Proposed system, proposed method, and proposed program

Abstract

To provide a proposal system, a proposal method, and a proposal program to enable proposal of a flavor for use in a beverage with a desired degree of creativity.SOLUTION: A proposal system 1 comprises: a reference beverage information acquisition unit 12 that obtains reference beverage information that identifies one of the existing beverages and a similarity to the reference beverage; a first recommended flavor information acquisition unit 13 that extracts flavor information that is a candidate for a flavor to be used in the beverage from among multiple flavors applicable to the beverage, as first recommended flavor information, based on a predetermined condition; a second recommended flavor information acquisition unit 14 that obtains flavor information on a flavor being used in the reference beverage as second recommended flavor information; a proposal flavor information generation unit 15 that obtains proposal flavor information from the flavor information contained in the first and second recommended flavor information and makes the number or the proportion of the flavor information contained in the second recommended flavor information in the proposal flavor information greater as the similarity is greater; and an output unit 16 that outputs the proposal flavor information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a proposal system, a proposal method, and a proposal program for flavors used in beverages.

Background Art

[0002] Techniques for proposing cooking recipes to users are known. For example, in Patent Document 1, when a recipe presented to a user includes inedible ingredients or unacceptable steps, alternative ingredients or alternative steps are presented based on the correspondence according to the classification of alternative recipes in a database.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] On the other hand, in the development of beverages, a technique for proposing suitable flavors for beverages is desired. When proposing flavors and combinations of flavors used in beverages, while referring to the flavors used in existing beverages, it has been required to make creative proposals that are not found in existing beverages and proposals in which the degree of creativity is set to any desired level. However, generally, in techniques for proposing ingredients, recipes, etc., items with a high degree of compliance with specified conditions have been proposed. In such a system, it has been difficult to make creative proposals and proposals in which the degree of creativity is set to the desired level.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to enable the proposal of flavors having a desired degree of creativity with respect to flavors used in beverages.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above problems, the proposed system relating to the first aspect of this disclosure is a proposal system for proposing flavorings to be used in a beverage, comprising: a reference beverage information acquisition unit that identifies one existing beverage as a reference beverage, and a similarity score that represents the degree of similarity to the reference beverage; a first recommended flavoring information acquisition unit that extracts information on one or more flavorings that are candidates for use in a beverage from among a plurality of flavorings applicable to the beverage, based on predetermined input conditions, as first recommended flavoring information; and an existing beverage and a system for proposing flavorings to be used in the existing beverage The system includes: a second recommended flavor information acquisition unit that acquires flavor information of flavors used in a reference beverage as second recommended flavor information by referring to existing beverage information, which is information that associates the flavors contained in the beverage; a proposed flavor information generation unit that acquires flavor information of a proposed flavor from the flavor information contained in the first recommended flavor information and the second recommended flavor information as proposed flavor information, wherein the greater the similarity, the greater the number or proportion of flavor information contained in the second recommended flavor information in the proposed flavor information; and an output unit that outputs the proposed flavor information.

[0007] A proposed method relating to the first aspect of this disclosure is a proposed method in a proposal system for proposing flavorings to be used in a beverage, comprising: a reference beverage information acquisition step that identifies one existing beverage as a reference beverage, and a similarity score representing the degree of similarity to the reference beverage; a first recommended flavoring information acquisition step that extracts information on one or more flavorings that are candidates for use in a beverage from among a plurality of flavorings applicable to the beverage, based on predetermined input conditions, as first recommended flavoring information; and an existing beverage and the existing beverage and the flavorings used in the existing beverage The method includes: a second recommended flavor acquisition step, which involves obtaining flavor information of flavors used in a reference beverage as second recommended flavor information by referring to existing beverage information, which is information that associates flavors with the flavors; a proposed flavor information generation step, which involves obtaining flavor information of a proposed flavor as proposed flavor information from the flavor information included in the first recommended flavor information and the second recommended flavor information, wherein the greater the similarity, the greater the number or proportion of flavor information included in the second recommended flavor information in the proposed flavor information; and an output step, which outputs the proposed flavor information.

