Information processing system, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To provide an information processing technology capable of easily grasping the position of a specific user (for example, a hub talent).SOLUTION: An information processing system includes an information acquisition part 13 for acquiring attribute information II on a plurality of users and position information PI of user terminals of the plurality of users, a request acquisition part 15 for acquiring a request from a first user terminal of a first user, an identification part 17 for identifying one or more second users satisfying a prescribed condition about communication between users from among the plurality of users on the basis of the request, and a presentation part 19 for associating attribute information II on the identified second user with position information PI of the second user terminal of the second user to present them to the first user terminal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] In recent years, an increasing number of companies have introduced a free address system, which allows employees to work at any seat they like, rather than providing them with a fixed seat.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a communication support system that supports active interaction between employees in an office with a free address system (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-32294 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the conventional system described in Patent Document 1, in a free address system, an employee staying in the office can search for other employees to facilitate communication. However, in a free address system where employees do not have fixed seats, it is not easy for an employee to access a key person (hub human resource) who is knowledgeable about a specific task in order to resolve a problem or concern in that task.

[0006] Therefore, some aspects of the present invention have been made in consideration of such circumstances, and aim to provide information processing technology that makes it possible to easily grasp the location of a specific user (e.g., a hub talent). [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] An information processing system according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an information acquisition unit that acquires attribute information about multiple users and location information of the user terminals of the multiple users; a request acquisition unit that acquires a request from a first user terminal of a first user; an identification unit that identifies one or more second users from the multiple users based on the request and that satisfy predetermined conditions regarding communication between users; and a presentation unit that associates the attribute information about the identified second user with the location information of the second user terminal of the second user and presents them on the first user terminal.

[0008] An information processing method according to one aspect of the present invention includes a computer executing the steps of acquiring attribute information about a plurality of users and location information of the user terminals of the plurality of users, acquiring a request from a first user terminal of a first user, identifying one or more second users from the plurality of users who satisfy predetermined conditions regarding communication between users based on the request, and associating the attribute information about the identified second user with the location information of the second user terminal of the second user and presenting the associated information to the first user terminal.

[0009] A program according to one embodiment of the present invention causes a computer to acquire attribute information about multiple users and location information of the user terminals of the multiple users, acquire a request from a first user terminal of a first user, identify one or more second users from the multiple users who satisfy predetermined conditions regarding communication between users based on the request, and associate the attribute information about the identified second user with the location information of the second user terminal of the second user and present it to the first user terminal.

[0010] In this invention, a "unit" does not simply mean a physical means, but also includes cases where the functions of the "unit" are realized by software. Furthermore, the functions of one "unit" or device may be realized by two or more physical means or devices, and the functions of two or more "units" or devices may be realized by one physical means or device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, the location of a specific user can be easily ascertained. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a network configuration of a communication support system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram showing an example of an office in which a free address system is implemented according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a presentation method of a hub user according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional blocks of a communication support device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a search result between users in an online dialogue system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of weighting of search results between users in the online dialogue system shown in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a collection of search results between users in an online dialogue system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing a first example of a hub talent presentation process according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a hub talent identification process according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of the hub talent presentation process according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart showing a second example of a hub talent presentation process according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a chat screen displayed on a display unit of a user terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13]FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a chat screen displayed on a display unit of a user terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a chat screen displayed on a display unit of a user terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a computer according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments are examples for explaining the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention to only these embodiments. Furthermore, the present invention can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist of the present invention. Furthermore, the same components in each drawing will be designated by the same reference numerals whenever possible, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a network configuration of a communication support system 100 (information processing system) according to one embodiment of the present invention. The communication support system 100 illustratively includes a communication support device 1, n user terminals 3a to 3n (n is any integer value equal to or greater than 1), and an online dialogue system 5 (online system). FIG. 1 illustrates user terminals 3a, 3b, and 3n as the n user terminals 3. However, in the following description, when the n user terminals 3 are described without distinction, some of the reference numerals will be omitted and they will simply be referred to as "user terminals 3."

[0015] The communication support device 1, the user terminal 3, and the online dialogue system 5 are configured to be able to communicate with each other via a communication network N such as an intranet or the Internet. The communication network N is a wired or wireless communication network.

