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

Abstract

To provide an information processing device, an information processing method, and an information processing program capable of improving convenience of a user.SOLUTION: An information processing device according to the present application includes: an estimation part: and a provision part. The estimation part estimates a category in which the user is interested. The providing part provides information on an unset tab which is a tab for displaying the contents belonging to the category estimated by the estimation part and which is not set for the user.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, techniques for providing various information to users are known. For example, a technique for providing content corresponding to a tab selected by a user among a plurality of tabs is known.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the above prior art, it is possible to add tabs, and the user can add tabs for categories to be displayed. However, if it is possible to further assist the user in adding tabs, the convenience of the user can be improved, and there is room for improvement in this regard.

[0005] The present application has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to provide an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and an information processing program capable of improving the convenience of a user.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The information processing apparatus according to the present application includes an estimation unit and a provision unit. The estimation unit estimates categories in which the user is interested. The provision unit provides information on an un-set tab, which is a tab for displaying content belonging to the category estimated by the estimation unit and is not set for the user.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to one embodiment, the effect is to improve user convenience. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows an example of information processing according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows an example of the configuration of an information processing system according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows an example of the configuration of a terminal device according to this embodiment. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows an example of the configuration of an information processing device according to the present invention. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows an example of a user information table stored in the user information storage unit according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows an example of a content table stored in the content storage unit according to this embodiment. [Figure 7] Figure 7 shows an example of home content provided by the information processing device according to the embodiment and displayed on the display unit of the terminal device. [Figure 8] Figure 8 shows an example of home content, including tab content, provided by the information processing device according to the embodiment and displayed on the display unit of the terminal device. [Figure 9] Figure 9 shows an example of tab editing information provided by the information processing device according to the embodiment and displayed on the display unit of the terminal device. [Figure 10] Figure 10 shows another example of home content, including tab content, provided by the information processing device according to the embodiment and displayed on the display unit of the terminal device. [Figure 11] Figure 11 is a flowchart showing an example of information processing by the processing unit of the information processing device according to the embodiment. [Figure 12]Figure 12 is a hardware configuration diagram showing an example of a computer that implements the respective functions of the information processing device and terminal device according to the embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The following describes in detail, with reference to the drawings, the embodiments for implementing the information processing apparatus, information processing method, and information processing program according to the present application (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments"). Note that these embodiments do not limit the information processing apparatus, information processing method, and information processing program according to the present application. Furthermore, each embodiment can be appropriately combined as long as the processing content is not inconsistent. Also, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals in each of the following embodiments, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0010] [1. An example of information processing] First, an example of information processing according to the embodiment will be described using Figure 1. Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of information processing according to the embodiment.

[0011] The information processing device 1 shown in Figure 1 is an information processing device that works in conjunction with each user U's terminal device 2 to provide various types of information to each user U online, and is implemented, for example, by one or more servers or a cloud system.

[0012] Information processing device 1 provides various types of content. User U can obtain content from information processing device 1 related to, for example, news, weather, rain clouds, disasters, email, routes, payments, shopping, auctions, tickets, finance, sports, events, videos, music, television programs, travel, restaurants, traffic jams, congestion, routes, maps, route searches, web searches, or cooking. In the following explanation, we will use news content, where the content mainly provided by information processing device 1 is news content, as an example.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, the terminal device 2 transmits a content request to the information processing device 1, and the information processing device 1 receives the content request from the terminal device 2 (step S1). The content request is transmitted from the terminal device 2 in response to an operation on the terminal device 2 by the user U. Such a content request includes, for example, a user ID (Identifier) that is an identifier of the user U, and the information processing device 1 identifies the user U by the user ID included in the content request.

[0014] When the information processing device 1 receives the content request from the terminal device 2, it generates home content (step S2) and transmits the generated home content to the terminal device 2 (step S3). The home content shown in (a) of FIG. 1 includes a tab list and main tab content. The tab list includes a plurality of tabs, and each of these tabs is a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for switching and displaying the content to be displayed.

[0015] The plurality of tabs included in the tab list can be set to be added or deleted, for example, by the user U, and the order can also be set. The tab setting information by the user U is stored, for example, in the information processing device 1, and the information processing device 1 generates the tab list included in the home content based on the tab setting information by the user U. Note that, as will be described later, the tab setting information may be stored in the terminal device 2, and in this case, the tab list is generated by the terminal device 2.

[0016] The main tab content is the default tab content and includes a plurality of news contents corresponding to the tab "All" as shown in (a) of FIG. 1. The tab "All" is a tab for displaying a plurality of news contents selected regardless of the category, and in the state shown in (a) of FIG. 1, it is emphasized to indicate the selected state.

[0017] The tab column in the home content shown in Figure 1(a) includes tabs such as "All," "Entertainment," "Sports," "Topics," and "IT." User U can select the desired tab from among the multiple tabs included in the tab column. The "Entertainment" tab is for displaying a group of news content that includes multiple news articles belonging to the "Entertainment" category.

[0018] The "Sports" tab displays a group of news articles that fall under the "Sports" category. The "Topics" tab displays a group of news articles that fall under the "Topics" category. The "IT" tab displays a group of news articles that fall under the "IT" category.

[0019] The news content included in the tab content is headline content that includes a thumbnail and title. User U can select the headline content by clicking or tapping it, and then display the landing content, which is the news content linked to by the headline content, on terminal device 2.

[0020] When user U selects one tab from among multiple tabs in the tab column, selection information, which includes information indicating the tab selected by user U, is transmitted from terminal device 2 to information processing device 1 (step S4). This selection information includes information indicating the tab selected by user U, as well as user U's user ID.

[0021] When the information processing device 1 receives selection information from the terminal device 2, it estimates the unset categories, which are categories that user U, identified by the user ID included in the selection information, is interested in, and which have not been added to the tab column by user U (step S5). Categories that user U is interested in are, for example, categories in which user U's level of interest is above a threshold.

[0022] For example, in the process of step S5, the information processing device 1 estimates an unset category of interest to user U from among multiple subcategories classified into categories identified by information indicating tabs included in the selection information from terminal device 2.

[0023] For example, suppose the information indicating the tab included in the selected information is the information indicating the tab "Sports," and the multiple subcategories classified under the "Sports" category are the categories "Baseball," "Soccer," "Tennis," and "Martial Arts." Also, suppose that the categories "Baseball," "Soccer," "Tennis," and "Martial Arts" are not set in the tab column.

[0024] In this case, the information processing device 1 estimates an unset category of interest to user U from among the categories "baseball", "soccer", "tennis", and "martial arts".

[0025] In the information processing device 1, the estimation of categories of interest to user U is performed based on information about user U. This information about user U includes, for example, one or more pieces of information from user U's attribute information, user U's history information, and user U's context information.

[0026] User U's attribute information is information that indicates User U's attributes, such as demographic attributes and psychographic attributes. The information processing device 1 can, for example, estimate categories that User U is interested in from User U's psychographic attributes and demographic attributes.

[0027] User U's history information includes, for example, the usage history of online services provided by the information processing device 1, and includes, for example, User U's search history information and browsing history information. The information processing device 1 can, for example, estimate categories of interest to User U from User U's search history information and browsing history information.

