Server device, system, and system operation method

Abstract

To contribute to improving user experience.SOLUTION: A server device includes: a communication unit configured to communicate with a terminal device; and a control unit configured to transmit, in response to area information transmitted from the terminal device for identifying an area, event information regarding an event in the area to the terminal device. Upon receiving predictive information indicating a predictive sign of transmission of the area information from the terminal device, the control unit predicts an area identified by new area information based on past area information and transmits the event information corresponding to the predicted area to the terminal device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a server device, a system, and a method of operating the system. [Background technology]

[0002] There are known information provision systems that provide various information related to the vicinity of a location specified by a user. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which event information in the vicinity of a destination set by a user is sent from a server to an in-vehicle information terminal, and the in-vehicle information terminal displays the event information. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-88555 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] There is room for improvement in the usability of systems that provide information to users.

[0005] The present disclosure provides a server device and the like that improves usability and contributes to an improved user experience. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The server device in the present disclosure has a communication unit that communicates with a terminal device, and a control unit that sends event information regarding an event in an area to the terminal device in accordance with area information sent from the terminal device to identify the area, and when the control unit receives predictive information from the terminal device that indicates an indication of the transmission of the area information, it predicts the area to be identified by the new area information based on past area information, and sends the event information corresponding to the predicted area to the terminal device.

[0007] The system disclosed herein is a system having a terminal device and a server device that communicate with each other, wherein the terminal device sends area information for identifying an area to the server device, and the server device sends event information regarding an event in the area to the terminal device in accordance with the area information, and when the server device receives predictive information from the terminal device that indicates an indication of the transmission of the area information, it predicts the area to be identified by the new area information based on past area information, and sends the event information corresponding to the predicted area to the terminal device.

[0008] The system operation method of the present disclosure is a method of operation of a system having a terminal device and a server device that communicate with each other, and includes a step in which the terminal device sends area information for identifying an area to the server device, a step in which the server device sends event information regarding an event in the area to the terminal device in accordance with the area information, and a step in which, when the server device receives predictive information from the terminal device indicating an indication of the transmission of the area information, the server device predicts the area to be identified by the new area information based on past area information, and sends the event information corresponding to the predicted area to the terminal device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The server device and the like according to the present disclosure can improve the user experience. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an information providing system. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the information providing system. [Figure 3A] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display on a terminal device. [Figure 3B] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display on a terminal device. [Figure 3C] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display on a terminal device. [Figure 4A] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display on a terminal device. [Figure 4B] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display on a terminal device. [Figure 5A] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display on a terminal device. [Figure 5B] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display on a terminal device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The following describes the embodiments.

[0012] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information provision system according to one embodiment. The information provision system 1 is a system for providing users with information about events suitable for the area in which the user is active. The information provision system 1 includes one or more server devices 10 and one or more terminal devices 12, which are connected to each other via a network 11 so as to be able to communicate information with each other.

[0013] The server device 10 is, for example, a server computer that belongs to a cloud computing system or other computing system and functions as a server that implements various functions.

[0014] The terminal device 12 is an information processing device equipped with a communication function, and is used by a user to perform various information communications and information processing. The terminal device 12 is, for example, an information processing terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal.

[0015] The network 11 is, for example, the Internet, but may also include an ad-hoc network, a local area network (LAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), or other network, or any combination thereof.

[0016] In the information providing system 1, the server device 10 transmits event information about an event in an area to the terminal device 12 in accordance with area information for specifying the area transmitted from the terminal device 12. When the server device 10 receives predictive information indicating a predictive signal for transmission of area information from the terminal device 12, the server device 10 predicts an area to be specified by the new area information based on past area information, and transmits event information corresponding to the predicted area to the terminal device 12. Because the server device 10 predicts the area and transmits the corresponding event information to the terminal device 12 before the user transmits area information for specifying the area to the server device 10 using the terminal device 12, the user can more easily obtain event information. This enables an improved user experience.