[0016] The online dialogue system 5 is a server computer that manages communication on the communication network N. "Communication on the communication network N" refers to communication between multiple employees (users) of a company and the communication support device 1 via the communication network N, and communication between multiple users via the communication network N.

[0017] By allowing each of multiple users to log in, the online dialogue system 5 can provide, for example, a chatbot (automatic response) system between the users and the communication support device 1. Furthermore, the online dialogue system 5 can provide, for example, the provision or search of information about users, online video conferencing between users, or a chat service between users.

[0018] The communication support device 1 presents information about "hub talent" (second user) to a user terminal 3 (first user terminal) operated by, for example, a company employee (first user) in response to a request from the user terminal 3.

[0019] "Hub talent" refers to one or more users who meet certain conditions regarding communication between users. The "certain conditions" will be explained later, but "hub talent" is, for example, an important person who is familiar with a specific business within a company. "Hub talent" is a person who promotes innovation in corporate activities by playing a hub role connecting each organization (e.g., departments) within a company.

[0020] The communication support device 1 and the online dialogue system 5 are realized by, for example, one or more server devices. In the example of Fig. 1, the communication support device 1 and the online dialogue system 5 are described as being configured as separate entities, but the two may also be configured as an integrated entity.

[0021] The user terminal 3 transmits a request to present the hub talent to the communication support device 1. The user terminal 3 displays information about the hub talent (for example, attribute information and location information, which will be described later). The user terminal 3 is realized by, for example, a laptop computer, a smartphone, or the like.

[0022] Here, an overview of a communication support system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0023] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an office implementing a free address system according to one embodiment of the present invention. As described above, in recent years, an increasing number of companies have adopted a free address system, which does not provide employees with fixed desks but allows them to work at any desk as a work style for their employees. As shown in FIG. 2, in an office with a free address system, for example, if an employee (user U) wants to meet an important person (hub talent) who is familiar with project A, the employee operates user terminal 3 to search for the hub talent in the company's online dialogue system 5.

[0024] However, it is not easy to identify hub talent from among a large number of users. Even if hub talent can be identified, it is not easy to grasp their location in a free address system where employees do not have fixed seats. Therefore, the communication support system 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention proposes a method for identifying hub talent and a method for presenting information about hub talent.

[0025] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a presentation method for hub users according to an embodiment of the present invention. The communication support system 100 shown in Fig. 1 identifies a hub talent from multiple users based on a request from a user terminal 3 operated by one user U who wants to understand the hub talent, as shown in Fig. 2. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the communication support system 100 associates attribute information about the identified hub talent (e.g., "(2) Employee Name: A") with location information of the user terminal 3 operated by the hub talent (e.g., "(1) Seat: 14F-2"), and presents this on the display unit 35 of the user terminal 3 of user U.

[0026] In Fig. 3, the communication support system 100 presents a message M1 including attribute information and location information related to the identified hub talent, which is a message M1 from a chatbot CB in the online dialogue system 5, on a chat screen CG on the display unit 35 of the user terminal 3. If the presented hub talent is the desired hub talent of a user U who wants to understand the hub talent, the user U responds on the chat screen CG with a message M3 to express gratitude as shown in Fig. 3.

[0027] As described above, the communication support system 100 can identify hub talent, and when presenting the hub talent to a user U who wants to understand the hub talent, the system presents the hub talent's attribute information and location information in association with each other. Therefore, the location of the hub talent can be easily understood.

[0028] "Attribute information" is information about a user's attributes (e.g., nature, characteristics, abilities, background, or social relationships), and includes, for example, the user's employee name as described above. As shown in FIG. 3, "attribute information" may include, for example, at least one of the user's identification information (ID), department (organization information), job title (organization information), email address, and telephone number.

[0029] The "location information" may include information about the seat (location) where the user is currently located, as well as information about seats where the user has previously located.

[0030] The messages on the chat screen CG may include stamps ST. A "stamp" is image information for conversation that is input via the communication network N in FIG. 1. The stamp ST is an illustration that represents, for example, the user's feelings, intentions, will, or message that the user wants to convey, and may include text within the image.