[0028] User U's context refers to User U's situation, such as User U's situation obtained from one or more sensors built into the terminal device 2 (e.g., User U's location, User U's orientation, User U's movements, User U's body temperature, User U's heart rate, etc.). The information processing device 1 can, for example, estimate categories of interest to User U from the context information of User U.

[0029] The information processing device 1 can estimate the categories that user U is interested in, for example, by using a machine learning model that takes user U's information as input and outputs an interest score for each category. For example, the information processing device 1 inputs user U's information, identified by the selection information, into the learning model, and estimates the categories that user U is interested in if the interest score for each category output from the learning model is above a threshold. The interest score is an example of the degree of interest described above.

[0030] Next, the information processing device 1 generates selected tab content (step S6). The selected tab content includes, for example, multiple contents belonging to a category identified by information indicating the tabs included in the selection information, one or more news contents belonging to a category corresponding to the unset tab that user U is estimated to be interested in in step S5, and information on the unset tab that user U is estimated to be interested in in step S6.

[0031] For example, suppose the information indicating the tab included in the selection information is the information indicating the tab "Sports," and the unset tab that user U is estimated to be interested in in step S5 is the tab "Soccer." In this case, the selection tab content generated by the information processing device 1 includes multiple news contents belonging to the category "Sports," multiple news contents belonging to the category "Soccer," and information for the tab "Soccer."

[0032] The multiple news contents belonging to the category "Soccer" correspond to multiple unset tabs that are presumed to be of interest to user U. The information in the "Soccer" tab is information in unset tabs that are presumed to be of interest to user U.

[0033] Next, the information processing device 1 transmits the selected tab content generated in step S6 to the terminal device 2 (step S7). When the terminal device 2 receives the selected tab content from the information processing device 1, it displays the received selected tab content.

[0034] The selected tab content shown in Figure 1(b) includes multiple news contents belonging to the category "Sports," multiple news contents belonging to the category "Soccer," and information for the "Soccer" tab. The multiple news contents belonging to the category "Soccer" are multiple news contents corresponding to unset tabs that are presumed to be of interest to user U. The information for the "Soccer" tab is information for unset tabs that are presumed to be of interest to user U, and is a GUI button containing the text "Add Soccer tab to see more."

[0035] When user U selects the information for the tab "Soccer," which is an unconfigured tab from the selected tab content, selection information indicating that the information for the unconfigured tab has been selected is sent from terminal device 2 to information processing device 1. Upon receiving the selection information indicating that the information for the unconfigured tab has been selected, information processing device 1 sends tab editing information to terminal device 2 to add the unconfigured tab as a configured tab.

[0036] Terminal device 2 displays tab editing information. User U can add the tab "Soccer" to the tab column in the tab editing information by operating terminal device 2. As a result, the information processing device 1 sends home content including the tab column with the added tab "Soccer" to terminal device 2, and user U can operate terminal device 2 to select the tab "Soccer" and display selected tab content on terminal device 2 that includes multiple contents belonging to the category "Soccer" corresponding to the tab "Soccer".

[0037] Furthermore, when the information processing device 1 receives selection information indicating that information from an unset tab has been selected, it can also send the home content with the unset tab indicated by the selection information added to the tab column to the terminal device 2 for display on the terminal device 2. When adding the unset tab indicated by the selection information to the tab column, the information processing device 1 can, for example, place the unset tab (for example, the tab "Soccer" mentioned above) higher in the sorting order than the tab corresponding to the selected tab content (for example, the tab "Sports" mentioned above). The sorting order is such that the tabs on the left side of the tab column shown in Figures 1(a) and (b) are higher in rank.

[0038] Thus, the selected tab content includes not only multiple news contents corresponding to the tab selected by user U, but also information on unset tabs that user U is presumed to be interested in. This allows user U to easily identify tabs that they are interested in but have not yet set in the tab column, and by adding such unset tabs to the tab column, they can display content of interest as tab content on terminal device 2. In this way, the information processing device 1 can improve user U's convenience by providing information on unset tabs that user U is presumed to be interested in.

[0039] For example, in the above example, the selected tab content, which includes multiple news contents belonging to the category "Sports" corresponding to the tab "Sports" selected by user U, also includes information for the tab "Soccer," which corresponds to the category "Soccer," a subcategory of the category "Sports." Therefore, the information processing device 1 can assist in adding tabs for categories that further narrow down the category corresponding to the selected tab to the tab column, thereby improving user U's convenience.

[0040] Furthermore, in the example described above, the selected tab content, which includes multiple news items belonging to the category "Sports" corresponding to the tab "Sports" selected by user U, also includes multiple news items belonging to the category "Soccer," which is a subcategory of the category "Sports." This makes it easier for user U to decide whether or not to add the tab "Soccer," which corresponds to the category "Soccer," to the tab column, thereby improving user convenience.

[0041] In the example described above, we explained the unset tabs included in the selected tab content when the tab selected by user U is the tab "Sports". However, the information processing device 1 can also include information about unset tabs in the main tab content when the tab selected by user U is the tab "All".

[0042] In this case, the information processing device 1 can include information from unset tabs corresponding to categories that user U is estimated to be interested in among all categories in the main tab content. For example, the information processing device 1 can include information from unset tabs corresponding to the category that user U is most interested in, or a predetermined number of categories that user U is interested in above a certain threshold, in the main tab content.

[0043] Furthermore, some of the home content shown in Figure 1 may be generated by terminal device 2 based on information pre-stored in terminal device 2. For example, tab settings information edited by user U may be stored in terminal device 2, in which case terminal device 2 generates the tab columns of the home content based on the tab settings information by user U.

[0044] Furthermore, in the example described above, the information processing device 1 generates home content and displays it on the terminal device 2, but the home content may also be displayed through processing primarily performed by the terminal device 2. For example, the information processing device 1 may provide multiple pieces of information (e.g., news content) to the terminal device 2 based on information input from the terminal device 2 via an interface such as an API (Application Programming Interface), and the terminal device 2 may generate and display home content based on the multiple pieces of information provided by the information processing device 1. Also, although Figure 1 shows the case where the terminal device 2 and the information processing device 1 are separate devices, the terminal device 2 and the information processing device 1 may be integrated.

[0045] The configuration of the information processing system, including the information processing device 1 and terminal device 2 that perform such processing, will be described in detail below.

[0046] [2. Configuration of the Information Processing System] Figure 2 shows an example of the configuration of an information processing system according to the embodiment. As shown in Figure 2, the information processing system 100 according to the embodiment includes an information processing device 1 and a plurality of terminal devices 2.

[0047] The information processing device 1 and the multiple terminal devices 2 are connected to each other via a network N, either by wire or wireless connection, enabling communication between them. Note that the information processing system 100 shown in Figure 2 may include multiple information processing devices 1. The network N is, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) or a WAN (Wide Area Network) such as the Internet.

[0048] Information processing device 1 provides various types of content. For example, information processing device 1 provides a news provision service, which is a service that provides news content. Information processing device 1 can also provide online services such as shopping sites, auction sites, flea market sites, restaurant review sites, review sites, or SNS (Social Networking Service) sites.

[0049] Each terminal device 2 may be, for example, a desktop PC (Personal Computer), a notebook PC, a tablet device, a smartphone, a mobile phone, or a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant). Each terminal device 2 is operated by user U. Note that each terminal device 2 is not limited to the examples described above; for example, it may be a smartwatch or a wearable device.

