Content distribution system, content distribution method, and content distribution program

Abstract

To prevent or mitigate occurrence of local congestion within a facility using a content distribution system that distributes a content to a user terminal carried by a user of the facility.SOLUTION: A content distribution system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention distributes a content to a plurality of user terminals moving within a facility. The content distribution system 1 distributes a first content C101a associated with an exhibition area A1 according to a request from a user terminal 10b existing within the exhibition area A1 and being outside of a subarea A11, and distributes a first content C102a associated with the subarea A11 according to a request from a user terminal 10a1 existing in the subarea A11 being within the exhibition area A1. In the content distribution system 1, when it is determined that the subarea A11 is congested, a fourth content C101d representing guidance for a second area A12 being outside of the exhibition area A11 is further distributed to the user terminal 10b.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The disclosure herein relates to a content distribution system, a content distribution method, and a content distribution program. More specifically, the disclosure herein relates to a content distribution system, a content distribution method, and a content distribution program that distribute content to user terminals carried by users who move around a facility. [Background technology]

[0002] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-41422 (Patent Document 1) describes application software for viewing content introducing exhibits displayed at facilities such as museums. The application software in Patent Document 1 is executed on a user terminal of a facility user, and restricts viewing of the content when the user terminal is away from the facility, and lifts the restriction on viewing the content when the user terminal is within the facility. By holding the user terminal over an IC tag installed near an exhibit at the facility, the user can view content related to the exhibit. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-41422 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When content related to an exhibit is distributed to user devices located near the exhibit, localized congestion tends to occur around popular exhibits. It is desirable to prevent localized congestion within a facility from the perspective of preventing crowd accidents and suppressing the spread of viruses. When congestion occurs, facility staff can alleviate the congestion by directing users to vacant areas within the facility. However, since it is difficult to predict when and where congestion will occur within a facility, it is necessary to deploy a large number of staff to smoothly alleviate localized congestion.

[0005] In order to prevent congestion within a facility, the number of visitors to that facility may be limited. If the number of visitors to the facility is small, congestion is unlikely to occur. However, since limiting the number of visitors reduces the benefits to users, it is desirable to prevent or alleviate congestion by means other than limiting the number of visitors to the facility. Furthermore, even if the number of visitors is limited, localized congestion may occur around specific exhibits within the facility.

[0006] As described above, preventing or alleviating local congestion within a facility remains an unresolved issue. One of the objectives of the invention described in this specification is to prevent or alleviate local congestion within a facility by using a content distribution system that distributes content to user terminals carried by facility users.

[0007] Objects of the invention disclosed in this specification other than those described above will become apparent by reading the entire specification. The invention disclosed in this specification may solve problems that can be understood from the description of this specification, instead of or in addition to the above-mentioned problems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A content distribution system according to one embodiment of the present invention includes one or more processors. The processors execute predetermined computer-readable instructions to distribute content to a plurality of user terminals moving within a facility. The facility is divided into a plurality of areas, including a first area, a second area outside the first area, and a first sub-area within the first area. The plurality of areas may include the second area outside the first area. The plurality of areas may include a plurality of sub-areas including the first sub-area.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present invention, the processor, in response to a request from a first user terminal among the plurality of user terminals that is located within the first area but outside the first sub-area, delivers first area content associated with the first area to the first user terminal, and in response to a request from a second user terminal among the plurality of user terminals that is located in the first sub-area, delivers first sub-area content associated with the first sub-area to the second user terminal, determines whether the first sub-area is congested, and if it is determined that the first sub-area is congested, further delivers other area content that provides guidance to the second area to the first user terminal.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present invention, the processor distributes first area content associated with the first area to a first user terminal among the plurality of user terminals that is located within the first area but outside the first sub-area in response to a request from the first user terminal, distributes first sub-area content associated with the first sub-area to the second user terminal in response to a request from a second user terminal among the plurality of user terminals that is located in the first sub-area, determines whether the first sub-area is congested, and if it is determined that the first sub-area is congested, further distributes the first sub-area content to the first user terminal.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, when it is determined that the first sub-area is congested, the processor further distributes the other area content to the second user terminal.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, the processor determines whether the first sub-area is congested based on the frequency of distribution of the first sub-area content.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention, the processor distributes second sub-area content associated with the second sub-area to a third user terminal located in a second sub-area within the first area in response to a request from the third user terminal.

[0014] In one embodiment of the invention, the first sub-area content is first audio data. In one embodiment of the invention, the second sub-area content is second audio data.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present invention, each of the plurality of sub-areas is associated with a sub-area content. In one embodiment of the present invention, the processor distributes, to a fourth user terminal of the plurality of user terminals that is located near the exit gate, at least one of one or more undistributed sub-area contents that have not been distributed to the fourth user terminal among the sub-area contents.

[0016] A method according to one embodiment of the present invention relates to a content distribution method for distributing content to a plurality of user terminals moving within a facility by executing predetermined computer-readable instructions by one or more processors, the content distribution method comprising the steps of: distributing first area content associated with the first area to a first user terminal among the plurality of user terminals, the first user terminal being located within the first area but outside the first sub-area, in response to a request from the first user terminal; distributing first sub-area content associated with the first sub-area to a second user terminal among the plurality of user terminals being located in the first sub-area, determining whether the first sub-area is congested; and, if it is determined that the first sub-area is congested, further distributing other area content providing guidance to the second area to the first user terminal.

[0017] A content distribution method according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises the steps of: distributing first area content associated with the first area to a first user terminal among the plurality of user terminals, the first user terminal being located within the first area but outside the first sub-area, in response to a request from the first user terminal; distributing first sub-area content associated with the first sub-area to a second user terminal among the plurality of user terminals being located in the first sub-area, in response to a request from the second user terminal; determining whether the first sub-area is congested; and, if it is determined that the first sub-area is congested, further distributing the first sub-area content to the first user terminal.

[0018] One embodiment of the present invention relates to a content distribution program that causes one or more processors to distribute content to multiple user terminals moving within a facility. The content distribution program causes one or more processors to execute the following steps: in response to a request from a first user terminal of the multiple user terminals that is within the first area but outside the first sub-area, distribute first area content associated with the first area to the first user terminal; in response to a request from a second user terminal of the multiple user terminals that is within the first sub-area, distribute first sub-area content associated with the first sub-area to the second user terminal; determine whether the first sub-area is congested; and, if it is determined that the first sub-area is congested, further distribute other area content that provides guidance to the second area to the first user terminal.

[0019] A content distribution program according to one embodiment of the present invention causes one or more processors to execute the following steps: in response to a request from a first user terminal among the plurality of user terminals, the first user terminal being located within the first area but outside the first sub-area, distributing first area content associated with the first area to the first user terminal; in response to a request from a second user terminal among the plurality of user terminals being located in the first sub-area, distributing first sub-area content associated with the first sub-area to the second user terminal; determining whether the first sub-area is congested; and, if it is determined that the first sub-area is congested, further distributing the first sub-area content to the first user terminal. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] In this way, according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to prevent or mitigate local congestion within a facility. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1]1 is a schematic diagram showing a facility to which a content distribution system according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic diagram of sub-areas within area A1 of the facility shown in FIG. [Figure 3] 1 is a block diagram of a content distribution system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 4 is a diagram illustrating content management data used in the content distribution system of FIG. 3. FIG. [Figure 5] 4 is a diagram illustrating distribution management data used in the content distribution system of FIG. 3. FIG. [Figure 6] 4 is a diagram illustrating location area management data used in the content distribution system of FIG. 3. FIG. [Figure 7] 7 is a flow diagram showing a procedure for distributing content according to one embodiment of the present invention.The flow diagram of Fig. 7 shows the procedure for distributing content when the user terminal 10 is present in the exhibition area A1. [Figure 8] 8 is a flow diagram showing a procedure for distributing content according to one embodiment of the present invention.The flow diagram of Fig. 8 shows a procedure for distributing content when the user terminal 10 is present in the entrance area GA1. [Figure 9] 9 is a flow diagram showing a procedure for distributing content according to one embodiment of the present invention.The flow diagram in Fig. 9 shows the procedure for distributing content when the user terminal 10 is in the exit area GA2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate. Note that components common to multiple drawings are assigned the same reference numerals throughout the multiple drawings. Please note that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale for the sake of convenience. The embodiments of the present invention described below do not limit the invention according to the claims. Elements described in the following embodiments are not necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.

[0023] In the content distribution system of the present invention, content is distributed to a user terminal carried by a user and moving around the facility. The content distribution system of the present invention can be applied to various facilities that display exhibits. Facilities to which the content distribution system of the present invention can be applied include, for example, museums, art galleries, and aquariums. The content distribution system of the present invention can be applied to various other facilities that display exhibits to visitors, such as zoos. The content distribution system of the present invention may also be applied to commercial facilities that display products for sale. The content distribution system of the present invention may also be applied to an amusement park that has play equipment available for use by users.