[0031] 4 is a diagram showing an example of functional blocks of a communication support device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The communication support device 1 illustratively includes an information processing unit 11 that executes information processing for supporting communication between users, and a recording unit 20 that records information for executing the information processing.

[0032] The information processing unit 11 functionally comprises an information acquisition unit 13, a presentation request acquisition unit 15 (request acquisition unit), a hub talent identification unit 17 (identification unit), and a hub talent presentation unit 19 (presentation unit). Each of the above units of the information processing unit 11 can be realized, for example, by using a storage area such as a memory or a hard disk, or by having a processor execute a program stored in the storage area.

[0033] The information acquiring unit 13 acquires attribute information II about a plurality of users and location information PI of the user terminals 3 of the plurality of users. For example, the information acquiring unit 13 acquires attribute information II pre-recorded in the recording unit 20. The information acquiring unit 13 may also acquire attribute information II pre-registered by each user when using the online dialogue system 5 shown in FIG. 1 from the online dialogue system 5.

[0034] The information acquisition unit 13 can acquire the position information PI of the user terminal 3 by any method. For example, the user terminal 3 uses an imaging device such as a camera to read a QR code (registered trademark) attached to each seat in an office, the QR code including the position information PI corresponding to the seat. The information acquisition unit 13 acquires the position information PI included in the QR code from the user terminal 3. The information acquisition unit 13 also acquires the position information PI corresponding to the seat by using the GPS ( Global P positioning S Furthermore, when acquiring the position information PI of one user terminal 3, the information acquiring unit 13 may acquire the position information PI of one or more other user terminals 3 located in the vicinity of the one user terminal 3.

[0035] The presentation request acquisition unit 15 acquires a hub talent presentation request from the user terminal 3 of one user (first user) who wants to know the hub talent. The hub talent presentation request includes, for example, location information PI acquired from the user terminal 3 of the one user who wants to know the hub talent. In this case, the trigger for the hub talent identification process, which will be described later, is the acquisition of location information PI of the user terminal 3 of the one user who wants to know the hub talent.

[0036] The hub talent presentation request may include the execution of a search process in which a user who wants to know the hub talent searches for other users via the online dialogue system 5. The communication support device 1 may also be equipped with a search processing function between users. The trigger for the hub talent identification process described below is the execution of a user search process. In this case, the information acquisition unit 13 may acquire in advance location information PI of the user terminal 3 operated by the user who wants to know the hub talent, together with attribute information II about the user who wants to know the hub talent.

[0037] The hub talent identification unit 17 identifies, from a plurality of users, one or more hub talents (second users) who satisfy a predetermined condition regarding communication between users, based on the hub talent presentation request.

[0038] The "predetermined conditions" related to communication between users are conditions for identifying hub talent, and include, for example, conditions related to at least one of the search status and evaluation status between users in the online dialogue system 5 that supports communication between users shown in Fig. 1. With this configuration, the communication support system 100 refers to at least one of the search status and evaluation status between users, and therefore can identify hub talent that better reflects the communication status between users.

[0039] The "evaluation status between users" includes, for example, the status of evaluations made by one user to one or more other users in the online dialogue system 5. More specifically, the "evaluation status between users" may be information obtained through a chat system, a video conference system, or an SNS ( S ocial N networking S The status includes a situation regarding a rating action by one user to another user on the service. An "rating action" includes, for example, pressing the "Like!" button or the "Thanks" button, sending a stamp ST shown in FIG. 3, etc.

[0040] The "search status between users" includes, for example, the status of the results of one user searching for one or more other users in the online dialogue system 5 (for example, the number of searches or search frequency).

[0041] The hub talent identification unit 17 identifies hub talent from multiple users based on the number of searches between users and organizational information (e.g., the user's department and job title) in the online dialogue system 5 that supports communication between users. With this configuration, the communication support system 100 refers to the number of searches between users and the organizational information, and therefore can identify hub talent that better reflects the search results between users, etc.

[0042] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of search results (search information SI) between users in the online dialogue system 5 according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 5, the recording unit 20 shown in Fig. 4 records search information SI indicating that the searched user, user "Honda," has been searched once by each of four search subject users, namely, user "Yamada," user "Saito," user "Takahashi," and user "Suzuki." The recording unit 20 records search results such as those shown in Fig. 5 for each of the multiple users in the online dialogue system 5.

