Information processing device, information processing method, program, and recording medium

Abstract

To provide an information processing apparatus which allows a user to acquire information on one spot of interest, at an appropriate timing, an information processing method, a program, a recording medium, and a data structure.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus includes: an information acquisition unit which acquires one or more pieces of spot status information each including an arbitrary period and a status of one spot in the arbitrary period; a specifying unit which specifies, based on each of the one or more pieces of spot status information, time conditions for notifying a user of notification information regarding the one spot; and a notification control unit which notifies the user of the notification information at a timing determined based on a position of the user, a position of the one spot, and the time conditions.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, a program, and a recording medium.

Background Art

[0002] When a server device receives a request for word-of-mouth information about a facility from a user No. 1, it extracts word-of-mouth information posted by a specific user from among a plurality of word-of-mouth information posted by other users and provides it to the user No. 1.

[0003] For example, in Patent Document 1, among other users who have posted word-of-mouth information about a specific facility, a target user is identified based on the number of visits to the facility and the number of visits to facilities of the same genre as the facility, and word-of-mouth information posted by the identified user is provided to the user No. 1. A server device is disclosed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the server device described in Patent Document 1, for example, when a user No. 1 requests word-of-mouth information about a facility in which the user is interested, word-of-mouth information about the situation of the facility at various times is provided to the user No. 1.

[0006] Therefore, for example, if the services of a facility described in the provided reviews are not relevant to the current time, the provided reviews become of low value to the user at that moment. In other words, one of the problems is that users are not able to obtain information about facilities in a timely manner that reflects the facility's situation at any given time.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned points, and aims to provide an information processing device, an information processing method, a program, a recording medium, and a data structure that enable a user to acquire information about a spot of interest at an appropriate time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The information processing device according to claim 1 is characterized by comprising: an information acquisition unit that acquires one or more spot status information, each including the status of one spot at an arbitrary time and at the said time; an identification unit that identifies timing conditions for notifying a user of notification information about the one spot based on each of the one or more spot status information; and a notification control unit that controls the notification of the notification information to the user at a timing determined based on the user's location, the location of the one spot, and the timing conditions.

[0009] The information processing method described in claim 8 is characterized by comprising: an information acquisition step of acquiring one or more spot status information, each including the status of a spot at an arbitrary time and at the said time; a specification step of identifying timing conditions for notifying a user of notification information about the spot based on each of the one or more spot status information; and a notification control step of controlling the notification of the notification information to the user at a timing determined based on the user's location, the location of the spot, and the timing conditions.

[0010] The program described in claim 9 is a program to be executed by a computer, characterized in that it causes the computer to execute: an information acquisition step of acquiring one or more spot status information, each including the status of one spot at an arbitrary time and at the said time; a identification step of identifying timing conditions for notifying a user of notification information about the one spot based on each of the one or more spot status information; and a notification control step of controlling the notification of the notification information to the user at a timing determined based on the user's location, the location of the one spot, and the timing conditions.

[0011] The recording medium described in claim 10 is a recording medium on which the above program is recorded. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is an overall configuration diagram of the information processing system according to Example 1. [Figure 2] This diagram shows the configuration of the front seat area of ​​the vehicle according to Example 1 and the conditions inside the vehicle. [Figure 3] This is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information processing device according to Example 1. [Figure 4] This is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a server device according to Example 1. [Figure 5] This table shows an example of spot status information stored in the server device according to Example 1. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of the notification settings for spot status information by the information processing device according to Example 1. [Figure 7] This is a flowchart showing the control routine of the information processing device according to Example 1. [Figure 8] This is a flowchart showing the control routine of the information processing device according to Example 1. [Figure 9] This graph shows the statistical processing results obtained by the information processing device according to Example 2. [Figure 10]It is a flowchart showing the control routine of the information processing apparatus according to Example 2. [Figure 11] It is a graph showing the statistical processing result by the information processing apparatus according to the modification example.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components, and the description of overlapping components is omitted.

Example

[0014] First, the overall system configuration will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of the information communication system 100 according to Example 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the information communication system 100 includes an in-vehicle device 10 mounted on a vehicle M as a moving body and a server device 11.

[0015] In the present embodiment, the in-vehicle device 10 and the server device 11 can mutually transmit and receive data via a network NW using a communication protocol such as TCP / IP or UDP / IP. The connection between the in-vehicle device 10 and the network NW can be made by mobile communication such as 3G (3rd Generation), 4G (4th Generation), or 5G (5th Generation), or wireless communication such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

[0016] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the front seat portion of the vehicle M as a moving body according to Example 1 and the situation inside the vehicle M. The in-vehicle device 10 is connected to each of a touch panel display 13, a speaker 14, and a GNSS receiver 15 installed inside the vehicle M, and includes a control unit that controls these. The in-vehicle device 10 is disposed, for example, at the center inside the dashboard DB of the front seat of the vehicle M.

[0017] The touch panel display 13 is a display device in which a display that performs screen display based on the control of the in-vehicle device 10 and a touch panel that receives an input operation from a passenger of the vehicle M are combined. For example, a navigation image in which the current position of the vehicle M is superimposed on a map is displayed on the touch panel display 13. In the present embodiment, the touch panel display 13 is arranged at the center of the dashboard DB.

[0018] The speaker 14 is an audio output device that outputs audio based on the control of the in-vehicle device 10. In the present embodiment, the speakers 14 are provided on each of the two A-pillars AP.

[0019] The GNSS receiver 15 is a receiver that receives signals (GNSS signals) from GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) satellites. The GNSS receiver 15 transmits the received GNSS signals to the in-vehicle device 10. In the present embodiment, the GNSS receiver 15 is arranged on the dashboard DB.

[0020] The positions of the in-vehicle device 10, the touch panel display 13, the speaker 14, and the GNSS receiver 15 in the front seat portion of the vehicle M described above are merely examples, and they may be arranged at other positions.

[0021] In the present embodiment, the in-vehicle device 10 is configured to be able to register a specific location (hereinafter referred to as a spot) indicating a facility or a location of interest to the user of the in-vehicle device 10, for example, the driver of the vehicle M, as a "spot to go to". For example, the user of the in-vehicle device 10 can register the spot to go to by touching and selecting one of the spots on the map displayed on the touch panel display 13 and pressing a button "Register as a spot to go to" displayed at the time of the touch selection.

[0022] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the in-vehicle device 10 is configured to allow the user of the in-vehicle device 10 to set whether or not to be notified of information including the status of a spot at a certain time (hereinafter referred to as spot status information). In this embodiment, spot status information refers to word-of-mouth information indicating the reputation and evaluation of a spot from other users.