[0024] First, with reference to Figure 1, an overview of facility F1 to which the content distribution system of the present invention can be applied will be described. Figure 1 schematically shows a floor map of facility F1. In the illustrated embodiment, facility F1 is an aquarium. Facility F1 is an example of a facility to which the present invention can be applied. A user of facility F1 carries a user terminal 10 and enters facility F1 through entrance gate G1 and exits through exit gate G2. Because a user of facility F1 is also a user of user terminal 10, in this specification the terms "user of facility F1" or "user" are used interchangeably with the terms "user of user terminal 10" or "user."

[0025] The user terminal 10 can acquire content associated with each exhibition area of ​​the facility F1 from the server 30, and display or play the acquired content. The user terminal 10 can also receive beacon signals transmitted from beacon transmitters (described later) installed in the facility F1, and transmit the beacon identifiers contained in the received beacon signals to the server 30. The server 30 can identify in which area of ​​the facility F1 the user terminal 10 is located, based on the beacon identifiers received from the user terminal 10. When the user terminal 10 is located within a predetermined area within the facility F1, the user terminal 10 is within the range of that area.

[0026] Facility F1 is divided into multiple areas. In the illustrated embodiment, the interior of facility F1 is divided into an entrance area GA1 located near entrance gate G1, an exit area GA2 located near exit gate G2, and exhibition areas A1 to A6. Exhibits are displayed in each of the exhibition areas A1 to A6 for users. In facility F1, an aquarium is installed in each of the exhibition areas A1 to A6, and creatures that live in or near water are displayed in these aquariums. One or more aquariums are installed in each of the exhibition areas A1 to A6. In the illustrated example, aquarium WT1 is installed in exhibition area A1, aquarium WT2 is installed in exhibition area A2, aquariums WT3a and WT3b are installed in exhibition area A3, aquariums WT4a and WT4b are installed in exhibition area A4, aquarium WT5 is installed in exhibition area A5, and aquariums WT6a and WT6b are installed in exhibition area A6.

[0027] In facility F1, users may move along a predetermined route from entrance gate G1 to exit gate G2. Facility F1 does not necessarily have to have a specific route defined. Facility F1, which does not have a specific route defined, is designed to allow users to move freely around each exhibition area. In the example shown, users of facility F1 can move from entrance gate G1 to exhibition areas A1 to A5 by following the route. Users may move to exhibition area A6, which is located at the back of exhibition area A5, before leaving through exit gate G2. Providing a passageway for moving from exhibition area A1 to exhibition area A4 or A6 increases the freedom of movement of users.

[0028] Each of the exhibition areas A1 to A6 may have sub-areas therein. Sub-areas within an exhibition area will be further described with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 illustrates exhibition area A1, one of the multiple exhibition areas in facility F1. Guide boards GP1 and GP2 are installed in exhibition area A1. Each of guide boards GP1 and GP2 may bear a description of the exhibits in exhibition area A1. Within exhibition area A1, the area near guide board GP1 is sub-area A11, and the area near guide board GP2 is sub-area A12. Multiple user terminals 10 exist in exhibition area A1. For ease of explanation, a user terminal 10 located within sub-area A11 will be referred to as user terminal 10a1, a user terminal 10 located within sub-area A12 will be referred to as user terminal 10a2, and a user terminal 10 located outside sub-areas A11 and A12 will be referred to as user terminal 10b. In the illustrated embodiment, the sub-areas A11 and A12 are entirely contained within the display area A1.

[0029] Each of the guide boards GP1 and GP2 is equipped with a beacon transmitter to identify the location of the user terminal 10. The beacon transmitter is configured to wirelessly transmit beacon signals intermittently at a predetermined radio wave strength. The beacon signal transmitted by the beacon transmitter includes a beacon identifier for identifying the beacon transmitter. The beacon transmitter can transmit the beacon signal in accordance with BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy). When in accordance with BLE, the beacon signal is transmitted at intervals of 0.1 seconds to several seconds.

[0030] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, beacon transmitters 20a1 and 20b are installed on guide board GP1, and beacon transmitter 20a2 is installed on guide board GP1.

[0031] The beacon transmitter 20a1 intermittently transmits a beacon signal wirelessly at a radio wave strength that can be received by the user terminal 10 within the sub-area A11 near the guide board GP1 but cannot be received outside the sub-area A11. When the user terminal 10 receives a beacon signal transmitted by the beacon transmitter 20a1, the user terminal 10 can transmit a beacon identifier that identifies the beacon transmitter 20a1 contained in the beacon signal to the server 30. When the server 30 receives the beacon identifier of the beacon transmitter 20a1 from the user terminal 10, the server 30 can determine that the user terminal 10 is present within the sub-area A11. The size of the sub-area A11 can be adjusted by adjusting the radio wave strength of the beacon transmitter 20a1.

[0032] The beacon transmitter 20b intermittently transmits a beacon signal wirelessly at a radio wave strength sufficient for reception by the user terminal 10 present within the exhibition area A1. When the user terminal 10 receives a beacon signal transmitted by the beacon transmitter 20b, the user terminal 10 can transmit a beacon identifier identifying the beacon transmitter 20b contained in the beacon signal to the server 30. When the server 30 receives the beacon identifier of the beacon transmitter 20b from the user terminal 10, it can determine that the user terminal 10 is present within the exhibition area A1. Beacon transmitters are installed not only in the exhibition area A1 but also in the exhibition areas A2 to A6, the entrance area GA1, and the exit area GA2. The beacon transmitter in each area intermittently transmits a beacon signal wirelessly at a radio wave strength sufficient for reception by the user terminal 10 present within that area. Based on this beacon signal, it can be determined whether the user terminal 10 is present within the exhibition areas A1 to A6, the entrance area GA1, or the exit area GA2.

[0033] The exhibition area A1 and the entrance area GA1, and the exhibition area A1 and other exhibition areas A1, may be separated by walls W1 so that the beacon signal transmitted by the beacon transmitter 20b does not reach outside the exhibition area A1. The walls W1 may be provided with a structure (for example, glass or metal mesh) for attenuating the beacon signal. The walls W1 are provided with an entrance E1 for entering the exhibition area A1 from the entrance area GA1, and an exit E2 for exiting from the exhibition area A1 to the exhibition area A2.

[0034] The beacon transmitter 20a2 intermittently wirelessly transmits a beacon signal at a radio wave strength that can be received by the user terminal 10 within a sub-area A12 defined near the guide board GP2 but cannot be received outside the sub-area A12. When the user terminal 10 receives a beacon signal transmitted by the beacon transmitter 20a2, the user terminal 10 can transmit a beacon identifier that identifies the beacon transmitter 20a2 contained in the beacon signal to the server 30. When the server 30 receives the beacon identifier of the beacon transmitter 20a2 from the user terminal 10, the server 30 can determine that the user terminal 10 is present within the sub-area A12. The size of the sub-area A12 can be adjusted by adjusting the radio wave strength of the beacon transmitter 20a1.

[0035] In addition to the beacon transmitter 20a2, a beacon transmitter 20b may be provided on the guide board GP2. By providing the beacon transmitter 20b on the guide board GP2 as well as on the guide board GP1, the beacon signal from the beacon transmitter 20b can be more reliably received by the user terminals 10 present in the exhibition area A1.

[0036] Beacon transmitters other than beacon transmitters 20a1, 20a2, and 20b may be installed in the exhibition area A1. Installing more beacon transmitters in the exhibition area A1 allows for more accurate determination of the location of the user terminal 10. For example, in addition to beacon transmitters 20a1 and 20b, an additional beacon transmitter may be installed on the guide board GP1. The additional beacon transmitter wirelessly transmits a beacon signal at a radio wave intensity stronger than that of beacon transmitter 20a1 but weaker than that of beacon transmitter 20b. Using the beacon signal from this additional beacon transmitter, it can be determined that the user terminal 10 is located within an intermediate area within the exhibition area A1, which is larger than the sub-area A11. Furthermore, if the user terminal 10 receives a beacon signal from the additional beacon transmitter but does not receive a beacon signal from beacon transmitter 20a1, it can be determined that the user terminal 10 is located within the intermediate area but outside the sub-area A11. In this way, by installing an additional beacon transmitter in the exhibition area A1, the position of the user terminal 10 in the exhibition area A1 can be determined with higher accuracy.

[0037] The beacon transmitter 20a1 for defining the sub-area A11 and the beacon transmitter 20b for defining the exhibition area A1 may be installed on a structure other than the guide board GP1. The beacon transmitter 20a1 and the beacon transmitter 20b are installed on the same structure (e.g., a pillar, a table, etc.) provided within the exhibition area A1.

[0038] As described above, the beacon transmitters installed in the exhibition area A1 are used to identify the location of the user terminal 10 within the exhibition area A1. The location of the user terminal 10 (e.g., which area of ​​the facility F1 it is located in) may be determined using indoor positioning technology other than the beacon transmitters conforming to BLE. For example, by using Wi-Fi (registered trademark), UWB (Ultra Wide Band), ZigBee, or other known indoor positioning technology, it is possible to estimate whether the user terminal 10 is present within the exhibition area A1.