[0017] Next, the configurations of the server device 10 and the terminal device 12 will be described.

[0018] The server device 10 includes a communication unit 101, a storage unit 102, a control unit 103, an input unit 105, and an output unit 106. The server device 10 is, for example, a single computer. Alternatively, the server device 10 may be configured with two or more computers that are communicatively connected and operate in cooperation with each other. In this case, the configuration shown in FIG. 1 is appropriately arranged in the two or more computers.

[0019] The communication unit 101 includes one or more communication interfaces. The communication interface is, for example, a LAN interface. The communication unit 101 receives information used in the operation of the server device 10 and transmits information obtained by the operation of the server device 10. The server device 10 is connected to a network 11 by the communication unit 101 and communicates information with a terminal device 12 via the network 11.

[0020] The storage unit 102 includes, for example, one or more semiconductor memories, one or more magnetic memories, one or more optical memories, or a combination of at least two of these, that function as a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The semiconductor memories are, for example, RAM (Random Access Memory) or ROM (Read Only Memory). The RAM is, for example, SRAM (Static RAM) or DRAM (Dynamic RAM). The ROM is, for example, EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM). The storage unit 102 stores information used in the operation of the control unit 103 and information obtained by the operation of the control unit 103.

[0021] The control unit 103 includes one or more processors, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination thereof. The processor is, for example, a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), or a dedicated processor such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) specialized for a specific process. The dedicated circuit is, for example, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), etc. The control unit 103 executes information processing related to the operation of the server device 10 while controlling each unit of the server device 10.

[0022] The input unit 105 includes one or more input interfaces. The input interfaces are, for example, physical keys, capacitance keys, a pointing device, a touch screen integrated with a display, or a microphone that accepts voice input. The input unit 105 accepts an operation to input information used in the operation of the server device 10 and sends the input information to the control unit 103.

[0023] The output unit 106 includes one or more output interfaces. The output interface is, for example, a display or a speaker. The display is, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display. The output unit 106 outputs information obtained by the operation of the server device 10.

[0024] The functions of the server device 10 are realized by a processor included in the control unit 103 executing a control program. The control program is a program for causing a computer to function as the server device 10. Alternatively, some or all of the functions of the server device 10 may be realized by a dedicated circuit included in the control unit 103. Alternatively, the control program may be stored in a non-transitory recording / storage medium readable by the server device 10, and read by the server device 10 from the medium.

[0025] The terminal device 12 is an information processing device such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, etc. The terminal device 12 includes a communication unit 121, a storage unit 122, a control unit 123, a positioning unit 124, an input unit 125, and an output unit 126.

[0026] The communication unit 121 includes a communication module compatible with wired or wireless LAN standards, a module compatible with mobile communication standards such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G (4th Generation), or 5G (5th Generation), etc. The terminal device 12 is connected to the network 11 by the communication unit 121 via a nearby router device or a mobile communication base station, and performs information communication with the server device 10, etc. via the network 11.

[0027] The storage unit 122 includes one or more semiconductor memories, one or more magnetic memories, one or more optical memories, or a combination of at least two of these. The semiconductor memories are, for example, RAM or ROM. The RAM is, for example, SRAM or DRAM. The ROM is, for example, EEPROM. The storage unit 122 functions as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 122 stores information used in the operation of the control unit 123 and information obtained by the operation of the control unit 123.

[0028] The control unit 123 has, for example, one or more general-purpose processors such as a CPU, an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), or one or more dedicated processors specialized for specific processing. Alternatively, the control unit 123 may have one or more dedicated circuits such as an FPGA, an ASIC, or the like. The control unit 123 performs overall control of the operation of the terminal device 12 by operating according to a control / processing program or operating according to an operating procedure implemented as a circuit. The control unit 123 then transmits and receives various information to and from the server device 10, etc. via the communication unit 121, and performs the operation according to this embodiment.