[0023] For example, a user of the in-vehicle device 10 can select one of the multiple spot status information displayed on the touch panel display 13 and enable notification settings for the selected spot status information, thereby allowing notifications of the spot status information to be sent to them.

[0024] Figure 2 illustrates the case where the user of the in-vehicle device 10 has registered "○× Cafe" as a "place they want to visit." Figure 2 also illustrates the case where the user of the in-vehicle device 10 has set up notifications for spot status information regarding "○× Cafe," including the comment, "The pasta, which is only available during weekday lunch hours, was very delicious."

[0025] In Figure 2, while vehicle M is traveling, if vehicle M is located within a predetermined distance from "○× Cafe" and the current date and time corresponds to "weekday lunchtime" in the spot information above, the in-vehicle device 10 provides voice guidance via speaker 14 saying, "○× Cafe, located 300m ahead on the right, is said to have very delicious pasta that is only available during weekday lunchtimes!"

[0026] For example, a user of the in-vehicle device 10 might receive the above voice guidance while traveling in vehicle M on a weekday and looking for a place to have lunch, and then decide to go to "○× Cafe" after becoming interested in the "pasta available only during weekday lunch hours".

[0027] In this embodiment, the server device 11 stores one or more spot status information as word-of-mouth information for each of the multiple spots. The in-vehicle device 10 is configured to acquire the one or more spot status information stored in the server device 11 via the network NW described above.

[0028] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the in-vehicle device 10 according to Embodiment 1. In this embodiment, the in-vehicle device 10 is a device in which a control unit 18, a communication unit 19, an input unit 21, an output unit 22, and a large-capacity storage device 23 cooperate via a system bus 17.

[0029] The control unit 18 is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 18A, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 18B, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 18C, etc., and functions as a computer. The CPU 18A reads and executes various programs stored in the ROM 18B and the mass storage device 23 to realize various functions.

[0030] Various programs may be acquired, for example, from other server devices via a network, or they may be recorded on a recording medium and read via various drive devices. In other words, various programs stored in the mass storage device 23 (including programs for executing processing in the in-vehicle device 10 described later) can be transmitted via a network, and can also be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium and transferred.

[0031] The communication unit 19 is a communication device that sends and receives data with external devices according to instructions from the control unit 18. The communication unit 19 is, for example, a NIC (Network Interface Card) for connecting to a network NW. In this embodiment, when the above-mentioned "desired spot" is registered, the control unit 18 requests spot status information for the spot indicated in the "desired spot" from the server device 11 via the communication unit 19.

[0032] The input unit 21 is an interface unit that enables communication between the control unit 18 of the in-vehicle device 10, the touch panel display 13, and the GNSS receiver 15. In this embodiment, the control unit 18 acquires the GNSS signal received by the GNSS receiver 15 via the input unit 21. That is, the control unit 18 acquires the position information of the vehicle M based on the GNSS signal from the GNSS receiver 15.

[0033] The output unit 22 is an interface unit that is communicatively connected to the touch panel display 13 and the speaker 14. The control unit 18 can transmit video or image signals to the touch panel display 13 via the output unit 22 to display them, or transmit audio signals to the speaker 14 to output sound.

[0034] The large-capacity storage device 23 is composed of, for example, a hard disk drive, an SSD (solid state drive), flash memory, etc., and is a storage device that stores various programs such as operating systems and terminal software.

[0035] As described above, the large-capacity storage device 23 stores information about spots that have been registered as "places to visit" by the user of the in-vehicle device 10. In this embodiment, as described above, "○× Cafe" is registered and stored as a "place to visit".

[0036] Furthermore, the large-capacity storage device 23 stores in association information of spot status information for which notifications to the user have been permitted, and time conditions indicating when such spot status information should be notified to the user. These time conditions are identified by the control unit 18 based on the time-related words included in the spot status information.

[0037] In this embodiment, the control unit 18 identifies "weekday lunchtime" as a seasonal condition from the spot situation information, "The pasta that is only available during weekday lunchtimes was very delicious," and stores these in the large-capacity storage device 23 in association with each other.

[0038] The map information database (hereinafter referred to as the map information DB) 23A of the large-capacity storage device 23 is a database in which map information is stored. In this embodiment, the control unit 18 obtains the location information of the spots registered as "desired spots" based on the map information stored in the map information DB 23A.

[0039] Figure 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a server device 11 according to Embodiment 1. In this embodiment, the server device 11 is a device in which a control unit 26, a communication unit 27, and a large-capacity storage device 28 cooperate via a system bus 25.

[0040] The control unit 26 is composed of a CPU 26A, ROM 26B, RAM 26C, etc., and functions as a computer. The CPU 26A reads and executes various programs stored in the ROM 26B and the mass storage device 28 to realize various functions.

[0041] The communication unit 27 is a communication device that transmits and receives data with external devices according to instructions from the control unit 26. The communication unit 27 is, for example, a NIC for connecting to a network NW. In this embodiment, the control unit 26 is configured to communicate with the in-vehicle device 10 via the communication unit 27.

[0042] The large-capacity storage device 28 is composed of, for example, a hard disk drive, an SSD, or flash memory, and is a storage device that stores various programs such as operating systems and terminal software.

[0043] The spot status information database (hereinafter referred to as the spot status information DB) 28A of the large-capacity storage device 28 is a database that stores spot status information for each of multiple spots. When the control unit 26 receives a request for spot status information for a specific spot from the in-vehicle device 10, it transmits the spot status information stored in the spot status information DB 28A to the in-vehicle device 10.

[0044] Here, using Figure 5, we will explain the spot status information stored in the spot status information DB28A of the large-capacity storage device 28. Figure 5 is Table TB1 (hereinafter referred to as Spot Status Information TB1) which shows the spot status information posted to the server device 11 by other users. Spot Status Information TB1 shows the spot status information for "○× Cafe" as an example.

[0045] In the Spot Status Information TB1, the "Spot Name" column shows the name of the spot, such as the facility name, and the "Posting Date" column shows the date on which the spot status information was posted by each other user, that is, the date on which the spot status information was sent from the other user's terminal to the server device 11. In addition, the "User ID" and "User Name" columns show the user ID and username assigned to each of the other users, respectively.

[0046] In Spot Status Information TB1, the "Comments" column within "Spot Status Information" displays comments indicating the status of a spot at a particular time. Specifically, in Spot Status Information TB1, for example, User C has commented on "○× Cafe" saying, "The pasta, which is only available during weekday lunch hours, was very delicious."

