database 123 has items such as "note ID", "user ID", "associated ID", "week number", "Type", and "attribute".

[0077] The "note ID" is an identifier for identifying a note. The "user ID" is an identifier for identifying the user associated with the "note ID". The "associated ID" is information regarding the associated content associated with the "note ID".

[0078] The "week number" is the week number associated with the "note ID" and is information regarding the week number indicating the time elapsed since pregnancy. The "Type" is information regarding the Type associated with the "note ID". The "attribute" is information regarding the attribute associated with the "note ID" and is information regarding the attribute of the user.

[0079] For example, in FIG. 5, "N1" identified by the note ID has a user ID of "U1", an associated ID of "C1, C5...", a week number of "5W", a Type of "T1", and an attribute of "Z1". In the example shown in FIG. 5, the Type and attribute are represented by abstract symbols such as "T1" and "Z1", but information indicating the specific tendency of the user and the like will be registered in the note database 123.

[0080] (Regarding control unit 130) Returning to FIG. 1, the description will continue. The control unit 130 is a controller, which is realized, for example, by various programs (corresponding to an example of a provision program) stored in a storage device inside the providing device 100 being executed with the RAM as a work area by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), or the like. Further, the control unit 130 is a controller, which is realized, for example, by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0081] As shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 130 includes a question providing unit 131, an answer receiving unit 132, a determination unit 133, a selection unit 134, a providing unit 135, a designation receiving unit 136, an association unit 137, a registration unit 138, an editing unit 139, and an evaluation receiving unit 140, and realizes or executes the information processing functions and operations described below. Note that the internal configuration of the control unit 130 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 1, and may be any other configuration as long as it can perform the information processing described later. Also, the connection relationship between the respective processing units included in the control unit 130 is not limited to the connection relationship shown in FIG. 1, and may be any other connection relationship.

[0082] (Regarding question providing unit 131) The question providing unit 131 provides the user with predetermined questions regarding the growth of a child (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "basic questions"). For example, when the user terminal 10 first launches an application for viewing various types of information provided by the providing device 100 (for example, at the first launch after installation, etc.), the question providing unit 131 provides only the predetermined basic questions among the questions for estimating attributes such as the type of the user. Thereafter, the question providing unit 131 provides other questions at a predetermined timing, such as when the user views various types of content. The basic questions are, for example, questions regarding information of the user (and the child or fetus) that does not change or rarely changes, such as the name (including nickname) and gender of the user and the user's child (including fetus), the expected date of delivery (or the current gestational week), the birthday (or the age or month age of the child), the residential area, the age, and the presence or absence of employment.

[0083] Here, when various types of provided information such as articles are provided, the question providing unit 131 provides the user with new questions regarding the growth of the child. More specifically, the question providing unit 131 provides the user with questions regarding content that is relevant to the provided information provided to the user.

[0084] For example, assume that the provided information is content regarding a child's diet method. Also assume that a new question regarding the growth of the child is the number of times the child talks. In this case, the question providing unit 131 provides the user with a question regarding the number of times the child talks together with the content regarding the child's diet method. Also, for example, when providing content of "selecting a maternity hospital" as a special feature according to the number of weeks of pregnancy of a pregnant woman, the question providing unit 131 provides a question regarding "values regarding a maternity hospital" together with the article of "selecting a maternity hospital". According to the answer to this question, further content of "selecting a maternity hospital" is selected and provided to the user. In this way, when providing content according to the number of weeks or the age of the child, by obtaining the user's attributes (for example, the answer to the question) related to the content, it is possible to easily obtain the user's attributes and it is possible to easily provide content more suitable for the user's attributes.

[0085] Note that the question providing unit 131 may provide questions for determining predetermined items among attributes and questions for determining other items at different timings. For example, when the application is launched and the user's permission or application for type diagnosis is received, the question providing unit 131 may provide a question for determining the user's type, and then, each time the user views content, may output a question for determining items other than the type. Further, the question providing unit 131 may provide a question for performing type diagnosis again, for example, when a predetermined condition is satisfied, such as when it is estimated that the gestational age of the fetus has changed.

[0086] In this way, since the question providing unit 131 provides questions to the user step by step, for example, as a result of reducing the amount of information input for using the functions of the application, it is possible to improve the user's impression of the application and the services provided by the providing device 100. For example, if the application cannot be used unless a large number of questions are answered at the start of using the application, the user cannot start using the application without spending time, and as a result, the user may stop using it before starting to use the application. Also, even if a question about the state of morning sickness is asked at the start of the application, a user who has not yet experienced morning sickness may not know how to answer. Therefore, the question providing unit 131 provides a question about morning sickness, for example, when it is estimated that the user is interested in an article about morning sickness (for example, when the user views an article about morning sickness, when morning sickness content is distributed when the user's week number is the week number when morning sickness generally occurs, etc.). As a result, the providing device 100 can determine the user's attributes at an appropriate timing.

[0087] (Regarding the response receiving unit 132) The response receiving unit 132 receives, as a response, a basic response that is a response to a predetermined question regarding the growth of a child, and receives an additional response that is a response to a question other than the predetermined question at a timing different from that of the basic response.

[0088] For example, assume that the predetermined questions regarding the growth of children provided by the question providing unit 131 are the number of months or age, gender, and weight after birth. Also, assume that questions other than the predetermined questions are the frequency of meals, the frequency of night crying, and the sleep time. In this case, the answer receiving unit 132 answers as a predetermined question regarding the growth of children in a manner in which the user inputs etc. to the content in which the number of months or age, gender, or weight after birth is displayed, and receives a basic answer. Further, after receiving such an answer, the answer receiving unit 132 receives an answer to the question provided by the question providing unit 131, that is, an additional answer, when browsing the content etc.

[0089] (Regarding the determination unit 133) The determination unit 133 determines an attribute regarding the user's pregnancy or child-rearing based on the user's actions regarding the growth of the child. Specifically, the determination unit 133 determines the user's attribute based on the history of growth information regarding the growth of the child browsed by the user, the content of the answer to the question, the content of the note selected by the user, etc.

[0090] More specifically, the determination unit 133 determines the user's attribute based on the answer given by the user to the question regarding the growth of the child. For example, the determination unit 133 determines the gestational age of the fetus that the user is pregnant with as the user's attribute. Also, the determination unit 133 estimates various attributes such as the tendency of the content of the article preferred by the user and whether the user prefers an article with a large amount of information as the user's attribute.

[0091] For example, if the content related to the method of relieving morning sickness has the highest number of views in the user's browsing history among all content, the determination unit 133 determines that the user has severe morning sickness as an attribute related to the user's pregnancy because the user views the content related to the method of relieving morning sickness frequently. For example, when the determination unit 133 selects the content related to morning sickness a predetermined number of times (for example, 5 times), it may be presumed that the user has severe morning sickness, and when the number of selections of the content related to morning sickness is less than the predetermined number of times (for example, 4 times or less), it may be presumed that the user has mild morning sickness. Also, for example, the determination unit 133 may determine the user's preferences and values from questions such as whether the user prefers a new service or values past habits. Then, based on the values determined by the determination unit 133, the providing unit 134 can provide content related to new services available during pregnancy or content with a high number of views by users with more compatible values.

[0092] Also, for example, the determination unit 133 may determine the user's attributes based on the number and content of the content added to the user's note. For example, when the number of content added to the user's note exceeds a predetermined threshold, the determination unit 133 may determine that the user prefers content with a large amount of information. Also, when the proportion of similar content among the content added to the note is high, the determination unit 133 may determine that the user has an attribute of wanting to confirm things carefully.

[0093] For example, if the content related to a 5-month-old child after birth has the highest number of views in the user's browsing history among all content, the determination unit 133 may determine that the user is raising a 5-month-old child after birth as an attribute related to child-rearing because the user views the content related to a 5-month-old child after birth frequently. Note that the determination unit 133 may, for example, calculate the gestational age of the current fetus in reverse from the date and time input in response to the question about the expected due date, and determine the calculated gestational age as an attribute.