[0008] The proposed program relating to the first aspect of this disclosure is a proposed program for causing a computer to function as a proposal system for proposing flavorings to be used in a beverage, comprising: a reference beverage information acquisition function that obtains reference beverage information, which identifies one existing beverage as a reference beverage, and a similarity score that represents the degree of similarity to the reference beverage; and a first recommended flavoring information acquisition function that extracts information on one or more flavorings that are candidates for use in a beverage from among a plurality of flavorings applicable to the beverage, based on predetermined input conditions, as first recommended flavoring information, and existing The system includes a second recommended flavor acquisition function that obtains flavor information of flavors used in a reference beverage as second recommended flavor information by referring to existing beverage information, which is information that associates a beverage with the flavors used in the existing beverage; a proposed flavor information generation function that obtains flavor information of a proposed flavor from the flavor information included in the first recommended flavor information and the second recommended flavor information as proposed flavor information, wherein the greater the similarity, the greater the number or proportion of flavor information included in the second recommended flavor information in the proposed flavor information; and an output function that outputs the proposed flavor information.

[0009] In this respect, reference beverage information and similarity to the reference beverage are obtained from existing beverages. Proposed flavor information is then generated from first recommended flavor information, which consists of flavor information obtained based on predetermined conditions, and second recommended flavor information, which consists of flavor information of flavors used in the reference beverage. The number of flavor information included in the second recommended flavor information within the proposed flavor information is then adjusted so that the number or proportion increases as the similarity increases. Therefore, by inputting a similarity to the reference beverage corresponding to the desired degree of creativity, it becomes possible to propose flavors with the desired level of creativity.

[0010] In the proposed system relating to the second aspect, the proposed fragrance information generation unit in the proposed system relating to the first aspect may include all fragrance information included in the second recommended fragrance information in the proposed fragrance information if the acquired similarity is at the maximum level within the range of possible levels.

[0011] From this perspective, by inputting reference beverage information that identifies a certain existing beverage as a reference beverage, and a similarity score set to the maximum degree, second recommended flavor information consisting of flavorings used in the reference beverage is proposed as suggested flavoring information. Therefore, it becomes possible to propose flavorings that realize the aroma characteristics of the existing beverage.

[0012] In the proposed system relating to the third aspect, in the proposed system relating to the first or second aspect, the proposed fragrance information generation unit may include all fragrance information included in the first recommended fragrance information in the proposed fragrance information if the acquired similarity is the smallest degree within the range that can be set.

[0013] From this perspective, by inputting a similarity score set to the minimum level, the first recommended fragrance information extracted based on predetermined conditions is proposed as suggested fragrance information. Therefore, it becomes possible to propose highly creative fragrances that achieve fragrance characteristics different from existing beverages.

[0014] In the proposed system relating to the fourth aspect, the system further includes a phrase acquisition unit that acquires a concept phrase containing at least one word representing a desired characteristic of the beverage's aroma in the proposed system relating to any one of the first to third aspects, and the first recommended fragrance information acquisition unit may acquire one or more fragrance information corresponding to the beverage's aroma characteristics represented by the concept phrase as first recommended fragrance information, using fragrance characteristic information which is information that associates fragrance information identifying a fragrance with a characteristic phrase representing the characteristics of the fragrance, with the concept phrase as a predetermined condition.

[0015] From this perspective, since fragrance information corresponding to the aroma characteristics of the beverage expressed by the concept phrase is obtained as the first recommended fragrance information, it becomes possible to propose fragrances that can realize the aroma characteristics of the beverage expressed in the concept phrase to the extent corresponding to the set similarity.

[0016] In the proposed system relating to the fifth aspect, the first recommended fragrance information acquisition unit may acquire fragrance information to be included in the first recommended fragrance information based on the degree of agreement between the concept phrase and the characteristic phrase in the fragrance characteristic information.

[0017] From this perspective, since the first recommended fragrance information is obtained based on the degree of agreement between the concept phrase and the characteristic phrase, fragrance information for proposed fragrance candidates can be easily obtained.

[0018] In the proposed system relating to the sixth aspect, in the proposed system relating to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the reference beverage information acquisition unit may acquire flavor number information that specifies the number of flavors in the proposed flavor information, and the proposed flavor information generation unit may generate proposed flavor information that includes the number of flavors specified by the flavor number information.

[0019] From this perspective, since the number of fragrances in the proposed fragrance information is specified, it becomes possible to obtain a proposal consisting of a desired number of fragrance combinations.

