Content providing device, content providing system, content providing method, and program

Abstract

To appropriately notify a user of information associated with a spot in which a content is recommended.SOLUTION: A content providing device comprises: a position information acquisition unit that acquires position information of a user; a content acquisition unit that acquires a content which is automatically recommended, referring to map information including information of a plurality of spots, in a case where the position information of the user approaches any of the plurality of spots; a content providing unit that transmits the acquired content to a terminal device used by the user to make the content reproducible; and an image providing unit that provides an image indicating spots by overlapping on a map image to the terminal device, the image providing unit determining a display mode of a second spot on the basis of comparison between reproduction time of the content which is automatically recommended at a first spot through which the user of the plurality of spots passes, and time required for the user to reach the second spot from the first spot.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a content providing device, a content providing system, a content providing method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, an invention of a device that automatically recommends music to a user has been disclosed (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-149568 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Conventional technologies do not consider the relationship between location-based music recommendations and user travel time, which can result in inadequate information about recommended locations being conveyed to users.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of these circumstances, and one of its objectives is to provide a content providing device, a content providing system, a content providing method, and a program that can appropriately convey information to users regarding locations where content is recommended. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A content providing device, a content providing system, a content providing method, and a program according to the present invention employ the following configuration. (1): A content providing device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a location information acquiring unit that acquires location information of a user; a content acquiring unit that refers to map information including information on a plurality of locations and acquires content that is automatically recommended when the user's location information approaches one of the plurality of locations; a content providing unit that transmits the acquired content to a terminal device used by the user to enable playback of the content; and an image providing unit that provides the terminal device with an image indicating the location by superimposing it on a map image, and the image providing unit determines the display mode of the second location based on a comparison between the playback time of the content that is automatically recommended at a first location among the plurality of locations that the user passes through and the time required for the user to reach a second location from the first location.

[0007] (2): In the above aspect (1), the image providing unit determines the display mode of the second location based on a comparison between the playback time of the content automatically recommended at the first location and the time required to reach the second location from the first location, in response to the first location being selected by an operation performed by the user on the terminal device.

[0008] (3) In the above aspect (1), the image providing unit acquires the required time for a plurality of the second locations and determines a display mode for each of the plurality of the second locations.

[0009] (4): In the above aspect (3), the image providing unit makes the display mode of a first second location among the plurality of second locations, whose playback time is shorter than the corresponding required time, more prominent than the display mode of a second second location, whose playback time is longer than the corresponding required time.

[0010] (5): In any of the above aspects (1) to (3), the image providing unit does not cause the terminal device to display the second location if the playback time is longer than the corresponding required time.

[0011] (6): A content provision system according to another aspect of the present invention comprises a content provision device including a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information of a user, a content acquisition unit that refers to map information including information on multiple locations and acquires content that is automatically recommended when the user's location information approaches one of the multiple locations, and a content provision unit that transmits the acquired content to a terminal device used by the user so that the content can be played back, and an application program that causes the terminal device to display an image indicating a location by superimposing it on a map image, and that determines the display mode of the second location based on a comparison between the playback time of content that is automatically recommended at a first location among the multiple locations that the user passes through and the time required for the user to reach a second location from the first location.

[0012] (7): Another aspect of the present invention provides a content providing method in which a content providing device acquires location information of a user, refers to map information including information on a plurality of locations, and acquires content that is automatically recommended when the user's location information approaches one of the plurality of locations, transmits the acquired content to a terminal device used by the user to enable playback of the content, provides the terminal device with an image indicating the location by superimposing it on a map image, and determines the display mode of the second location based on a comparison between the playback time of the content that is automatically recommended at a first location among the plurality of locations that the user passes through and the time required for the user to reach a second location from the first location.