[0047] Furthermore, the "Rating" column in the "Spot Status Information" shows the degree of rating each user has given to the spot based on the content of the above comments. Specifically, in Spot Status Information TB1, for example, User C has given "A" as a rating for "○× Cafe".

[0048] In this example, three evaluation levels, A to C, are assigned to the above-mentioned spots, with "A" representing "Recommended," "B" representing "Average," and "C" representing "Not Good."

[0049] In other words, in the spot status information TB1, user C gave a rating of "A" because they felt that "the pasta available only during weekday lunch hours was very delicious," and recommends visiting "○× Cafe" during "weekday lunch hours." To put it another way, for user C, "weekday lunch hours" is the time when visiting "○× Cafe" is recommended.

[0050] Furthermore, in the spot status information TB1, user B gave a rating of "C" because they felt that "it was crowded on holiday evenings and difficult to get in," indicating that visiting "○× Cafe" on "holiday evenings" is not recommended. In other words, for user C, "holiday evenings" is not a recommended time to visit "○× Cafe."

[0051] In this embodiment, spot status information refers to word-of-mouth information about a spot posted to the server device 11 by other users. In other words, spot status information refers to word-of-mouth information about a spot transmitted to the server device 11 from a user terminal held by another user.

[0052] In this embodiment, the server device 11 is configured to receive spot status information transmitted from user terminals held by other users via the communication unit 27. In this embodiment, when the control unit 26 of the server device 11 receives spot status information transmitted from each user terminal, it stores the user ID, username, spot name, spot status information, and posting date of the spot status information for each of the other users as an information set in the spot status information DB 28A.

[0053] [Spot Status Information Notification Processing in Example 1] The following describes an example of the spot status information notification process performed by the control unit 18 in this embodiment. In the following description, we will explain the case in which "○× Cafe" is registered as a "desired spot" by the user of the in-vehicle device 10, as described above.

[0054] In this embodiment, when a user registers a "desired spot," the control unit 18 obtains spot status information for the spot indicated by that "desired spot" from the server device 11 via the network NW. In other words, the control unit 18 functions as an information acquisition unit that acquires spot status information from the server device 11.

[0055] Specifically, the control unit 18 requests the server device 11 for spot status information of "○× Cafe" that has been registered by the user as a "place to visit," and receives and acquires the spot status information of "○× Cafe" transmitted from the server device 11.

[0056] Here, in this embodiment, we will describe how the in-vehicle device 10 receives notification settings for spot status information from the user when it obtains spot status information for a spot registered as a "desired spot" from the server device 11.

[0057] Figure 6 shows an example of a notification settings screen for spot status information of "○× Cafe" displayed on the touch panel display 13. In Figure 6, as an example, a screen is shown displaying spot status information posted by three users: User A, User B, and User C. Users can check other spot status information by, for example, scrolling up and down the scroll bar SB on the right side of the display screen.

[0058] In Figure 6, the "Posting Date," "User ID," "User Name," and "Spot Status Information" fields display the same information as the Spot Status Information TB1 shown in Figure 5. In the "Notification Settings" section, checkboxes are displayed to allow users to choose whether or not to be notified about each piece of Spot Status Information. Users of the in-vehicle device 10 can check either the ON or OFF checkbox.

[0059] In Figure 6, the in-vehicle device 10 has notifications turned ON for spot status information from User A, who says, "I was surprised by the wide variety of dinner options. The restaurant is spacious and I recommend it," and from User C, who says, "The pasta, which is only available during weekday lunch hours, was delicious."

[0060] Furthermore, in Figure 6, the user of the in-vehicle device 10 has turned off notifications for spot status information, including a comment from user B saying, "I went there on a holiday evening, but it was crowded and I couldn't get in easily."

[0061] In Figure 6, for example, the user can touch the checkbox to change the notification ON / OFF status checkbox between checked and unchecked. Then, by touching the "Complete Notification Settings" button at the bottom of the display screen, the setting for ON / OFF notifications for the above-mentioned spot status information will be applied.

[0062] In this embodiment, after the ON / OFF setting for notification of the spot status information has been reflected, the control unit 18 identifies the timing conditions for notifying the user of the spot status information based on the words indicating the time in the comments included in the spot status information for which the user has set the notification to ON. In other words, the control unit 18 functions as a specification unit that identifies the timing conditions for notifying the user of notification information including the status of a spot at a certain time.

[0063] Specifically, for example, if the spot status information includes the comment, "I was surprised by the extensive dinner menu. The restaurant is also spacious and I recommend it," the control unit 18 identifies "17:00-21:00" as a time condition based on the word "dinner," which indicates a time period.

[0064] Furthermore, for example, if the spot status information includes the comment "The pasta, which is only available during weekday lunch hours, was very delicious," the control unit 18 identifies "Monday to Friday, 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM" as a time condition based on the phrase "weekday lunch hours."

[0065] In this embodiment, the control unit 18 identifies the temporal conditions for each of the spot status information, and then stores each of the spot status information and each of the temporal conditions in association in the large-capacity storage device 23.

[0066] In this embodiment, the control unit 18 determines whether the vehicle M is located within a predetermined distance range from a designated spot, based on the current position of the vehicle M using a GNSS signal and the location of a spot registered as a "desired spot," while the vehicle M is moving.

[0067] Then, if the vehicle M is located within a predetermined distance from a spot registered as a "desired spot" as described above, and the current date and time meet the aforementioned temporal conditions, the control unit 18 provides voice guidance to the user regarding the spot status information, as shown in Figure 2. In other words, the control unit 18 functions as a notification control unit that controls the notification of the above-mentioned notification information to the user.

[0068] The specific operation of the in-vehicle device 10 in this embodiment will be described below. Figure 7 is a flowchart of the information registration routine RT1 executed in the control unit 18 of the in-vehicle device 10.

[0069] The control unit 18 starts the information registration routine RT1, for example, when power is turned on to the in-vehicle device 10. The information registration routine RT1 is repeatedly executed by the control unit 18 as long as the in-vehicle device 10 is powered on.

[0070] First, the control unit 18 determines whether or not it has received a registration start operation from the user of the in-vehicle device 10 to register a spot of interest (step S101). Specifically, as described above, the control unit 18 determines that it has received the registration start operation when the user touches and selects one of the spots on the map displayed on the touch panel display 13, and when the button labeled "Register as a spot I want to go to" is displayed at the time of the touch selection and that button is pressed.

[0071] If the control unit 18 determines that it has not received a registration start operation from the user to register a spot of interest (step S101: NO), it terminates the information registration routine RT1.

