Distribution server, distribution method, and program

Abstract

To convey a message to a user even if the message notified using RCS is not marked as read.SOLUTION: A distribution server using RCS (Rich Communication Services) to deliver messages to users' communication terminals via a telecommunications carrier includes: an acquisition unit that acquires webhook information notified from the telecommunication carrier and indicating the status of a message notified using the RCS; and a notification control unit that performs control for delivering contents of the message to a user, when the status indicates that the message notified using the RCS is received by the communication terminal based on the webhook information acquired by the acquisition unit and is not displayed on the communication terminal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a distribution server, a distribution method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] There is an electronic notification service for notifying information online. In Patent Document 1, a technique for transmitting information to an address with a high probability that a user can immediately view it when notifying the user is disclosed.

[0003] Such an electronic notification service includes a message service having a mobile phone number as a destination, for example, RCS (Rich Communication Services). By using a mobile phone number as a destination, a message can be transmitted even if the email address of the destination party is unknown.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, a message notified by RCS may not be marked as read. For example, when a user is busy and cannot open a message when receiving it, it is difficult for the user to read the message. Even in such a case, it is desirable to be able to convey the message to the user.

[0006] In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a distribution server, a distribution method, and a program capable of conveying a message to a user even when a message notified by RCS is not marked as read.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] To solve the above-mentioned problems, a distribution server according to one aspect of the present invention is a distribution server that distributes messages to a user's communication terminal using RCS (Rich Communication Services) via a telecommunications carrier, and includes an acquisition unit that acquires Webhook information notified by the telecommunications carrier, which indicates the status of a message notified using RCS, and based on the Webhook information acquired by the acquisition unit The system retrieves the status of the message notified using RCS, and if the retrieved status indicates that the message notified using RCS has been received and displayed on the communication terminal, it controls the system to send a message to the communication terminal using RCS asking how to notify future messages. It comprises a notification control unit and

[0008] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned distribution server, the notification control unit is If the status indicates that the message notified using RCS has been received by the communication terminal but is not displayed on the communication terminal, control is performed to resend the message content to the user. .

[0009] Furthermore, a distribution method according to one aspect of the present invention is a distribution method executed by a computer that is a distribution server that distributes messages to a user's communication terminal using RCS (Rich Communication Services) via a telecommunications carrier, wherein an acquisition unit acquires Webhook information notified by the telecommunications carrier, which is Webhook information indicating the status of a message notified using RCS, and a notification control unit, based on the Webhook information acquired by the acquisition unit The status of the message notified using RCS is obtained. , If the status indicates that a message sent using RCS has been received by the communication terminal and displayed on the communication terminal, control is performed to send a message to the communication terminal using RCS asking whether future notifications should be sent using RCS or by delivery of a physical package. cormorant.

[0010] A program according to one aspect of the present invention is a program for operating a computer as the distribution server described above, and is a program for causing the computer to function as each part of the distribution server. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, a message can be delivered to the user even if the message notified via RCS is not marked as read. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1]This is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the distribution system 1 according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the distribution server 10 according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of the distribution information 120 according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of response information 121 according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a sequence diagram showing the processing flow performed by the distribution system 1 according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] This is a flowchart showing the processing flow performed by the distribution server 10 according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] This is a flowchart showing the processing flow performed by the distribution server 10 according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] This is a flowchart showing the processing flow performed by the distribution server 10 according to the embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a distribution system 1 according to an embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the distribution system 1 includes, for example, a distribution server 10, a corporate server 20, a telecommunications carrier server 30 (30A, 30B), and a communication terminal 40.