[0043] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of weighting (search information SI) for search results between users in the online dialogue system shown in Fig. 5. The hub talent identification unit 17 weights the search results shown in Fig. 5 according to each search pattern associated with at least one of the user's department and job title, for example.

[0044] 6, the hub talent identification unit 17 sets a weight of "1," "2," "3," or "4" to each of "search pattern 1" (search between users with the same job title within a department), "search pattern 2" (search between users with job titles that differ by one rank within a department), "search pattern 3" (search between users with job titles that differ by one rank across different departments), and "search pattern 4" (search between users with job titles that differ by two ranks across different departments). The hub talent identification unit 17 may also set weights for "search patterns" other than those mentioned above (such as searches between users with job titles that differ by two or more ranks across a department, and searches between users with job titles that differ by three or more ranks across different departments).

[0045] The weighting can be changed as needed. In addition, since the number of searches between users in the online dialogue system 5 varies depending on the business, the hub talent identification unit 17 may standardize or normalize the weighting as needed.

[0046] 7 is a diagram showing an example of a tabulation of search results (search information SI) between users in an online dialogue system according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 7, the hub talent identification unit 17 tabulates the weightings set for the search results shown in FIG. 5 for each of multiple users. The hub talent identification unit 17 compares the weightings tabulated for each of multiple users with a predetermined threshold (e.g., a weighting of "10"), and evaluates (identifies) one or more users having a weighting equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold as "hub talents who satisfy predetermined conditions."

[0047] The method for identifying hub talent is not limited to the above-described method based on weighting calculated for each of multiple users. For example, the hub talent identification unit 17 may identify a user who has been searched for more than a predetermined threshold as a "hub talent satisfying a predetermined condition." The hub talent identification unit 17 may also identify a user who has pressed the "Like" button on a social networking site more than a predetermined threshold as a "hub talent satisfying a predetermined condition." The hub talent identification unit 17 may also identify a user who has pressed the "Thanks" button on a chat screen in a chatbot system more than a predetermined threshold as a "hub talent satisfying a predetermined condition." In this way, the communication support system 100 identifies a user who has received a certain level of evaluation from among multiple users as a hub talent.

[0048] Furthermore, the "predetermined conditions" regarding communication between users may further include information regarding information posted by the users, such as the content of blogs posted by the users on a predetermined website, the number of updates, and the frequency of updates.

[0049] The hub talent presentation unit 19 associates the attribute information on the identified hub talent with the location information of the user terminal 3 of the hub talent and presents it to the user terminal 3 of one user who wants to know the hub talent.

[0050] The recording unit 20 records, for example, user information UI and user evaluation information UEI in association with each user. The user information UI includes user attribute information II, location information PI of the user (user terminal 3), and search information SI between users in the online dialogue system 5. The search information SI includes, for example, search results between users in the online dialogue system 5 (see FIG. 5), information regarding weighting of the search results (see FIG. 6), and information regarding the aggregation of the search results (see FIG. 7). The user evaluation information UEI includes, for example, information indicating whether each user is a hub talent or not.

[0051] <Hub user presentation process> (Example 1) A first example of a hub user presentation process according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0052] 8 is a flowchart showing a first example of a hub user presentation process according to an embodiment of the present invention. The communication support system 100 shown in FIG. 1 acquires attribute information about a plurality of users and location information about the user terminals 3 of the plurality of users (step S1). The communication support system 100 acquires a hub talent presentation request from the user terminal 3 (first user terminal) of a user (first user) who wishes to know about a hub talent (step S3). Based on the hub talent presentation request, the communication support system 100 identifies one or more hub talents (second users) from the plurality of users who satisfy predetermined conditions related to communication between users (step S5).

[0053] 9 is a flowchart showing an example of a hub user identification process according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 5, the communication support system 100 records search histories (search results) for each of a plurality of users (step S11). As shown in FIG. 6, the communication support system 100 performs weighting on the search histories (step S13). As shown in FIG. 7, the communication support system 100 tallies the weightings thus performed (step S15). The communication support system 100 identifies hub personnel based on the tallied results (step S17).