[0072] When the control unit 18 determines that it has received a registration start operation from the user to register a spot of interest (step S101: YES), it obtains spot status information for the spot registered as a "spot to visit" from the server device 11 (step S102). Specifically, when the control unit 18 receives the above registration start operation, it obtains spot status information for "○× Cafe" which has been registered by the user as a "spot to visit" from the server device 11.

[0073] After step S102, the control unit 18 displays the spot status information acquired from the server device 11 on the touch panel display 13 and accepts the user's setting for notification of spot status information (step S103).

[0074] Specifically, as shown in Figure 6, the control unit 18 receives an ON / OFF notification request from the user for each of the spot status information items, and when the user touches the "Complete Notification Settings" button at the bottom of the display screen, the control unit 18 reflects the ON / OFF notification setting for the spot status information.

[0075] After step S103, the control unit 18 identifies the timing conditions for notifying the user of voice guidance regarding each of the spot status information that the user has set to enable notifications for (step S104).

[0076] Specifically, for example, if the spot status information includes the comment "The pasta, which is only available during weekday lunch hours, was very delicious," the control unit 18 identifies "Monday to Friday, 11:00 to 15:00" as a time condition based on the phrase "weekday lunch hours."

[0077] After step S104, the control unit 18 registers and stores the spot status information and the time conditions identified in step S104 in the large-capacity storage device 23 (step S105). After step S105, the control unit 18 terminates the information registration routine RT1.

[0078] Figure 8 is a flowchart showing the information notification routine RT2 executed in the control unit 18 of the in-vehicle device 10. The control unit 18 starts the information notification routine RT2, for example, when power is turned on to the in-vehicle device 10. The information notification routine RT2 is repeatedly executed by the control unit 18 as long as the in-vehicle device 10 is powered on.

[0079] First, the control unit 18 determines whether the vehicle M is located within a predetermined distance range from a spot, based on the vehicle M's current position and the location of a spot registered as a "desired spot" (step S201). If the control unit 18 determines that the vehicle M is not located within a predetermined distance range from the spot (step S201: NO), it terminates the information notification routine RT2.

[0080] If the control unit 18 determines that the vehicle M is located within a predetermined distance range from the spot (step S201: YES), it refers to the temporal conditions stored in the large-capacity storage device 23 in step S105 and determines whether the current date and time satisfy those temporal conditions (step S202).

[0081] Specifically, the control unit 18 determines, for example, that if the current date and time is 12:00 on Tuesday, it satisfies the time condition stored in the mass storage device 23, which is "Monday to Friday, 11:00 to 15:00". If the control unit 18 determines that the current date and time does not satisfy the time condition (step S202: NO), it terminates the information notification routine RT2.

[0082] When the control unit 18 determines that the current date and time meet the time condition (step S202: YES), it generates notification information based on the spot status information associated with the time condition stored in the mass storage device 23 and notifies the user (step S203).

[0083] Specifically, the control unit 18 generates audio information as notification information to be sent to the user based on the comment "The pasta, which is only available during weekday lunch hours, was very delicious," which is a spot status information associated with the seasonal condition "Monday to Friday, 11:00 to 15:00," and outputs the audio information via the speaker 14. After step S203, the control unit 18 terminates the information notification routine RT2.

[0084] According to this embodiment, when a user registers a "desired spot" using the information registration routine RT1, the time conditions of the spot status information selected by the user are automatically identified and registered from the spot status information acquired from the server device 11. Then, when the vehicle M is approaching the spot registered by the user as a "desired spot" and the current date and time meet the above time conditions, the information notification routine RT2 provides the user with voice guidance based on the spot status information of that spot.

[0085] This allows the user of the in-vehicle device 10 to receive notifications only for the spot status information they want to be recommended from among the spot status information for "places they want to visit," thereby enabling them to receive notification information based on the configured spot status information at an appropriate time. For example, when the user of the in-vehicle device 10 approaches a spot registered as a "place they want to visit" while traveling in vehicle M, they can receive timely and useful information about the spot corresponding to the current time.

[0086] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, users can configure their own notification settings for spot status information, and users will not be notified of spot status information for which notifications have been turned OFF. Therefore, even when vehicle M approaches a spot, the annoyance of receiving unnecessary information is avoided.

[0087] In this embodiment, the spot status information described above is assumed to be word-of-mouth information posted by each of the other users, but the form of such spot status information is not limited to this. For example, the spot status information may be information that shows the responses from other users to a question asked by a user of the in-vehicle device 10 about a specific spot.

[0088] Specifically, the information and communication system 100 may be configured to, for example, send a question text indicating a question about a specific spot from the in-vehicle device 10 to each of the user terminals held by other users via the server device 11, and to receive a response comment indicating an answer to the question. The question text may, for example, inquire about the best time of day or season to visit the spot, or recommended information about the spot at a particular time.

[0089] The control unit 26 of the server device 11, for example, when it receives the above-mentioned response comments from each user terminal, notifies the in-vehicle device 10 that the response comments have been received and also sends the response comments. As a result, the user of the in-vehicle device 10 can obtain spot status information from the server device 11 as described above and configure notification settings for themselves.

[0090] In this embodiment, the control unit 18 identifies a time condition based on each of the spot status information for which the user has set the notification to ON in step S104 described above, but the timing for setting the time condition is not limited to this.

[0091] For example, in Figure 6, when the control unit 18 presents a list of spot status information to the user, it may identify the time-specific conditions for each of the spot status information items and present the identified time-specific conditions to the user. For example, in Figure 6, a "Time-Specific Conditions" column may be provided between "Spot Status Information" and "Notification Settings," and "Monday to Friday, 11:00 to 15:00" may be shown as the time-specific condition corresponding to user C.

[0092] This allows the user of the in-vehicle device 10 to select the spot status information they want to be notified about while checking the time-specific conditions for each spot status information. The days of the week and time periods indicated by the time-specific conditions may be editable by the user.

[0093] In this embodiment, the control unit 18 has described a case where the time indicated by the comment included in the spot status information is a time of day such as "lunchtime" or "dinner," but this is not limited to this case, and words indicating months or seasons may also be included. For example, if the comment included in the spot status information is "spring...", the control unit 18 sets "April to June" as the time condition.

[0094] In this embodiment, the control unit 18 identifies the time condition based on the words indicating the time period included in the comment of the spot status information that the user has set to turn on notifications, but the method for setting the time condition is not limited to this.