[0050] Furthermore, terminal device 2 can connect to network N via wireless communication networks such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G (4th Generation), and 5G (5th Generation: 5th generation mobile communication system), or via short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) and Wi-Fi, and communicate with information processing device 1.

[0051] [3. Terminal device 2] Figure 3 shows an example of the configuration of the terminal device 2 according to the embodiment. As shown in Figure 3, the terminal device 2 according to the embodiment includes a communication unit 10, a display unit 11, an operation unit 12, a sensor group 13, a storage unit 14, and a processing unit 15.

[0052] [3.1. Communications Section 10] The communication unit 10 is implemented, for example, by a NIC (Network Interface Card). The communication unit 10 is connected to the network N by wire or wireless connection and transmits and receives information to and from the information processing device 1 via the network N.

[0053] [3.2. Display section 11] The display unit 11 is, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display.

[0054] [3.3. Operation unit 12] The operation unit 12 includes, for example, a keyboard with keys for entering letters, numbers, and spaces, an enter key and arrow keys, a mouse, and a power button. If the display unit 11 is a touch panel compatible display, the operation unit 12 includes a touch panel.

[0055] [3.4. Sensor Group 13] The sensor group 13 includes, for example, a positioning sensor, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a geomagnetic sensor, an illuminance sensor, and an image sensor. The positioning sensor is a sensor that detects the position of the terminal device 2. The accelerometer is a sensor that detects the acceleration of the terminal device 2. The gyroscope is a sensor that detects the attitude of the terminal device 2, such as its tilt and rotation. The geomagnetic sensor is a sensor that detects the Earth's magnetic field. The illuminance sensor is a sensor that detects the illuminance indicating the brightness around the terminal device 2, and the image sensor is a sensor that captures images of the area around the terminal device 2.

[0056] [3.5. Storage section 14] The memory unit 14 is implemented by, for example, semiconductor memory elements such as RAM (Random Access Memory) or flash memory, or by storage devices such as hard disks or optical discs.

[0057] The storage unit 14 stores, for example, information transmitted from the information processing device 1 and acquired by the processing unit 15 via the network N and the communication unit 10, as well as detection information, which is information detected by the sensor group 13.

[0058] [3.6. Processing Unit 15] The processing unit 15 is a controller, and is implemented, for example, by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or MPU (Micro Processing Unit) executing various programs stored in the memory device inside the terminal device 2 using RAM as the working area. The processing unit 15 may be partially or entirely implemented by an integrated circuit, for example, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The processing unit 15 includes an information acquisition unit 16, a display processing unit 17, and an information output unit 18.

[0059] [3.6.1. Information acquisition unit 16] The information acquisition unit 16 acquires various content transmitted from the information processing device 1 and received by the communication unit 10 via the network N. The content transmitted from the information processing device 1 includes, for example, the home content, main tab content, selected tab content, and tab editing information mentioned above.

[0060] [3.6.2. Display Processing Unit 17] The display processing unit 17 displays the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 16 on the display unit 11. For example, the display processing unit 17 displays information such as content acquired by the information acquisition unit 16 on the display unit 11.

[0061] [3.6.3. Information Output Unit 18] The information output unit 18 transmits, for example, operation information corresponding to operations performed by user U on the operation unit 12 to the information processing device 1 via the communication unit 10. The information output unit 18 also transmits detection information, which is information detected by the sensor group 13, to the information processing device 1 via the communication unit 10.

[0062] [4. Configuration of Information Processing Device 1] Figure 4 shows an example of the configuration of an information processing device 1 according to an embodiment. As shown in Figure 4, the information processing device 1 has a communication unit 20, a storage unit 21, and a processing unit 22.

[0063] [4.1. Communications Section 20] The communication unit 20 is implemented, for example, by a NIC (Network Interface Card). The communication unit 20 is connected to the network N by wire or wireless connection and transmits and receives information with various other devices. For example, the communication unit 20 transmits and receives information with each of the multiple terminal devices 2 via the network N.

[0064] [4.2. Storage section 21] The storage unit 21 is implemented by, for example, semiconductor memory elements such as RAM and flash memory, or storage devices such as hard disks and optical discs. The storage unit 21 has a user information storage unit 30 and a content storage unit 31.

[0065] [4.2.1. User Information Storage Unit 30] The user information storage unit 30 stores various information about user U. Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of a user information table stored in the user information storage unit 30 according to this embodiment. In the example shown in Figure 5, the user information table stored in the user information storage unit 30 includes information on items such as "user ID," "attribute information," "history information," and "setting information."

[0066] The "User ID" is an identifier that identifies User U. The "Attribute Information" is attribute information about User U's attributes associated with the "User ID". User U's attributes include, for example, demographic attributes and psychographic attributes. Demographic attributes are demographic attributes such as age, gender, occupation, place of residence, annual income, and family structure. Psychographic attributes are psychological attributes such as lifestyle, values, and interests.

[0067] "History information" refers to history information that includes information such as the service usage history of user U associated with "User ID," and includes, for example, user U's payment history information, user U's search history information, user U's browsing history information, user U's context history information, and user U's movement history information.

[0068] User U's payment history information includes purchase history information for goods purchased by User U online, in physical stores, or at physical facilities using payment services, and service usage history information for services used by User U for a fee online, in physical stores, or at physical facilities using payment services.

[0069] Purchase history information includes information about the products purchased by user U, purchase costs, purchase date and time, and store of purchase. Service usage history information includes information about the services used by user U, usage costs, usage date and time, and store of use.

[0070] User U's search history information includes, for example, information on web content searches on search engines and search history on various websites. User U's browsing history information includes information on web content that User U has viewed, and includes various types of information such as User U's property information browsing history and browsing history of flyers from stores such as convenience stores and supermarkets.

[0071] User U's movement history information is information about User U's movement history, and for example, it includes information about User U's location for each unit of time. Note that User U's movement history information may also include information about stores and facilities visited. User U's context history information is the history information of User U's context estimated by the processing unit 22. User U's context is User U's situation.

[0072] User U's status includes, for example, User U's location, User U's orientation, User U's movements, User U's body temperature, User U's heart rate, etc., and is stored in the user information storage unit 30 by the processing unit 22 based on detection information transmitted from the terminal device 2 to the information processing device 1. Note that User U's status may also include, for example, User U traveling on a train, User U taking a walk, User U taking a bath, or User U sleeping.

[0073] "Configuration information" refers to the configuration information for the tab column described above, which is set for user U associated with the "User ID". This includes information indicating the types of tabs included in the tab column, and information indicating the order in which the tabs included in the tab column are arranged. Note that the tab column configuration information is default information indicating predetermined tab types and order, but if the tab column is edited by user U using tab editing information, it will be information indicating the types and order of tabs edited by user U.

[0074] [4.2.2. Content Storage Unit 31] The content storage unit 31 stores information about the content. Figure 6 shows an example of a content table stored in the content storage unit 31 according to this embodiment. In the example shown in Figure 6, the content table stored in the content storage unit 31 contains information on items such as "Content ID," "Content," and "Category."