[0094] Also, for example, when the user answers in agreement to a question such as "Is the morning sickness severe?" provided by the question providing unit 131, the determination unit 133 may determine that the user's morning sickness is severe. Then, the determination unit 133 registers the reflected user attributes in the user database 121. Note that the determination unit 133 may also determine the amount of information desired by the user or the user's preference for content as the user's attributes.

[0095] (Regarding the selection unit 134) The selection unit 134 selects the provided information to be provided to the user based on the attributes determined by the determination unit 133. Specifically, when the selection unit 134 receives a distribution request for various contents from the user, it identifies the attributes of the requesting user from the user database 121. Then, the selection unit 134 selects, as the provided information, the content whose attributes match the attributes of the requesting user among the contents such as the growth information registered in the growth information database 122 and the notes registered in the note database 123. In this way, the selection unit 134 selects the type of provided information corresponding to the attributes determined by the determination unit 133.

[0096] Note that the selection unit 134 may select a number of contents corresponding to the attributes determined by the determination unit 133. For example, when the user desires content with a large amount of information, the selection unit 134 may select more contents than a predetermined number. Also, the selection unit 134 may select content with an amount of information corresponding to the attributes determined by the determination unit 133. For example, the selection unit 134 may select, as the provision target, the content whose amount of information exceeds a predetermined threshold among the contents.

[0097] For example, assume that the user's attribute is that morning sickness is severe. Also, assume that the provided information to be provided to the user is information regarding methods for relieving morning sickness. In this case, the selection unit 134 selects information regarding methods for relieving morning sickness based on the attribute that the user has severe morning sickness. For example, when it is determined that the user's attribute is that morning sickness is severe, the selection unit 134 selects information regarding methods for relieving morning sickness as the provided information to be provided to the user.

[0098] Here, the selection unit 134 may select the provided information to be provided to the user based on a plurality of attributes. For example, when it is determined that the user's attributes include severe morning sickness and a preference for content with a large amount of information, among the content regarding methods for relieving morning sickness, the selection unit 134 may select content with a large amount of information (for example, growth information with the number of characters being equal to or more than a predetermined threshold value, or content with the number of articles being more than a predetermined number of articles). Also, when it is determined that the user's attributes include severe morning sickness and a preference for content with a small amount of information, among the content regarding methods for relieving morning sickness, the selection unit 134 may select content with a small amount of information (for example, growth information listing the methods for relieving morning sickness item by item, or content with the number of articles being less than a predetermined number of articles). Further, when the user has severe morning sickness and lacks exercise, the selection unit 134 may select information regarding gymnastics that can reduce morning sickness as the provided information.

[0099] Also, when the user prefers content with a large amount of information or has an attribute of wanting to carefully confirm things, the selection unit 134 may select a larger number of provided information. When the user prefers simple content or has an attribute of preferring content with a small amount of information due to being easily troubled by choices, the selection unit 134 may select a smaller number of provided information.

[0100] Note that the process executed by the selection unit 134 does not necessarily have to be limited to the above example. Specifically, the selection unit 134 may select, as the provided information, the posted information corresponding to the attributes of the user who is the destination of the provided information among the posted information posted by a plurality of users.

[0101] For example, the selection unit 134 may select, as the provided information, post information posted by other users whose attributes are similar to those of the user who is the destination of the provided information. For example, the selection unit 134 may identify other users whose attributes are similar to those of a certain user, and select, as the provided information, the content viewed by the identified other users, the content added to the note, and the like. Further, the selection unit 134 may select, as the target for providing, post information that is information posted by the identified other users. For example, when the morning sickness of the user is severe, the selection unit 134 may select post information posted by other users with similarly severe morning sickness and related to morning sickness (for example, post information regarding methods for relieving morning sickness).

[0102] In addition, the selection unit 134 may provide the user with the notes of other users. For example, the selection unit 134 may provide the user with notes generated by users with attributes similar to those of the user and made public. To give a more specific example, when the user is at 15 weeks of pregnancy and has severe morning sickness, the selection unit 134 may provide the user with notes generated by other users with similarly severe morning sickness at 15 weeks of pregnancy. That is, the selection unit 134 may select, as the target for providing, not only the information posted by other users whose attributes are similar to those of the user at the time of providing various contents, but also the post information and notes when the attributes of the user at the time of providing the content are similar to the attributes of other users at the time when the post information was posted or the note was created.

[0103] In addition, the selection unit 134 may select the provided information based on the attributes of the user and the relationship between the user and the child. For example, the selection unit 134 may select the content to be provided information according to whether the user who requests the content delivery is a mother or a father. For example, when the user is a mother, the selection unit 134 may select the notes and posting information generated by other mothers as the delivery information, and when the user is a father, the selection unit 134 may select the notes and posting information generated by other fathers as the delivery information. Also, for example, when there are multiple (or a predetermined number or more) pieces of content, the selection unit 134 may select the content as the provided information based on the evaluation of the content (such as the number of views, the number of high evaluations from users, etc.).

[0104] (Regarding the providing unit 135) The providing unit 135 provides the provided information selected by the selection unit 134 to the user. For example, the providing unit 135 provides the information related to morning sickness selected by the selection unit 134 to the user. More specifically, the providing unit 135 provides the user with content such as notes in which posting information and articles related to morning sickness are summarized, articles, and posting information as the information related to morning sickness.

[0105] Here, when the providing unit 135 provides a note, it provides a note with the growth information associated with the note added. More specifically, the providing unit 135 identifies the content such as articles associated with the note from the associated ID associated with the note ID of the note to be provided, and provides it in a state where the identified content and the link to the content are placed in the note.

[0106] The providing unit 135 will make the note public to other users whose attributes are similar to the attributes of the user at the time of publishing the note (i.e., attributes related to pregnancy or childcare). For example, when the attributes of the user related to the due date (e.g., fetal age in weeks or infant age in months, etc.) satisfy a predetermined condition, the providing unit 135 will make the content corresponding to the user public to other users. For example, in a case where a user is raising a 5-month-old child and is using a "5-month-old note", when the user's child becomes 6 months old, the user will stop using the "5-month-old note" and start using a "6-month-old note". In this case, the providing unit 135 makes the "5-month-old note" public, and provides the "5-month-old note" to other users when they are raising a 5-month-old child. In other words, the selecting unit 134 selects the note that was made public when the attributes related to the due date of the user satisfied the predetermined condition as the provision information to be provided to other users whose attributes related to the due date satisfy the predetermined condition. Furthermore, the providing unit 135 may provide content (including the note) according to the degree of similarity between the attributes of the user at the time of creating the note and the attributes of other users to whom the note is provided, for example.

[0107] Furthermore, when the content is linked to behavioral information, the providing unit 135 provides the content indicating the behaviors performed by the user among the behaviors indicated by the behavioral information in a distinguishable state. For example, the providing unit 135 provides the note in a manner that distinguishes between tasks performed by the user and tasks not performed among the tasks registered by the user. Furthermore, for example, the providing unit 135 provides the user with content according to the number of behaviors performed by the user among the behaviors indicated by the behavioral information. For example, the providing unit 135 may provide the user with various points or the like when the user has performed all the tasks.

[0108] The providing unit 135 may provide the user with information included in the content or a moving image generated based on the growth information associated with the content. For example, assume that the user is raising a child who is 5 months old after birth. Also assume that the information included in the content is information regarding methods for dealing with night crying. In this case, the providing unit 135 may provide the user with a moving image showing specific measures for such a child based on the information regarding methods for dealing with night crying of a 5-month-old child after birth.

[0109] For example, assume that the user is raising a child who is 11 months old after birth. Also assume that the growth information associated with the content shows an anecdote regarding a diet method. In this case, the providing unit 135 may provide the user with a moving image showing a specific way of feeding such a child based on the anecdote regarding the diet method of an 11-month-old child after birth.