[0054] Returning to Figure 8, the communication support system 100 associates attribute information about the identified hub talent or talents with location information of the hub talent's user terminal 3, and presents this information to the user terminal 3 of one user who wants to understand the hub talent (step S7). An example of the hub talent presentation process has been described above with reference to Figures 2 and 3. That is, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the communication support system 100 associates attribute information about the identified hub talent (e.g., "(2) Employee Name: A") with location information of the user terminal 3 operated by the hub talent (e.g., "(1) Seat: 14F-2"), and presents this information on the display unit 35 of the user terminal 3 of user U.

[0055] 10 is a diagram showing another example of the hub user presentation process according to one embodiment of the present invention. As another example of the hub talent presentation process, the communication support system 100 can present information about the hub talent using a correlation diagram showing the relationships between multiple users. As a premise, one user U who has grasped the hub talent is a "chief user."

[0056] As shown in Figure 10, the communication support system 100 presents the hub personnel identified based on the request of the "chief user" U, namely, "Manager A" HU1, "Section Manager AA" HU2, and "Manager B" HU3, associating them with their respective seat information (position information) PI1, PI2, and PI3 as a correlation diagram.

[0057] According to this configuration, the communication support system 100 can present information about the hub talent using a correlation diagram showing the relationships between multiple users including one user ("chief user") U who has grasped the hub talent. Therefore, it is easy to grasp at a glance the relationships between one user who has grasped the hub talent and other users including the hub talent.

[0058] 10, emphasis may be employed, such as by making lines L1, L2, and L3 connecting users with a higher degree of association (such as a higher number of searches between users or a higher search frequency) thicker than the other lines. With this configuration, the correlation diagram that allows for a grasp of hub talent also makes it easy to grasp the degree of association between each user.

[0059] In a first example of a hub user presentation process according to an embodiment of the present invention, the communication support system 100 can identify a hub talent, and when presenting information about the hub talent to a user U who wants to know about the hub talent, the system presents the information in association with the hub talent's attribute information and location information. Therefore, the location of the hub talent can be easily understood.

[0060] (Example 2) A second example of the hub user presentation process according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 11 to 13. In the second example of the hub user presentation process, the hub user presentation process is triggered by a search process in which a user who wants to understand hub talent searches for other users via the online dialogue system 5 shown in Figure 1.

[0061] Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing a second example of a hub user presentation process according to one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a chat screen displayed on a display unit of a user terminal according to one embodiment of the present invention. As a premise, the communication support system 100 shown in Fig. 1 acquires in advance attribute information on multiple users, including one user who is desired to identify a hub talent, and location information of the user terminals 3 of the multiple users.

[0062] The communication support system 100 (online dialogue system 5) searches for one user based on a search request from a user terminal operated by a user who wants to know the hub talent (step S21). For example, as shown in Fig. 12, a user U who wants to know the hub talent sends a message M5 including "Are you the user with ID: ID-C?" via the user terminal on a chat screen CG on the display unit 35 of the user terminal.

[0063] The communication support system 100 determines whether the user is a hub talent that satisfies predetermined conditions based on a search request from the user terminal (step S23). If the user is a hub talent (if Yes), the process proceeds to step S25. In this case, as shown in FIG. 12, the communication support system 100 notifies the user that the user is a hub talent by sending a message such as "The user with ID: ID-C is, Hub talent That's it!" and a message M7 including attribute information about the user (e.g., "Employee name: C" and "ID: ID-C") and location information of the user's user terminal (e.g., "Seat: 15F-10") is presented to the user terminal of user U who wants to know about the hub talent.

[0064] According to this configuration, the communication support system 100 displays information that the searched user, who is the search target, is a hub talent, attribute information of the hub talent user, and location information of the hub talent user in association with each other. Therefore, in addition to the fact that the search target is a hub talent, the location of the hub talent user can be easily ascertained.