[0075] A "Content ID" is an identifier that identifies content. "Content" is information about the content associated with the "Content ID". Specifically, information about the content includes, for example, information about the content's content or information about the content's address.

[0076] For example, "Content" includes information about the heading content, which is the content included in the tab content (e.g., thumbnail, title, link destination information, etc.), and information about the landing content, which is the content that the heading content links to.

[0077] "Content" could be news content, for example, but may also include content other than news content. For example, it could be shopping or auction content, or content related to Q&A (knowledge forums), weather, rain clouds, disasters, email, train routes, payments, tickets, finance, sports, events, videos, music, TV programs, travel, restaurants, traffic jams, congestion, routes, maps, route searches, web searches, or cooking. The content may also be related to web blog sites, social networking sites, payment services, etc.

[0078] A "category" is information that indicates the category to which the content associated with a "content ID" belongs. Content categories are defined, for example, in a hierarchical structure, where the size of a content category is larger for higher-level categories and smaller for lower-level categories. For example, the categories below the "sports" category include "baseball," "soccer," "tennis," and "martial arts."

[0079] Furthermore, the categories below the "Fashion" category include, for example, "Men's Fashion" and "Women's Fashion." And the categories below the "Men's Fashion" category include "T-shirts," "Casual Shirts," "Chinos," "Jeans," "Hoodies," and "Loafers."

[0080] The "Category" field includes, for example, information for the current category, and if there are higher-level categories, it also includes information for the top-level categories. For example, the category information for content belonging to the category "Boxing" includes the categories "Boxing," "Martial Arts," and "Sports."

[0081] In Figure 6, the content with content ID "C1" is content CNT1, and its category is category C. A1Therefore, the content with content ID "C2" is content CNT2, and the category is category C. B3 Furthermore, the content with content ID "C3" is content CNT3, and its category is category C. D2 That is the case.

[0082] In the example shown in Figure 6, the content is represented by a string containing an abstract code such as "Content CNT1," but the content can be, for example, data in a file format containing various information such as specific numerical values ​​and specific strings, or information indicating the storage location of such data. The content may also be information in a format other than that described above. Furthermore, the content storage unit 31 is not limited to the above and may store various types of information depending on the purpose.

[0083] [4.3. Processing Unit 22] The processing unit 22 is a controller and is implemented, for example, by a processor such as a CPU or MPU, which executes various programs (an example of an information processing program) stored in a memory device (e.g., memory unit 21) inside the information processing device 1, using RAM as a working area. Alternatively, the processing unit 22 may be partially or entirely implemented by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC or FPGA.

[0084] As shown in Figure 4, the processing unit 22 includes an acquisition unit 40, a reception unit 41, an estimation unit 42, a determination unit 43, and a provision unit 44, and realizes or executes the information processing functions and operations described below. Note that the internal configuration of the processing unit 22 is not limited to the configuration shown in Figure 4, and other configurations are also acceptable as long as they perform the information processing described later.

[0085] [4.3.1. Acquisition part 40] The acquisition unit 40 acquires various types of information. The acquisition unit 40 acquires various types of information from the storage unit 21. The acquisition unit 40 acquires various types of information from the user information storage unit 30 and the content storage unit 31, etc.

[0086] Furthermore, the acquisition unit 40 can acquire information about user U from, for example, a terminal device 2 or an external device, and store the acquired user U information in the user information storage unit 30. The user U information acquired from the terminal device 2 includes, for example, the detection information described above. The acquisition unit 40 can also acquire various types of content from, for example, an external device, and store the acquired content in the content storage unit 31.

[0087] [4.3.2. Reception Department 41] The reception unit 41 receives various requests. The reception unit 41 receives various requests from external information processing devices. The reception unit 41 receives information indicating various requests from external information processing devices via the communication unit 20. For example, the reception unit 41 receives a request from the terminal device 2.

[0088] The reception unit 41 receives, for example, the content requests and selection information described above from the terminal device 2. The content request includes, for example, the user ID of user U of the terminal device 2 that sent the content request and information that identifies the requested content. The selection information includes, for example, the user ID of user U of the terminal device 2 that sent the content request and information that identifies the selected tab.

[0089] The reception unit 41 also receives tab column editing requests. Tab column editing requests include, for example, information indicating tabs to be added to the tab column, information indicating tabs to be removed from the tab column, and information indicating the order in which multiple tabs make up the tab column. When the reception unit 41 receives a tab column editing request, it updates the setting information stored in the user information storage unit 30 corresponding to the tab column editing request.

[0090] [4.3.3. Estimation section 42] The estimation unit 42 estimates the categories that user U is interested in. The estimation unit 42 estimates the categories that user U is interested in based on information about user U. The information about user U is, for example, one or more of the following: user U's attribute information, user U's history information, and user U's context information.

[0091] The estimation unit 42 can estimate the categories that user U is interested in, for example, by using a machine learning model that takes user U's information as input and outputs an interest score for each category.

[0092] For example, the estimation unit 42 inputs information about user U, identified by the selection information, into a learning model, and estimates categories in which the interest score output from the learning model is above a threshold as categories that user U is interested in. The interest score increases as the degree of interest user U has increases in a category.

[0093] The learning model is generated using a dataset that includes, for example, data indicating the categories of interest of user U and information about user U for each user U. The learning model is generated by machine learning using neural networks, such as convolutional neural networks, recurrent neural networks, or deep neural networks, but is not limited to these examples. For example, the learning model may be generated using machine learning algorithms such as linear regression or logistic regression instead of neural networks.

[0094] The estimation unit 42 estimates the categories that user U is interested in from among multiple categories corresponding to the configured tabs, which are tabs set for user U. The multiple categories corresponding to the configured tabs are multiple subcategories that classify the categories to which the content displayed in the configured tabs belongs, and are multiple categories below the categories shown in the configured tabs.

[0095] For example, if the configured tab is "Sports," the multiple subcategories that classify the categories to which the content displayed in the configured tab belongs might be "Baseball," "Soccer," "Tennis," and "Martial Arts."

[0096] For example, when the reception unit 41 receives selection information from the terminal device 2, the estimation unit 42 estimates categories that are not set in the tab column but are of interest to user U, who is identified by the user ID included in the selection information.

[0097] For example, the estimation unit 42 estimates an unset category of interest to user U from among the unset categories, which are subcategories classified into categories identified by information indicating tabs included in the selection information from terminal device 2.

[0098] For example, suppose the information indicating the tab included in the selected information is the information indicating the tab "Sports," and the multiple subcategories classified under the "Sports" category are the categories "Baseball," "Soccer," "Tennis," and "Martial Arts." Also, suppose that the categories "Baseball," "Soccer," "Tennis," and "Martial Arts" are not set in the tab column.

[0099] In this case, the estimation unit 42 estimates an unset category that user U is interested in from among the categories "baseball", "soccer", "tennis", and "martial arts".

[0100] Furthermore, let's assume that the information indicating the tab included in the selection information is the information indicating the tab "All". In this case, the estimation unit 42 estimates the unset categories that user U is interested in from among all categories. The estimation unit 42 can also estimate the unset categories that user U is interested in before the selection information from terminal device 2 is received by the reception unit 41.