[0110] Further, the providing unit 135 may provide the content and an evaluation of the content to other users. For example, assume that the user is raising a child who is 5 months old after birth. Also assume that the user has generated content themed on raising a 5-month-old child. In this case, the providing unit 135 may provide evaluation information in which other users show a positive reaction to the content themed on raising a 5-month-old child generated by the user.

[0111] (Regarding the designation receiving unit 136) The designation receiving unit 136 receives from the user a designation of growth information, which is information to be added to the content corresponding to the user and relates to the growth of a child. Specifically, the designation receiving unit 136 receives from another user a designation of growth information to be added to the content corresponding to the other user. Specifically, the designation receiving unit 136 receives from the user a designation of new growth information to be added to new content.

[0112] For example, the specification reception unit 136 receives, as growth information, a specification of posting information regarding the growth of a child posted by another user different from the user. Further, the specification reception unit 136 receives a specification of action information indicating an action that the user desires to execute regarding the growth of the child input by the user. For example, the specification reception unit 136 receives registration of a task.

[0113] Also, for example, when the user selects the corporate content provided by the providing unit 135, the specification reception unit 136 receives from the user a specification of growth information to be added to the new content as a copy of the corporate content as new content corresponding to the user.

[0114] (Regarding the association unit 137) The association unit 137 associates a note with the specified growth information. Specifically, the association unit 137 associates a note with the growth information selected by the user.

[0115] (Regarding the registration unit 138) The registration unit 138 registers by associating content with the growth information associated with the content. For example, when the user selects a certain content, the registration unit 138 registers by associating the growth information ID of the selected content with the note ID of the user's note. Also, when a certain user selects the note of another user, the registration unit 138 registers a copy of the selected note as the user's note. Also, for example, the registration unit 138 registers, in the user's note, an action that the user wants to perform, that is, an action related to childcare, namely a task.

[0116] In addition, when the attributes related to the user's due date meet predetermined conditions, or when the user performs an operation to publish a note, the registration unit 138 designates the user's note as a publication target. For example, when the user's attribute changes from the attribute "10 weeks", which indicates the 10th week of pregnancy, to the attribute "15 weeks", which indicates the 15th week of pregnancy, the registration unit 138 designates the note generated by the user when the attribute was "10 weeks" as a publication target. More specifically, the registration unit 138 registers by associating the user's attribute "10 weeks", the user type, etc. with the note. As a result, the selection unit 134 selects, as provision information to be provided to other users who are newly in their 10th week of pregnancy, the note generated by this user when they were in their 10th week of pregnancy.

[0117] (Regarding the editing unit 139) The editing unit 139 edits the content published to other users by the provision unit 135 according to an instruction from the user. For example, when the editing unit 135 receives an editing request for a note, it determines whether the note was registered by the requesting user. If the note was registered by the requesting user, it edits the note according to the user's operation. On the other hand, when the note was not registered by the requesting user, the editing unit 139 does not perform the editing. That is, the editing unit 139 permits only the user associated with the note to edit the note.

[0118] (Regarding the evaluation reception unit 140) The evaluation reception unit 140 receives evaluations of the content from other users. For example, assume that the content is a personal experience story about morning sickness, and the evaluation is on a scale of 1 to 5. In this case, the evaluation reception unit 140 receives the evaluation "4" from other users for the personal experience story about morning sickness. Note that the evaluation here is not limited to the above 1 - 5 scale evaluation and may be determined based on any evaluation criteria. For example, the evaluation here may be the total number of positive reactions from other users to the content.

[0119] [3. An example of the provision process according to the embodiment] Hereinafter, an example of the process executed by the providing apparatus 100 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 11.

[0120] 〔3-1. An Example of the Flow of the Providing Process According to the Embodiment〕 First, with reference to FIG. 6, an example of the flow of the process in which the providing apparatus 100 provides various contents will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the providing process according to the embodiment.

[0121] Note that hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 6, based on the attributes related to the user's pregnancy or child-rearing determined based on the actions related to the growth of the user's child, the providing information to be provided to the user is selected, and an example of the process of providing such providing information to the user will be described.

[0122] First, the question providing unit 131 receives a content distribution request (step S101). Then, when the question providing unit 131 has not received a content distribution request (step S101; No), it waits until a distribution request is received.

[0123] On the other hand, when the question providing unit 131 has received a content distribution request (step S101; Yes), it determines whether it is the first access (step S102). Then, when the question providing unit 131 determines that it is not the first access (step S102; No), it proceeds to step S105.

[0124] On the other hand, when the question providing unit 131 determines that it is the first access (step S102; Yes), it provides the designated basic questions to the user (step S103). Then, the answer receiving unit 132 receives the basic answers corresponding to the designated basic questions (step S104).

[0125] Also, the determination unit 133 determines the user's attributes based on the answer history (step S105). Then, the selection unit 134 selects the content to be distributed based on the attributes determined by the determination unit 133 (step S106).

[0126] Further, the selection unit 134 selects a question corresponding to the selected content (step S107). Then, the providing unit 135 provides the selected content and the question (step S108). Thereafter, the answer receiving unit 132 receives an answer to the question (step S109) and ends the process.

[0127] [3-2. Example of Screen Transition in the Providing Process] Here, an example of screen transition in the providing process will be described along the flow with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of screen transition according to the embodiment. In FIG. 7, it is described on the assumption that the user has previously installed the application AP for performing the providing process.

[0128] First, as shown in FIG. 7, the user terminal 10 displays the content SC1 when the user starts the application AP. For example, in the example of FIG. 7, the user terminal 10 displays the content in which the character PC1 etc. are displayed together with a message for receiving the user such as "Welcome to the app". The character here may be any object, for example, a character used for a person, an animal, an animation, etc.

[0129] Then, the user terminal 10 receives the information in which the user inputs various information to the content SC2. For example, in the example of FIG. 7, the user terminal 10 displays the content SC2 including basic questions. For example, the content SC2 includes a title such as "Basic Answer Input", a basic question used for receiving a service such as "What is the expected delivery date?", and an answer field for selecting a date such as "May 8th".

[0130] Note that the questions displayed in the content SC2 are just examples, and various questions are displayed in the content SC2. For example, the questions are basic questions such as gender, age, weight, or current physical condition. Also, the input by the user does not have to be limited to the mode of selection by a pull-down, and for example, the mode in which the user freely inputs comments etc. in text may be used.

[0131] Then, the providing device 100 individually provides preset basic questions and receives answers (step ST). When the user terminal 10 determines that the user has input answers to all of the basic questions, the content SC3 is displayed. For example, in the example of FIG. 7, the content SC3 includes a tutorial showing explanations of operations related to the application AP and the like.

[0132] For example, the tutorial is an explanation of the application AP, an explanation of what can be done by the application AP, or an explanation of the operation of the application AP. Note that the tutorial may include services that the company providing the application AP wants the user to use.

[0133] When the tutorial ends, the user terminal 10 inquires of the user whether to perform a type diagnosis. When the user selects to perform a type diagnosis, the content SC4 including questions for diagnosing the user's type is displayed. For example, in the example of FIG. 7, the content SC4 includes a title such as "Type Diagnosis", a question such as "What kind of information do you want?", an answer column such as "Detailed information", an answer column such as "Concise information", an answer column such as "Everyone's feelings", and an answer column such as "Everyone's ideas".

[0134] Note that the questions displayed in the content SC4 are just examples, and various questions are displayed in the content SC4. For example, the questions are different from the basic questions displayed in the content SC2, such as the characteristics of the scene where the mood becomes bad, the severity of morning sickness, foods that are difficult to ingest, or the sleep time. They are questions for clarifying the user's state, tendency, etc., questions regarding the user's constitution and physical condition, and questions regarding the user's values and preferences, such as "Do you have an ideal image of childbirth?" and "Do you want to make the most of medical power during childbirth?" These questions may be changed according to the basic answers input by the user (for example, the current week number, age, residential area, etc. calculated from the expected childbirth date).