[0095] For example, the control unit 18 may acquire spot status information for a spot from the server device 11, as well as business hours information, including lunch and dinner times for the spot. The control unit 18 may then identify seasonal conditions based on the time-related words included in the comments of the spot status information and the business hours information.

[0096] The control unit 18 may identify the time-specific conditions by taking into account the user's typical stay time at a spot. For example, if the lunch time indicated by the operating hours information of "○× Cafe" is "11:00 to 15:00", the control unit 18 may identify "11:00 to 14:00" as the time-specific condition, taking into account that the typical stay time at the spot is one hour. This allows the user to avoid the inconvenience of receiving notifications when it is difficult to visit, such as when information about lunch time at "○× Cafe" is about to end.

[0097] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the large-capacity storage device 23 of the in-vehicle device 10 may store a travel history based on the location information of the vehicle M, and the control unit 18 may provide voice guidance for the spot only if it determines that it is possible to visit the spot based on the travel history and the current time.

[0098] For example, if the control unit 18 determines, based on the vehicle M's movement history, that vehicle M is moving near the workplace between 12:00 and 13:00 on weekdays and is located at the workplace at other times, it may provide voice guidance about the spot, taking into account the round-trip travel time from the workplace to the spot and the standard stay time at the spot.

[0099] Specifically, the control unit 18 may, for example, determine that if the current time is 12:00, the round trip time required for vehicle M from the workplace to the spot is 10 minutes, and the standard stay time at the spot is 30 minutes, then provide voice guidance regarding the spot.

[0100] In this embodiment, the user of the in-vehicle device 10 registers a "desired spot" by operating the touch panel display 13, but the method of registering such "desired spots" is not limited to this. For example, the vehicle M may be equipped with a microphone connected to the control unit 18 of the in-vehicle device 10, and may be configured to acquire voice input from the user of the in-vehicle device 10.

[0101] Furthermore, the large-capacity storage device 23 may store a voice recognition database for recognizing voice input via the microphone, and the control unit 18 may identify "desired spots" based on the words shown in the text resulting from the voice recognition of the input voice. In this case, the control unit 18 may also identify and register the above-mentioned "desired spots" from map information.

[0102] In this embodiment, the control unit 18 of the in-vehicle device 10 notifies the user by outputting the above-mentioned notification information as audio from the speaker 14. However, in addition to or instead of outputting from the speaker 14, the notification information may be displayed as text on the touch panel display 13.

[0103] Furthermore, the identification of the timing conditions for the spot status information performed by the control unit 18 may be performed by AI. For example, the spot status information for which notifications have been turned ON by the user may be input to an AI having a learning model that has been trained to recognize words indicating timing, and the timing conditions may be obtained as its output.

[0104] In this embodiment, the control unit 18 of the in-vehicle device 10 was described as notifying spot status information that the user has set to turn on notifications for; however, the notification information may not be based on spot status information.

[0105] For example, the control unit 18 may, when the vehicle M is located within a predetermined distance from a spot registered as a "desired spot" and the current date and time meet the seasonal conditions, retrieve advertising information for that spot pre-stored in the large-capacity storage device 23 of the in-vehicle device 10 or the large-capacity storage device 28 of the server device 11, and notify the user of the advertising information as notification information. In this case as well, the user can receive recommendations regarding spots of interest at a timely pace that matches the situation of that spot at any given time.

[0106] In this embodiment, the information registration routine RT1 and the information notification routine RT2 have been described as being executed in the control unit 18 of the in-vehicle device 10. However, the embodiment is not limited to this, and all of the processing included in the information registration routine RT1 and the information notification routine RT2 may be executed by the control unit 26 of the server device 11.

[0107] In this case, map information is pre-stored in the large-capacity storage device 28 of the server device 11, and the control unit 18 of the in-vehicle device 10 transmits information regarding the current location of the vehicle M and information regarding the operation of the touch panel display 13 received from the user to the server device 11 via the network NW, causing the control unit 26 of the server device 11 to execute the information registration routine RT1 and the information notification routine RT2. The control unit 26 transmits notification information to the in-vehicle device 10 via the network NW if the vehicle M is located within a predetermined distance range from a spot registered as a "desired spot" and the current date and time meet the time conditions.

[0108] Furthermore, the control unit 26 of the server device 11 may be configured to execute only a portion of the processing included in the information registration routine RT1 and the information notification routine RT2 described above.

[0109] In this embodiment, the notification process for the spot status information described above is shown to be performed by an on-board device 10 mounted on a vehicle M as a mobile object. However, this is not limited to this configuration, as long as the device configuration is capable of performing the process. For example, each configuration of the on-board device 10 may be applied to a portable communication terminal such as a smartphone or tablet. [Examples]

[0110] Next, Example 2 will be described. In Example 2, the method of registering spot status information performed in the control unit 18 of the in-vehicle device 10 differs from that of Example 1, but other aspects, such as the configuration of the in-vehicle device 10, are the same as in Example 1.

[0111] Specifically, Example 2 differs from Example 1 in that it performs statistical processing on spot status information acquired from the server device 11 at intervals determined based on the spot status information, and identifies time conditions based on the results of this statistical processing. The following description will mainly explain the differences from Example 1.

[0112] [Notification process for spot status information in Example 2] The following describes an example of the spot status information notification process performed by the control unit 18 in this embodiment. In the following description, we will explain the case where "○× Cafe" is registered as a "desired spot" by the user of the in-vehicle device 10, similar to the case described in Embodiment 1.

[0113] In this embodiment, when the control unit 18 obtains spot status information for a spot indicated by a "desired spot" registered by the user from the server device 11, it extracts spot status information from the spot status information that indicates a recommendation to visit the spot.

[0114] Specifically, the control unit 18 identifies spot status information that has been rated "A" by other users, among the evaluation levels described above included in each of the spot status information, as content that recommends visiting the spot. For example, in the case of the spot status information TB1 described above, the spot status information posted by users A and C is spot status information that recommends visiting the spot.

[0115] In this embodiment, the control unit 18 extracts spot status information indicating that a visit to the spot is recommended, and then performs statistical processing at intervals determined based on each of the spot status information. That is, in this embodiment, the control unit 18 performs statistical processing on the extracted spot status information regarding the timing of recommending a visit to the spot, which is determined based on the spot status information.

[0116] In this embodiment, the control unit 18 identifies a word indicating a time period from among the comments included in the spot status information, and performs statistical processing of the spot status information for each time period indicated by that word.