[0013] (8): Another aspect of the present invention provides a program that causes a processor of a content providing device to acquire location information of a user, refer to map information including information on multiple locations, and acquire content that is automatically recommended when the user's location information approaches one of the multiple locations, transmit the acquired content to a terminal device used by the user to enable playback of the content, provide the terminal device with an image that indicates the location by superimposing it on a map image, and determine the display mode of the second location based on a comparison between the playback time of the content that is automatically recommended at a first location among the multiple locations that the user passes through and the time required for the user to reach a second location from the first location. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to aspects (1) to (8), information about the location where content is recommended can be appropriately conveyed to the user. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram of a content providing system 1 using a content providing device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of user information 152. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of map information 154. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an outline of a processing flow relating to music recommendation. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a content image IM1. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a content image IM2 in the case where a POI on a second POI recommended route RP is included. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of how the display mode of a second POI is changed in response to a POI being selected as a waypoint by a user. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the content of required time information 156. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of a content providing system 2 according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, a content providing device, a content providing system, a content providing method, and a program according to the present invention will be described. An embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0017] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a content providing system 1 that uses a content providing device according to an embodiment. The content providing system 1 is a system that provides content to a passenger on board a moving object. The content is, for example, a song. The song refers to music, and may include songs sung by an artist, played on a musical instrument, or played on a program, as well as environmental sounds. In the following description, the content is assumed to be a song, but the content may also be video content accompanied by images. The moving object includes, for example, a vehicle (a four-wheeled or three-wheeled vehicle, micromobility, etc.) with a space where the passenger can stay, a ship, an aircraft, or a motorcycle. In the case of a motorcycle, the song may be played by an audio device installed in the helmet.

[0018] The content providing system 1 includes, for example, a music application 32 running on a mobile terminal device 10, and a front server 100. The front server 100 is an example of a content providing device. The mobile terminal device 10 and the audio device 50 are examples of devices used by a user.

[0019] [Mobile terminal device] The mobile terminal device 10 is a portable computer device having communication functions, input / output functions, and application execution functions, such as a smartphone or tablet terminal. The mobile terminal device 10 includes, for example, a short-range communication unit 12, a network communication unit 14, a music application execution unit 16, and a touch panel 18.

[0020] Short-range communication unit 12 communicates with short-range communication unit 60 of audio device 50 wirelessly or via a wire based on a communication standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), Wi-Fi, or USB (Universal Serial Bus).

[0021] The network communication unit 14 communicates with the front server 100 via the network NW. The network NW includes a wireless base station, an access point, the Internet, a provider terminal, a WAN (Wide Area Network), and the like.

[0022] The Music application execution unit 16 functions by a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a Music application 32 stored in the storage unit 30. The Music application execution unit 16 controls each unit of the mobile terminal device 10 in response to an input operation by the user performed on the touch panel 18. The Music application 32 is, for example, installed in advance on the mobile terminal device 10 from a server device of an application provider.

[0023] [Audio Device] The audio device 50 is installed in a vehicle (or may be installed in a helmet, as described above). The audio device 50 includes, for example, an associated application execution unit 52, an audio adjustment unit 54, a speaker system 56, a touch panel 58, and a short-range communication unit 60.

[0024] Interconnected application execution unit 52 functions by a processor such as a CPU executing an interconnected application (not shown) stored in a storage unit. Interconnected application execution unit 52 controls each unit of audio device 50 in cooperation with Music application execution unit 16 in response to an input operation performed by a user on touch panel 58.

[0025] The acoustic adjustment unit 54 controls the speaker system 56. The speaker system 56 includes, for example, a plurality of speakers. The acoustic adjustment unit 54 may adjust the volume of each of the plurality of speakers to localize a sound image at a desired location.

[0026] As described above, the short-range communication unit 60 communicates with the short-range communication unit 12 of the mobile terminal device 10 wirelessly or via a wire.

[0027] [Front Server] The front server 100 includes, for example, a network communication unit 102, a user information acquisition unit 104, a location information acquisition unit 106, a POI (Point Of Interest) acquisition unit 108, a music data acquisition unit 110, a content providing unit 112, an image providing unit 114, and a storage unit 150. The components other than the network communication unit 102 and the storage unit 150 are realized by, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or may be realized by a combination of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device (a storage device having a non-transitory storage medium) such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or flash memory, or may be stored in a removable storage medium (a non-transitory storage medium) such as a DVD or CD-ROM, and installed by inserting the storage medium into a drive device. The storage unit 150 stores information such as user information 152, map information 154, and required time information 156.

[0028] The network communication unit 102 communicates with the mobile terminal device 10 via a network NW. The communication between the front server 100 and the back server 200 may also be performed via the same network NW, but may also be performed via a dedicated line, a LAN (Local Area Network), a VPN (Virtual Private Network), etc.

[0029] The user information acquisition unit 104 acquires information about the user of the mobile terminal device 10 (user information) and registers it in the user information 152. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the user information 152. The user information 152 is information including, for example, name, age, sex, occupation, favorite music genre, favorite artists, hobbies, etc. The user information acquisition unit 104 updates the user information 152 in response to input operations by the user or as appropriate based on the music playback history.