[0135] Then, the providing device 100 individually provides questions for type-specific diagnosis and receives answers (step ST). And when the user terminal 10 determines that the user has input answers to all the questions for type-specific diagnosis, it displays content SC5 which is a so-called home screen. For example, in the example of FIG. 7, the content SC5 includes buttons for transitioning to content where the user can input their own testimonials such as "My Notes", buttons for transitioning to content where testimonials of other users different from the user are displayed such as "Everyone's Notes", and buttons for transitioning to content where articles such as "Recommended Articles" and articles summarized on a summary site are displayed.

[0136] For example, an example where "Everyone's Notes" of the content SC5 is selected by the user will be described. Also, assume that the user's interest is in the 13th week of pregnancy. In this case, content SC6 which shows notes associated with the week number "13W" and publicly released by other users is displayed on the user terminal 10. For example, the content SC6 includes "User #1's 13th Week of Pregnancy Note", "User #2's 13th Week of Pregnancy Note", and "User #3's 13th Week of Pregnancy Note". In this way, since the providing device 100 can provide notes of other users selected according to the user's attributes, it becomes easier for the user to obtain useful information.

[0137] On the other hand, when "Recommended Articles" of the content SC5 is selected by the user, content SC7 including thumbnails of articles selected according to the user's attributes is displayed on the user terminal 10. For example, the content SC7 includes thumbnails of articles that are presumed to be useful for a pregnant woman in the 13th week of pregnancy, such as "Recommended Diet in the 13th Week of Pregnancy", "Recommended Exercise in the 13th Week of Pregnancy", and "Things to Do in the 13th Week of Pregnancy" when the user is in the 13th week of pregnancy. In this way, since the providing device 100 can provide content corresponding to the user's and child's (fetus's) interests and the user's and child's (fetus's) state, it becomes easier for the user to obtain useful information.

[0138] In addition, when the user does not select to perform a type diagnosis in the tutorial SC3, the providing device 100 may display the content SC5 without displaying the content SC4. In this way, the providing device 100 can provide information suitable for the user and beneficial to the user in order to determine the type of the user.

[0139] [3-3. Example of article screen display] Subsequently, an example of the article screen display will be described with reference to FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the screen according to the embodiment. In FIG. 8, it is assumed that the user has installed the application AP in advance.

[0140] As shown in FIG. 8, the user terminal 10 displays the article C1210. For example, in the example of FIG. 8, the article C1210 includes a title such as "How to Choose a Maternity Hospital Without Regrets", an article summarizing how to choose a maternity hospital without regrets for each user, an article about which maternity hospital each user has chosen in which area, and a pie chart showing statistical data about which maternity hospital has been chosen in which area.

[0141] And when the user views the article C1210, the providing device 100 displays the questionnaire C1211. For example, in the example of FIG. 8, the questionnaire C1211 includes a title such as "Questionnaire on the Article", question items such as "Do you plan to give birth at home and return to your hometown?", a response button such as "Yes", a response button such as "No", and a response button such as "Still thinking".

[0142] In this way, the providing device 100 can sequentially improve the determination accuracy of the user's attributes by appropriately conducting a questionnaire corresponding to the content corresponding to the user's interests. Furthermore, more content may be displayed according to the content answered to the questionnaire. For example, when the answer to the question "Do you plan to give birth at home and return to your hometown?" is "Yes", articles related to giving birth at home and returning to one's hometown (such as other users' testimonials, questionnaire results, etc.) may be provided.

[0143] [[3-4. Example of the flow of the process of providing a note]] Subsequently, with reference to FIG. 9, an example of the process in which the providing apparatus 100 provides a note will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the process of providing a note.

[0144] First, the designation reception unit 136 determines whether or not a note editing request has been received (step S201). And when the designation reception unit 136 has not received a note editing request (step S201; No), it waits until a note editing request is received.

[0145] On the other hand, when the designation reception unit 136 has received a note editing request (step S201; Yes), it determines whether or not a content addition request has been received (step S202). And when the designation reception unit 136 has not received a content addition request (step S202; No), it proceeds to step S205.

[0146] On the other hand, when the association unit 137 has received a content addition request from the designation reception unit 136 (step S202; Yes), it associates and registers the content specified in the user's note (step S203) and ends the process.

[0147] Also, the designation reception unit 136 determines whether or not a note registration request has been received (step S204). And when the designation reception unit 136 has not received a note registration request (step S204; No), it proceeds to step S207.

[0148] On the other hand, when the registration unit 138 has received a note registration request from the designation reception unit 136 (step S204; Yes), it generates a copy of the note of another user selected by the user as the user's note (step S205). And the registration unit 138 assigns the user's attribute to the note (step S206) and ends the process.

[0149] Also, the designation reception unit 136 determines whether it has received a registration request for a task (step S207). Then, when the designation reception unit 136 has not received a registration request for a task (step S207; No), the editing unit 139 edits various notes according to the user's operation (step S209).

[0150] On the other hand, when the designation reception unit 136 has received a registration request for a task (step S207; Yes), the registration unit 138 registers the task in the user's note (step S208) and ends the process.

[0151] [3-5. Example of Note Screen Display] Subsequently, an example of the note screen display will be described with reference to FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen according to the embodiment. In FIG. 10, it is assumed that the user has previously installed the application AP.

[0152] As shown in FIG. 10, the user terminal 10 displays the note N1 generated by the user U1 by starting the application AP. It is assumed that the note N1 shown in FIG. 10 is a note generated by the user U1 at the 10th week of pregnancy. Such a note N1 is published after the user U1 has passed the 10th week of pregnancy and provided to other users who are at the 10th week of pregnancy.

[0153] For example, the note N1 includes a title C10 such as "Note of User U1 at the 10th Week of Pregnancy", evaluation information C11 such as "view count", which is the number of times the note has been viewed by other users, and "like", which indicates that other users have a positive reaction to the note. Here, "view count: 302" and "like: 105" are displayed on the note N1.

[0154] Also, for example, the note N1 includes thumbnails of "designated content C12" indicating the content designated by the user U1, such as "content C121 where article 1 is displayed", "user U2's testimonials C122", "corporate content C123", and "everyone's ideas C124". When such a thumbnail is selected, the user terminal 10 will display the content corresponding to the selected thumbnail.

[0155] Also, for example, the providing device 100 displays a note N1 including a "to-do list C13" indicating the tasks registered by the user U1. For example, in the example of FIG. 10, the providing device 100 displays a note N1 indicating tasks such as "buy a baby sling" and "stretch". Also, for example, in the example of FIG. 10, the providing device 100 displays a checkbox for each task and accepts an operation for the user to select the tasks that have been executed. Then, the providing device 100 displays the tasks that the user has executed and the tasks that have not been executed in a distinguishable state among the tasks displayed as the "to-do list C13". That is, the providing device 100 provides a note including a checklist of actions that the user desires to perform and that are related to the growth of the child. Also, the providing device 100 displays a note N1 including information regarding the number of tasks completed for the to-do list. For example, in the example of FIG. 10, the providing device 100 displays a note N1 indicating "1 / 2" as information indicating the number of tasks that the user has executed out of two tasks.

[0156] Here, assume that the user U1 selects the content C125 to be added to the note N1. The providing device 100 is assumed to receive the designation of such content C125. In such a case, the providing device 100 associates and registers the content C125 with the note N1. Then, when the providing device 100 displays the note N1, it will display the note N1 with the content C125 inserted as the designated content C12.

[0157] Note that the user terminal 10 may receive an operation for the user to delete content such as articles that are no longer needed as appropriate. For example, when the user deletes the content, the user terminal 10 may display the already displayed content so that it is packed upward.