[0014] The distribution server 10 is a server device managed by a service provider that provides a service for sending messages to the communication terminal 40. The distribution server 10 sends (distributes) messages to the communication terminal 40 via the communication carrier server 30. The distribution server 10 sends messages using RCS (Rich Communication Services) or SMS (Short Message Service), which are message services that use telephone numbers as destinations. The distribution server 10 communicates wirelessly or via wired connection with the corporate server 20 and the communication carrier server 30. The service that sends messages to the communication terminal 40 may be performed by the distribution server 10, or may be performed by the enterprise server 20. For example, the enterprise server 20 equipped with the functions of the distribution server 10 may be operated by the enterprise. In this case, the enterprise of the enterprise server 20 can communicate with the communication carrier server 30 and send messages without going through the operator of the distribution server 10. Also, the distribution server 10 may manage the messages notified to the communication terminal 40, or the communication carrier server 30 may manage them. For example, the enterprise (communication carrier) of the communication carrier server 30 equipped with the functions of the distribution server 10 may be operated. In this case, the communication carrier of the communication carrier server 30 can send messages to the communication terminal 40 in response to the request of the enterprise server 20.

[0015] The enterprise server 20 is a server device managed by the requester who requests the distribution system 1 to distribute messages. The requester is, for example, an enterprise or organization that provides information to the destination user, such as a bank or an insurance company. The enterprise server 20 performs wireless communication or wired communication with the distribution server 10.

[0016] The communication carrier server 30 is a server device managed by the communication carrier. The communication carrier is, for example, an MNO (Mobile Network Operator) that provides a communication service using a telephone number to the communication terminal 40 using a communication line owned or operated by itself. The communication service includes communication using RCS and SMS. The communication carrier server 30 performs wireless communication or wired communication with the distribution server 10 and the communication terminal 40. The communication carrier server 30 sends a message using RCS or SMS to the communication terminal 40 in response to a distribution request from the distribution server 10. In a communication service using RCS, Webhook information regarding an RCS message sent to the communication terminal 40 is sent to the distribution server 10 via the communication carrier server 30. The Webhook information is information indicating the status of the message, for example, the status such as the message being received (delivered) by the communication terminal 40 or the message being displayed (displayed) on the communication terminal 40. When there are multiple communication carriers, the communication carrier servers 30 are also provided for each communication carrier. The communication carrier server 30A is managed by the first communication carrier, and the communication carrier server 30B is managed by the second communication carrier. Hereinafter, when not particularly identifying the communication carrier server, it is referred to as the communication carrier server 30.

[0017] The communication terminal 40 is a communication device capable of associating a telephone number, such as a smartphone or a mobile phone. The communication terminal 40 makes a contract with the carrier of the communication carrier server 30 by a user or the like to use the communication service using the communication terminal 40. The communication terminal 40 can communicate using the communication service provided by the contracted communication carrier. A telephone number is assigned to the communication terminal 40, and it has a function of performing communication with this telephone number as the destination, that is, communication using RCS or SMS. An application program related to SMS (SMS app) is pre-installed in the communication terminal 40, and an SMS message distributed from the distribution server 10 via the enterprise server 20, that is, a message using SMS, can be received. Although the application program related to RCS (RCS app) may not be pre-installed in the communication terminal 40, it can be made a communication device corresponding to RCS by a user performing procedures such as registration for installing and activating the RCS app. When the communication terminal 40 corresponds to RCS, an RCS message distributed from the distribution server 10 via the enterprise server 20, that is, a message using RCS, can be received. The communication terminal 40 has, for example, a display unit such as an LCD display and an operation unit such as a touch panel that accepts user input. The communication terminal 40 communicates with the communication carrier server 30 and the communication terminal 40 using a communication network. The user is, for example, a consumer.

[0018] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the distribution server 10 according to the embodiment. As shown in Figure 2, the distribution server 10 comprises a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a control unit 13. The communication unit 11 communicates with the corporate server 20 and the telecommunications carrier server 30.

[0019] The memory unit 12 stores, for example, distribution information 120 and response information 121.