[0039] To determine whether the user terminal 10 is present within the sub-area A11, a printed material such as a seal, label, sticker, or panel with an optically readable identification code may be attached to the guide board GP1 instead of the beacon transmitter 20a1. This identification code is unique to the sub-area A11. The optically readable identification code may be a QR code (registered trademark). As is well known, a QR code is a matrix-type two-dimensional code. The user terminal 10 can obtain identification data by reading and decoding the QR code. Alternatively, a contactless IC tag storing the identification code may be attached to the guide board GP1 instead of the beacon transmitter 20a1. If the user terminal 10 is equipped with a contactless IC tag reader function, the user can read the identification code from the contactless IC tag by holding the user terminal 10 near the contactless IC tag attached to the guide board GP1. The identification data obtained in this manner is transmitted to the server 30. This identification data is uniquely attached to the printed material attached to the guide board GP1. Therefore, the server 30 can determine that the user terminal 10 that has acquired the identification code from the printed matter attached to the guide board GP1 is located within the sub-area A11 around the guide board GP1.

[0040] Not only the exhibition area A1, but also the exhibition areas A2 to A6, the entrance area GA1, and the exit area GA2 may have sub-areas. In the exhibition areas A2 to A6, the entrance area GA1, and the exit area GA2 that have sub-areas, devices for defining the sub-areas (e.g., beacon transmitters, optically readable identification codes, or contactless IC tags) may be installed, as with the exhibition area A1. In this way, the facility F1 is divided into multiple areas. These multiple areas include the entrance area GA1, the exit area GA2, the exhibition areas A1 to A6, and the sub-areas contained within these areas.

[0041] Next, a content distribution system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6. The content distribution system 1 includes a plurality of user terminals 10, beacon transmitters 20a1, 20a2, and 20b, and a server 30. The user terminals 10 and the server 30 are communicatively connected to each other via a network 40. The network 40 may be a single network or may be configured by connecting a plurality of networks. The network 40 may be, for example, the Internet, a mobile communication network, or a combination thereof. Any network that enables communication between electronic devices may be applied as the network 40. In the content distribution system 1, content appropriate for the area in which the user terminal 10 is located is distributed from the server 30 to the user terminal 10.

[0042] As described above, the user terminal 10 is carried by a user within facility F1. The content distribution system 1 can distribute content to multiple user terminals 10, but for the sake of simplicity, only one user terminal 10 is shown in FIG. 3. As also described above, beacon transmitters are installed in each of the exhibition areas A1 to A6, the entrance area GA1, and the exit area GA2 of facility F1, but for the sake of simplicity, only beacon transmitters 20a1, 20a2, and 20b installed in exhibition area A1 are shown in FIG. 3. Beacon transmitters installed in other areas are configured similarly to beacon transmitters 20a1, 20a2, and 20b.

[0043] As described above, the beacon transmitter 20b intermittently transmits a beacon signal including a beacon identifier that identifies the beacon transmitter 20b by radio at a radio wave intensity that can be received by the user terminal 10 present in the exhibition area A1. The beacon transmitter 20a1 intermittently transmits a beacon signal including a beacon identifier that identifies the beacon transmitter 20a1 by radio at a radio wave intensity that can be received by the user terminal 10 within the subarea A11 but not outside the subarea A11. The beacon transmitter 20a2 intermittently transmits a beacon signal including a beacon identifier that identifies the beacon transmitter 20a2 by radio at a radio wave intensity that can be received by the user terminal 10 within the subarea A12 but not outside the subarea A12.

[0044] The user terminal 10 may be a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a mobile phone, a game console, a smartwatch, or any other information processing device that can be carried by a user. The user terminal 10 includes a processor 11, a memory 12, a user interface 13, a communication interface 14, and a storage 15.

[0045] The processor 11 is a computing device that loads various programs for providing an operating system and applications from the storage 15 or other storage into the memory 12 and executes instructions contained in the loaded programs. For example, the processor 11 can load an application program used in the content distribution system 1 from the storage 15 and execute the loaded application program. A user may install an application program for the content distribution system 1 in their own user terminal 10 before entering the facility. The manager of the facility F1 may lend a user terminal 10 storing an application program for the content distribution system 1 to a visitor. The processor 11 is, for example, a CPU, an MPU, a DSP, a GPU, or any other type of computing device, or a combination of these. The processor 21 may be realized by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC, a PLD, an FPGA, or an MCU.

[0046] The memory 12 is used to store instructions executed by the processor 11 and various other data. The memory 12 is a main memory that can be accessed at high speed by the processor 11. The memory 12 is configured by, for example, a RAM such as a DRAM or an SRAM.

[0047] The user interface 13 includes an input interface that accepts user input and an output interface that outputs various information under the control of the processor 11. The input interface includes, for example, a microphone that converts sound into an electrical signal. The input interface is a keyboard, a pointing device such as a mouse, a touch panel, or any other information input device that can input user input. The output interface is, for example, a liquid crystal display, a display panel, or any other information output device that can output the calculation results of the processor 11.

[0048] The communication interface 14 is implemented as hardware, firmware, or communication software such as a TCP / IP driver or a PPP driver, or a combination of these. The user terminal 10 can send and receive data to and from other information devices including the server 30 via the communication interface 14.

[0049] The storage 15 is an external storage device that is accessed by the processor 11. The storage 15 is, for example, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a semiconductor memory, or any other storage device capable of storing data.

[0050] A user identifier 15a is stored in the storage 15. The user identifier 15a is an identifier that identifies a user of the user terminal 10. The user identifier 15a is, for example, an identifier that is assigned to a user when the user registers an account for using the content distribution system 1, and is a code that identifies the user in the content distribution system 1.

[0051] The processor 11 functions as a beacon signal receiving unit 11a, a requesting unit 11b, a display unit 11c, and a reproducing unit 11d by executing instructions contained in a program stored in the storage 15 and other instructions as necessary.

[0052] The beacon signal receiving unit 11a receives a beacon signal transmitted from a beacon transmitter installed in any area within the facility F1.

[0053] In response to the beacon signal being received by the beacon signal receiving unit 11a, the requesting unit 11b transmits a content acquisition request to the server 30. The content acquisition request is transmitted to the server 30 together with the user identifier 15a and the beacon identifier acquired from the beacon signal received by the beacon signal receiving unit 11a. In one embodiment, the requesting unit 11b does not transmit a content acquisition request even if it receives a beacon signal from the same beacon transmitter for a certain period of time (e.g., one minute) after transmitting the content acquisition request in response to the beacon signal. This allows the transmission interval of the content acquisition request to be longer than the reception interval of the beacon signal, even if the beacon signal is received at intervals of several seconds. This reduces the power consumption of the user terminal 10 and also suppresses the consumption of communication resources between the user terminal 10 and the server 30.

[0054] The display unit 11c displays various information on a display that is part of the user interface 13. The display unit 11c can display, for example, content in text format or image format acquired from the server 30 on the display.

[0055] The content provided by the server 30 may include video content and audio content. The playback unit 11d plays back the video content and audio content acquired from the server 30.

[0056] Next, a description will be given of the configuration of the server 30. The server 30 includes a processor 31, a memory 32, a user interface 33, a communication interface , and a storage .

[0057] Processor 31 is a computing device that loads various programs for providing an operating system and games into memory 32 and executes instructions contained in the loaded programs. The description of processor 11 also applies to processor 31, and the description of memory 12 also applies to memory 32.

[0058] The user interface 33 includes an input interface that receives input from the operator of the server 30, and an output interface that outputs various information under the control of the processor 31.

[0059] The communication interface 34 is implemented as hardware, firmware, or communication software such as a TCP / IP driver or a PPP driver, or a combination of these. The server 30 can send and receive data to and from other devices via the communication interface 34.

[0060] The storage 35 is an external storage device accessed by the processor 31. The storage 35 is, for example, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a semiconductor memory, or any other storage device capable of storing data. The storage 35 stores various information necessary for content distribution to the user terminal 10. The storage 35 stores, for example, content management data 35a, distribution management data 35b, and location area management data 35c.

[0061] The content management data 35a is a data set for managing content delivered to the user terminal 10. The content management data 35a may store various information necessary for delivering content appropriate to the area in which the user terminal 10 is located. An example of the content management data 35a is shown in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 4, each record of the content management data 35a includes information identifying content associated with the beacon identifiers of beacon transmitters installed within the facility F1. In this specification, content associated with the beacon identifiers of beacon transmitters for defining the exhibition areas A1 to A6, the entrance area GA1, or the exit area GA2 may be referred to as "area content," and content associated with the beacon identifiers of beacon transmitters for defining sub-areas within the exhibition areas A1 to A6, the entrance area GA1, or the exit area GA2 may be referred to as "sub-area content." In the example of Figure 4, the content associated with beacon identifiers "001," "101," "104," and "901" is "area content," and the content associated with beacon identifiers "102" and "103" is "sub-area content."

[0062] 4, information for identifying four types of content, namely, a first content, a second content, a third content, and a fourth content, is stored in association with each beacon identifier. The third content and the fourth content are examples of content that are delivered to the user terminal 10 when a sub-area within the area where the user terminal 10 is located is congested.