[0020] In the proposed system relating to the seventh aspect, in the proposed system relating to any one of the first to sixth aspects, the reference beverage information acquisition unit may acquire core flavor designation information that designates one of the flavors used in the reference beverage as a core flavor, and the proposed flavor information generation unit may include the core flavor in the proposed flavor information.

[0021] From this perspective, by designating the flavorings that are essential for use in beverages as core flavorings, it becomes possible to obtain proposals that include these essential flavorings. [Effects of the Invention]

[0022] According to one aspect of this disclosure, it becomes possible to propose flavorings for use in beverages that possess a desired degree of creativity. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0023] [Figure 1] It is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a proposal system including a proposal device. [Figure 2] It is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the proposal system. [Figure 3] It is a diagram showing an example of a screen for inputting concept phrases and the like. [Figure 4] It is a diagram showing the configuration of the fragrance characteristic information stored in the fragrance characteristic information storage unit and an example of the stored data. [Figure 5] It is a diagram showing an example of calculating the degree of match score between a concept phrase and the characteristic phrases of each fragrance. [Figure 6] It is a diagram showing an example of calculating the degree of match score for a combination of fragrances calculated based on the degree of match score between a concept phrase and the characteristic phrases of each fragrance. [Figure 7] It is a diagram showing the configuration of the existing beverage information stored in the existing beverage information storage unit and an example of the stored data. [Figure 8] It is a diagram showing an example of the proposed fragrance information generated according to the similarity based on the first recommended fragrance information and the second recommended fragrance information. [Figure 9] It is a diagram showing an example of a screen where the proposed fragrance information is presented. [Figure 10] It is a flowchart showing the processing content of the proposal method implemented in the proposal system.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0024] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same or equivalent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions are omitted.

[0025] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the proposed system including the proposed device according to this embodiment. Proposed system 1 is a system that proposes flavorings to be used in beverages. Specifically, proposed system 1 proposes combinations of one or more flavorings to be used in beverages. The flavorings are those that can add fragrance to beverages and are, for example, provided by so-called flavoring manufacturers, but are not limited thereto. As shown in Figure 1, proposed system 1 includes proposed device 10. Proposed system 1 may also include a flavoring characteristic information storage unit 20 and an existing beverage information storage unit 30.

[0026] As shown in Figure 1, the proposed device 10 functionally comprises a phrase acquisition unit 11, a reference beverage information acquisition unit 12, a first recommended flavor information acquisition unit 13, a second recommended flavor information acquisition unit 14, a proposed flavor information generation unit 15, and an output unit 16. Each of these functional units 11 to 16 is realized when program P (the proposed program) is loaded into the processor 101, which will be explained with reference to Figure 2, and that program is executed. Each functional unit will be described later. In this embodiment, each of the functional units 11 to 16 is configured in the proposed device 10, but they may be distributed across multiple computers.

[0027] Each functional unit of the proposed device 10 is configured to access the fragrance characteristic information storage unit 20 and the existing beverage information storage unit 30. In the example shown in Figure 1, these storage units 20 and 30 are configured as elements of the proposed system 1 in other devices that are accessible from the proposed device 10, but they may also be configured inside the proposed device 10.

[0028] Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the proposed device 10, and shows a computer 100 that functions as the proposed device 10.

[0029] As an example, computer 100 includes a processor 101, a main memory unit 102, an auxiliary memory unit 103, and a communication unit 104 as hardware components.

[0030] The processor 101 is a computing unit that executes the operating system and application programs. Examples of processors include CPUs (Central Processing Units) and GPUs (Graphics Processing Units), but the type of processor 101 is not limited to these. For example, the processor 101 may be a combination of dedicated circuits. These dedicated circuits may be programmable circuits such as FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays), or other types of circuits.

[0031] The main memory unit 102 is a device that stores programs for realizing the proposed device 10, calculation results output from the processor 101, and the like. The main memory unit 102 is composed of, for example, at least one of ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory).

[0032] The auxiliary storage unit 103 is generally a device capable of storing a larger amount of data than the main memory unit 102. The auxiliary storage unit 103 is composed of a non-volatile storage medium such as a hard disk or flash memory. The auxiliary storage unit 103 stores the program P and various data necessary for the computer 100 to function as the proposed device 10. Furthermore, if each storage unit 20, 30 is included in the proposed device 10, each storage unit 20, 30 may be composed of either the main memory unit 102, the auxiliary storage unit 103, or other storage elements.