[0029] The positioning unit 124 includes one or more GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receivers. GNSS includes at least one of, for example, GPS (Global Positioning System), QZSS (Quasi-Zenith Satellite System), BeiDou, GLONASS (Global Navigation Satellite System), and Galileo. The positioning unit 124 acquires location information of the terminal device 12.

[0030] The input unit 125 includes one or more input interfaces. The input interface is, for example, a physical key, a capacitive key, a pointing device, a touch screen integrated with a display, or a microphone that accepts voice input. The input interface may further include a camera that captures captured images or image codes, or an IC card reader. The input unit 125 accepts an operation to input information used in the operation of the control unit 123 and sends the input information to the control unit 123.

[0031] The output unit 126 includes one or more output interfaces. The output interface is, for example, a display or a speaker. The display is, for example, an LCD or an organic EL display. The output unit 126 outputs information obtained by the operation of the control unit 123.

[0032] The functions of control unit 123 are realized by a processor included in control unit 123 executing a control program. The control program is a program for causing the processor to function as control unit 123. In addition, some or all of the functions of control unit 123 may be realized by a dedicated circuit included in control unit 123.

[0033] FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation procedure of the information providing system 1. This sequence diagram shows the procedure for the cooperative operation of the server device 10 and the terminal device 12. The steps related to various information processing by the server device 10 and the terminal device 12 in FIG. 2 are executed by the respective control units 103 and 123. Furthermore, the steps related to the transmission and reception of various information by the server device 10 and the terminal device 12 are executed by the respective control units 103 and 123 transmitting and receiving information to each other via the respective communication units 101 and 121. In the server device 10 and the terminal device 12, the control units 103 and 123 appropriately store the information to be transmitted and received in the respective storage units 102 and 122. Furthermore, the control units 103 and 123 accept input of various information via the input units 105 and 125, respectively, and output various information via the respective output units 106 and 126. The procedure shown in FIG. 2 may be executed in cooperation between the server device 10 and each of two or more terminal devices 12.

[0034] In step S201, the terminal device 12 sends predictive information to the server device 10. The server device 10 receives the information sent from the terminal device 12. The predictive information includes information for identifying the terminal device 12 and information indicating the occurrence of an event that indicates a predictive event that will cause the terminal device 12 to send area information to the server device 10. The information for identifying the terminal device is stored in advance in the storage unit 102, for example. The predictive information is any information sent in response to, for example, the terminal device 12 activating the terminal device 12 by activating an application program (hereinafter referred to as a search app) for receiving area information in the terminal device 12. When the search app is installed in the terminal device 12, the terminal device 12 sends predictive information to the server device 10 when the terminal device 12 is activated or when the search app is activated, in accordance with a procedure defined by the search app.

[0035] Upon receiving the predictive information, the server device 10 determines in step S202 whether the area is predictable. The server device 10 determines whether the area identified by the new area information, which is likely to be sent following the predictive information, is predictable based on past area information. The area is information indicating a location where a user is likely to stay or pass through (hereinafter referred to as a preferred area). The area is a range on a map having an arbitrarily set area and shape. The server device 10 determines that the area is predictable if the history of past area information linked to the terminal device 12 is stored in the storage unit 102 in an amount equal to or greater than a reference amount, and determines that the area is unpredictable if the amount is less than the reference amount. The server device 10 predicts the area identified by the new area information based on the history of past area information according to an arbitrary algorithm or using a model generated by machine learning. The reference amount is the amount of arbitrary area information required for area prediction using an arbitrary algorithm. The reference amount is the amount of information in the learning data required for generating a prediction model using machine learning. The predicted area is a region within an arbitrarily set reference range. The reference range is, for example, one to several square kilometers.