[0158] In this way, the providing device 100 can collect useful information for the user into one, in order to encourage the user to freely add to and edit the note. As a result, the providing device 100 can appropriately extract the information required by the user from the notes generated by the user himself / herself, so that the time spent on information search can be reduced.

[0159] [3-6. An example of the process of inheriting a note] Here, the providing device 100 will not only provide the notes generated by the user to other users, but also demonstrate the function of allowing other users to inherit the notes generated by each user. Hereinafter, an example of the process of inheriting a note will be described with reference to FIG. 11.

[0160] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a conceptual diagram related to the process of inheriting a note according to the embodiment. In FIG. 11, it is described on the assumption that the user has installed an application AP for performing note editing processing in advance. First, as shown in FIG. 11, the user U1 generates a note N1 via the application AP. Here, the user U1 is a pregnant woman at 11 weeks of pregnancy. For example, when the user U1 passes the 10th week of pregnancy, the user U1 creates the note N1 by summarizing the content related to the 10th week of pregnancy, the experience of the 10th week of pregnancy, or various information desired by the pregnant woman at the 10th week of pregnancy.

[0161] Then, for example, when the user U1 reaches the 11th week of pregnancy or when the user U1 performs an operation to publish the note N1, the providing device 100 publishes the note N1 to other users via the application AP. For example, in the example of FIG. 11, the user U1 is in the 11th week of pregnancy, the users U2 and U4 are pregnant women in the 10th week of pregnancy, and the user U3 is a pregnant woman in the 5th week of pregnancy. In such a case, the providing device 100 publishes the note N1 to other users whose attributes are similar to those of the user U1, that is, the users U2 and U4 who are pregnant women in the same 10th week of pregnancy as the user U1 via the application AP.

[0162] Then, when the users U2 and U4 perform a registration operation for a new note using the note of the user U1, the providing device 100 generates a copy of the note N1 of the user U1 as the new note for each of the users U2 and U4. That is, the providing device 100 allows the users U2 and U4 to inherit the note of the user U1.

[0163] Then, when the user U2 selects the content C1 from the content distributed according to the attributes of the user U2 or from the content searched by the user U2 himself / herself, the providing device 100 associates (adds) the content C1 selected by the user U2 with the note of the user U2, which is a copy of the note N1. As a result, the providing device 100 can provide the original note N2 of the user U2 with the content C1 added to the note N1 inherited from the user U1. On the other hand, when the user U4 selects the content C2 from the content distributed according to the attributes of the user U4, the providing device 100 associates (adds) the content C2 selected by the user U4 with the note of the user U4, which is a copy of the note N1. As a result, the providing device 100 can provide the original note N4 of the user U4 with the content C2 added to the note N1 inherited from the user U1.

[0164] In this way, the providing device 100 provides the note N1 of the user U1 whose attributes regarding the due date satisfy a predetermined condition to other users U2 and U4 whose attributes such as type and preference are similar to those of the user U1. When the other users U2 and U4 like the note N1, copies of the note N1 are provided as the notes N2 and N4 of the other users U2 and U4. As a result of such processing, the providing device 100 can, for example, pass on a popular note to other users who follow the user who created the note (for example, users U2 and U4 who are at the 10th week of pregnancy after the user U1). Further, the providing device 100 accepts the editing of the notes N2 and N4 that the users U2 and U4 have attracted, and republishes the edited notes N2 and N4.

[0165] In this way, the providing device 100 can realize the transfer of useful information among users sharing attributes related to the growth of children, and can also realize the sequential update of useful information. As a result, the providing device 100 can provide information useful to the user for each attribute. In the above embodiment, a note created every one week, which is the number of weeks of pregnancy, is taken as an example, but it is not limited to this. For example, it may be a note created for various periods such as every three weeks, every month, and every quarter. Also, the timing of publishing the note can be at any time, but preferably, it can be published when the "target period of that note" ends. For example, a case will be described where user A creates a "note from week 10 to week 12 of pregnancy" at the 10th week of pregnancy and edits the note created until the end of the 12th week. In this case, the providing device 100 publishes the "note from week 10 to week 12 of pregnancy" when user A reaches the 13th week. At this time, the providing device 100 publishes a note summarizing the information that user A obtained because of need or interest during the 10 - 12 weeks of pregnancy. In this way, the providing device 100 can prompt other users who newly become pregnant at the 10th week to view the "note from week 10 to week 12 of pregnancy" of user A, so that other users can confirm the summarized information of user A with similar attributes to themselves during the 10 - 12 weeks. Thereby, the providing device 100 can provide appropriate content including action information and personal experiences that are necessary or interesting for other users during the 10 - 12 weeks. Therefore, the providing device 100 can reduce the man - hours required for investigating, searching, obtaining, and selecting content and information that are necessary or interesting for the user during the 10 - 12 weeks.

[0166] 〔4. Regarding the user terminal〕 Subsequently, an example of the functional configuration of the user terminal 10 and the processing executed by the user terminal 10 will be described. In the following description, after explaining an example of the function exerted by each functional configuration of the user terminal 10, the flow of processing executed by the user terminal 10 by each functional configuration will be described.

[0167] 〔Regarding an example of the functional configuration of the user terminal 10〕 FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the user terminal according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 12, the user terminal 10 includes a communication unit 20, a storage unit 30, an input unit 40, an output unit 50, a detection unit 60, a photographing unit 70, and a control unit 80.

[0168] The communication unit 20 is connected to the network N by wire or wirelessly, and transmits and receives information to and from the providing device 100. For example, the communication unit 20 is realized by a circuit for communication or the like.

[0169] The storage unit 30 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory element such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or an optical disk, and data of various applications for executing the proposal process is registered.

[0170] The input unit 40 is an input device that receives various operations from the user, and is realized by a keyboard, a mouse, operation keys, or the like. The output unit 50 is a display device for displaying various information, and is realized by a screen such as a liquid crystal display. When a touch panel is adopted for the user terminal 10, the input unit 40 and the output unit 50 are integrated.

[0171] The detection unit 60 is a detection device that detects the physical state of the user terminal 10, and is realized by various sensor devices such as a GPS antenna for detecting the position of the user terminal 10 using a positioning system such as GPS (Global Positioning System). Note that the detection unit 60 may be any other sensor such as a gyro sensor, an acceleration sensor, a temperature sensor, a volume sensor, a brightness sensor, or the like.

[0172] The photographing unit 70 is a photographing device for photographing an image (video or still image), and is realized by a so-called digital camera.

[0173] The control unit 80 is, for example, an arithmetic processing unit for executing various processes. For example, various programs (corresponding to an example of the application AR in the provided program) stored in a predetermined storage device (for example, the storage unit 30) are executed with the RAM as a work area by a CPU, an MPU, or the like, thereby realizing the control unit 80. Further, the control unit 80 may be realized by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC or an FPGA.

[0174] In the example shown in FIG. 12, the control unit 80 executes the first application and the second application stored in the storage unit 30, thereby having a functional configuration as the first application control unit 81 and the second application control unit 82. Here, the first application 81 is an example of a functional configuration for realizing the above-described processes by interlocking with the providing device 100.

[0175] Note that the second application 82 may be, for example, a functional configuration for exerting the function of the OS (Operating System) of the user terminal 10, or may be a functional configuration for realizing the reception of various operations. Further, the control unit 80 may have a functional configuration corresponding to these applications by executing various arbitrary applications.

[0176] Here, FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the first application control unit according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 13, the first application control unit 81 includes a display control unit 810, a response transmission unit 811, a designation reception unit 812, and an output unit 813, and realizes the above-described providing process by causing the control unit 80 to execute various processes.

[0177] [[4-2. An example of the flow of the process executed by the user terminal 10]] Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 14, an example of the processing flow executed by the first application control unit 81 will be described. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow executed by the first application according to the embodiment. For example, when the first application 81 is launched, the display control unit 810 determines whether it is the first launch of the first application 81 (step S301).