[0063] First, the contents stored in association with the beacon identifier "001" of the beacon transmitter located in the entrance area GA1 will be described. As shown in the figure, information identifying a first content C001a, a second content C001b, a third content C001c, and a fourth content C001d is stored in association with the beacon identifier "001." Content C001a is message 1, which represents a welcome message to visitors; content C001b is message 2, which explains an event taking place at facility F1; content C001c is message 3, which notifies visitors that facility F1 is crowded; and content C001d is an estimated stay time calculated based on the crowdedness of facility F1. The calculation of the estimated stay time will be described later.

[0064] Next, the first, second, third, and fourth contents stored in association with the beacon identifiers corresponding to the exhibition areas A1 to A6 will be described. As shown in the figure, information identifying the first content C101a, the second content C101b, the third content C101c, and the fourth content C101d is stored in association with the beacon identifier "101" corresponding to the exhibition area A1. Furthermore, information identifying the first content C102a, the second content C102b, the third content C102c, and the fourth content C102d is stored in association with the beacon identifier "102" corresponding to the subarea A11. Furthermore, information identifying the first content C103a, the second content C103b, the third content C103c, and the fourth content C103d is stored in association with the beacon identifier "103" corresponding to the subarea A12. Furthermore, information identifying a first content C104a, a second content C104b, a third content C104c, and a fourth content C104d is stored in association with the beacon identifier "104" corresponding to the exhibition area A2. While the content associated with the exhibition areas A3 to A6 is omitted in FIG. 4, the description of the content associated with the exhibition areas A1 and A2 also applies to the content associated with the exhibition areas A3 to A6. Furthermore, while the description of the content associated with the sub-areas within the exhibition areas A2 to A6 is omitted in FIG. 4, the description of the content associated with the sub-areas A11 and A12 also applies to the content associated with the sub-areas within the exhibition areas A2 to A6.

[0065] The first content and the second content associated with each exhibition area or sub-area will now be further described. Both the first content and the second content associated with an exhibition area may be content related to an explanation of the exhibition area. For example, the first content C101a stored in association with the beacon identifier "101" corresponding to the exhibition area A1 is content related to an explanation of the creatures kept in the exhibition area A1, and the second content C101b is content related to, for example, a breeding story of the creatures exhibited in the exhibition area A1. Similarly, the first content C104a stored in association with the beacon identifier "104" corresponding to the exhibition area A2 is content related to, for example, a description of the creatures kept in the exhibition area A2, and the second content C104b is content related to, for example, a breeding story of the creatures exhibited in the exhibition area A2.

[0066] The first content C102a stored in association with the beacon identifier "102" corresponding to the sub-area A11 is exhibit content related to a living creature exhibited near the sub-area A11. The exhibit content may be, for example, an animation of the living creature. The user terminal 10 may acquire the first content C102a from the server 30 to play the exhibit content corresponding to the first content C102a. If the exhibit content is an animation, a file for playing the animation may be stored in the storage 15 before the user terminal 10 enters the sub-area A11. If an animation file is stored in the user terminal 10, the first content C102a is an access key for enabling the animation to be played. The user terminal 10 cannot play the exhibit content until it acquires the access key. By acquiring the access key, the user terminal 10 can play the exhibit content corresponding to the acquired access key. The exhibit content related to the living creature exhibited near the sub-area A11 may be an image of a character modeled after a living creature in the aquarium WT1. After being delivered to the user terminal 10, this character may be used as a character placed in a virtual space constructed by application software running on the user terminal 10. This character may be configured to move in response to user operations on the user interface of the user terminal 10.

[0067] The first content C103a stored in association with the beacon identifier "103" corresponding to the sub-area A12 is exhibit content relating to living creatures exhibited near the sub-area A12.

[0068] The second content C102b stored in association with the beacon identifier "102" corresponding to the sub-area A11 is, for example, audio data related to the creatures exhibited near the sub-area A11. This audio data may be, for example, audio data recording an explanation about the creatures kept near the sub-area A11. The second content C103b stored in association with the beacon identifier "103" corresponding to the sub-area A12 is, for example, audio data related to the creatures exhibited near the sub-area A12. This audio data may be, for example, audio data recording an oral explanation about the creatures kept near the sub-area A12. This audio data may be audio data generated from text data using a speech synthesis technology. A plurality of pieces of audio data corresponding to a plurality of languages ​​may be prepared as the second content C102b and the second content C103b. Furthermore, audio data corresponding to a plurality of Japanese dialects (for example, standard Japanese, Kansai dialect, and Okinawa dialect) may be provided as the second content C102b and the second content C103b. If the audio data associated with each sub-area within facility F1 were downloaded to user terminal 10 all at once after entry, there is a risk that the line capacity within facility F1 would become congested. By treating the audio data as content associated with a sub-area, the audio data associated with that sub-area can be distributed to user terminal 10 each time the user terminal 10 enters a sub-area. This allows the audio data to be divided into sub-area units and distributed over time to be distributed to user terminal 10. This reduces the load on the communication lines within facility F1 compared to downloading the audio data all at once.

[0069] Next, the third content and fourth content associated with each exhibition area or sub-area will be further described. The third content C101c stored in association with the beacon identifier "101" corresponding to the exhibition area A1 includes, for example, at least one of the first content C102a associated with the sub-area A11 inside the exhibition area A1 and the first content C103a associated with the sub-area A12 inside the exhibition area A1. Similarly, the third content C104c stored in association with the beacon identifier "104" corresponding to the exhibition area A2 includes, for example, content associated with a sub-area inside the exhibition area A2 (not shown in FIG. 4). In this way, the third content associated with an exhibition area may be the same as the content associated with a sub-area inside the exhibition area (i.e., the sub-area content).

[0070] The fourth content C101d stored in association with the beacon identifier "101" corresponding to the exhibition area A1 is, for example, content that provides guidance to an exhibition area other than the exhibition area A1. More specifically, the fourth content C101d may be content that provides guidance to the exhibition area A2. Similarly, the fourth content C104d stored in association with the beacon identifier "104" corresponding to the exhibition area A2 is guidance to an exhibition area other than the exhibition area A2, such as guidance to the exhibition area A3. In this manner, the fourth content associated with an exhibition area may be other area content that provides guidance to an exhibition area other than the exhibition area. In this specification, content that provides guidance to an exhibition area other than the exhibition area and is delivered to a user terminal 10 located in a specific exhibition area within the facility F1 may be referred to as "other area content." The fourth content C101d and the fourth content C104d are examples of "other area content." It is desirable that the other area content include content that encourages the user to move to an exhibition area outside the area where the user terminal 10 is located. The other area content may include a message encouraging the user to move to an exhibition area outside the area in which the user terminal 10 is located. When the user terminal 10 is located in the exhibition area A1, the message encouraging the user to move to another exhibition area may include content calling for the user to move to an exhibition area outside the exhibition area A1, such as, for example, "Let's go to exhibition area A2!", "An event is starting in exhibition area A2!", or "You'll get points if you go to exhibition area A2!" In this way, by displaying a guide to another exhibition area on the user terminal 10 located in the exhibition area, the user of the user terminal 10 can be encouraged to move to the other exhibition area.

[0071] The fourth content associated with an exhibition area (for example, fourth content C101d, C104d) may be a guide to any of the exhibition areas that follow the route from entrance gate G1 to exit gate G2. By delivering a guide to an exhibition area that follows the route, the user of user terminal 10 can be encouraged to move to the exhibition area that follows the route.

[0072] The third content C102c stored in association with the beacon identifier "102" corresponding to the sub-area A11 may be a guide to an exhibition area (for example, exhibition area A2) other than the exhibition area A1 that includes the sub-area A11. Similarly, the third content C103c stored in association with the beacon identifier "103" corresponding to the sub-area A12 may be a guide to an exhibition area other than the exhibition area A1 that includes the sub-area A12. When the sub-area A11 or the sub-area A12 is crowded, the user of the user terminal 10 can be encouraged to move to an area away from the crowded sub-areas A11 and A12 by distributing a guide to an exhibition area other than the exhibition area A1 that includes the sub-areas A11 and A12.

[0073] The fourth content C102d stored in association with the beacon identifier "102" corresponding to the sub-area A11 may be, for example, a guide to another sub-area (sub-area A12 in the example shown in FIG. 2) in the exhibition area A1 that includes the sub-area A11. Similarly, the fourth content C103d stored in association with the beacon identifier "103" corresponding to the sub-area A12 may be, for example, a guide to another sub-area (sub-area A11 in the example shown in FIG. 2) in the exhibition area A1 that includes the sub-area A11. In a case where the exhibition area A1 includes a mixed sub-area A11 but the sub-area A12 is not congested, a guide to the uncrowded sub-area A12 can be delivered to the user terminal 10 present in the range of the sub-area A11, thereby encouraging the user of the user terminal 10 to move to the uncrowded sub-area.