[0065] In step S25, the communication support system 100 determines that one user is a hub person, ie, "The user with ID: ID-C is Hub talentA message containing only "Hey there!" may be presented to the user terminal of the user U who wishes to know the hub talent. In this case, attribute information about the user who is the hub talent (e.g., "Employee name: C" and "ID: ID-C") and location information of the user terminal of the user (e.g., "Seat: 15F-10") may be presented to the user terminal of the user U who wishes to know the hub talent in step S29 described below.

[0066] Next, the communication support system 100 determines whether there are other hub talents who are closer to the user U who wants to know about the hub talent than the searched user (step S27). The communication support system 100 determines whether there are one or more hub talents who are closer to the location of the user U, for example, by referring to attribute information on multiple users acquired in advance and location information of the user terminals 3 of the multiple users.

[0067] 13 is a diagram showing an example of a chat screen displayed on a display unit of a user terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. In step S27 in FIG. 11, if there is another hub talent closer to user U than the searched user (if Yes), the communication support system 100 identifies the hub talent closest to user U, for example, from one or more hub talents closer to the user U's location. Then, as shown in FIG. 13, the communication support system 100 presents messages M7 and M9 to the user terminal of user U, each including attribute information and location information of the hub talent closest to user U (e.g., "employee name: A") and one user who is both a hub talent and a searched user (e.g., "employee name: C"). Note that if there are multiple hub talents close to user U, the communication support system 100 may present the messages in order of closest hub talent (starting from the top of the chat screen CG), for example.

[0068] On the other hand, if there is no other hub talent closer to user U than the searched user (No in step S27), the process proceeds to step S37. The communication support system 100 may, for example, present the attribute information and location information of only one user who is a hub talent and also a searched user as a search result to the user terminal of user U who wants to know the hub talent (step S37).

[0069] 11, if the one user is not a hub talent (No), the process proceeds to step S31. The communication support system 100 determines whether or not the other multiple users other than the one user are hub talents based on attribute information about the multiple users acquired in advance and location information of the user terminals 3 of the multiple users (step S31).

[0070] If there is a hub talent among the other multiple users (if Yes), the process proceeds to step S33. In step S33, the communication support system 100, for example, refers to attribute information about the multiple users acquired in advance and location information of the user terminals 3 of the multiple users, to identify a hub talent that is closest or closer to the location of user U, who wishes to know the hub talent. Then, the communication support system 100 may present, to the user terminal of user U, the attribute information and location information of the hub talent that is closest or closer to user U, and of one user who is not a hub talent and is a searched user.

[0071] On the other hand, if there is no hub talent among the other multiple users (No in step S31), the process proceeds to step S35. The communication support system 100 may, for example, present the attribute information and location information of a user who is not a hub talent but is a searched user, as a search result, to the user terminal of user U who wants to know the hub talent (step S35).

[0072] In a second example of the hub user presentation process according to one embodiment of the present invention, the communication support system 100 proposes a method of presenting users depending on whether a user searched for by a user U who wants to know about hub talent is a hub talent. Furthermore, the communication support system 100 presents information about hub talent that is closer or nearest to the user U, so the user U can easily know which hub talent they would be most comfortable meeting.

[0073] 14 is a diagram showing an example of a chat screen displayed on the display unit of a user terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 14, the communication support system 100 may further acquire past location information of the user terminals of multiple users, and thereby present a message M11 on the chat screen CG, which includes attribute information about the hub talent "Employee Name: Z" and past location (seat) information of the user terminal operated by the hub talent. The communication support system 100 may further present additional information, such as the number of times the hub talent has stayed at that location in the past, along with the past location information of the user terminal operated by the hub talent.

[0074] According to this configuration, the communication support system 100 correlates and presents attribute information about hub talent with past location information of the user terminal operated by the hub talent. Therefore, since it is possible to grasp the past stay history of a certain hub talent, it is possible to predict which seat (location) the hub talent will likely be staying at in the future, even if the hub talent is not present at the office.

[0075] Fig. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a computer according to an embodiment of the present invention. With reference to Fig. 15, an example of the hardware configuration of a computer that can be used to configure the communication support device 1, the user terminal 3, and the online dialogue system 5 in the communication support system 100 shown in Fig. 1 will be described.