[0178] And when it is the first launch (step S301: Yes), the display control unit 810 displays the content for the first launch that is included as data in the first application 81 in advance (step S302). For example, the display control unit 810 displays the content SC1 shown in FIG. 7 and also displays the content SC2 for receiving the input of the basic questions. Then, the answer transmission unit 811 transmits the basic answer, which is the answer to the basic questions, to the providing device 100 (step S303).

[0179] Subsequently, the display control unit 810 displays the tutorial and proposes to the user to execute the type diagnosis (step S304). For example, the display control unit 810 displays the content SC3 shown in FIG. 7 and proposes to the user to execute the type diagnosis during the tutorial.

[0180] Also, the display control unit 810 determines whether the user has permitted the execution of the type diagnosis (step S305). And when the execution of the type diagnosis is permitted (step S305: Yes), the display control unit 810 executes the type diagnosis (step S306). For example, the display control unit 810 displays the content SC4 shown in FIG. 7 to execute the type diagnosis. Also, the answer transmission unit 811 transmits various answers in the type diagnosis to the providing device 100.

[0181] Subsequently, the display control unit 810 displays the home screen (step S307). For example, the display control unit 810 displays the content SC5 shown in FIG. 7. Then, the display control unit 810 determines whether a browsing request for various contents has been made (step S308). If it has been made (step S308: Yes), it transmits a content delivery request to the providing device 100 (step S309). Then, the output unit 813 displays the content delivered from the providing device 100 (step S310). For example, the output unit 812 displays the content SC6 and the content SC7 shown in FIG. 7, and displays contents such as various growth information and notes. Also, when the display target is a note, for example, when receiving the delivery of the note N1 as shown in FIG. 10, the output unit 813 displays the received note N1.

[0182] On the other hand, when no browsing request for content has been made (step S308: No), the display control unit 810 determines whether a note editing request has been made (step S311). Then, when a note editing request has been made (step S311: Yes), the display control unit 810 transmits the content of various operations by the user to the providing device 100 (step S312), thereby realizing, for example, the addition of growth information and tasks to the note.

[0183] Note that when it is not the first startup (step S301: No) or when the user does not permit the type diagnosis (step S305: No), the display control unit 810 displays the home screen (step S307). Also, when no note editing request has been made (step S311: No), the display control unit 810 will display the home screen (step S307).

[0184] [Regarding an example of the processing flow executed by the user terminal 10 when adding content to a note] Next, with reference to FIG. 15, an example of the processing flow executed by the user terminal 10 when adding content to a note will be described. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the processing flow executed by the user terminal according to the embodiment when adding content to a note. For example, the designation reception unit 813 determines whether the user is currently viewing content (step S401). If the user is viewing content (step S401: Yes), it determines whether an operation to add the content to the note has been received (step S402).

[0185] Then, when the designation reception unit 813 receives an operation to add the content to the note (step S402: Yes), it transmits a content addition request to the providing device 100 so as to associate the content with the note (step S403). As a result of such processing, the output unit 812 outputs the note with the specified content added. On the other hand, when the user is not viewing the content (step S401: No) or when the operation to request the addition of the content has not been received (step S402: No), the designation reception unit 813 ends the processing.

[0186] 〔5. Modification Example〕 The providing system 1 according to the above embodiment may be implemented in various different forms other than the above embodiment. Therefore, other embodiments of the providing system 1 will be described below.

[0187] 〔5-1. Proposal of Maternity Preparation Matters〕 In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the providing device 100 provides the user with the provided information based on the attributes related to the user's pregnancy or childcare determined based on the user's actions related to the growth of the user's child. However, the embodiment is not limited to the above processing.

[0188] Specifically, the providing device 100 may propose to the user products related to the provided information based on the attributes of the user related to pregnancy or child-rearing determined based on the actions related to the growth of the user's child. For example, assume that the user's child is three months old after birth. Also assume that the product is "diapers". In this case, since the user's child is three months old after birth, the providing device 100 may propose "diapers" to the user as a product.

[0189] Here, the providing device 100 and the user terminal 10 may provide information on various growth information and information managed as notes, such as items for childbirth preparation and various services required for childbirth (hereinafter referred to as "services related to childbirth preparation"). Here, the items for childbirth preparation may be items required during pregnancy (for example, maternity wear, etc.) and items required after childbirth (for example, diapers, baby clothes, etc.). Also, the services related to childbirth preparation may be, for example, preparations for going out on the lucky day, reservation of a maternity hospital, arrangement of a taxi for childbirth, etc. That is, the providing device 100 selects, from various actions related to the growth of the user and the attributes of the user, the items for childbirth preparation and services related to childbirth preparation (hereinafter referred to as "childbirth preparation matters") that are the subjects of proposal, and provides information on the selected childbirth preparation matters.

[0190] For example, the providing device 100 selects items for childbirth preparation that are presumed to be liked by the user based on the attributes of the user. To give a more specific example, when the user often browses articles related to brand baby clothes, the providing device 100 may select a brand baby stroller as an item for childbirth preparation, and when the user often browses articles related to bargain information, the providing device 100 may select a baby stroller on sale as an item for childbirth preparation. Also, for example, when the user is in the first trimester of pregnancy, the proposing device 100 may propose maternity wear in different sizes, when the user is in the second trimester of pregnancy, the proposing device 100 may propose items and services required for going out for the lucky day, and when the user is in the third trimester of pregnancy, the proposing device 100 may propose arranging a taxi for childbirth and purchasing items required after childbirth.

[0191] In addition, the providing device 100 may identify, from the testimonials of other users with similar attributes to the user, the highly rated items among the items purchased by other users, or the highly rated services among the services used by other users, and provide the user with information regarding the identified items and services. Further, the providing device 100 may provide the user with a list of the products purchased and services used by other users with similar attributes to the user. Thereby, since the providing device 100 enables the user to obtain a list of the products purchased and services used by users close to the user's values, preferences, physical condition, and physical state, it can be used as a reference when the user makes a decision on purchasing products or using services for oneself.

[0192] In addition, the providing device 100 may generate and provide a list regarding the childbirth preparation items selected according to the attributes of the user. For example, the providing device 100 may provide the user with a list of diapers, baby strollers, styles, etc. selected according to the attributes of the user. Further, when the user selects any childbirth preparation item in the list, the providing device 100 may provide information on the facilities related to the selected childbirth preparation item. For example, the providing device 100 may guide the user by providing information on the sales stores that sell the selected childbirth preparation items.

[0193] In addition, the providing device 100 may provide information regarding the user's childbirth preparation items to other users having a predetermined relationship with the user. For example, the providing device 100 may create an opportunity for going out with the user by providing information regarding childbirth preparation items to the user's partner, parents, etc. Further, the providing device 100 may provide information on the stores where childbirth preparation items can be purchased based on the regional information such as the residential area input by the user.

[0194] Note that the providing device 100 may, for example, select items and services having relevance to the articles, testimonials, and task lists added by the user to the note as childbirth preparation items.

[0195] [Regarding 5-2. Changes in Display] The providing device 100 and the user terminal 10 may change various display modes according to the usage history of services by the user. For example, the providing device 100 may change the display mode of the home screen according to the number of tasks executed among the tasks registered by the user in the note. For example, when the ratio of the executed tasks exceeds a predetermined threshold, the providing device 100 may apply a predetermined effect to the images of the pregnant woman and the fetus on the home screen. For example, the providing device 100 may make the image of the fetus glow or move. Further, when the number of contents (that is, the added contents) associated with the note exceeds a predetermined threshold, the providing device 100 may apply a predetermined effect to the images of the pregnant woman and the fetus on the home screen. Also, the providing device 100 and the user terminal 10 may be able to display a list of tasks associated with each of the plurality of notes. Further, the list of tasks referred to here may be displayed so as to be arranged in the chronological order of the associated notes. For example, when there are notes for 10 - 12 weeks, notes for 13 - 15 weeks, and notes for 16 - 18 weeks, the providing device 100 and the user terminal 10 may display the list of tasks in the order of tasks associated with the notes for 10 - 12 weeks, tasks associated with the notes for 13 - 15 weeks, and tasks associated with the notes for 16 - 18 weeks.