[0101] Furthermore, the categories estimated by the estimation unit 42 as categories of interest to user U may include not only unset categories but also set categories, which are categories corresponding to tabs already set in the tab column. For example, if the information indicating the tabs included in the selection information is information indicating the tab "all", the estimation unit 42 estimates the unset categories and set categories of interest to user U.

[0102] Furthermore, the estimation unit 42 can estimate categories of interest to user U based on the user U's selection history of content included in the tab content. The content corresponding to the configured tabs in the tab content is, for example, the heading content included in the configured tabs in the tab content. User U selects the heading content, for example, by tapping or clicking on the heading content.

[0103] For example, if the configured tab is the tab "Sports", the estimation unit 42 estimates which categories user U is interested in from among the categories "Baseball", "Soccer", "Tennis", and "Martial Arts" that correspond to the tab "Sports", based on the user U's selection history of content corresponding to the tab "Sports". In this case, the estimation unit 42 estimates, for example, the categories in which the number of times or frequency of content selection is above a threshold, or the category in which the number of times or frequency of content selection is highest, as the categories that user U is interested in.

[0104] [4.3.4. Judgment unit 43] The determination unit 43 determines whether the frequency of selecting a tab in the tab column is below a threshold. The frequency of tab selection is, for example, the number of times a tab is selected by user U per unit period.

[0105] For example, the determination unit 43 determines whether the frequency of selection of a tab (an example of a configured tab) identified by the selection information received by the reception unit 41 and selected by user U is below a threshold.

[0106] [4.3.5.Providing Department 44] When a content request from a terminal device 2 is received by the receiving unit 41, the providing unit 44 provides the content specified in the content request to user U by transmitting the content specified in the content request to the terminal device 2. For example, if the content specified in the content request is home content, the providing unit 44 transmits the home content, including the main tab content described above, to the terminal device 2.

[0107] Furthermore, when the receiving unit 41 receives selection information from the terminal device 2, the providing unit 44 transmits the selected tab content, which is the tab content identified by the selection information received by the receiving unit 41, to the terminal device 2.

[0108] The selected tab content includes information about unset tabs, which are tabs that display content belonging to categories estimated by the estimation unit 42 to be of interest to user U, and which are tabs that have not been set for user U. The selected tab content also includes content corresponding to the unset tabs as information displayed together with the information about the unset tabs.

[0109] For example, suppose the information indicating the tab included in the selected information is the information indicating the tab "Sports," and the multiple subcategories classified under the "Sports" category are the categories "Baseball," "Soccer," "Tennis," and "Martial Arts." Also, suppose that the categories "Baseball," "Soccer," "Tennis," and "Martial Arts" are not set in the tab column, and the estimation unit 42 estimates the category "Soccer" as a category of interest to user U.

[0110] In this case, the selected tab content includes information on an unset category of interest to user U, and its content, specifically information on the category "Soccer" and one or more pieces of content belonging to the category "Soccer".

[0111] Furthermore, the selected tab content includes information about a link to transition to a configured tab, which is a tab set for user U, if the estimation unit 42 estimates that user U is interested in that category.

[0112] For example, suppose the information indicating the tab included in the selection information is the information indicating the tab "Sports," and the tab "Tennis," which corresponds to the category "Tennis" classified under the "Sports" category, is set in the tab column, and the estimation unit 42 estimates the category "Tennis" as a category of interest to user U. In this case, the selected tab content includes information about the category "Tennis" as a set category of interest to user U, and information about a link that transitions to the tab "Tennis." User U can display the selected tab content for the tab "Tennis" on terminal device 2 by selecting the information about the link that transitions to the tab "Tennis."

[0113] The providing unit 44 can also send tab content to the terminal device 2 based on the determination result by the determination unit 43. For example, if the determination unit 43 determines that the frequency of selecting a set tab is below a threshold, the providing unit 44 sends tab content to the terminal device 2 that includes information on unset tabs corresponding to categories of interest to user U.

[0114] For example, suppose the configured tab selected by user U is the tab "Sports," and the frequency of selecting this tab "Sports" is below a threshold. In this case, the provisioning unit 44 transmits tab content to the terminal device 2, which includes information on unconfigured tabs corresponding to subcategories within the category "Sports" that user U is interested in.

[0115] Furthermore, if the determination unit 43 determines that the frequency of selecting a pre-configured tab is above a threshold, the provision unit 44 can also send tab content, including information on unconfigured tabs corresponding to categories of interest to user U, to the terminal device 2.

[0116] Here, the home content provided by the provisioning unit 44 and displayed on the display unit 11 of the terminal device 2 will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. Note that in the following, news content may be simply referred to as content.

[0117] Figure 7 shows an example of home content provided by the information processing device 1's providing unit 44 and displayed on the terminal device 2's display unit 11 according to this embodiment. The home content 50 shown in Figure 7 includes a search box 51, a search button 52, a tab column 53, and tab content 54. The tab content 54 shown in Figure 1 is an example of the main tab content described above.

[0118] The search box 51 receives a search keyword through an operation on the control unit 12 by the user U. When the search button 52 is selected by the user U through an operation on the control unit 12 while the search keyword is entered in the search box 51, the information output unit 18 of the terminal device 2 sends a search query containing the search keyword entered in the search box 51 to the information processing device 1. The providing unit 44 sends the search results corresponding to the search keyword included in the search query to the terminal device 2. These search results are acquired by the information acquisition unit 16 and displayed on the display unit 11 by the display processing unit 17.

[0119] Tab column 53 contains multiple tabs 56a, 56b, 56c, 56d, and 56e that can be selected by user U. Tab 56a is the "All" tab, tab 56b is the "Entertainment" tab, tab 56c is the "Sports" tab, tab 56e is the "Topics" tab, and tab 56e is the "IT" tab.

[0120] Although not shown in the diagram, tab column 53 also includes tabs other than tabs 56a, 56b, 56c, 56d, and 56e. User U can select and display tabs other than tabs 56a, 56b, 56c, 56d, and 56e on the display unit 11 of the terminal device 2 by swiping or scrolling. In the following, when multiple tabs including tabs 56a, 56b, 56c, 56d, and 56e are not individually distinguished, they may be referred to as tab 56.

[0121] In the tab content 54 shown in Figure 7, multiple contents 57a, 57b, 57c, 57d, and 57e are arranged side by side in a vertical direction. The tab content 54 also includes content other than contents 57a, 57b, 57c, 57d, and 57e.

[0122] Each piece of content included in tab content 54 is content that, when selected by user U, redirects to the linked content, and displays a portion of the information contained in the linked content.

[0123] User U can select and display content other than content 57a, 57b, 57c, 57d, and 57e on the display unit 11 of the terminal device 2 by swiping or scrolling. In the following, when multiple content items including content 57a, 57b, 57c, 57d, and 57e are not individually distinguished, they may be referred to as content 57.

[0124] Multiple contents 57 arranged in tab contents 54 are switched by selecting tabs 56 included in tab column 53. Figure 8 shows an example of home content 50 including tab contents provided by the providing unit 44 of the information processing device 1 and displayed on the display unit 11 of the terminal device 2 according to this embodiment.

[0125] The home content 50 shown in Figure 8 is the content displayed on the display unit 11 of the terminal device 2 when tab 56c of the home content 50 shown in Figure 7 is selected by user U. The home content 50 shown in Figure 8 includes tab content 55 instead of tab content 54, and the tab 56c selected by user U is highlighted in tab column 53. Tab content 55 is an example of selected tab content.