[0020] Figure 3 shows an example of distribution information 120 according to the embodiment. Distribution information 120 is generated based on information requested by a company, and is generated, for example, for each message to be notified to a user. The delivery information 120 includes information corresponding to items such as user ID, phone number, chat room ID, delivery address, notification content, notification method flag, and delivery date and time. The user ID is identification information that uniquely identifies the user. The telephone number is the telephone number to which electronic notifications will be sent to the user. The Talk Room ID is information that identifies a talk room. A talk room is the screen where messages are exchanged via the RCS app. Messages sent from a company to a user are displayed in that company's talk room. The Talk Room ID is sometimes referred to as a Bot ID or similar. The delivery address is the address to which the delivery notification will be sent to the user. The notification content is the content of the message to be sent to the user. The notification method flag indicates the notification method. In the example shown in this diagram, the notification method flag includes the RCS flag, the SMS flag, and the delivery flag. For example, if a flag is set to 1, it indicates that the notification method corresponding to that flag will be used to notify the user of the message. If a flag is set to 0 (zero), it indicates that the notification method corresponding to that flag will not be used. The delivery date and time is information indicating the date and time the item was delivered. This delivery date and time may be information specified by the company, information indicating the actual date and time the item was delivered, or both.

[0021] Figure 4 shows an example of response information 121 according to the embodiment. Response information 121 is information indicating a response (reaction) obtained from the communication terminal 40. Response information 121 includes, for example, information corresponding to each item such as user ID, telephone number, talk room ID, and response (response 1, response 2, ...). Since the user ID, phone number, and chat room ID are the same information as in distribution information 120, their explanations will be omitted. The response fields store information corresponding to each field, such as date and time and type. The date and time is the date and time the response was made, as indicated in the timestamp notified in the Webhook information. The type is the type of response, as indicated in the Webhook information. For example, when a message is received by the communication terminal 40, Webhook information indicating that the message status is "received (delivered)" is notified to the distribution server 10 via the communication carrier server 30. The timestamp and status are extracted from this Webhook information and stored as the date and time and type in response 1 of the response information 121. Furthermore, when a message is displayed on the communication terminal 40, Webhook information indicating that the message status is "displayed" is notified to the distribution server 10 via the communication carrier server 30. The timestamp and status are extracted from this Webhook information and stored as the date and time and type in response 2 of the response information 121.

[0022] The storage unit 12 is composed of storage media such as HDD (Hard Disk Drive), flash memory, EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access read / write Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), or a combination thereof. The storage unit 12 stores programs for executing various processes of the distribution server 10, as well as temporary data used when performing these processes.

[0023] Returning to the explanation of Figure 2, the control unit 13 includes, for example, an acquisition unit 130 and a notification control unit 131. These functional units of the control unit 13 (acquisition unit 130 and notification control unit 131) are realized by having the CPU (Central Processing Unit) provided as hardware in the distribution server 10 execute a program.

[0024] The acquisition unit 130 acquires various types of information. For example, the acquisition unit 130 acquires a message delivery request that has been notified from the corporate server 20 to the distribution server 10. The delivery request includes information such as the recipient and content of the notification. The acquisition unit 130 stores the information such as the recipient and content of the notification in the acquired delivery request as telephone number, delivery address, notification content, etc. in the distribution information 120. Alternatively, the acquisition unit 130 may generate messages in response to the delivery request, such as messages to be notified using RCS, messages to be notified using SMS, and messages to be notified via delivery notification, and store the generated messages as the notification content of the delivery information 120. Furthermore, the acquisition unit 130 acquires Webhook information notified from the telecommunications carrier server 30 to the distribution server 10 via the communication unit 11. The acquisition unit 130 stores the acquired Webhook information as response information 121 in the storage unit 12.

[0025] The notification control unit 131 performs control to notify the user of a message according to the notification method flag. For example, when the notification control unit 131 sends a message notification via delivery notification, the distribution server 10, for instance, sends notification data to the delivery company and instructs them to print the contents of the notification data and deliver it to the user as a package. As a result, the package is delivered to the user. Furthermore, when the notification control unit 131 notifies a message via electronic notification, it sends the message to the user's communication terminal 40 via the telecommunications carrier. More specifically, the notification control unit 131 requests the telecommunications carrier server 30 to send the message to the user's communication terminal 40.