[0196] [5 - 3. Types of Usage History] Also, the providing device 100 and the user terminal 10 may provide services according to the types of actions related to child-rearing performed by the user. For example, the providing device 100 determines which type among various types related to the growth of the child the content browsed by the user or the content added to the note belongs to, such as whether it is "mother-oriented" content, "child-oriented" content, "father-oriented" content, "family-oriented" content, or content related to "living space related to child-rearing" (for example, public services related to child-rearing, living environment, social relationships with relatives and friends, etc.). Also, the providing device 100 determines which type the tasks registered by the user or the tasks executed by the user belong to.

[0197] Then, the providing device 100 assigns points indicating the degree of actions taken for each category according to the determination result and the content of the actions. For example, when the user views content for mothers, the providing device 100 adds "1" point to the points for the category "for mothers" as if the user has performed the action of "viewing content" as an action "for mothers". Also, when the user adds content for mothers to a note, the providing device 100 adds "2" points to the points for the category "for mothers" as if the user has performed the action of "adding content" as an action "for mothers".

[0198] Also, for example, when the user registers a task for children, the providing device 100 adds "1" point to the points for the category "for children" as if the user has performed the action of "registering a task" as an action "for children". Also, when the user executes a task for children (for example, checks a checkbox), the providing device 100 adds "2" points to the points for the category "for children" as if the user has performed the action of "executing a task" as an action "for children".

[0199] The points counted for each category in this way are used for providing information to the user and using various services. For example, when the points for "for children" exceed a predetermined threshold, the providing device 100 may apply a predetermined effect to the image of a pregnant woman and a fetus on the home screen. Also, when the points for "for mothers" exceed a predetermined threshold, the providing device 100 may provide coupons for various mother-oriented products. Also, the providing device 100 may select the content to be provided to the user according to the points for each category. That is, the providing device 100 may use the points for each category as one of the attributes.

[0200] 〔5-4. Regarding Corporate Notes〕 In the above example, the providing device 100 and the user terminal 10 made public the notes generated by each user to other users. However, the embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the providing device 100 may receive, as corporate notes, the notes generated by a company for users having a predetermined attribute, and make the received corporate notes public to the users with the corresponding attribute. For example, the providing device 100 may make public to pregnant women at the 10th week of pregnancy the corporate notes generated by a company for pregnant women at the 10th week of pregnancy, and make public to pregnant women at the 15th week of pregnancy the corporate notes generated by a company for pregnant women at the 15th week of pregnancy. Further, in order to facilitate the generation of such corporate notes, the providing device 100 may provide the company with content information such as articles and posting information with a high viewing frequency by pregnant women of each attribute.

[0201] 〔5-5. Regarding the selected content〕 In the above example, the providing device 100 selected the content to be distributed based on various attributes such as the type and preference of the user. Here, when the type and attributes of the user are not registered, the providing device 100 may provide randomly selected content, content with a high viewing frequency by other users, etc.

[0202] 〔5-6. Regarding the character〕 Note that the providing device 100 and the user terminal 10 may provide various questions and content in such a manner that a predetermined character speaks. For example, when the user terminal 10 displays a question related to the content when the user views the content, the user terminal 10 may display a predetermined character used for products related to growth (for example, diapers, etc.), and also display a prompt asking for the user's consent such as "Can I ask a question?", or display the question content as the speech of the character.

[0203] Also, for example, the providing device 100 selects content (e.g., corporate content) to be proposed for viewing by the user based on the user's attributes, and transmits information regarding the selected corporate content to the user terminal 10. In such a case, the user terminal 10 may propose viewing of the corporate content selected by the proposing device 100 in a manner such that a character speaks.

[0204] [5-7. Regarding User Behavior] In the example described above, the providing device 100 determines the user's attributes based on actions such as which content the user viewed and which content the user added to the note. Here, the providing device 100 may determine the user's attributes based on any action as long as it is an action performed by the user in the above-described service. For example, the providing device 100 may determine the user's attributes based on the content of the user's scroll operation or tap operation in the application AR, the date and time the user accessed, the start time of using the application AR, the cumulative usage time, etc.

[0205] Also, the providing device 100, for example, in addition to the above-described service, among the posting information posted by the user to various SNSs (Social Networking Services), identifies posting information related to child growth (e.g., posts regarding the expected date of delivery, posts regarding baby products, posts regarding the selection of a maternity hospital, quotes of other users' posts, posts regarding children, etc.), and may determine the user's attributes based on the content of the identified posting information, and may also assign the above-described points. Further, the providing device 100 may determine the user's attributes based on the purchase history of products related to child growth among the products purchased at various electronic shopping streets, and may also assign points.

[0206] That is, if the providing device 100 determines the user's attributes based on actions related to child growth among the actions performed by the user via the user terminal 10, it may determine the user's attributes based on any action.

[0207] [Regarding the notes provided] In the above description, the providing device 100 made public the notes generated by the user to other users. Here, the notes to be made public may be those that have been subject to various edits such as addition or deletion of content, addition of tasks, etc. by the user, or those that have not been edited. Similarly, regarding the notes to be copied, they may be those that have been subject to various edits by the user, or those that have not been edited.

[0208] For example, when the providing device 100 is requested by the user to register a new note, it newly creates a note without various growth information added and accepts the addition of various growth information from the user. Here, the providing device 100 may make public the note to which various growth information has been added by the user, or may make public the note to which no addition has been made. That is, the providing device 100 may make public any note as long as it is a note generated as the user's note, and it may also be a copy target for other users to use as the source of the note.

[0209] [5-9. Other service modes] In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the providing device 100 provides the provided information to the user based on the attributes related to the user's pregnancy or child-rearing determined based on the actions related to the growth of the user's child. However, the embodiment is not limited to the above services related to pregnancy and child-rearing. The service here may be any service, for example, nursing care, diet, grasping the menstrual cycle, learning, job hunting activities, examinations, pet raising, character raising in games, etc.

[0210] [5-10. Others] Among the above-described various processes, all or part of the processes described as being automatically performed may be manually performed. Also, all or part of the processes described as being manually performed may be automatically performed by known methods. Additionally, regarding the processing procedures, specific names, and information including various data and parameters shown in the above documents and drawings, they can be arbitrarily changed unless otherwise specified. For example, the various information shown in each figure is not limited to the illustrated information.

[0211] Moreover, each component of each illustrated device is a functional concept and does not necessarily have to be physically configured as shown in the figure. That is, the specific form of the distribution and integration of each device is not limited to that shown. Also, each component may be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit according to various loads, usage situations, etc., for all or part of it. Additionally, the above-described various processes may be executed in appropriate combination within a non - conflicting range.

[0212] 〔6. Hardware Configuration〕 Also, the user terminal 10 and the information processing apparatus 100 according to the above - described embodiment are realized by, for example, a computer 1000 configured as shown in FIG. 16. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration. The computer 1000 is connected to an output device 1010 and an input device 1020, and an arithmetic device 1030, a cache 1040, a memory 1050, an output IF (Interface) 1060, an input IF 1070, and a network IF 1080 are connected by a bus 1090.

[0213] The arithmetic unit 1030 operates based on programs stored in the cache 1040 and the memory 1050, and programs read from the input device 1020, etc., and executes various processes. The cache 1040 is a cache that primarily stores data used by the arithmetic unit 1030 for various operations, such as a RAM or the like. Also, the memory 1050 is a storage device in which data used by the arithmetic unit 1030 for various operations and various databases are registered, and is a memory realized by a ROM (Read Only Memory), an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a flash memory, or the like.