[0126] The tab content 55 shown in Figure 8 includes first content 60a, 60b, second content 61a, 61b, recommendation information 62, and unset tab information 63. The first content 60a, 60b is content belonging to the category "Sports" which corresponds to the tab "Sports" selected by user U, which is tab 56c.

[0127] In the example shown in Figure 8, the first content 60a and 60b are content belonging to the category "Baseball" which is included in the category "Sports." However, the first content 60a and 60b can be any content belonging to the category "Sports," for example, content belonging to the category "Soccer," the category "Tennis," or the category "Martial Arts."

[0128] The second content items 61a and 61b are content belonging to an unset category that the estimation unit 42 estimates to be of interest to user U. In the example shown in Figure 8, this is the category "Soccer" from among several subcategories (e.g., baseball, soccer, tennis, martial arts, etc.) corresponding to the tab "Sports". In the following, when referring to multiple second content items including second content items 61a and 61b without individually distinguishing them, they may be referred to as second content item 61.

[0129] In the example shown in Figure 8, the second content 61 is arranged vertically as shown in Figure 8, but it may also be arranged horizontally as shown in Figure 8. When multiple second content 61 are arranged horizontally, the multiple second content 61 may be scrollable by swipe or scroll operation, and may also be displayed in a carousel.

[0130] Thus, the tab content 55 shown in Figure 8 includes content belonging to an unset category that the estimation unit 42 estimates to be of interest to user U, thereby improving the convenience of user U.

[0131] Furthermore, the recommendation information 62 is information that suggests unset categories that the estimation unit 42 estimates the user U may be interested in, and in the example shown in Figure 8, it includes the string "Check the latest soccer information all in one place on the soccer tab".

[0132] Furthermore, the unset tab information 63 is information about an unset tab that the estimation unit 42 estimates to be of interest to user U, and is a GUI button containing the string "Add the soccer tab to see more". In the example shown in Figure 8, the unset tab that the estimation unit 42 estimates to be of interest to user U is the tab "Soccer".

[0133] Thus, the tab content 55 shown in Figure 8 includes information on unset tabs that the estimation unit 42 estimates to be of interest to user U, thereby improving the convenience of user U.

[0134] Furthermore, since the second content 61 and recommendation information 62 are positioned to correspond to the unset tab information 63, user U can easily decide whether or not to select the unset tab information 63 by checking the second content 61 and recommendation information 62. Note that the tab content 55 shown in Figure 8 does not necessarily have to include, for example, recommendation information 62.

[0135] When user U selects unset tab information 63 by operating the operation unit 12, the information output unit 18 of the terminal device 2 transmits selection information to the information processing device 1 indicating that information for an unset tab has been selected. When the selection information indicating that information for an unset tab has been selected is received by the reception unit 41, the providing unit 44 of the information processing device 1 transmits tab editing information to the terminal device 2 for editing the unset tab as a set tab. This tab editing information is acquired by the information acquisition unit 16 and displayed on the display unit 11 by the display processing unit 17.

[0136] User U can add the tab "Soccer" to tab column 53 in the tab editing information by operating terminal device 2. As a result, the information processing device 1 sends home content 50 including tab column 53 with the tab "Soccer" added to it to terminal device 2, and user U can then operate terminal device 2 to select the tab "Soccer" and display the selected tab content, which includes multiple contents belonging to the category "Soccer" corresponding to the tab "Soccer," on the display unit 11 of terminal device 2.

[0137] Figure 9 shows an example of tab editing information provided by the information processing device 1's providing unit 44 and displayed on the display unit 11 of the terminal device 2 according to this embodiment. The tab editing information 70 shown in Figure 9 includes a tab column status area 71, a tab editing area 72, and a complete button 73. In the tab column status area 71, information indicating multiple tabs 56 currently included in the tab column 53 is shown in the order in which the tabs 56 are currently arranged in the tab column 53.

[0138] In the tab editing area 72, a GUI is displayed that includes thumbnails of multiple tabs 56 that can be included in the tab column 53. User U can add or remove tabs 56 to or from the tab column 53 by selecting the thumbnail of the tab they want to add or remove by performing operations on the operation unit 12 (e.g., tapping or clicking). User U can also set the order of multiple tabs 56 in the tab column 53 by performing operations on the operation unit 12 (e.g., tapping, clicking, or drag-and-drop).

[0139] After user U edits the tab column 53 in the tab editing area 72, user U selects the complete button 73 by performing an operation on the operation unit 12 (for example, a tap or click), causing the information output unit 18 of the terminal device 2 to send tab setting information indicating the edited content of the tab column 53 to the information processing device 1. When the receiving unit 41 of the information processing device 1 receives the tab setting information, it updates the setting information stored in the user information storage unit 30 based on the received tab setting information.

[0140] The information processing device 1's provisioning unit 44 transmits home content 50, including the updated tab row 53 and tab content 54 or tab content 55, to the terminal device 2 based on the updated setting information. This home content 50 is acquired by the information acquisition unit 16 and displayed on the display unit 11 by the display processing unit 17.

[0141] The tab content 55 shown in Figure 8 is a tab 56 that displays content belonging to a category estimated by the estimation unit 42 to be of interest to user U. If it is a pre-configured tab set for user U, the pre-configured tab information 63 may be replaced with pre-configured tab information.

[0142] The configured tab information includes information about a link that transitions to a configured tab that is set for user U, which is a tab 56 that displays content belonging to a category estimated by the estimation unit 42 to be of interest to user U.

[0143] For example, suppose the information indicating tab 56 included in the selection information is the information indicating the tab "Sports," and the tab "Soccer," which corresponds to the category "Soccer" classified under the "Sports" category, is set in tab column 53, and the estimation unit 42 estimates the category "Soccer" as a category that user U is interested in.

[0144] In this case, tab content 55 includes content of the category "Soccer" as second content 61, and includes information about a link to transition to the tab "Soccer" as configured tab information. In this case, the configured tab information is, for example, a GUI button containing the string "Go to the Soccer tab to see more".

[0145] When user U selects a configured tab information contained in tab content 55, the information output unit 18 of the terminal device 2 sends selection information to the information processing device 1 indicating that the configured tab information has been selected. When the receiving unit 41 of the information processing device 1 receives the selection information indicating that the configured tab information has been selected, the providing unit 44 of the information processing device 1 sends tab content containing multiple first content 60 as tab content corresponding to tab 56 identified by the configured tab information to the terminal device 2.

[0146] Figure 10 shows another example of home content 50, which includes tab content provided by the providing unit 44 of the information processing device 1 according to the embodiment and displayed on the display unit 11 of the terminal device 2. The tab content 58 shown in Figure 10 includes a plurality of first content 60a, 60b, 60c, 60d, 60e.

[0147] The first content items 60a, 60b, 60c, 60d, and 60e belong to the category "Soccer". In this way, user U can display the content corresponding to tab 56 identified by the configured tab information on terminal device 2 by selecting the configured tab information.

[0148] In the example shown in Figure 7, the tab content 54 does not include the second content 61, recommendation information 62, and unset tab information 63. However, the providing unit 44 can also include the second content 61, recommendation information 62, and unset tab information 63 in the tab content 54, similar to the tab content 55.