[0117] Below is an example of a graph created by the control unit 18 through the statistical processing described above in this embodiment. Figure 9 is a graph showing the frequency distribution as a result of the control unit 18 performing statistical processing on the spot status information regarding the timing of recommending a visit to a spot. In the following explanation, we will describe the case in which 24 spot status information entries indicating a recommendation to visit the spot "○× Cafe" are obtained.

[0118] In this embodiment, each of the 24 spot status information items described above can be classified into one of four categories—"morning," "lunch," "evening," and "dinner"—as the time when a visit to the "○× Cafe" is recommended.

[0119] In this embodiment, the control unit 18 identifies a word indicating a time period from the comments included in the spot status information, and aggregates the number of spot status information entries for each time period indicated by that word, i.e., the time period during which a visit to the spot is recommended. Then, as shown in Figure 9, the control unit 18 generates a bar graph with the time period during which a visit to the spot is recommended on the horizontal axis and the number of spot status information entries on the vertical axis.

[0120] For example, in Figure 9, among the spot status information indicating that a visit to the spot is recommended, "11" is the spot status information where the recommended time to visit the spot is "lunchtime". Also, "8" is the spot status information where the recommended time to visit the spot is "dinnertime".

[0121] In this embodiment, the control unit 18 identifies spot status information exceeding a predetermined threshold number when the number of spot status information aggregated for each period during which a visit to a spot is recommended is highly reliable information posted by many users, and therefore identifies such predetermined number of spot status information as spot status information that should be notified to the user. The control unit 18 then identifies the time conditions for the identified spot status information.

[0122] Specifically, in this embodiment, the control unit 18 sets the predetermined number to "6" (dotted line in the figure) and identifies spot status information of "6" or more, i.e., spot status information for "lunch" and "dinner," as spot status information that should be notified to the user. Then, for example, the control unit 18 identifies the time condition for spot status information for "lunch" as "11:00 to 15:00" and the time condition for spot status information for "dinner" as "18:00 to 21:00."

[0123] In this embodiment, spot status information below the predetermined number is identified as unreliable or of low importance and therefore does not need to be notified to the user. Specifically, spot status information for "morning" and "evening" that is less than the predetermined number of "6" is identified as spot status information that does not need to be notified to the user.

[0124] After identifying the time-related conditions, the control unit 18 aggregates multiple spot status information to generate one aggregated piece of information, and registers and stores this aggregated piece of information in the large-capacity storage device 23, associating it with the time-related conditions. For example, the control unit 18 aggregates 11 spot status information items for "lunch" into one to generate one aggregated piece of information. This aggregated piece of information, for example, describes the spot status information items in order, excluding any duplicate information from the 11 spot status information items.

[0125] Then, similar to Embodiment 1, when the vehicle M is approaching the spot and the current date and time meet the above-mentioned temporal conditions, the control unit 18 generates notification information as voice information based on the aggregated information 1 and notifies the user of the notification information via the speaker 14.

[0126] The specific operation of the in-vehicle device 10 in this embodiment will be described below. Figure 10 is a flowchart of the information registration routine RT3 executed in the control unit 18 of the in-vehicle device 10. Note that the same parts as the information registration routine RT1 in Embodiment 1 will not be explained. Also, the information notification routine RT2 is the same as in Embodiment 1, so its explanation will be omitted.

[0127] The control unit 18 starts the information registration routine RT3, for example, when power is turned on to the in-vehicle device 10. The information registration routine RT3 is repeatedly executed by the control unit 18 as long as the in-vehicle device 10 is powered on.

[0128] First, after step S102, the control unit 18 extracts spot status information from the server device 11 in which each of the spot status information entries contains an evaluation of "A" (step S301). In other words, the control unit 18 extracts spot status information that recommends visiting the spot.

[0129] After step S301, the control unit 18 performs statistical processing on the extracted spot status information for each period in which a visit to the spot is recommended (step S302). Specifically, as described above, the control unit 18 identifies words indicating a period from the comments included in the spot status information and aggregates the number of spot status information entries for each time period indicated by those words. Then, as described above, the control unit 18 generates a bar graph with the period in which a visit to the spot is recommended on the horizontal axis and the number of spot status information entries on the vertical axis.

[0130] After step S302, the control unit 18 refers to the graph generated in step S302 and identifies spot status information for which the total number exceeds a predetermined threshold as spot status information that should be notified to the user (step S303). Specifically, as shown in Figure 9, for example, the control unit 18 identifies spot status information for "lunch" and "dinner" for which the total number is "6" or more as spot status information that should be notified to the user.

[0131] After step S303, the control unit 18 identifies a time condition based on the recommended time for visiting the spot, which is determined based on each of the spot status information identified in step S303 (step S304). Specifically, for example, if the recommended time for visiting the spot is "lunchtime", the control unit 18 identifies the above time condition as "11:00 to 15:00".

[0132] After step S304, the control unit 18 aggregates multiple spot status information identified as spot status information to be notified to the user to generate aggregated information, and registers and stores this aggregated information in the large-capacity storage device 23, associating it with temporal conditions (step S305). After step S305, the control unit 18 terminates the information registration routine RT3.

[0133] In this embodiment, the control unit 18 extracts spot status information from the spot status information acquired from the server device 11 that indicates a recommendation to visit the spot, performs statistical processing, and identifies spot status information that exceeds a predetermined number as spot status information that should be notified to the user. The control unit 18 then notifies the user of the spot status information based on the location of the vehicle M, the location of the spot, and the identified time conditions.

[0134] Therefore, similar to Example 1, when a user of the in-vehicle device 10 approaches a spot registered as a "desired spot" while traveling in the vehicle M, they can receive timely and useful information about the spot corresponding to the current time.

[0135] Furthermore, as a result of statistical processing of spot status information, users of the in-vehicle device 10 receive notification information based on spot status information that exceeds a predetermined number, thereby enabling them to obtain information that is particularly popular in the form of word-of-mouth, i.e., information that is frequently discussed at a certain time. Therefore, users of the in-vehicle device 10 can obtain highly reliable information at the appropriate time.

[0136] In this embodiment, the control unit 18 extracts spot status information in which the evaluation included in each of the spot status information is "A" and performs statistical processing to indicate that a visit to the spot is recommended, but it is not limited to this. For example, the spot status information may be defined as indicating that a visit to the spot is recommended when the evaluation included in each of the spot status information is "B" or higher ("A" or "B").

[0137] In this embodiment, the control unit 18 generates one aggregated piece of information by aggregating spot status information that has been collected in a predetermined number or more. However, it is not limited to this. That is, it may notify the user of each spot status information that has been collected in a predetermined number or more, or it may notify the user of information based on one representative spot status information.