[0030] The location information acquisition unit 106 acquires location information of the user (mobile body). The location information of the user (mobile body) may be determined by a positioning device (such as a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver, not shown) included in the mobile body on which the audio device 50 is installed and transmitted to the front server 100 via the audio device 50 and the mobile terminal device 10, or may be determined by a positioning device (not shown) included in the mobile terminal device 10 and transmitted to the front server 100.

[0031] The POI acquisition unit 108 refers to the map information 154 using the user's location information, and acquires the POI within which the user has entered (hereinafter referred to as "the POI has been hit") a song recommendation zone (hereinafter referred to as "the recommendation zone"). Entering the song recommendation zone is an example of approaching a POI (point). FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the map information 154. The map information 154 includes a plurality of pieces of POI information and information on the recommendation zone corresponding to each of the plurality of pieces of POI information. The POI information includes, for example, information such as the location information (latitude, longitude) of the POI associated with the POI (e.g., famous facilities, scenic spots, etc.), the type of POI, etc.

[0032] The POIs included in the map information 154 may be changed as appropriate. For example, a POI that is holding a time-limited event may be included in the map information 154 only during the period that the event is held. Furthermore, each piece of information associated with a POI may be changed as appropriate. For example, if a POI included in the map information 154 holds an illumination event at a tourist spot, the recommendation area may be expanded only during the hours when the illumination event is held.

[0033] The map information 154 may further include information on road structures. When the map information 154 includes road structures, the recommendation area may be set based on the distance from the road to the POI. Note that the POIs included in the map information 154 are considered to be targets for song recommendation, but the map information 154 may also include POIs that are not targets for song recommendation. In this case, a flag indicating that the POI is a target for song recommendation is associated with the POI.

[0034] When a certain POI is found, the music data acquisition unit 110 sends a music request to the back server 200. The music request includes the user's user information (from the viewpoint of protecting personal information, processing may be performed such as deleting the user's name, changing the age to "30s" or the like, and changing the occupation from detailed information to a more granular level such as "company employee") and POI information (which may be POI identification information) indicating the found POI. When multiple POIs are found, the music data acquisition unit 110 includes the POI information of one of the multiple POIs in the music request. The POI information to be included in the music request will be explained later.

[0035] As will be described later, when the back server 200 receives a song request, it automatically selects a song that matches the user and the POI, and acquires the song data of the selected song, for example in streaming format, from the song data 258 and transmits it to the front server 100. The song data acquisition unit 110 acquires the song data that is transmitted by the back server 200 and is to be automatically recommended. The song data acquired by the song data acquisition unit 110 is automatically recommended based on the user information and the POI information that the user has entered into the recommendation range and hit.

[0036] When the user enters the recommendation area, the content providing unit 112 transmits the music data acquired by the music data acquiring unit 110 to the mobile terminal device 10, enabling the mobile terminal device 10 to play the music data. The mobile terminal device 10 transmits the music data to the audio device 50, causing the speaker system 56 to play the music data. Note that the function of storing the music data 258 and providing the music data may be located in the front server 100 or another server device.

[0037] When the mobile terminal device 10 or the audio device 50 is approaching a POI, the mobile terminal device 10 or the audio device 50 suggests to the user that the recommended music be played. For example, the mobile terminal device 10 or the audio device 50 displays an image or outputs a sound asking the user whether or not it is OK to play the suggested music, and if the user replies by touch operation or voice that they agree, the recommended music is played.

[0038] The function of the image providing unit 114 and the significance of the required time information 156 will be described later.

[0039] [Back Server] The back server 200 includes, for example, a user characteristic information generation unit 202, a POI characteristic information generation unit 204, an automatic music selection unit 206, and a storage unit 250. Functional units other than the storage unit 250 are realized, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI, ASIC, FPGA, or GPU, or may be realized by a combination of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device such as an HDD or flash memory (a storage device having a non-transitory storage medium), or may be stored in a removable storage medium (a non-transitory storage medium) such as a DVD or CD-ROM, and installed by inserting the storage medium into a drive device. The storage unit 250 stores information such as user characteristic information 252, POI characteristic information 254, a trained model 256, and music data 258.

[0040] The user characteristic information generating unit 202 generates user characteristic information in the form of a vector or the like based on the user information included in the song request. The generated user characteristic information may be stored in the storage unit 250 as user characteristic information 252 in preparation for second or subsequent song requests from the same user.

[0041] The POI feature information generating unit 204 generates POI feature information in the form of a vector or the like based on the POI information included in the song request. The generated POI feature information may be stored in the storage unit 250 as user feature information 252 in preparation for subsequent song requests related to the same POI.