[0149] [5. Processing Procedure] Next, the procedure for information processing by the processing unit 22 of the information processing device 1 according to the embodiment will be described. Figure 11 is a flowchart showing an example of information processing by the processing unit 22 of the information processing device 1 according to the embodiment.

[0150] As shown in Figure 11, the processing unit 22 of the information processing device 1 determines whether or not there is a content request from the terminal device 2 (step S10). Next, if the processing unit 22 determines that there is a content request (step S10: Yes), it generates home content 50 including tab column 53 and tab content 54, and provides the generated home content 50 to user U (step S11).

[0151] If the processing in step S11 is completed, or if it is determined that there is no content request (step S10: No), the processing unit 22 determines whether or not there is pre-configured tab selection information from the terminal device 2 (step S12). If the processing unit 22 determines that there is pre-configured tab selection information (step S12: Yes), it estimates the categories that user U is interested in (step S13). Then, based on the estimation result in step S13, the processing unit 22 generates tab content 55 or tab content 58 and provides the generated tab content 55 or tab content 58 to user U (step S14).

[0152] If the processing in step S14 is completed, or if the processing unit 22 determines that there is no selection information for a configured tab (step S12: No), it determines whether there is any selection information for an unconfigured tab from the terminal device 2 (step S15). If the processing unit 22 determines that there is selection information for an unconfigured tab (step S15: Yes), it performs a tab editing process to edit the configuration information (step S16).

[0153] When the processing in step S16 is completed, or when it is determined that there is no selection information for an unset tab (step S15: No), the processing unit 22 determines whether or not it is time to terminate the operation (step S17). For example, the processing unit 22 determines that it is time to terminate the operation when the power to the information processing device 1 is turned off, or when it is determined that a termination operation has been performed by operating on an unshown operation unit of the information processing device 1.

[0154] If the processing unit 22 determines that it is not yet time to terminate the operation (step S17: No), it proceeds to step S10. If it determines that it is time to terminate the operation (step S17: Yes), it terminates the process shown in Figure 11.

[0155] [6. Variant Example] In the example described above, the provision section 44 mainly explained news content as an example of content included in tab content 54, 55, but it is not limited to such an example. For example, the content included in tab content 54, 55 may be shopping or auction content (e.g., content for purchasing items), Q&A content, video content, music content, word-of-mouth content, or searchable content.

[0156] Furthermore, the providing unit 44 can adjust the number of second content items 61 included in the tab content 55 to a number corresponding to the user U's level of interest in the unset category to which the second content item 61 belongs. For example, the providing unit 44 can increase the number of second content items 61 included in the tab content 55 the higher the user U's level of interest in the unset category.

[0157] Furthermore, the providing unit 44 may include the second content 61 in the tab content 55 if it is an unset category estimated by the estimation unit 42 as a category of interest to user U, and the degree of interest by user U is above a threshold, and may not include the second content 61 in the tab content 55 if it is an unset category estimated by the estimation unit 42 as a category of interest to user U, and the degree of interest by user U is below a threshold.

[0158] Furthermore, if there are multiple unset subcategories within the category corresponding to the selected tab 56 that are estimated by the estimation unit 42 to be of interest to user U, the provision unit 44 can also include the second content 61, recommendation information 62, and unset tab information 63 in the tab content 55 for each unset subcategory.

[0159] The providing unit 44 can also place the unset tab information 63 in a higher position than the second content 61, instead of placing it in a lower position than the second content 61. The providing unit 44 can place the unset tab information 63 in a lower position than the second content 61 when the number of second content 61 is less than a threshold, and can place the unset tab information 63 in a higher position than the second content 61 when the number of second content 61 is equal to or greater than a threshold.

[0160] Furthermore, the providing unit 44 can, for example, initially omit the second content 61, recommendation information 62, and unset tab information 63 from the tab content 55, and then, when the tab content 55 is scrolled by user U and the number of selections of the second content 61 relative to the scroll amount falls below a threshold, add the second content 61, recommendation information 62, and unset tab information 63 to the tab content 55.

[0161] Furthermore, the providing unit 44 can also highlight unset tab information 63, with the degree of emphasis increasing the higher the user U's interest in the unset tabs. This highlighting is done, for example, by changing the frame of the unset tab information 63 to make it more noticeable, or by changing the color of the text contained in the unset tab information 63 to a more noticeable color.

[0162] Furthermore, the terminal device 2 can work in conjunction with the information processing device 1 to execute some or all of the functions of one or more of the acquisition unit 40, reception unit 41, estimation unit 42, determination unit 43, and provision unit 44, and can function as part of an information processing device having some or all of the functions of one or more of the acquisition unit 40, reception unit 41, estimation unit 42, determination unit 43, and provision unit 44. In the following, the configuration including some or all of the above-described information processing device 1 and terminal device 2 may be referred to as the information processing device 1.

[0163] The processing unit 15 shown in Figure 3 is realized, for example, by a processor such as a CPU or MPU, which executes various programs (an example of an information processing program) stored in a memory device (for example, a memory unit 14) inside the terminal device 2, using RAM as the working area.

[0164] [7. Hardware Configuration] Each of the information processing device 1 and terminal device 2 according to the above embodiment is implemented by a computer 80 having a configuration such as that shown in Figure 12. Figure 12 is a hardware configuration diagram showing an example of a computer 80 that implements the respective functions of the information processing device 1 and terminal device 2 according to the embodiment. The computer 80 has a CPU 81, RAM 82, ROM (Read Only Memory) 83, HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 84, communication interface (I / F) 85, input / output interface (I / F) 86, and media interface (I / F) 87.

[0165] The CPU 81 operates based on programs stored in the ROM 83 or HDD 84, and controls various parts of the system. The ROM 83 stores boot programs executed by the CPU 81 when the computer 80 starts up, as well as programs that depend on the computer 80's hardware.

[0166] HDD84 stores programs executed by CPU81 and data used by such programs. The communication interface85 receives data from other devices via network N (see Figure 2) and sends it to CPU81, and transmits the data generated by CPU81 to other devices via network N.

[0167] The CPU 81 controls output devices such as displays and printers, and input devices such as keyboards and mice, via the input / output interface 86. The CPU 81 acquires data from input devices via the input / output interface 86. The CPU 81 also outputs data it has generated to output devices via the input / output interface 86.

[0168] The media interface 87 reads a program or data stored in the recording medium 88 and provides it to the CPU 81 via the RAM 82. The CPU 81 loads the program from the recording medium 88 onto the RAM 82 via the media interface 87 and executes the loaded program. The recording medium 88 can be, for example, an optical recording medium such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) or PD (Phase Change Rewritable Disk), a magneto-optical recording medium such as an MO (Magneto-Optical disk), a tape medium, a magnetic recording medium, or a semiconductor memory.

[0169] For example, when the computer 80 functions as an information processing device 1 or terminal device 2 according to the embodiment, the CPU 81 of the computer 80 realizes the functions of the processing unit 15 and processing unit 22 by executing programs loaded on the RAM 82. In addition, data in the storage unit 14 or storage unit 21 is stored in the HDD 84. The CPU 81 of the computer 80 reads and executes these programs from the recording medium 88, but as another example, these programs may be obtained from other devices via the network N.