[0074] Next, the content stored in association with the beacon identifier "901" of the beacon transmitter located in the exit area GA2 will be described. The first content C901a stored in association with the beacon identifier "901" is, for example, a message 4 expressing gratitude to the user leaving the facility. The second content C901b is, for example, a message 5 introducing a future event to the user leaving the facility. The third content C901c is, for example, a message notifying the user of unvisited areas within the facility F1. The content management data 35a illustrated in FIG. 4 does not store information identifying the fourth content in association with the beacon identifier "901." In another embodiment, information identifying the fourth content may be stored in association with the beacon identifier "901."

[0075] The first content, second content, third content, and fourth content associated with each exhibition area or sub-area may be saved in any data format including text data, audio data, image data, animation data, video data, data suitable for other content, and combinations thereof, unless the data format is specifically specified.

[0076] The first to fourth contents described above are merely examples. The first to fourth contents distributed in the content distribution system 1 are not limited to those explicitly described in this specification. Each record of the content management data 35a may include information that identifies content other than the first to fourth contents.

[0077] Next, the delivery management data 35b will be described with reference to FIG. 5. The delivery management data 35b is a data set for managing delivered content for each user of the user terminal 10. An example of the delivery management data 35b is shown in FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 5, the delivery management data 35b may store content identifiers of content delivered to the user terminal 10 of each user, in association with the user identifier of each user. The delivery management data 35b may be updated each time new content is delivered to the user terminal 10. For example, each time new content is delivered to the user terminal 10, the delivery management data 35b is updated so that the content identifier of the content delivered to the user terminal 10 is stored in association with the user identifier of the user using that user terminal 10. By referring to the delivery management data 35b, it is possible to identify content that has been delivered to the user terminal 10 of each user. Therefore, it is also possible to identify content that has not yet been delivered to each user by referring to the delivery management data 35b.

[0078] Next, the current area management data 35c will be described with reference to FIG. 6. The current area management data 35c is a data set for managing the user terminals 10 present in each of the multiple areas included in the facility F1. An example of the current area management data 35c is shown in FIG. 6. As shown in the figure, the current area management data 35c stores user identification information of the users of the user terminals 10 present in each area, in association with the beacon identifiers of the beacon transmitters that define each area. The user identification information of a user is the user identifier of that user. Therefore, by referring to the current area management data 35c, it is possible to determine how many user terminals 10 are present in which areas within the facility F1. The current area management data 35c includes not only records corresponding to the beacon identifiers that define the exhibition areas A1 to A6, but also records corresponding to the beacon identifiers that define the sub-areas (e.g., sub-areas A11 and A12) within the exhibition areas A1 to A6. Therefore, by referring to the presence area management data 35c, it is possible to know the number of user terminals 10 present not only for each exhibition area but also for each sub-area within that area. When a user terminal 10 is present in a sub-area, the user terminal 10 is also present in the exhibition area that encompasses that sub-area. For example, when a user terminal 10 is present in sub-area A11, the user terminal 10 is also present in exhibition area A1. In this case, the user identifier of the user of the user terminal 10 present in sub-area A11 is stored in association with both the beacon identifier "101" corresponding to exhibition area A1 and the beacon identifier "102" corresponding to sub-area A11.

[0079] The presence area management data 35c may be updated each time a content delivery request is received from the user terminal 10. Specifically, the presence area management data 35c may be updated each time a content delivery request is received from the user terminal 10, based on the beacon identifier and user identifier included in the delivery request. For example, if a content delivery request received from a user terminal 10 present in the entry area GA1 includes a beacon identifier "001" and a user identifier "U0001," the user identifier "U0001" is added to the record for the beacon identifier "001" in the presence area management data 35c. For example, if a delivery request is sent from the user terminal 10 of a user identified by the user identifier "U0001" to the server 30 after the user terminal 10 moves from the entry area GA1 to the exhibition area A1, the delivery request includes the beacon identifier "101" of the beacon transmitter 20b installed in the exhibition area A1. When a distribution request including the beacon identifier "101" and the user identifier "U0001" is received from this user terminal 10, the user identifier "U0001" is added to the record of the beacon identifier "101" in the presence area management data 35c, and the user identifier "U0001" is deleted from the record corresponding to the beacon identifier "001" of the entrance area GA1 where the user terminal 10 was located before moving to the exhibition area A1. In this way, by updating the presence area management data 35c every time the user terminal 10 moves across areas, it is possible to know in almost real time how many user terminals 10 are located in which areas within the facility F1.

[0080] 6, the presence area management data 35c stores a distribution frequency indicating how often content associated with each area is distributed, in association with the beacon identifier of a beacon transmitter for defining each area. For example, the total number of times content C102a to C102d associated with this beacon identifier "102" is distributed in a predetermined period (e.g., one minute) is stored in association with the beacon identifier "102." If the distribution frequency of content associated with a certain area is high, it can be estimated that many user terminals 10 are present in that area.

[0081] Each record of the visitor area management data 35c may include both user identification information and delivery frequency, or may include only one of them.

[0082] Next, we will explain the functions executed by the processor 31. The processor 31 executes instructions included in a program stored in the storage 35 and other instructions as necessary, thereby functioning as a delivery request receiving unit 31a, a congestion determining unit 31b, a selecting unit 31c, and a delivering unit 31d, as shown in FIG.

[0083] The delivery request receiving unit 31a receives a content delivery request from the user terminal 10. The delivery request includes the user identifier of the user of the user terminal 10 and the beacon identifier of a beacon transmitter that defines the area in which the user terminal 10 is located. In response to receiving the delivery request, the delivery request receiving unit 31a may update the location area management data 35c.

[0084] The congestion determination unit 31b determines in which area of ​​the facility F1 the requesting user terminal 10 is located based on the beacon identifier included in the distribution request from the user terminal 10 received by the distribution request receiving unit 31a, and if the area identified based on the beacon identifier is an exhibition area, it determines whether or not a sub-area within the exhibition area is congested. For example, if the distribution request includes beacon identification "101," the congestion determination unit 31b determines whether or not at least one of sub-areas A11 and A12 inside the exhibition area A1 identified by this beacon identifier "101" is congested. If the area identified based on the beacon identifier included in the distribution request is a sub-area, the congestion determination unit 31b determines whether or not the sub-area is congested.

[0085] The congestion determination unit 31b can determine whether a subarea to be determined is congested by referring to the current area management data 35c. For example, when determining whether a subarea A11 is congested, the congestion determination unit 31b obtains the number of currently-located terminals, which indicates the number of user terminals currently located in the subarea A11, from the record of the subarea A11 in the current area management data 35c. If the number of currently-located terminals is greater than the capacity limit set for the subarea A11, the congestion determination unit 31b can determine that the subarea A11 is congested. The capacity limit set for the subarea A11 may be determined according to the size of the subarea A11 (i.e., according to the radio wave strength of the beacon transmitter 20b that defines the subarea A11). The capacity limit may differ for each of multiple subareas present in the facility F1. A larger capacity limit may be set for a larger subarea. The capacity limit for a subarea is determined so that there is no problem from a safety perspective (e.g., from the perspective of preventing crowd accidents or virus infection) even if a slightly larger number of user terminals 10 are present in the subarea. For example, if the number of terminals present in sub-area A11 should be kept to 12 or less from a safety standpoint, the upper limit for the capacity of sub-area A11 can be set to "7," with a margin of five. The congestion determination unit 31b makes a determination by comparing the upper limit determined in this way with the number of terminals present in the area. Therefore, when the degree of congestion in a sub-area is not a safety issue, but further progression of the congestion is undesirable, the congestion determination unit 31b preemptively determines that congestion is occurring in the sub-area.

[0086] The congestion determination unit 31b may calculate the total number of terminals present in each subarea within the facility F1 by adding up the number of user terminals 10 present in each subarea within the facility F1 based on the presence area management data 35c. The congestion determination unit 31b may calculate a congestion coefficient indicating the degree of congestion in the facility F1 based on the total number of terminals present in each subarea within the facility F1. The congestion coefficient may be the ratio (T2 / T1) of the total number of user terminals 10 present in each subarea within the facility F1 (T2) to the total capacity limit (T1) set for each subarea within the facility F1. For example, if the facility F1 has 10 subareas, each with a capacity limit of 3, the total capacity limit T1 is 30. If the total number of user terminals 10 present in each subarea within the facility F1 (T2) is, for example, 21, the congestion coefficient is 0.7 (=21 / 30). In another example, if the total number T2 of user terminals 10 present in each sub-area within facility F1 is, for example, 36, the congestion coefficient is 1.2 (=36 / 30). If the congestion coefficient is 1 or greater, the number of user terminals present in the sub-area will exceed the upper limit of the number of people that can be accommodated, and it is thought that it will take a long time to view exhibits near the sub-area or to receive content delivered within the sub-area.