[0036] If it is determined that the server device 10 does not have enough history of past area information stored therein and that area prediction is not possible (No in step S202), the server device 10 proceeds to step S211. In this case, the server device 10 does not execute the steps of acquiring event information in step S203 and transmitting the event information to the terminal device 12 in step S205. Therefore, the terminal device 12 determines that it has not acquired the event information in step S206 (No in step S206). For example, after sending the predictive information in step S201, if the terminal device 12 receives the event information from the server device 10 within an arbitrarily set reference time (for example, several seconds to several tens of seconds), it determines that it has acquired the event information. If the terminal device 12 does not receive the event information from the server device 10 within the reference time, it determines that it has not acquired the event information. If it has determined that it has not acquired the event information (No in step S206), the terminal device 12 proceeds to step S209.

[0037] In step S209, the terminal device 12 acquires area information. The area information is acquired by the terminal device 12 in response to an operation by the user of the terminal device 12.

[0038] For example, a user inputs a departure point and a destination using a search app and instructs the terminal device 12 to search for a route from the departure point to the destination. As shown in FIG. 3A , the terminal device 12 displays a search app screen 3 to the user in response to the user's operation, and when the user inputs the destination, departure point, or current location in the input area 30 and taps the route search button 31, the terminal device 12 executes a route search and displays the results on the screen 3. Then, the terminal device 12 sets one or more of the departure point, the destination, and points on the route as preferred areas and acquires, as area information, location information that identifies the preferred areas.

[0039] The user also uses the search app's functions to instruct the terminal device 12 to purchase a transportation ticket by online payment or the like. As shown in FIG. 3B , the terminal device 12 displays an options screen 32 of the search app to the user in response to the user's operation. The options screen 32 displays information such as area names 33 where transportation is available and ticket types 34. Transportation options include buses, trains, ships, and rental bicycles, but buses are shown here as an example. When the user taps the purchase button 35 to purchase a ticket for a desired area, the payment process for the transportation fare related to the ticket purchase begins. The terminal device 12 then determines one or more areas through which transportation that can be used with the purchased transportation ticket passes as preferred areas and acquires location information identifying the preferred areas as area information.

[0040] Alternatively, the terminal device 12 stores its own location information history, and acquires location information that identifies a preferred area as area information, where the stay time exceeds an arbitrary reference time (for example, several hours). In this case, the preferred area is a home, a workplace, a school, etc.

[0041] In step S210, the terminal device 12 transmits the area information to the server device 10. The server device 10 receives the information transmitted from the terminal device 12.

[0042] In step S211, the server device 10 acquires event information. The server device 10 acquires event information for events to be held in the area specified by the area information. The event may, for example, be currently being held, or may be scheduled to be held in a predetermined period of time in the future. The predetermined period of time in the future is, for example, several days to several weeks. The server device 10 collects the event information from servers operated by various event providers. The event information includes information on the location and time when the event will be held. The server device 10 acquires the event information by extracting event information for events to be held in the specified area after the current date and time.

[0043] In step S212, the server device 10 sends the event information to the terminal device 12. The terminal device 12 receives the information sent from the server device 10.

[0044] In step S213, the terminal device 12 outputs the event information. For example, as shown in FIG. 3C , the terminal device 12 transitions from the search application screen 3 and the options screen 32 to an event information screen 37, and displays the event information 36. The event information 36 includes text and an image indicating the details of the event. When a portion where the event information 36 is displayed is tapped, the terminal device 12 can transition to a separate screen and display more detailed information about the tapped event information 36, such as the location, date, and time.

[0045] On the other hand, in step S214, the server device 10 stores the history of area information in the storage unit 102. The history of area information is stored in association with the identification information of the terminal device 12 or the identification information of the user identified thereby. As a result, the server device 10 accumulates the history of area information indicating preferred areas associated with the terminal device 12 or its user. In addition, the history of event information provision may be stored in association with the area information.

[0046] When the server device 10 receives the predictive information from the terminal device 12 in step S201, if it determines in step S202 that the history of area information has been accumulated to a certain extent and that area prediction is possible (Yes), the process proceeds to step S203.