[0042] Note that one or both of the function of generating user characteristic information from user information and the function of generating POI characteristic information from POI characteristic information may be functions of the front server 100. In that case, a song request may include, for example, the user characteristic information and the POI characteristic information.

[0043] The automatic music selection unit 206 inputs user characteristic information and POI characteristic information corresponding to the music request into the trained model 256, and extracts music data of music that matches the user and the POIs that the user approaches and passes through from the music data 258, and automatically recommends the music. The automatic music selection unit 206 transmits the automatically recommended music data to the front server 100. The music data acquisition unit 110 of the front server 100 acquires the music data automatically recommended by the automatic music selection unit 206.

[0044] The trained model 256 is trained using information previously obtained from feedback experiment results as correct answer data. For example, when a man in his 30s passes near Tokyo Tower, the trained model 256 is trained to select a song that is actually highly rated in that situation. The feedback experiment is, for example, a collection of user feedback such as high ratings, low ratings, and replays of songs provided through the Music app 32.

[0045] 4 is a diagram showing an outline of the processing flow for music recommendation. When the front server 100 acquires the user's location information transmitted by the mobile terminal device 10 or the audio device 50, it refers to the acquired location information in map information and determines whether a POI has been found. If a POI has been found, the front server 100 includes the user information of the user who transmitted the location information and the POI information of the found POI in a music request and transmits the request to the back server 200.

[0046] The back server 200 generates user characteristic information based on the user information corresponding to the transmitted song request and inputs it to the trained model 256. The back server 200 generates POI characteristic information based on the POI information corresponding to the transmitted song request and inputs it to the trained model 256. The back server 200 extracts the output data of the trained model 256 from the song data 258 as song data of songs that match the user and the POIs that the user approaches and passes through.

[0047] [Image provided by] The image provision function of the image provision unit 114 will be described below. The image provision unit 114 provides the mobile terminal device 10 or the audio device 50 with an image (hereinafter, content image) that is superimposed on a map image and indicates a location. For example, the image provision unit 114 has a route search function (or a function to request a route search from another device and acquire a route), and provides, as a content image, an image that indicates a route from the user's location acquired by the location information acquisition unit 106 to a destination input into the mobile terminal device 10 or the like. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a content image IM1. As shown in the figure, the content image IM1 displays an image showing the user's location PU, the destination DT, a recommended route RP, and a POI (POI(1) in the figure) on the recommended route RP. The content image IM1 is updated in accordance with changes in the user's location PU. In addition, in the content image IM1, there are POIs (POI(2), POI(3), and POI(4) in the figure) that are not on the recommended route RP but that will take a short time to reach the destination even if the user deviates from the recommended route RP (the increase in time is within a predetermined time), and the increase in time T + The Music application execution unit 16 displays the content image provided by the front server 100 on the touch panel 18. In the figure, the image indicating the POI is shown as a text image, but the image indicating the POI may also be shown as an icon, a character, or the like.

[0048] In the content image IM1, the image provider 114 acquires the playback time of the content automatically recommended at a first POI (POI(1) in the figure) that the user passes through among multiple POIs, and determines the display mode of the second POI based on a comparison of the playback time of the content with the time required for the user to reach the second POI from the first POI. The second POI is, for example, a POI that is not on the recommended route RP. The required time is, for example, the time required to travel by car, and is calculated based on traffic information acquired via a network, broadcast waves, etc.

[0049] For example, the image providing unit 114 acquires information on at least the playback time cT of the music to be recommended when the user arrives at POI(1) by requesting the music data acquiring unit 110 to make an inquiry to the back server 200. Then, the required time T from POI(1) to POI(2) is calculated. 12 and playback time cT, and travel time T from POI(1) to POI(3). 13 and playback time cT, and travel time T from POI(1) to POI(4). 14 and playback time cT, respectively. The image providing unit 114 displays, on the mobile terminal device 10 or the audio device 50, a POI (an example of a first second location) whose required time is longer than playback time cT in a manner that makes it stand out compared to a POI (an example of a second second location) whose required time is shorter than playback time cT. A manner that makes it stand out means that the image has a high contrast with the surrounding image, high brightness, a large size, or the like. For example, the image providing unit 114 displays, on the mobile terminal device 10 or the audio device 50, an image relating to a POI whose required time is longer than playback time cT in a normal font, and an image relating to a POI whose required time is shorter than playback time cT in an inconspicuous font, line, image, or the like, such as gray. Alternatively, the image relating to a POI whose required time is shorter than playback time cT may not be displayed on the mobile terminal device 10 or the audio device 50.