[0087] When the congestion coefficient is 1 or greater (i.e., when a sub-area is locally congested), the congestion determination unit 31b calculates the expected stay time by multiplying the congestion coefficient by the standard stay time required for a visitor to enter the facility through entrance gate G1, view exhibits in each exhibition area, and exit through exit gate G2. When the congestion coefficient is 1 or less, the congestion determination unit 31b determines that the facility is not congested, and uses the standard stay time, which is defined as the standard time required for a visitor to enter the facility through entrance gate G1 and exit through exit gate G2 during non-congestion periods, as the expected stay time. When the congestion coefficient is greater than 1, the standard stay time is multiplied by the congestion coefficient to calculate the expected stay time. For example, if the standard stay time is 2 hours and the congestion coefficient is 1.2, the expected stay time is calculated as 2.4 hours (2 hours x 1.2). The calculated expected stay time may be stored in the content management data 35a in association with the beacon identifier "001."

[0088] The number of user terminals 10 present in a sub-area may be determined based on the user identification information of the users of the user terminals 10 present in the sub-area, which is stored as the presence area management data 35c, or may be estimated based on the frequency of distribution of content associated with the sub-area. In one embodiment, the number of times per minute that content associated with the sub-area is distributed can be estimated as the number of user terminals 10 present in the sub-area. For example, if content associated with sub-area A11 is distributed five times per minute, it can be estimated that five user terminals 10 are present in sub-area A11, and congestion determination can be performed based on the number of user terminals 10 estimated in this manner.

[0089] The congestion determination unit 31b may determine whether not only the sub-area but also the higher-level exhibition areas A1 to A6, the entrance area GA1, and the exit area GA2 are congested. As in the case of determining congestion in the sub-area, the congestion determination unit 31b obtains the number of present terminals, which indicates the number of user terminals present in each area, from the records of the present area management data 35c, and can determine that the area is congested if the number of present terminals is greater than a threshold set for that area.

[0090] The selection unit 31c selects content to be distributed to the user terminal 10 that made the distribution request, based on the beacon identifier included in the distribution request received by the distribution request receiving unit 31a. This content selection can be performed by referring to the content management data 35a. As described above, each record of the content management data 35a stores multiple pieces of content (first to fourth pieces of content in the example of FIG. 4) in association with each beacon identifier. The selection unit 31c selects, as the distribution content, the first piece of content that is associated with the beacon identifier included in the distribution request in the content management data 35a. Furthermore, when the distribution request includes a beacon identifier corresponding to an exhibition area and the congestion determination unit 31b determines that a sub-area included in the exhibition area is congested, the selection unit 31c selects, as the additional distribution content, the third piece of content or the fourth piece of content that is associated with the beacon identifier. For example, if the distribution request received from the user terminal 10 includes the beacon identifier "101", the selector 31c selects the first content C101a associated with the beacon identifier "101" as the distribution content.

[0091] The selection unit 31c may select the distribution content by referring to the distribution management data 35b. For example, if the first content C101a has already been distributed to the user terminal 10 that has made the distribution request, the selection unit 31c may select the second content C101b as the distribution content. Also, if the third content C101c has already been distributed to the user terminal 10 that has made the distribution request, the selection unit 31c may select the fourth content C101d as the additional distribution content.

[0092] The delivery unit 31d delivers the content selected by the selection unit 31c to the user terminal 10 that sent the delivery request. If additional delivery content is selected by the selection unit 31c, the delivery unit 31d also delivers the additional delivery content to the user terminal 10.

[0093] Next, the flow of content distribution processing executed in the content distribution system 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 7. In the flow diagram shown in Fig. 7, it is assumed that a user carrying a user terminal 10 moves from entrance area GA1 to exhibition area A1, and is located near entrance E1 of exhibition area A1 (outside sub-areas A11 and A12) when the processing shown in Fig. 7 starts. In the following description, it is assumed that an application program for using the content distribution system 1 has been launched in the user terminal 10 when the processing shown in Fig. 7 starts, and that the user terminal 10 is waiting for a beacon signal.

[0094] First, in step S11, a beacon signal is intermittently transmitted from the beacon transmitter 20b installed in the exhibition area A1. As described above, the beacon transmitter 20b transmits the beacon signal at a radio wave intensity that allows the user terminal 10 to receive the signal no matter where it is located within the exhibition area A1. The beacon signal includes a beacon identifier "101" that identifies the beacon transmitter 20b. Within the facility F1, beacon transmitters other than the beacon transmitter 20b also transmit beacon signals, but a description of the processing in the beacon transmitters other than the beacon transmitter 20b will be omitted. The beacon signal reception processing is performed by the beacon signal receiving unit 11a described above.

[0095] Next, in step S12, the beacon signal transmitted from the beacon transmitter 20b is received by the user terminal 10. Since the user terminal 10 is located near the entrance to the exhibition area A1, it can receive the beacon signal from the beacon transmitter 20b. On the other hand, since the user terminal 10 is located outside the sub-area A11 and the sub-area A12, it cannot receive the beacon signals from the beacon transmitters 20a1 and 20a2 with sufficient reception strength. Having received the beacon signal from the beacon transmitter 20b, the user terminal 10 transmits a distribution request to the server 30 requesting the distribution of content. This distribution request includes the beacon identifier "101" contained in the received beacon signal and a user identifier that identifies the user of the user terminal 10. The process of transmitting this distribution request is performed by the request unit 11b described above.

[0096] Next, when the server 30 receives a content distribution request transmitted from the user terminal 10, in step S13, distribution content is selected based on the content management data 35a. In step S13, the first content C101a associated with the beacon identifier "101" included in the distribution request is selected as the distribution content. If the first content C101a has already been distributed to the user terminal 10 that made the distribution request, the second content C101b is selected as the distribution content instead of the first content C101a. As described above, the first content C101a is, for example, an explanation of the exhibition area A1.

[0097] Next, the content distribution process proceeds to step S14. In step S14, it is proactively determined whether at least one of sub-areas A11 and A12 in the exhibition area A1, identified by the beacon identifier "101" included in the distribution request, is congested. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, if four user terminals 10a1 are present in sub-area A11 and the upper limit of the number of present terminals that can be accommodated in sub-area A11 is "3," it is proactively determined that sub-area A11 is congested. On the other hand, if one user terminal 10a2 is present in sub-area A12 and the threshold for determining the upper limit of the number of present terminals in sub-area A12 is "3," it is determined that sub-area A12 is not congested. The determination in step S14 is made by the congestion determination unit 31b.

[0098] The content distribution process proceeds to step S15 if it is determined in step S14 that at least one of subarea A11 and subarea A12 is congested; otherwise, it proceeds to step S16. In step S15, the third content C101c or the fourth content C101d from among the contents associated with the beacon identifier "101" is selected as the additional distribution content. For example, if it is determined in step S14 that subarea A11 is congested, the first content 102a associated with subarea A11 may be selected as the additional distribution content. Also, if it is determined in step S14 that subarea A12 is congested, the first content 103a associated with subarea A12 may be selected as the additional distribution content. If it is determined in step S14 that both subarea A11 and subarea A12 are congested, the fourth content C101d may be selected as the additional distribution content. The distribution content selection process in steps S13 and S15 is performed by the selection unit 31c described above. Once the additional content has been selected in step S15, the content distribution process proceeds to step S16.

[0099] In step S16, the selected distribution content is distributed to the user terminal 10. If distribution content is selected in both step S13 and step S15, the two selected contents are sequentially distributed to the user terminal 10. The content selected in step S15 may be transmitted after the content selected in step S13.

[0100] Next, in step S17, the content distributed from the server 30 is received by the user terminal 10, and the received content is displayed or played by the user terminal 10. The first content C101a and the second content C101b distributed to the user terminal 10 are content that provide an explanation about the exhibition area A1. Therefore, the user of the user terminal 10 can obtain information about the creatures exhibited in the exhibition area A1 and stories about their care by viewing or listening to the distributed first content C101a or second content C101b. If the user of the user terminal 10 becomes interested in the exhibits (aquatic creatures) exhibited in the exhibition area A1 after viewing or listening to the first content C101a or second content C101b, the user can move toward the aquarium WT1 within the exhibition area A1 to view the creatures in the aquarium WT1, or move toward the information board GP1 or the information board GP2 and read the explanation on the information board GP1 or the information board GP2 to access a more detailed explanation.

[0101] As described above, sub-area A11 is preemptively determined to be congested in step S13, and first content C102a associated with sub-area A11 is delivered to the user terminal 10, allowing the user to receive the delivery of first content 102a associated with sub-area A11 without entering sub-area A11. Similarly, sub-area A12 is preemptively determined to be congested, and first content C103a associated with sub-area A12 is delivered to the user terminal 10, allowing the user to receive the delivery of first content 103a associated with sub-area A12 without entering sub-area A12. In this way, when subarea A11 or subarea A12 is proactively determined to be congested, the first content 102a or the first content 103a associated with the subarea determined to be congested is delivered to user terminals 10 that are not present in that subarea, thereby suppressing movement to subarea A11 or subarea A12 to acquire the first content 102a or the first content 103a. Therefore, by proactively suppressing user movement to a subarea determined to be congested, local congestion in that subarea can be suppressed or alleviated.

[0102] Furthermore, if it is proactively determined that the sub-areas A11 and A12 are congested, a fourth content C101d that provides guidance to the exhibition area A2 outside the exhibition area A1 where the user terminal 10 is located is delivered to the user terminal 10. This allows the user to be guided to move to the exhibition area A2 outside the exhibition area A1, thereby preventing users from moving to the sub-areas A11 and A12 that are proactively determined to be congested. Therefore, it is possible to prevent or alleviate local congestion in the sub-areas.