[0026] The notification control unit 131 performs control according to the status of the message. For example, the notification control unit 131 obtains the status of the message notified to the communication terminal 40 based on the Webhook information obtained by the acquisition unit 130. If the obtained status is "received (delivered)", the notification control unit 131 determines that the message has been received by the communication terminal 40 but has not been displayed on the communication terminal 40, and determines that it is "unread", that is, the message has not been opened by the user. In this case, the notification control unit 131 performs control to resend the message content to the user.

[0027] For example, the notification control unit 131 controls the delivery of unread messages via physical mail. More specifically, it instructs the delivery company to deliver a physical mail containing the content of the unread messages to the user. Alternatively, the notification control unit 131 may perform control to resend the RCS message to the user. In this case, the notification control unit 131 requests the communication carrier server 30 to send a message to the communication terminal 40 with the same content as the RCS message that has already been sent.

[0028] When the status is "delivered," it is predetermined for each message whether to deliver the message by physical delivery or resend it as an RCS message. For example, when a corporate server 20 requests a delivery from the distribution server 10 to notify a user of a message, the corporate server specifies how to handle unread messages: whether to deliver the unread message by physical delivery or resend it as an RCS message.

[0029] Furthermore, if the status is "displayed," the notification control unit 131 determines that the RCS message has been received by the communication terminal 40 and displayed on the communication terminal 40. In other words, the notification control unit 131 determines that the message has been "read," meaning the user has viewed the message. In this case, the notification control unit 131 does not take any action to resend the message content to the user.

[0030] Figure 5 is a sequence diagram showing the processing flow performed by the distribution system 1 according to this embodiment. First, as a prerequisite, the distribution server 10 generates an RCS message. The distribution server 10 creates a message in response to a distribution request received from the corporate server 20. For example, the corporate server 20 has a database (distribution data). The distribution data stores personal information (customer information) of users who are customers of the company. The distribution data also stores information that identifies the company's chat room (chat room ID). The corporate server 20 refers to the distribution data and obtains information such as the user's address, for example, a telephone number, or if there is no telephone number, an address and name. The corporate server 20 makes a distribution request by sending information that associates the user's address, the message notification content, and the chat room ID to the distribution server 10. Based on the distribution request received from the corporate server 20, the distribution server 10 generates distribution information 120 to create notification data to notify the user, for example, a message to be notified using RCS (RCS message), a message to be notified using SMS (SMS message), and a message to be notified by delivery notification. The following describes the case in which the distribution server 10 notifies the communication terminal 40 of an RCS message.

[0031] The distribution server 10 makes a message transmission request to the telecommunications carrier server 30 (step S1). Specifically, the distribution server 10 sends an RCS message to the telecommunications carrier server 30 and requests that the RCS message be sent to the communication terminal 40.

[0032] The telecommunications carrier server 30 performs message distribution processing in response to a message transmission request received from the distribution server 10 (step S2). Specifically, the telecommunications carrier server 30 sends the RCS message received from the distribution server 10 to the communication terminal 40.

[0033] The communication terminal 40 receives an RCS message from the telecommunications carrier server 30 (step S3). As a result, control information (Webhook information) indicating that the RCS message has been received is sent from the communication terminal 40 to the telecommunications carrier server 30.

[0034] The communication terminal 40 displays the RCS message received from the communication carrier server 30 (step S4). As a result, control information (Webhook information) indicating that the RCS message has been displayed is sent from the communication terminal 40 to the communication carrier server 30.

[0035] When the telecommunications carrier server 30 receives Webhook information, it sends the received Webhook information to the distribution server 10 (step S5). When the distribution server 10 receives Webhook information from the telecommunications carrier server 30, it stores the timestamp and status extracted from the received Webhook information in the storage unit 12 as the date and time and type of response in the response information 121 (step S6).