[0214] The output IF 1060 is an interface for transmitting information to be output to an output device 1010 that outputs various information such as a monitor and a printer, and may be realized by a connector of a standard such as USB (Universal Serial Bus), DVI (Digital Visual Interface), HDMI (registered trademark) (High Definition Multimedia Interface). On the other hand, the input IF 1070 is an interface for receiving information from various input devices 1020 such as a mouse, a keyboard, and a scanner, and is realized by, for example, USB or the like.

[0215] For example, the input device 1020 may be realized by a device that reads information from an optical recording medium such as a CD (Compact Disc), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), a PD (Phase change rewritable Disk), a magneto-optical recording medium such as an MO (Magneto-Optical disk), a tape medium, a magnetic recording medium, or a semiconductor memory. Also, the input device 1020 may be realized by an external storage medium such as a USB memory.

[0216] The network IF 1080 has a function of receiving data from other devices via the network N and sending it to the arithmetic unit 1030, and also sending data generated by the arithmetic unit 1030 via the network N to other devices.

[0217] Here, the arithmetic unit 1030 controls the output device 1010 and the input device 1020 via the output IF 1060 and the input IF 1070. For example, the arithmetic unit 1030 loads a program from the input device 1020 or the memory 1050 onto the cache 1040 and executes the loaded program. For example, when the computer 1000 functions as the providing device 100, the arithmetic unit 1030 of the computer 1000 realizes the function of the control unit 130 by executing the program loaded onto the cache 1040.

[0218] As described above, the embodiments of the present application have been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, these are merely examples, and the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in other forms with various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, including the forms described in the column of the disclosure of the invention. Also, the "section, module, unit" described above can be read as "means", "circuit", or the like.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0219] 1 Providing system 10 User terminal 20 Communication unit 30 Storage unit 40 Input unit 50 Output unit 60 Detection unit 70 Imaging unit 80 Control unit 81 First application control unit 810 Display control unit 811 Answer transmission unit 812 Designation reception unit 813 Output unit 82 Second application control unit 100 Providing device 120 Storage unit 121 User database 122 Growth information database 123 Note database 130 Control unit 131 Question providing unit 132 Answer receiving unit 133 Determination unit 134 Selection unit 135 Providing unit 136 Designation receiving unit 137 Association unit 138 Registration unit 139 Editing unit 140 Evaluation receiving unit

Claims

1. Based on the actions related to the growth of the child that the user during pregnancy performed via the terminal during pregnancy, as attributes related to the user's pregnancy or child-rearing, a determination unit that determines the values or preferences of the user, and attributes related to the user's physical constitution or physical condition; A selection unit that selects, as the provision information to be provided to the user during pregnancy, maternity preparation items that are products required during childbirth or after childbirth, or services related to maternity preparation that are services required during childbirth or after childbirth, based on the attributes determined by the determination unit; A provision unit that provides the user with information on the maternity preparation items selected by the selection unit or information on the services related to maternity preparation as the provision information; having; The provision unit provides the user with information regarding a list of products purchased by other users having attributes similar to the attributes determined by the determination unit as the maternity preparation items or services used as the services related to maternity preparation. A provision device characterized by the above.

2. The determination unit determines the attributes of the user based on the answers given by the user to questions regarding the growth of the child. The provision device according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

3. An answer reception unit that receives a basic answer, which is an answer to a predetermined question regarding the growth of the child, as the answer, and at a timing different from that of the basic answer, receives an additional answer, which is an answer to a question other than the predetermined question regarding the growth of the child; having; The determination unit determines the attributes of the user based on the basic answer, or based on the basic answer and the additional answer. The provision device according to claim 2, characterized by the above.

4. A question provision unit that, after the provision unit provides the provision information to the user, provides the user with a new question regarding the growth of the child, which is a question having content related to the provision information, together with the provision information; having; The answer reception unit receives the answer to the new question as the additional answer, The determination unit further determines new attributes related to the user's pregnancy or child-rearing based on the answer of the user to the new question provided to the user by the question provision unit. Based on the new attributes determined by the determination unit, the selection unit further selects new provision information to be provided to the user. The provision unit further provides the new provision information selected by the selection unit to the user. The provision device according to claim 3, characterized in that.

5. The selection unit further selects, as the provision information, content of a type corresponding to the attributes determined by the determination unit. The provision device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that.

6. Among the posting information posted by a plurality of users, the selection unit further selects, as the provision information, the posting information corresponding to the attributes of the user who is the destination of the provision of the provision information. The provision device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that.

7. The selection unit selects, as the provision information, the posting information posted by other users whose attributes are similar to those of the user who is the destination of the provision of the provision information. The provision device according to claim 6, characterized in that.

8. The selection unit selects the provision information from the information input by other users and the posting information including the information selected by the other users from the predetermined information. The provision device according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that.

9. The determination unit determines a plurality of attributes as the attributes of the user. Based on the combination of the plurality of attributes determined by the determination unit, the selection unit selects the provision information. The provision device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that.

10. The determination unit further determines the gestational age of the fetus in which the user is pregnant as an attribute of the user. The provision device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that.

11. A provision method executed by a provision device, A determination step of determining, as attributes related to pregnancy or childcare of the user, the values or preferences of the user and attributes related to the physical constitution or physical condition of the user, based on the actions related to the growth of the child performed by the user during pregnancy via a terminal during pregnancy; A selection step of selecting, as provision information to be provided to the user during pregnancy, maternity supplies that are products required after childbirth or during childbirth or services related to maternity preparation that are services required after childbirth or during childbirth, based on the attributes determined in the determination step. A providing step of providing information on the childbirth preparation items selected in the selection step or information on services related to childbirth preparation to the user as the provided information including wherein the providing step provides the user with information on a list of products purchased as the childbirth preparation items of other users having attributes similar to the attributes determined in the determination step or services used as services related to childbirth preparation The providing method is characterized by this.

12. A determination procedure for determining, as attributes related to the pregnancy or childcare of the user, the values or preferences of the user and attributes related to the physical constitution or physical condition of the user, based on the actions related to the growth of the child that the user during pregnancy performed via a terminal during pregnancy A selection procedure for selecting, as provided information to be provided to the user during pregnancy, childbirth preparation items that are products required during childbirth or after childbirth or services related to childbirth preparation that are services required during childbirth or after childbirth, based on the attributes determined in the determination procedure A providing procedure for providing the user with information on the childbirth preparation items selected in the selection procedure or information on services related to childbirth preparation as the provided information to be executed by a computer, wherein the providing procedure provides the user with information on a list of products purchased as the childbirth preparation items of other users having attributes similar to the attributes determined in the determination procedure or services used as services related to childbirth preparation The providing program is characterized by this.

13. A providing system including an information processing device provided with a storage unit storing a program and a terminal provided with a storage unit storing an application program, wherein the program has a determination procedure for determining, as attributes related to the pregnancy or childcare of the user, the values or preferences of the user and attributes related to the physical constitution or physical condition of the user, based on the actions related to the growth of the child that the user during pregnancy performed via a terminal during pregnancy and a selection procedure for selecting, as provided information to be provided to the user during pregnancy, childbirth preparation items that are products required during childbirth or after childbirth or services related to childbirth preparation that are services required during childbirth or after childbirth, based on the attributes determined in the determination procedure A providing procedure for providing information on the childbirth preparation items selected by the selection procedure or information on services related to childbirth preparation as the provided information to the terminal and causing a computer of the information processing apparatus to execute wherein the providing procedure provides the user with information on a list of products purchased as the childbirth preparation items of other users having attributes similar to the attributes determined by the determination procedure or services used as the services related to childbirth preparation The application program An output procedure for outputting the provided information provided from the information processing apparatus and causing a computer of the terminal to execute A providing system characterized by the above

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