[0103] The above description assumes that the user terminal 10 is located near the entrance E1 of the exhibition area A1 (outside the sub-areas A11 and A12). However, content delivery is performed according to a flow similar to that shown in FIG. 7 even when the user terminal 10 is located elsewhere within the exhibition area A1. For example, when the user terminal 10 is located within the sub-area A11, the first content C102a or the second content C102b associated with the sub-area A11 is selected as the delivery content, and the selected delivery content is delivered to the user terminal 10. Furthermore, when the user terminal 10 is located within the sub-area A11 and it is determined in step S14 that the sub-area A11 is congested, the third content C102c or the fourth content C102d associated with the sub-area A11 is selected as the additional delivery content in step S15. When both the sub-area A11 and the sub-area A12 are congested, the third content C102c may be selected as the additional content. Because the third content C102c is content that provides guidance to the exhibition area A2, if both sub-area A11 and sub-area A12 are congested, the user can be guided to the exhibition area A2, which is outside the exhibition area A1, by distributing the third content C102c as additional distribution content. If sub-area A11 is congested but sub-area A12 is not, the fourth content C102d may be selected as additional content. Because the fourth content C102d is content that provides guidance to the sub-area A12, if only sub-area A11 is congested, the user can be guided to the sub-area A12 within the exhibition area A1 by distributing the fourth content C102d as additional distribution content.

[0104] Even if the user terminal 10 is present in an exhibition area other than the exhibition area A1 (for example, exhibition areas A2 to A6), content is distributed from the server 30 to the user terminal 10 according to the content distribution method described with reference to FIG.

[0105] Next, the flow of the content distribution process executed when the user terminal 10 is present in the entrance area GA1 will be described with reference to Fig. 8. In Fig. 8, it is assumed that the user carrying the user terminal 10 is present in the entrance area GA1.

[0106] First, in step S21, a beacon signal is intermittently transmitted from the beacon transmitter 20 installed in the entrance area GA1. The beacon transmitter 20 installed in the entrance area GA1 transmits the beacon signal with a radio wave intensity that can be received by the user terminal 10 no matter where it is located within the entrance area GA1. The beacon signal includes a beacon identifier "001" that identifies the beacon transmitter 20 installed in the entrance area GA1.

[0107] Next, in step S22, the beacon signal transmitted from the beacon transmitter 20 is received by the user terminal 10 present within the entrance area GA1. The beacon signal reception process is performed by the beacon signal receiving unit 11a described above. The user terminal 10 that has received the beacon signal transmits a distribution request to the server 30 requesting distribution of content. This distribution request includes the beacon identifier "001" contained in the received beacon signal and a user identifier that identifies the user of the user terminal 10. The process of transmitting this distribution request is performed by the request unit 11b described above.

[0108] Next, in step S23, when the server 30 receives the content distribution request transmitted from the user terminal 10, the server 30 calculates the predicted stay time that the user terminal 10 will take to view the exhibits in each exhibition area and arrive at exit gate G2. As described above, the predicted stay time is calculated by multiplying the standard stay time by the congestion coefficient. The predicted stay time may be calculated before receiving the distribution request from the user terminal 10. Once calculated, the predicted stay time may be updated periodically.

[0109] Next, in step S24, content to be distributed is selected based on the content management data 35a. In step S24, the first content C001a associated with the beacon identifier "001" included in the distribution request is selected as the content to be distributed. If the first content C001a has already been distributed to the user terminal 10 that made the distribution request, the second content C001b is selected as the content to be distributed in place of the first content C001a. As described above, the first content C001a is, for example, a welcome message to visitors, and the second content C001b is, for example, a message explaining to visitors an event to be held at facility F1.

[0110] Next, in step S25, it is determined whether the congestion coefficient is greater than 1 (whether facility F1 is congested). If it is determined that the congestion coefficient is greater than 1, the content distribution process proceeds to step S26. In step S26, at least one of the third content C001c and the fourth content C001d associated with the beacon identifier "001" is selected as additional content. The content C001c is a message notifying the user that facility F1 is congested, and the content C001d is the predicted stay time calculated in step S23. The selection process of the distribution content in steps S24 and S26 is performed by the selection unit 31c described above. After the selection of additional content in step S26 is performed, the content distribution process proceeds to step S27.

[0111] In step S27, the selected distribution content is distributed to the user terminal 10. If distribution content is selected in both step S24 and step S26, the two selected contents are sequentially distributed to the user terminal 10. The content selected in step S26 may be transmitted after the content selected in step S24.

[0112] Next, in step S28, the content distributed from the server 30 is received by the user terminal 10, and the received content is displayed or played by the user terminal 10. If the facility F1 is crowded, at least one of content C001c and content C001d is distributed to the user terminal 10. Content C001c is a message informing the user that the facility F1 is crowded, and content C001d is the predicted stay time calculated in step S23. Therefore, if the facility F1 is crowded, a message indicating that the facility F1 is crowded and / or the predicted stay time serving as a guide for the stay time from entry to exit can be transmitted to the user upon entry.

[0113] Next, the flow of the content distribution process executed when the user terminal 10 is present in the exit area GA2 will be described with reference to Fig. 9. In Fig. 9, it is assumed that the user carrying the user terminal 10 is present in the exit area GA2.

[0114] First, in step S31, a beacon signal is intermittently transmitted from the beacon transmitter 20 installed in the exit area GA2. The beacon transmitter 20 installed in the exit area GA2 transmits the beacon signal with a radio wave intensity that can be received by the user terminal 10 no matter where the user terminal 10 is located within the exit area GA2. The beacon signal includes a beacon identifier "901" that identifies the beacon transmitter 20 installed in the exit area GA2.

[0115] Next, in step S32, the beacon signal transmitted from the beacon transmitter 20 is received by the user terminal 10 present in the exit area GA2. The beacon signal reception process is performed by the beacon signal receiving unit 11a described above. The user terminal 10 that has received the beacon signal transmits a distribution request to the server 30 requesting distribution of content. This distribution request includes the beacon identifier "901" contained in the received beacon signal and a user identifier that identifies the user of the user terminal 10. The process of transmitting this distribution request is performed by the request unit 11b described above.

[0116] Next, in step S33, when the server 30 receives a content distribution request transmitted from the user terminal 10, distribution content is selected based on the content management data 35a. In step S33, the first content C901a associated with the beacon identifier "901" included in the distribution request is selected as the distribution content. The first content C901a associated with the exit area GA2 is, for example, a message to the person leaving the building. If the first content C901a has already been distributed to the user terminal 10 that made the distribution request, the second content C901b is selected as the distribution content instead of the first content C901a. The second content C901b associated with the exit area GA2 is, for example, a message introducing a future event to the person leaving the building.

[0117] Next, in step S34, undistributed content that has not been distributed to the user terminal 10 that made the distribution request is identified. The undistributed content may be identified based on the distribution management data 35b. The distribution management data 35b stores content identifiers of distributed content in association with user identifiers, so that undistributed content that has not been distributed to the user of the user terminal 10 that made the distribution request can be identified based on the distribution management data 35b. For example, if the first content C102a associated with the sub-area A11 has not been distributed to the user of the user terminal 10 that made the distribution request, the first content C102a associated with that sub-area A11 is identified as undistributed content.

[0118] If undistributed content exists, the content distribution process proceeds to step S35. In step S35, third content 901c associated with beacon identifier "901" is selected. The third content 901c is, for example, a message indicating that undistributed content exists. The third content 901c associated with beacon identifier "901" may include information identifying an exhibition area or sub-area in which the undistributed content can be acquired. For example, if the first content 102a associated with sub-area A11 is undistributed content, information identifying sub-area A11 may be included in the third content 901c. The third content 901c may be a template for a message indicating that undistributed content exists. The third content 901c may be generated by embedding information identifying the undistributed content in this template. The distribution content selection process in steps S33 and S35 is performed by the selection unit 31c described above.

[0119] In step S36, the selected distribution content is distributed to the user terminal 10. If distribution content is selected in both step S33 and step S35, the two selected contents are sequentially distributed to the user terminal 10. The content selected in step S26 may be transmitted after the content selected in step S24.

[0120] Next, in step S37, the content distributed from the server 30 is received by the user terminal 10, and the received content is displayed or played by the user terminal 10. If there is undistributed content, third content 901c indicating the presence of undistributed content is distributed to the user terminal 10. Therefore, if there is undistributed content, the user can be notified before leaving the facility that there is undistributed content and the exhibition area or sub-area in which the undistributed content is being distributed. This allows the user to return to the exhibition area or sub-area where the undistributed content can be obtained and obtain the undistributed content.