[0076] 15, a computer 40 mainly comprises, as hardware resources, a processor 41, a main storage device 42, an auxiliary storage device 43, an input / output interface 44, and a communication interface 45, which are interconnected via a bus line 46 including an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. Note that an interface circuit (not shown) may be interposed between the bus line 46 and each hardware resource as appropriate.

[0077] The processor 41 controls the entire computer. The processor 41 corresponds to, for example, the information processing unit 11 of the communication support device 1 shown in FIG. 4. The main storage device 42 provides a working area for the processor 41 and is a volatile memory such as an SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) or a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory). The auxiliary storage device 43 is a non-volatile memory such as an HDD, SSD, or flash memory that stores software programs and data. The programs and data are loaded from the auxiliary storage device 43 to the main storage device 42 via a bus line 46 at any time. The auxiliary storage device 43 corresponds to, for example, the recording unit 20 of the communication support device 1 shown in FIG. 4.

[0078] The input / output interface 44 presents information and / or receives input of information, and may be a camera, keyboard, mouse, display, touch panel display, microphone, speaker, etc. The communication interface 45 is for transmitting and receiving various data to and from the user terminal 3 and the online dialogue system 5 in the communication support system 100 shown in FIG. 1 via a predetermined communication network N. The communication interface 45 and the predetermined communication network N may be connected by wire or wirelessly. The communication interface 45 may also acquire information related to the network, such as information related to Wi-Fi access points and information related to communication carrier base stations.

[0079] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the cooperation of the hardware resources and software exemplified above enables the computer 40 to function as desired means, execute desired steps, and achieve desired functions.

[0080] It should be noted that the above-described embodiments are intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention. The present invention may be modified or improved without departing from the spirit thereof, and equivalents thereof are also included in the present invention. Furthermore, the present invention can be formed into various disclosures by appropriately combining multiple components disclosed in the above-described embodiments. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiments. Furthermore, components may be appropriately combined in different embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0081] 1...communication support device, 3a, 3b...3n...user terminal, 5...online dialogue system, 11...information processing unit, 13...information acquisition unit, 15...presentation request acquisition unit, 17...hub talent identification unit, 19...hub talent presentation unit, 20...recording unit, 40...computer, 41...processor, 42...main recording device, 43...auxiliary recording device, 44...input / output interface, 45...communication interface, 46...bus line, 100...communication support system

Claims

1. an information acquisition unit that acquires attribute information about a plurality of users and location information of user terminals of the plurality of users within the office; a request acquisition unit that acquires a request from a first user terminal of a first user; an identification unit that identifies one or more second users from the plurality of users based on the request and that satisfy a predetermined condition regarding communication between the users; a presentation unit that associates attribute information about the identified second user with location information of a second user terminal of the second user within the office and presents the associated information on the first user terminal; Information processing system.

2. An information acquisition unit that acquires attribute information regarding a plurality of users and location information of user terminals of the plurality of users; a request acquisition unit that acquires a request from a first user terminal of a first user; an identification unit that identifies one or more second users from the plurality of users based on the request and that satisfy a predetermined condition regarding communication between the users; a presentation unit that associates attribute information about the identified second user with location information of a second user terminal of the second user and presents the associated attribute information on the first user terminal; The predetermined conditions include conditions related to at least one of a search situation between users and an evaluation situation between users in an online system that supports communication between users. Information processing system.

3. An information acquisition unit that acquires attribute information regarding a plurality of users and location information of user terminals of the plurality of users; a request acquisition unit that acquires a request from a first user terminal of a first user; an identification unit that identifies one or more second users from the plurality of users based on the request and that satisfy a predetermined condition regarding communication between the users; a presentation unit that associates attribute information about the identified second user with location information of a second user terminal of the second user and presents the associated attribute information on the first user terminal; the attribute information regarding the plurality of users further includes organizational information for each of the users; the identifying unit identifies the second user from the plurality of users based on the number of searches between users in an online system that supports communication between users and the organization information. Information processing system.

4. An information acquisition unit that acquires attribute information regarding a plurality of users and location information of user terminals of the plurality of users; a request acquisition unit that acquires a request from a first user terminal of a first user; an identification unit that identifies one or more second users from the plurality of users based on the request and that satisfy a predetermined condition regarding communication between the users; a presentation unit that associates attribute information about the identified second user with location information of a second user terminal of the second user and presents the associated attribute information on the first user terminal; The information acquisition unit further acquires past location information of the user terminals of the plurality of users, the presenting unit associates attribute information about the second user with past location information of the second user terminal and presents the associated information to the first user terminal; Information processing system.