[0138] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control unit 18 identifies spot status information that exceeds a predetermined threshold in the results of the statistical processing described above as spot status information that should be notified to the user. However, such a threshold does not necessarily have to be set. For example, the control unit 18 may identify, in the results of the statistical processing, the spot status information with the highest number among the spot status information for each period when a visit to the spot is recommended as information that should be notified to the user. This method may also be applied when a predetermined number is set as a threshold.

[0139] [Modified version of Example 2] Next, a modified example of Example 2 will be described. In this modified example, the method of statistical processing of spot status information performed in the control unit 18 of the in-vehicle device 10 differs from that of Example 2, but other aspects, such as the configuration of the in-vehicle device 10, are the same as in Example 2. The following description will explain the differences from Example 2.

[0140] In this modified example, when the control unit 18 obtains spot status information for a spot indicated by a "spot you want to visit" registered by the user from the server device 11, it extracts spot status information from among the multiple spot status information that indicates that visiting the spot is not recommended.

[0141] Specifically, the control unit 18 identifies spot status information that has been rated "C" by other users, among the evaluation levels included in each of the spot status information, as information that does not recommend visiting the spot. For example, in the case of the spot status information TB1 mentioned above, the spot status information posted by user B indicates that visiting the spot is not recommended.

[0142] In this embodiment, the control unit 18 extracts spot status information indicating that a visit to the spot is not recommended, and then performs statistical processing on the timing determined based on each of the spot status information, similar to the second embodiment. That is, in this embodiment, the control unit 18 performs statistical processing on the extracted spot status information regarding the timing on which a visit to the spot is not recommended, based on the spot status information.

[0143] Below is an example of a graph created by the control unit 18 through the statistical processing described above in this modified example. Figure 11 is a graph showing the frequency distribution as a result of statistical processing performed by the control unit 18 on the spot status information for each period during which a visit to the spot is not recommended. In the following explanation, we will describe the case in which a total of 17 spot status information entries indicating that a visit to the spot of "○× Cafe" is not recommended are obtained.

[0144] In this modified example, the control unit 18 identifies a word indicating a time period from the comments included in the spot status information, and aggregates the number of spot status information entries for each time period indicated by that word, i.e., the time period during which visiting the spot is not recommended. Then, as shown in Figure 11, the control unit 18 generates a bar graph with the time periods during which visiting the spot is not recommended on the horizontal axis and the number of spot status information entries on the vertical axis.

[0145] For example, in Figure 11, among the spot status information indicating that a visit to the spot is not recommended, the spot status information for which a visit to the spot is not recommended is "4" when it is during "lunchtime". Also in Figure 11, the spot status information for which a visit to the spot is not recommended is "11" when it is during "dinnertime".

[0146] In this modified example, as in Embodiment 2, the control unit 18 identifies the spot status information aggregated for each period when visiting a spot is not recommended as spot status information exceeding a predetermined number, as reliable information posted by a large number of users, and therefore identifies the spot status information exceeding that predetermined number as spot status information that should be notified to the user. The control unit 18 then identifies the temporal conditions for the identified spot status information.

[0147] Specifically, in this modified example, the control unit 18 sets the predetermined number to "8" (dotted line in the figure) and identifies spot status information of "8" or more, i.e., spot status information for "dinner," as spot status information that should be notified to the user. Then, the control unit 18 identifies, for example, the time condition for spot status information for "dinner" as "18:00 to 21:00."

[0148] In this modified version as well, spot status information below the predetermined number is identified as unreliable or of low importance and therefore does not need to be notified to the user. Specifically, spot status information for "morning," "lunch," and "evening" that is less than the predetermined number of "8" is identified as spot status information that does not need to be notified to the user.

[0149] The control unit 18 generates aggregated information for the spot status information and stores it in the large-capacity storage device 23, similar to the second embodiment. When vehicle M is approaching the spot and the current date and time meet the above-mentioned temporal conditions, it generates notification information based on the aggregated information and notifies the user of this notification information via voice.

[0150] According to this modified version, the information notified to the user of the in-vehicle device 10 is information indicating that visiting the spot is not recommended. Therefore, the user can, for example, receive information indicating that visiting a spot registered as a "desired spot" is not recommended while traveling in vehicle M, and take action to avoid visiting that spot at the current time.

[0151] Furthermore, the statistical processing described in the above-mentioned Example 2 and its modified form may be performed simultaneously. That is, from the spot status information acquired from the server device 11, spot status information indicating content that recommends visiting a spot (spot status information with a rating of "A") and spot status information indicating content that does not recommend visiting a spot (spot status information with a rating of "C") may be extracted separately, and statistical processing may be performed on each of them at different times.

[0152] For example, suppose that the above-mentioned aggregation of spot status information for the "○× Cafe" is performed for each period when visiting the spot is recommended and when visiting the spot is not recommended, resulting in the graphs shown in Figures 9 and 11, respectively. In this case, the control unit 18 may decide whether or not to notify the spot status information based on the results of comparing the number of spot status information entries for each period that is common to both.

[0153] Specifically, the control unit 18 may, for example, compare the number of spot status information entries for "Lunch" shown in Figure 9 with the number of spot status information entries for "Lunch" shown in Figure 11, and identify the spot status information with the larger number as the spot status information that should be notified to the user. In other words, in the above case, the control unit 18 identifies the spot status information that recommends visiting a spot during the "Lunch" period, which has a higher aggregate number, as the spot status information that should be notified to the user.

[0154] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 9 and 11 for "Dinner," if the number of spots exceeds a predetermined threshold, the spot status information indicating that a visit to the spot is recommended may be identified as spot status information that should be prioritized and notified to the user.

[0155] In other words, for example, if reviews of a spot are mixed, users can prioritize receiving spot status information that recommends visiting the spot. The above configuration may also be reversed, and if the number of spot status information indicating that a visit to the spot is not recommended is greater than the number of spot status information indicating that a visit to the spot is recommended, neither type of spot status information may be notified.

[0156] Furthermore, in this modified example, the in-vehicle device 10 notifies the user of a time when it is not recommended to visit a spot, based on the spot status information indicating that it is not recommended to visit the spot. However, instead, the in-vehicle device 10 may instead notify the user of a time when it is not recommended to visit the spot, avoiding the time when it is not recommended to visit the spot, based on the spot status information indicating that it is not recommended to visit the spot.