[0047] In step S203, the server device 10 acquires event information. The server device 10 predicts an area identified by area information sent from the terminal device 12. The server device 10 predicts an area identified by new area information based on the history of past area information, according to an arbitrary algorithm or using a model generated by machine learning. The server device 10 then acquires event information for events to be held in the predicted area. The server device 10 acquires the event information by performing an operation similar to the operation in step S211.

[0048] In step S205, the server device 10 sends the event information to the terminal device 12. The terminal device 12 receives the information sent from the server device 10. Then, the terminal device 12 determines that the event information has been acquired in step S201 (Yes), and proceeds to step S208.

[0049] In step S208, the terminal device 12 outputs the event information.

[0050] 4A and 4B show examples of event information displays. FIG. 4A shows an example of a terminal device 12 that is powered off or in a sleep state and its display screen 40. When the terminal device 12 is powered on or a sleep wake-up operation is performed, the terminal device 12 sends predictive information to the server device 10 in response to these operations and receives event information from the server device 10. Then, as shown in FIG. 4B, the terminal device 12 displays a standby screen 42 on the display screen 40 and also displays event information 43 on the standby screen 42. The event information 43 is a character string including information about the location where the event will be held and information about the next date when the event will be held. The event information 43 may also be output by voice.

[0051] 5A and 5B show another example of displaying event information. FIG. 5A shows an example of terminal device 12 in a standby state and its display screen 50. A standby screen 52 is displayed on display screen 50. For example, when an operation such as a tap is performed on search app icon 52 on standby screen 50, terminal device 12 responds to the operation by sending predictive information to server device 10 and receiving event information from server device 10. Then, as shown in FIG. 5B, terminal device 12 displays search app screen 54 on display screen 50 and also displays event information 53, for example, superimposed on search app screen 54.

[0052] In this way, the server device 10 provides the terminal device 12 with event information in response to the predictive information from the terminal device 12, so that the user of the terminal device 12 can recognize the event information without performing any input to identify a preferred area, thereby improving user convenience.

[0053] After checking the event information, the user uses the search application to cause the terminal device 12 to perform a desired operation. For example, the operation from step S208 onwards is performed. Then, in response to this, the server device 10 performs step S211 onwards.

[0054] According to this embodiment, before the user sends area information for specifying a preferred area to the server device 10 using the terminal device 12, the server device 10 predicts the preceding area and sends corresponding event information to the terminal device 12, allowing the user to obtain event information more easily. This improves user convenience and the user experience.

[0055] Although the embodiments have been described above based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art can easily make various modifications and alterations based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and alterations are included in the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the functions included in each means, step, etc. can be rearranged so as not to be logically inconsistent, and multiple means, steps, etc. can be combined or divided into one. [Explanation of symbols]

[0056] 1 Information provision system 10 Server device 11 Network 12 Terminal equipment 101, 121 Communications Department 102, 122 Storage section 103, 123 Control section 124 Positioning Unit 105, 125 input section 106, 126 output section

Claims

1. a communication unit that communicates with a terminal device; a control unit that sends event information related to an event in an area to the terminal device in accordance with area information for identifying the area, the area information being sent from the terminal device; When the control unit receives from the terminal device, prediction information indicating a prediction of transmission of the area information, the control unit predicts an area to be specified by new area information based on past area information, and transmits the event information corresponding to the predicted area to the terminal device; the predictive information is information sent from the terminal device in response to startup of the terminal device or startup of a predetermined application program by the terminal device; Server device.

2. In claim 1, The area information is obtained from information for searching for a location or a route received from the terminal device. Server device.

3. In claim 1, The area information is obtained from information for payment of transportation fares received from the terminal device. Server device.

4. In claim 1, The area information is obtained from a history of location information of the terminal device received from the terminal device. Server device.

5. In claim 1, The event information includes information about the location or time of an event to be held in an area corresponding to the area information. Server device.

6. In claim 1, the control unit determines whether or not it is possible to predict the area specified by the new area information based on the accumulation of past area information. Server device.

Images