5. the request includes a search request for the first user to search for one user from the plurality of users; The identification unit determines whether the one user is the second user who satisfies the predetermined condition based on the search request; When the one user is the second user, the presenting unit associates attribute information about the one user with location information of a user terminal of the one user and presents the associated attribute information to the first user terminal. The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. An information acquisition unit that acquires attribute information regarding a plurality of users and location information of user terminals of the plurality of users; a request acquisition unit that acquires a request from a first user terminal of a first user; an identification unit that identifies one or more second users from the plurality of users based on the request and that satisfy a predetermined condition regarding communication between the users; a presentation unit that associates attribute information about the identified second user with location information of a second user terminal of the second user and presents the associated attribute information on the first user terminal; The information acquisition unit further acquires location information of the first user terminal; the identification unit determines whether or not there is a second user who is closer to the first user than the first user based on the location information of the first user terminal and the location information of the user terminals of the plurality of users; When the second user is present, the presenting unit associates attribute information about the second user with location information of a user terminal of the second user and presents the associated attribute information to the first user terminal. Information processing system.

7. The computer acquiring attribute information about a plurality of users and location information of user terminals of the plurality of users within the office; receiving a request from a first user terminal of a first user; identifying one or more second users from the plurality of users based on the request, the second users satisfying a predetermined condition regarding communication between the users; a step of associating attribute information about the identified second user with location information of a second user terminal of the second user within the office and presenting the associated information to the first user terminal; An information processing method that performs the above.

8. A computer comprising: acquiring attribute information about a plurality of users and location information of user terminals of the plurality of users; receiving a request from a first user terminal of a first user; identifying one or more second users from the plurality of users based on the request, the second users satisfying a predetermined condition regarding communication between the users; and presenting, to the first user terminal, attribute information about the identified second user and location information of a second user terminal of the second user in association with each other; The predetermined conditions include conditions related to at least one of a search situation between users and an evaluation situation between users in an online system that supports communication between users. Information processing methods.

9. A computer comprising: acquiring attribute information about a plurality of users and location information of user terminals of the plurality of users; receiving a request from a first user terminal of a first user; identifying one or more second users from the plurality of users based on the request, the second users satisfying a predetermined condition regarding communication between the users; and presenting, to the first user terminal, attribute information about the identified second user and location information of a second user terminal of the second user in association with each other; the attribute information regarding the plurality of users further includes organizational information for each of the users; the step of identifying the second user includes identifying the second user from the plurality of users based on the number of searches between users in an online system that supports communication between users and the organization information. Information processing methods.

10. A computer comprising: acquiring attribute information about a plurality of users and location information of user terminals of the plurality of users; receiving a request from a first user terminal of a first user; identifying one or more second users from the plurality of users based on the request, the second users satisfying a predetermined condition regarding communication between the users; and presenting, to the first user terminal, attribute information about the identified second user and location information of a second user terminal of the second user in association with each other; The acquiring step further acquires past location information of the user terminals of the plurality of users; The presenting step associates attribute information about the second user with past location information of the second user terminal and presents the associated information to the first user terminal. Information processing methods.

11. A computer comprising: acquiring attribute information about a plurality of users and location information of user terminals of the plurality of users; receiving a request from a first user terminal of a first user; identifying one or more second users from the plurality of users based on the request, the second users satisfying a predetermined condition regarding communication between the users; and presenting, to the first user terminal, attribute information about the identified second user and location information of a second user terminal of the second user in association with each other; The acquiring step further includes acquiring location information of the first user terminal; The step of specifying includes determining whether or not there is a second user who is closer to the first user than the first user based on the location information of the first user terminal and the location information of the user terminals of the plurality of users; In the presenting step, if the second user exists, attribute information regarding the second user and location information of a user terminal of the second user are associated with each other and presented to the first user terminal. Information processing methods.

12. A program for causing a computer to function as the information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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