[0050] In the example of Figure 5, the travel time from POI(1) to POI(2) is T 12 is shorter than the playback time cT, and the travel time from POI(1) to POI(3) is T 13 , and the travel time T from POI(1) to POI(4) 14 is longer than the playback time cT. Therefore, the image related to POI (4) is displayed in a manner that makes it less noticeable than the images related to POIs (2) and (3). In this way, the image providing unit 114 obtains the required times for the plurality of second POIs and determines the display manner for each of the plurality of second POIs.

[0051] The second POI may include a POI on the recommended route RP. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a content image IM2 in the case where the second POI includes a POI on the recommended route RP. In the figure, POI (5) is on the recommended route RP and is a POI for which music is recommended. The required time T from POI (1) to POI (5) is 15 is shorter than the playback time cT, the image relating to POI(5) is displayed in a less prominent manner than the image relating to POI(1).

[0052] The image providing unit 114 may also have a function of regenerating a route and displaying it on the mobile terminal device 10 or the audio device 50 based on an operation performed by the user on the mobile terminal device 10. The operation in this case is, for example, tapping on a POI that is not on the recommended route RP. At this time, the image providing unit 114 regenerates (reroutes) a route from the user's location acquired by the location information acquiring unit 106 to the destination input to the mobile terminal device 10 or the like, using the tapped POI as a waypoint. Determining the display mode of the second POI as described above may be performed only when the route is regenerated. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of how the display mode of the second POI is changed in response to the user selecting a POI as a waypoint. As shown in the figure, content image IM3 displays the original route, and content image IM4 displays the route after POI (6) has been selected as a waypoint. In content image IM3, all POIs around the recommended route RP are displayed in the normal state, while in content image IM4, the required time T from the newly selected POI (6) is displayed. 67 However, POI(7), which has a shorter playback time than the playback time cT of the music played at POI(6), is displayed in an inconspicuous manner, and the other POIs are displayed in a normal manner.

[0053] To perform such processing, the image providing unit 114 may, for example, comprehensively calculate the required travel time between POIs within a predetermined distance and store it in the storage unit 150 as required travel time information 156. The image providing unit 114 may recalculate or reacquire the required travel time obtained from traffic information, for example, every predetermined time (for example, 10 [min] to 1 [h]), and update the required travel time information 156. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the content of the required travel time information 156.

[0054] In the embodiment described above, the playback time cT is the time it takes to play a song from start to finish, but it is not limited to this and may be the time it takes to complete playback of the main part of the song, for example, from the beginning to the chorus.

[0055] The method of acquiring music data is not limited to the above, and a system may be adopted in which predetermined music is recommended for each POI. User characteristic information does not need to be referenced when selecting music data.

[0056] The functions of the image providing unit 114 described above may be included in the Music application 32. In this case, the image providing unit 114 of the front server 100 may provide the playback time cT of the music and the time required between POIs in response to a request from the mobile terminal device 10, and the Music application 32 may change the display mode of the second POI based on a comparison of these.

[0057] Furthermore, the terminal device used by the user may be an audio device 50 instead of the mobile terminal device 10. In other words, the above function may be realized by the audio device 50 communicating with the front server 100 without going through the mobile terminal device 10. FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram of a content providing system 2 according to a modified example. In this case, the audio device 50 has a function equivalent to the Music app 32 in FIG. 1, and the Music app execution unit 70 uses the network communication unit 72 to display a content image provided from the front server 100 on the touch panel 72.

[0058] According to the embodiment described above, the front server 100 is equipped with a location information acquisition unit 106 that acquires the location information of the user, a content acquisition unit (108, 110) that refers to map information 154 including information on multiple POIs and acquires content to be automatically recommended when the user's location information approaches one of the multiple POIs, a content providing unit 112 that transmits the acquired content to the terminal device (10, 50) used by the user so that the content can be played, and an image providing unit 114 that provides the terminal device with a content image showing the POI by superimposing it on a map image, and the image providing unit 114 determines the display mode of the second POI based on a comparison between the playback time of the content to be automatically recommended at a first POI among the multiple POIs that the user passes through and the time required for the user to reach the second POI from the first POI, thereby making it possible to appropriately convey information about the location where content is recommended to the user.