[0036] The distribution server 10 periodically (for example, once a day) refers to the response information 121 and performs a retransmission determination process (step S7). The retransmission determination process determines whether or not to retransmit the RCS message notified to the communication terminal 40. The details of the retransmission determination process will be explained in detail later.

[0037] If the delivery server 10 determines, based on the retransmission determination process in step S7, that retransmission should be performed via delivery, it performs a delivery setup process (step S8). The delivery setup process is the process for delivering the message content. Once the delivery setup process is performed, a delivery item containing the message content is delivered. The details of the delivery setup process will be explained in detail later.

[0038] If the distribution server 10 determines, as a result of the retransmission determination process in step S7, that it should retransmit using an RCS message, it sends a message transmission request to the telecommunications carrier server 30 (step S9). The processes shown in steps S9 to S11 are the same as those in steps S1 to S3, so their explanation is omitted.

[0039] If the distribution server 10 determines, based on the retransmission determination process in step S7, that it will not retransmit the message, it will perform a next-time preference confirmation process (step S12). The next-time preference confirmation process is a process to confirm the user's preference for how to notify messages in the future. By performing the next-time preference confirmation process, the notification method for messages in the future can be set to a notification method that aligns with the user's preference. The details of the next-time preference confirmation process will be explained in detail later.

[0040] Figure 6 shows the processing flow shown in the retransmission determination process (step S7 in Figure 5). First, the distribution server 10 obtains the status of the RCS message (step S70). Next, the distribution server 10 performs processing according to the content of the status (step S71). Specifically, if the status is "displayed", the distribution server 10 determines not to retransmit the message (step S72) and performs the processing shown in step S12 (next delivery preference confirmation processing). If the status is "delivered", the distribution server 10 determines to retransmit the message (step S73). The distribution server 10 controls the retransmission to be performed according to a predetermined notification method and determines whether to retransmit the message using RCS or by delivery (step S74). If the distribution server 10 decides to retransmit the message using RCS, it performs the processing shown in step S9 (message transmission request). If the distribution server 10 decides to retransmit the message by delivery, it performs the processing shown in step S8 (delivery setting processing). On the other hand, if the status indicates "Other", the distribution server 10 sets the delivery flag to 1 (step S75) and terminates the process. Note that when the status shows "Other," it means that neither "displayed" nor "delivered" is shown, for example, when the RCS message was not received by the communication terminal 40. Also, in step S75, the distribution server 10 may set other flags (RCS flag and SMS flag) that are not delivery flags to 0 (zero).

[0041] Figure 7 shows the processing flow for the delivery setup process (step S8 in Figure 5). First, the delivery server 10 refers to the delivery information 120 and extracts those with a delivery flag set to 1 (step S80). Based on the notification content of the extracted delivery information 120, the delivery server 10 generates a message to be notified by delivery notification (step S81). The delivery server 10 instructs the delivery company, etc., to deliver the message to be notified by delivery notification (step S82).

[0042] Figure 8 shows the processing flow for the next request confirmation process (step S12 in Figure 5). First, as a prerequisite, the distribution server 10 sends a message (confirmation notice) to the communication terminal 40 using RCS, inquiring about the notification method for messages to be notified in the next and subsequent times.

[0043] The delivery server 10 receives a response to the confirmation notice (step S120). The response indicates the customer's preferred notification method for future notifications, such as RCS notification, SMS notification, or delivery notification.

[0044] The distribution server 10 determines whether the response received from the communication terminal 40 indicates an RCS notification, an SMS notification, or a delivery notification (step S121). If the response indicates an RCS notification, the distribution server 10 sets the RCS flag in the distribution information 120 to 1 and the other flags (SMS flag and delivery flag) to 0 (zero) (step S122). If the response indicates an SMS notification, the distribution server 10 sets the SMS flag in the distribution information 120 to 1 and the other flags (RCS flag and delivery flag) to 0 (zero) (step S123). If the response indicates a delivery notification, the distribution server 10 sets the delivery flag in the distribution information 120 to 1 and the other flags (RCS flag and SMS flag) to 0 (zero) (step S124).