[0033] The communication unit 104 is a device that performs data communication with other computers via a communication network. The communication unit 104 is composed of, for example, a network card or a wireless communication module.

[0034] Each functional element of the proposed device 10 is realized by loading the corresponding program P onto the processor 101 or main memory unit 102 and having the processor 101 execute the program. Program P includes code for realizing each functional element of the corresponding server. The processor 101 operates the communication unit 104 according to program P and performs data reading and writing in the main memory unit 102 or auxiliary memory unit 103. Through such processing, each functional element of the proposed device 10 is realized.

[0035] Program P may be provided permanently recorded on a tangible recording medium such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, or semiconductor memory. Alternatively, at least one of these programs may be provided via a communication network as a data signal superimposed on a carrier wave.

[0036] The proposed device 10 may consist of one or more computers. If multiple computers are used for a single proposed device 10, these computers are connected to each other via a communication network, thereby logically forming a single computer.

[0037] Referring again to Figure 1, each storage unit of the proposed device 10 will be described. The phrase acquisition unit 11 acquires a concept phrase that represents a desired characteristic of the aroma of the beverage. The concept phrase contains at least one word.

[0038] Figure 3 shows an example of a display screen for inputting concept phrases, etc. Display screen D1 is displayed on a predetermined display connected to the proposed device 10, or on a display of a terminal configured to communicate with the proposed device 10, for example.

[0039] Display screen D1 includes a target flavor concept field CF. The phrase acquisition unit 11 acquires a concept phrase entered in the target flavor concept field CF by, for example, a beverage developer. Any phrase can be entered in the target flavor concept field CF, such as "lemon, strong lemon flavor, mature flavor, peel aroma, aftertaste".

[0040] The reference beverage information acquisition unit 12 acquires reference beverage information. The reference beverage information is information that identifies one existing beverage as the reference beverage. The reference beverage information acquisition unit 12 also acquires a similarity score that represents the degree of similarity to the reference beverage.

[0041] Specifically, similarity is an index value that specifies the degree to which a client desires a proposal for a flavor profile that is similar to that of a reference beverage in order to achieve the flavor goals set during beverage development, or a proposal for a creative flavor profile that is different from that of an existing beverage identified as the reference beverage.

[0042] As illustrated in Figure 3, the display screen D1 includes a similar beverage field SI and a similarity field SD. The reference beverage information acquisition unit 12 acquires information that identifies existing beverages, entered in the similar beverage field SI by beverage developers, etc., as reference beverage information. The reference beverage information acquisition unit 12 also acquires the similarity entered in the similarity field SD, which is entered by beverage developers, etc. As illustrated in Figure 3, the similarity can be set as a numerical value in the range of 1 to 3, for example. In the example shown in Figure 3, the similarity can be entered in 3 stages, but the number of stages is not limited to 3.

[0043] Furthermore, display screen D1 may also include a core flavor field CI and a flavor quantity field FN. The core flavor is one of the flavors used in the reference beverage, and is a flavor that the beverage developer etc. wants to use as essential in the beverage. The reference beverage information acquisition unit 12 acquires the flavor information that identifies the core flavor, which has been entered into the core flavor field CI by the beverage developer etc., as core flavor designation information. As will be described later, by designating the core flavor in this way, the core flavor can be included as an essential flavor in the proposed flavor combination.

[0044] The number of flavorings is the number of flavorings in the proposed flavoring combination, and is specified by the beverage developer, etc. The reference beverage information acquisition unit 12 acquires the number of flavorings entered in the flavoring number field FN by the beverage developer, etc., as flavoring number information that specifies the number of flavorings. As will be described later, by specifying the number of flavorings in this way, it becomes possible to arbitrarily set the number of flavorings in the proposed flavoring combination.

[0045] The first recommended flavor information acquisition unit 13 extracts information on one or more flavors that are candidates for use in a beverage from among a plurality of flavors applicable to the beverage, based on the input predetermined conditions, as first recommended flavor information.

[0046] Specifically, the first recommended fragrance information acquisition unit 13 uses fragrance characteristic information, with the concept phrase as a predetermined condition, to acquire one or more fragrance information corresponding to the fragrance characteristics of the beverage expressed by the concept phrase as the first recommended fragrance information. The fragrance characteristic information is information that associates fragrance information that identifies a fragrance with a characteristic phrase that expresses the characteristics of that fragrance.