[0170] [8. Other] Furthermore, among the processes described in the above embodiments, all or part of the processes described as being performed automatically can be performed manually, or all or part of the processes described as being performed manually can be performed automatically by known methods. In addition, the processing procedures, specific names, and various data and parameters shown in the above document and drawings can be changed at will unless otherwise specified. For example, the various information shown in each figure is not limited to the information shown.

[0171] Furthermore, the components of each illustrated device are functionally conceptual and do not necessarily need to be physically configured as shown. In other words, the specific forms of distribution and integration of each device are not limited to those shown, and all or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit according to various loads and usage conditions.

[0172] For example, the information processing device 1 described above may be implemented using multiple server computers, and the configuration can be flexibly changed, such as by calling external platforms via APIs or network computing depending on the function.

[0173] Furthermore, the embodiments and modifications described above can be combined as appropriate, provided that the processing content is not inconsistent.

[0174] [9. Effects] As described above, the information processing device 1 according to this embodiment comprises an estimation unit 42 and a provision unit 44. The estimation unit 42 estimates the categories that user U is interested in. The provision unit 44 provides information on unset tabs, which are tabs 56 that display content belonging to the categories estimated by the estimation unit 42 but have not been set for user U. As a result, the information processing device 1 can improve the convenience of user U by providing information on unset tabs that are estimated to be of interest to user U.

[0175] Furthermore, the estimation unit 42 estimates categories of interest to user U from among multiple categories corresponding to the configured tabs, which are tabs 56 set for user U, and the provision unit 44 provides information on unconfigured tabs as information displayed together with the content corresponding to the configured tabs. This allows the information processing device 1 to further improve the convenience of user U.

[0176] Furthermore, the providing unit 44 provides content corresponding to the unset tab as information displayed together with the information of the unset tab. This allows the information processing device 1 to further improve the convenience of user U.

[0177] Furthermore, the multiple categories corresponding to the configured tabs are multiple subcategories that classify the categories to which the content displayed in the configured tabs belong. This allows the information processing device 1 to further improve the convenience for user U.

[0178] Furthermore, the estimation unit 42 estimates categories of interest to user U from among multiple categories based on the user U's selection history of content corresponding to the configured tabs. This allows the information processing device 1 to further improve user U's convenience.

[0179] Furthermore, the providing unit 44 provides tab editing information 70 for adding unconfigured tabs as configured tabs. This allows the information processing device 1 to further improve the convenience of the user U.

[0180] Furthermore, if the tab 56 that displays content belonging to the category estimated by the estimation unit 42 is a configured tab set for user U, the provision unit 44 provides information about the link to transition to the configured tab as information displayed together with the content corresponding to the configured tab. This allows the information processing device 1 to further improve the convenience of user U.

[0181] Furthermore, the information processing device 1 includes a determination unit 43 that determines whether the frequency of selecting a configured tab is below a threshold. The providing unit 44 provides information on unconfigured tabs when the determination unit 43 determines that the frequency of selecting a configured tab is below a threshold. This allows the information processing device 1 to further improve the convenience of the user U.

[0182] Although embodiments of the present application have been described in detail based on the drawings, these are illustrative examples, and the present invention can be implemented in various other forms, including those described in the disclosure section of the invention, based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0183] Furthermore, the terms "section, module, unit" mentioned above can be replaced with "means" or "circuit," etc. For example, the acquisition unit can be replaced with acquisition means or acquisition circuit. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0184] 1. Information Processing Device 2 Terminal devices 10,20 Communications Department 11 Display section 12 Control section 13 Sensor Groups 14,21 Storage part 15,22 Processing Unit 16 Information acquisition department 17 Display Processing Unit 18. Information Output Unit 30 User information storage unit 31 Content storage unit 40 Acquisition Department 41 Reception Department 42 Estimation part 43 Judgment section 44 Providing Department 100 Information Processing Systems

Claims

1. An estimation unit that estimates a subcategory of interest of the user from among a plurality of subcategories that classify the categories to which the content displayed in the configured tab belongs, using a learning model generated by machine learning that takes user information as input and outputs an interest score for each category, or based on the user's selection history of content corresponding to the configured tab, which is a tab set for the user; The system includes a providing unit that provides information on unset tabs, which are tabs that display content belonging to the subcategory estimated by the estimation unit and have not been set for the user, and the content corresponding to the unset tabs, together with the content corresponding to the set tabs, as information to be displayed. An information processing device characterized by the following:

2. The providing part is, The number of content items corresponding to the aforementioned unconfigured tabs is set to a number corresponding to the interest score of the aforementioned unconfigured tabs. The information processing apparatus according to feature 1.

3. The providing part is, If the interest score corresponding to the unconfigured tab is above a threshold, the content corresponding to the unconfigured tab will be provided as information displayed together with the content corresponding to the configured tab. If the interest score corresponding to the unconfigured tab is below the threshold, the content corresponding to the unconfigured tab will not be provided as information displayed together with the content corresponding to the configured tab. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The providing part is, If the number of content items corresponding to the "unset" tab is less than the threshold, the information for the "unset" tab will be placed below the content items corresponding to the "unset" tab. If the number of content items corresponding to the "unset" tab is equal to or greater than the threshold, the information for the "unset" tab will be placed above the content items corresponding to the "unset" tab. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

5. The providing portion is, If the frequency of selecting the configured tab exceeds a threshold, provide information on the unconfigured tab. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

6. The aforementioned supply unit is, This provides tab editing information for adding the aforementioned unconfigured tab as a configured tab. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

7. The aforementioned supply unit is, If the tab that displays content belonging to the subcategory estimated by the estimation unit is a pre-configured tab set for the user, the information of the link to transition to the pre-configured tab is provided as information displayed together with the content corresponding to the pre-configured tab. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

8. The system includes a determination unit that determines whether the frequency of selecting the configured tab is below a threshold, The aforementioned supply unit is, If the determination unit determines that the frequency of selecting the configured tab is below a threshold, it provides information on the unconfigured tab. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

9. A method of information processing performed by a computer, An estimation step is performed to estimate which subcategories the user is interested in from among multiple subcategories that classify the categories to which the content displayed in the configured tab belongs, using a machine learning model generated by machine learning that takes user information as input and outputs interest scores for each category, or based on the user's selection history of content corresponding to the configured tab, which is a tab set for the user. The provision step includes providing information on an unset tab, which is a tab that displays content belonging to the subcategory estimated by the estimation step and is not set for the user, and the content corresponding to the unset tab, together with the content corresponding to the set tab, as information to be displayed. An information processing method characterized by the following:

10. An estimation procedure for estimating a subcategory of interest of a user from among a plurality of subcategories that classify the categories to which the content displayed in a configured tab belongs, using a machine learning model generated by machine learning that takes user information as input and outputs an interest score for each category, or based on the user's selection history of content corresponding to a configured tab which is a tab set for the user, A provisioning procedure to cause a computer to execute a provisioning procedure that provides information on an unset tab, which is a tab that displays content belonging to the subcategory estimated by the estimation procedure and is not set for the user, and the content corresponding to the unset tab, together with the content corresponding to the set tab, as information to be displayed. An information processing program characterized by the following features.

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