[0045] As described above, the distribution server 10 according to this embodiment distributes messages to the user's communication terminal 40 using RCS via a telecommunications carrier. The distribution server 10 comprises an acquisition unit 130 and a notification control unit 131. The acquisition unit 130 acquires Webhook information. Webhook information is information notified by the telecommunications carrier that indicates the status of a message notified using RCS. The notification control unit 131 controls the delivery of the message content to the user based on the Webhook information. If the status of the Webhook information indicates that the message notified using RCS has been received by the communication terminal 40 and is not displayed on the communication terminal 40, the notification control unit 131 controls the delivery of the message content to the user. As a result, the distribution server 10 of this embodiment can deliver messages to users even if the message notified by RCS is not marked as read.

[0046] Furthermore, in the embodiment, if the distribution server 10 indicates that a message notified using RCS has been received by the communication terminal 40 and displayed on the communication terminal 40, it performs control to send a message to the communication terminal using RCS asking whether the next notification should be sent using RCS or by delivery. As a result, in the embodiment, when a message notified using RCS is marked as read, the distribution server 10 can notify the user of the next notification using the notification method of the user.

[0047] Embodiments of the present invention have been described above. It should be noted that all or part of the functions of the distribution system 1 and distribution server 10 in the above-described embodiments may be implemented using a computer. In this case, the functions may be implemented by recording a program for implementing these functions on a computer-readable recording medium, loading the program recorded on this recording medium into the computer system, and executing it. Here, "computer system" includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices. "Computer-readable recording medium" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs, CD-ROMs, and storage devices such as hard disks built into the computer system. Furthermore, "computer-readable recording medium" may also include those that dynamically hold programs for a short period, such as communication lines used when transmitting programs via networks such as the Internet or communication lines such as telephone lines, and those that hold programs for a certain period, such as volatile memory inside the computer system acting as a server or client. The above-mentioned program may be for implementing part of the functions described above, or it may be a program that can implement the above-mentioned functions in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system, or it may be implemented using a programmable logic device such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0048] Although embodiments of this invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to those described above, and various design changes can be made without departing from the spirit of this invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0049] 1. Distribution System 10 Distribution Servers 130 Acquisition Department 131 Notification Control Unit 20 Enterprise Servers 30. Telecommunications carrier servers 40 Communication terminals

Claims

1. A distribution server that delivers messages to users' communication terminals via a telecommunications carrier using RCS (Rich Communication Services), An acquisition unit that acquires Webhook information notified by the aforementioned telecommunications carrier, which indicates the status of a message notified using RCS, A notification control unit obtains the status of a message notified using RCS based on the Webhook information obtained by the acquisition unit, and if the obtained status indicates that the message notified using RCS has been received and displayed on the communication terminal, it controls the sending of a message to the communication terminal using RCS asking how to notify subsequent messages. A distribution server equipped with the following features.

2. If the status indicates that the message notified using RCS has been received by the communication terminal but is not displayed on the communication terminal, the notification control unit performs the action to resend the message content to the user. The distribution server according to claim 1.

3. A distribution method executed by a computer that acts as a distribution server, which distributes messages to users' communication terminals via a telecommunications carrier using RCS (Rich Communication Services), The acquisition unit acquires Webhook information notified by the telecommunications carrier, which is Webhook information indicating the status of the message notified using RCS. The notification control unit obtains the status of the message notified using RCS based on the Webhook information obtained by the acquisition unit, and if the status indicates that the message notified using RCS has been received and displayed on the communication terminal, it controls the transmission of a message to the communication terminal using RCS, asking whether future notifications should be sent using RCS or by delivery of a physical item. Distribution method.

4. A program for operating a computer as a distribution server according to claim 1 or claim 2, the program for causing the computer to function as each part of the distribution server.

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