[0157] In this case, first, the control unit 18 of the in-vehicle device 10 identifies a period during which it is not recommended to visit a spot, based on the results of statistical processing regarding the periods during which it is not recommended to visit a spot, as indicated by each of the multiple spot status information, using the method of this modified example. Subsequently, the control unit 18 sets the period excluding the period during which it is not recommended to visit the spot, as identified as a result of the statistical processing, as the timing condition for notifying notification information.

[0158] Then, if the vehicle M is located within a predetermined distance from a spot registered as a "desired spot," and the current date and time conform to the set time conditions excluding periods when visiting the spot is not recommended, the control unit 18 retrieves advertising information for the spot pre-stored in the large-capacity storage device 23 of the in-vehicle device 10 or the large-capacity storage device 28 of the server device 11, and notifies the user as notification information.

[0159] Even in this case, users can receive recommendations about places they are interested in, excluding times when visiting those places is not recommended.

[0160] In Example 2 and its modifications, the statistical processing performed by the control unit 18 may be performed by AI. For example, spot status information acquired from the server device 11 may be input to the AI ​​for statistical analysis, and the frequency distribution graph described above may be obtained as its output.

[0161] In Examples 1, 2 and their modifications, the control unit 18 determined whether the spot status information recommended a visit to the spot based on the degree of evaluation included in the spot status information; however, this is not limited to this. For example, the control unit 18 may determine whether the spot status information recommends a visit to the spot based on the content of the comments included in the spot status information.

[0162] For example, the control unit 18 may determine that the spot status information indicates a recommendation to visit the spot if the comments included in the spot status information contain positive words about the spot, such as "It was delicious" or "I want to go again."

[0163] Furthermore, for example, if the comments included in the spot status information contain negative words about the spot, such as "it wasn't tasty" or "I don't really want to go there," the control unit 18 may determine that the spot status information does not recommend visiting the spot.

[0164] The control routines shown in Examples 1 and 2 described above are merely illustrative and can be appropriately selected and modified depending on the application or usage conditions. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0165] 10 Onboard equipment 11 Server equipment 12 Terminal devices 13 Touch panel display 14 speakers 15 GNSS receiver 17, 25 System bus 18, 26 Control Unit 19, 27 Communications Department 21 Input section 22 Output section 23, 28 Mass storage

Claims

1. An information acquisition unit that acquires one or more spot status information, each including a third-party evaluation of one spot at any given time, A specification unit that identifies the timing conditions for notifying the user of notification information about spot 1 based on the third-party evaluation included in each of the 1 or more spot status information, A notification control unit that controls the notification of the notification information to the user at a timing determined based on the user's location, the location of spot 1, and the time conditions, It has, The information processing device is characterized in that the identifying unit identifies the timing conditions based on the timing at which a visit to the spot 1 is recommended or not recommended, which is determined based on a third-party evaluation included in the spot status information identified by the user from among the 1 or more spot status information.

2. An information acquisition unit that acquires one or more spot status information, each including a third-party evaluation of one spot at any given time, A specification unit that identifies the timing conditions for notifying the user of notification information about spot 1 based on the third-party evaluation included in each of the 1 or more spot status information, A notification control unit that controls the notification of the notification information to the user at a timing determined based on the user's location, the location of spot 1, and the time conditions, It has, The information processing device is characterized in that the identifying unit performs statistical processing to aggregate the number of spot status information for each period in which a visit to the spot is recommended or not recommended, as determined based on the third-party evaluation, and identifies the periodic conditions based on whether or not the number of spot status information aggregated for each period is greater than or equal to a predetermined number.

3. The aforementioned one or more spot status information includes the degree of evaluation for the aforementioned spot 1, The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the timing for recommending or not recommending a visit to the spot in claim 1 is determined based on the degree of evaluation of the spot in claim 1.

4. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the notification control unit notifies the user of the notification information when the user's current location is within a predetermined distance range from the location of spot 1.

5. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the notification control unit notifies the user of the notification information via voice.

6. An information processing method performed by an information processing device, An information acquisition step to acquire one or more spot status information, each including a third-party evaluation of one spot at any given time, A specific step of identifying the timing conditions for notifying the user of notification information about spot 1, based on the third-party evaluation included in each of the 1 or more spot status information, A notification control step that controls the notification of the notification information to the user at a timing determined based on the user's location, the location of spot 1, and the time conditions, It has, The aforementioned identification step is an information processing method characterized by identifying the timing conditions based on the timing at which a visit to the spot 1 is recommended or not recommended, which is determined based on a third-party evaluation included in the spot status information identified by the user from among the 1 or more spot status information.

7. A program to be executed by a computer, An information acquisition step to acquire one or more spot status information, each including a third-party evaluation of one spot at any given time, A specific step of identifying the timing conditions for notifying the user of notification information about spot 1, based on the third-party evaluation included in each of the 1 or more spot status information, A notification control step that controls the notification of the notification information to the user at a timing determined based on the user's location, the location of spot 1, and the time conditions, The computer is made to execute the above, The program is characterized in that the aforementioned identification step identifies the timing conditions based on the timing at which a visit to the aforementioned spot is recommended or not recommended, which is determined based on a third-party evaluation included in the spot status information identified by the user from among the one or more spot status information.

8. An information processing method performed by an information processing device, An information acquisition step to acquire one or more spot status information, each including a third-party evaluation of one spot at any given time, A specific step of identifying the timing conditions for notifying the user of notification information about spot 1, based on the third-party evaluation included in each of the 1 or more spot status information, A notification control step that controls the notification of the notification information to the user at a timing determined based on the user's location, the location of spot 1, and the time conditions, It has, The information processing method is characterized in that the aforementioned identification step involves performing statistical processing to aggregate the number of spot status information for each period during which a visit to the spot is recommended or not recommended, as determined based on the third-party evaluation, and then identifying the aforementioned periodic conditions based on whether the number of spot status information aggregated for each period is greater than or equal to a predetermined number.

9. A program to be executed by a computer, An information acquisition step to acquire one or more spot status information, each including a third-party evaluation of one spot at any given time, A specific step of identifying the timing conditions for notifying the user of notification information about spot 1, based on the third-party evaluation included in each of the 1 or more spot status information, A notification control step that controls the notification of the notification information to the user at a timing determined based on the user's location, the location of spot 1, and the time conditions, The computer is made to execute the above, The program is characterized in that the aforementioned identification step performs statistical processing to aggregate the number of spot status information for each period during which a visit to the spot is recommended or not recommended, as determined based on the third-party evaluation, and identifies the aforementioned periodic conditions based on whether the number of spot status information aggregated for each period is greater than or equal to a predetermined number.

10. A recording medium storing the program described in claim 7 or 9.

Images