[0059] The above-described embodiment can be expressed as follows. a storage medium for storing computer-readable instructions; a processor connected to the storage medium; The processor executes the computer-readable instructions to: Acquiring location information of a user; referring to map information including information on a plurality of locations, and acquiring content to be automatically recommended when the user's location information approaches any one of the plurality of locations; transmitting the acquired content to a terminal device used by the user so that the content can be played back; providing an image showing the location to the terminal device by superimposing it on a map image; determining a display mode for the second location based on a comparison between a playback time of content automatically recommended at a first location among a plurality of locations through which the user passes and a time required for the user to reach a second location from the first location; A content providing device that executes the above.

[0060] The above describes the form for carrying out the present invention using an embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and various modifications and substitutions can be made within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 1, 2 Content provision system 10. Portable terminal device 12 Near Field Communication Department 14 Network Communications Department 16 Music App Execution Department 18 Touch Panel 30 Storage section 32 Music app 50 Audio Equipment 52 Collaboration application execution unit 54 Sound adjustment section 56 Speaker System 58 Touch Panel 60 Near Field Communication Department 70 Music App Execution Department 72 Network Communications Department 80 Storage section 82 Music app 100 Front Server 102 Network Communications Department 104 User information acquisition department 106 Location information acquisition unit 108 POI acquisition department 110 Music data acquisition unit 112 Contents Provider 114 Image provided by 150 Storage section 152 User information 154 Map Information 156 Required time information 200 Back Server 202 User characteristic information generation unit 204 POI feature information generation unit 206 Automatic music selection section 250 Storage section 252 User characteristic information 254 POI feature information 256 trained models 258 song data

Claims

1. a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information of a user; a content acquisition unit that refers to map information including information on a plurality of locations, and acquires content that is automatically recommended when the user's location information approaches any one of the plurality of locations; a content providing unit that transmits the acquired content to a terminal device used by the user, thereby enabling the content to be played back; an image providing unit that provides the terminal device with an image showing a location by superimposing it on a map image, the image providing unit determining a display mode of the second location based on a comparison between a playback time of content that is automatically recommended at a first location among the plurality of locations through which the user passes and a time required for the user to reach a second location from the first location; A content providing device comprising:

2. the image providing unit, in response to the first location being selected by an operation performed by the user on the terminal device, determines a display mode of the second location based on a comparison between a playback time of content to be automatically recommended at the first location and a required time to reach the second location from the first location; The content providing device according to claim 1 .

3. the image providing unit acquires the required times for the plurality of second locations and determines a display mode for each of the plurality of second locations; The content providing device according to claim 1 .

4. the image providing unit makes a display mode of a first second location, of the plurality of second locations, whose playback time is shorter than the corresponding required time, more prominent than a display mode of a second second location, whose playback time is longer than the corresponding required time; The content providing device according to claim 3.

5. the image providing unit does not cause the terminal device to display the second location when the playback time is longer than the corresponding required time; 4. The content providing device according to claim 1.

6. a content providing device including: a location information acquiring unit that acquires location information of a user; a content acquiring unit that refers to map information including information on a plurality of locations and acquires content that is to be automatically recommended when the location information of the user approaches any one of the plurality of locations; and a content providing unit that transmits the acquired content to a terminal device used by the user so that the content can be played back; an application program that causes the terminal device to display an image showing a location superimposed on a map image, the application program determining a display mode of the second location based on a comparison between a playback time of content that is automatically recommended at a first location among the plurality of locations that the user passes through and a time required for the user to reach a second location from the first location; A content providing system comprising:

7. The content providing device Acquiring location information of a user; referring to map information including information on a plurality of locations, and acquiring content to be automatically recommended when the user's location information approaches any one of the plurality of locations; transmitting the acquired content to a terminal device used by the user so that the content can be played back; providing an image showing the location to the terminal device by superimposing it on a map image; determining a display mode of the second location based on a comparison between a playback time of content automatically recommended at a first location among a plurality of locations through which the user passes and a time required for the user to reach a second location from the first location; A content delivery method that performs the following.

8. A processor of the content providing device Acquiring location information of a user; referring to map information including information on a plurality of locations, and acquiring content to be automatically recommended when the user's location information approaches any one of the plurality of locations; transmitting the acquired content to a terminal device used by the user so that the content can be played back; providing an image showing the location to the terminal device by superimposing it on a map image; determining a display mode of the second location based on a comparison between a playback time of content automatically recommended at a first location among a plurality of locations through which the user passes and a time required for the user to reach a second location from the first location; A program that executes the following.

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