[0121] In step S35, the selection unit 31c may select the third content 901c as the additional content only if the congestion coefficient of the facility F1 is equal to or less than 1. As a result, the third content 901c is selected as the additional content only if the facility F1 is not congested. If the facility F1 is congested, the third content 901c is not selected as the additional content, and as a result, the existence of undistributed content is not notified to the user, so that it is possible to prevent users who have reached the exit area GA2 from returning to the exhibition area or sub-area where undistributed content is distributed, thereby worsening the congestion.

[0122] In step S35, the selection unit 31c may select the third content 901c as the additional content only if the sub-area associated with the undistributed content is not congested. As a result, if the undistributed content is being distributed from a congested sub-area, the third content 901c is not distributed. For example, if the first content C102a associated with the sub-area A11 is undistributed content, the fact that the first content C102a associated with the sub-area A11 is undistributed content is notified to the user only if the sub-area A11 is not congested. This makes it possible to prevent users from moving to congested sub-areas.

[0123] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0124] For example, some of the functions executed by processor 11 of user terminal 10 may be implemented by processor 31 of server 30 or a processor of another device without departing from the spirit of the invention. Also, some of the functions executed by processor 31 may be implemented by processor 11 of user terminal 10 or a processor of another device without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0125] The area configuration within facility F1 may have a layer structure of two or more layers. The area in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is composed of two layers: a layer of exhibition area A1 and a layer of sub-areas A11 and A12. Each area within facility F1 may have a layer structure of three or more layers. For example, an intermediate area encompassing sub-area A11 may be provided within exhibition area A1. In this case, exhibition area A1 has a three-layer structure consisting of a layer of exhibition area A1, a layer of intermediate area located inside it, and sub-area A11 located inside the intermediate area. This intermediate area can be set by installing an additional beacon transmitter on guide board GP1. The radio wave strength of this additional beacon transmitter is set to be intermediate between the radio wave strength of beacon transmitter 20a1 and the radio wave strength of beacon transmitter 20b.

[0126] In the processing procedures described in this specification, particularly in processing procedures described using flow charts, it is possible to omit some of the steps that make up the processing procedures, to add steps that are not explicitly stated as steps that make up the processing procedures, and / or to change the order of the steps, and processing procedures in which such omissions, additions, or changes in order have been made are also included within the scope of the present invention as long as they do not deviate from the spirit of the present invention.

[0127] Although processes and procedures described herein are described as being performed by a single device, software, component, or module, such processes or procedures may be performed by multiple devices, multiple software, multiple components, and / or multiple modules. Furthermore, although data, tables, or databases described herein are described as being stored in a single storage device (storage or memory), such data, tables, or databases may be stored in multiple storage devices within a single device or multiple storage devices distributed across multiple devices. Furthermore, the software and hardware elements described herein may be realized by integrating them into fewer components or by breaking them down into more components.

[0128] The programs executed by the processor 11 may be stored in various types of non-transitory computer-readable media other than the illustrated storage. Non-transitory computer-readable media include various types of tangible storage media. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include magnetic recording media (e.g., flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical recording media (e.g., magneto-optical disks), Compact Disc Read Only Memory (CD-ROM), CD-R, CD-R / W, and semiconductor memory (e.g., mask ROM, programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), flash ROM, random access memory (RAM)).

[0129] The designations "first," "second," "third," etc. in this specification are used to identify components and do not necessarily limit the number, order, or content thereof. Furthermore, numbers used to identify components are used in different contexts, and numbers used in one context do not necessarily indicate the same configuration in another context. Furthermore, this does not prevent a component identified by a certain number from also serving the function of a component identified by another number.

[0130] In this specification, even if a component of the invention is described as either singular or plural, or is described without limitation as either singular or plural, the component may be either singular or plural unless the context requires otherwise. [Explanation of symbols]

[0131] 10, 10a1, 10a2, 10b User terminal 11 processors 11a Beacon signal receiver 11b Request part 11c Display section 11d Playback section 15. Storage 15a User Identifier 20, 20a1, 20a2, 20b beacon transmitter 30 servers 31 processors 31a Delivery request receiving unit 31b Congestion determination unit 31c Selection section 31d Distribution Department 35 Storage 35a Content Management Data 35b Distribution management data 35c Area Management Data

Claims

1. A content distribution system comprising one or more processors, the one or more processors executing predetermined computer-readable instructions to distribute content to a plurality of user terminals moving within a facility, the facility is divided into a plurality of areas including a first area, a second area located outside the first area, and a first sub-area located inside the first area; the one or more processors: In response to a request from a first user terminal among the plurality of user terminals that is located within the first area but outside the first sub-area, a first area content associated with the first area is delivered to the first user terminal; In response to a request from a second user terminal of the plurality of user terminals that is present in the first sub-area, a first sub-area content associated with the first sub-area is delivered to the second user terminal; determining whether the first sub-area is congested; When it is determined that the first sub-area is congested, another area content representing a guide to the second area is further delivered to the first user terminal. Content distribution system.

2. A content distribution system comprising one or more processors, the one or more processors executing predetermined computer-readable instructions to distribute content to a plurality of user terminals moving within a facility, the facility is divided into a plurality of areas including a first area and a first sub-area within the first area, the one or more processors: In response to a request from a first user terminal among the plurality of user terminals that is located within the first area but outside the first sub-area, a first area content associated with the first area is delivered to the first user terminal; In response to a request from a second user terminal of the plurality of user terminals that is present in the first sub-area, a first sub-area content associated with the first sub-area is delivered to the second user terminal; determining whether the first sub-area is congested; When it is determined that the first sub-area is congested, the first sub-area content is further delivered to the first user terminal. Content distribution system.

3. the one or more processors, when it is determined that the first sub-area is congested, further deliver the other area content to the second user terminal; The content distribution system according to claim 1 .

4. the one or more processors determine whether the first sub-area is congested based on a distribution frequency of the first sub-area content; 3. The content distribution system according to claim 1.

5. the first sub-area content is first audio data; 3. The content distribution system according to claim 1.

6. the one or more processors, in response to a request from a third user terminal present in a second sub-area within the first area, deliver second sub-area content associated with the second sub-area to the third user terminal; 3. The content distribution system according to claim 1.

7. the second sub-area content is second audio data; The content distribution system according to claim 6 .

8. the plurality of sections include a plurality of sub-areas including the first sub-area between an entrance gate for entering the facility and an exit gate for exiting the facility, Each of the plurality of sub-areas is associated with a sub-area content; the one or more processors deliver at least one of the one or more undelivered sub-area contents that have not been delivered to the fourth user terminal among the plurality of user terminals and that is located near the exit gate; 3. The content distribution system according to claim 1.

9. 1. A content distribution method for distributing content to a plurality of user terminals moving within a facility by one or more processors executing predetermined computer-readable instructions, comprising: the facility is divided into a plurality of areas including a first area, a second area located outside the first area, and a first sub-area located inside the first area; In response to a request from a first user terminal among the plurality of user terminals that is located within the first area but outside the first sub-area, delivering first area content associated with the first area to the first user terminal; In response to a request from a second user terminal of the plurality of user terminals that is present in the first sub-area, delivering first sub-area content associated with the first sub-area to the second user terminal; determining whether the first sub-area is congested; When it is determined that the first sub-area is congested, further delivering other area content representing guidance to the second area to the first user terminal; A content distribution method comprising:

10. 1. A content distribution method for distributing content to a plurality of user terminals moving within a facility by one or more processors executing predetermined computer-readable instructions, comprising: the facility is divided into a plurality of areas including a first area and a first sub-area within the first area, In response to a request from a first user terminal among the plurality of user terminals that is located within the first area but outside the first sub-area, delivering first area content associated with the first area to the first user terminal; In response to a request from a second user terminal of the plurality of user terminals that is present in the first sub-area, delivering first sub-area content associated with the first sub-area to the second user terminal; determining whether the first sub-area is congested; When it is determined that the first sub-area is congested, further delivering the first sub-area content to the first user terminal; A content distribution method comprising:

11. A content distribution program that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to distribute content to a plurality of user terminals moving within a facility, the facility is divided into a plurality of areas including a first area, a second area located outside the first area, and a first sub-area located inside the first area; the one or more processors; In response to a request from a first user terminal among the plurality of user terminals that is located within the first area but outside the first sub-area, delivering first area content associated with the first area to the first user terminal; In response to a request from a second user terminal of the plurality of user terminals that is present in the first sub-area, delivering first sub-area content associated with the first sub-area to the second user terminal; determining whether the first sub-area is congested; When it is determined that the first sub-area is congested, further delivering other area content representing guidance to the second area to the first user terminal; A content distribution program that executes the above.

12. A content distribution program that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to distribute content to a plurality of user terminals moving within a facility, the facility is divided into a plurality of areas including a first area and a first sub-area within the first area, the one or more processors; In response to a request from a first user terminal among the plurality of user terminals that is located within the first area but outside the first sub-area, delivering first area content associated with the first area to the first user terminal; In response to a request from a second user terminal of the plurality of user terminals that is present in the first sub-area, delivering first sub-area content associated with the first sub-area to the second user terminal; determining whether the first sub-area is congested; When it is determined that the first sub-area is congested, further delivering the first sub-area content to the first user terminal; A content distribution program that executes the above.

Images