[0047] The fragrance characteristic information storage unit 20 is a storage means that stores fragrance characteristic information. Figure 4 is a diagram showing the structure of the fragrance characteristic information stored in the fragrance characteristic information storage unit 20 and an example of the stored data. As shown in Figure 4, the fragrance characteristic information storage unit 20 stores the fragrance name that identifies the fragrance as fragrance information, associating each fragrance name with its category and a characteristic phrase that represents the fragrance characteristics. The attribute indicates the category to which the fragrance belongs. The characteristic phrase is a phrase that represents the fragrance characteristics of the fragrance, and is information provided, for example, by the fragrance manufacturer. In the example shown in Figure 4, "Fragrance A" belongs to the category of attribute "Lemon" and has the characteristic phrase "Rich peel scent".

[0048] As an example, the first recommended fragrance information acquisition unit 13 acquires fragrance information to be included in the first recommended fragrance information based on the degree of agreement between the concept phrase and the characteristic phrase in the fragrance characteristic information. The process of acquiring the first recommended fragrance information will be explained in detail with reference to Figures 5 and 6. Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of calculating the degree of agreement score between the concept phrase and the characteristic phrase of each fragrance. Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of calculating the degree of agreement score for a combination of fragrances calculated based on the degree of agreement score between the concept phrase and the characteristic phrase of each fragrance.

[0049] First, the phrase acquisition unit 11 acquires one or more concept phrases. Here, we assume that the phrase acquisition unit 11 has acquired three concept phrases: "Phrase A," "Phrase B," and "Phrase C." The first recommended fragrance information acquisition unit 13 calculates a matching score that indicates the degree of agreement between each concept phrase and the characteristic phrase of each fragrance in the fragrance characteristic information.

[0050] Any technique well known to those skilled in the art may be applied to calculate the similarity score between phrases. The first recommended fragrance information acquisition unit 13 may, for example, convert the concept phrase and feature phrase into vector representations using methods such as Bag of Words or Doc to Vec, and calculate the similarity score between the concept phrase and the feature phrase by calculating the distance between the vectors (Euclidean distance) as the similarity between the phrases.

[0051] Furthermore, the first recommended fragrance information acquisition unit 13 may calculate a match score between the concept phrase and the characteristic phrase by decomposing each of the concept phrase and the characteristic phrase into words using morphological analysis and aggregating the number of matching words between the two phrases.

[0052] Furthermore, the first recommended fragrance information acquisition unit 13 may decompose each of the concept phrase and the feature phrase into words using morphological analysis, convert the words contained in both phrases into vectors using distributed representation techniques (e.g., Word to Vec), and calculate a matching score between the concept phrase and the feature phrase by aggregating the similarity between the words contained in both phrases.

[0053] As shown in Figure 5, the first recommended fragrance information acquisition unit 13 calculates the degree of agreement between each characteristic phrase of the fragrance and the respective concept phrases "Phrase A," "Phrase B," and "Phrase C." For example, the degree of agreement between the characteristic phrase "Rich fruit peel aroma" of "Fragrance A" and the respective concept phrases "Phrase A," "Phrase B," and "Phrase C" is 58, 78, and 89.

[0054] Next, the first recommended fragrance information acquisition unit 13 calculates a matching score for the fragrance combinations with respect to the concept phrase. The first recommended fragrance information acquisition unit 13 may also calculate a matching score for each fragrance combination that contains the number of fragrances specified as fragrance quantity information.

[0055] Specifically, the first recommended fragrance information acquisition unit 13 calculates a matching score for a fragrance combination by aggregating the matching score between each fragrance included in the fragrance combination and each concept phrase.

[0056] The first recommended fragrance information acquisition unit 13 may, for example, extract a predetermined number of fragrances with matching scores calculated for each concept phrase, and then extract a specified number of fragrances from the extracted group of fragrances to generate a combination of fragrances. The first recommended fragrance information acquisition unit 13 may then aggregate the matching scores between each fragrance included in the fragrance combination and each concept phrase to calculate a matching score for the fragrance combination. Any aggregation method may be applied to aggregate the matching scores, but for example, the first recommended fragrance information acquisition unit 13 may sum the matching scores between each fragrance included in the fragrance combination and each concept phrase for each fragrance, and then further sum and normalize the total scores for each fragrance to calculate a matching score for the fragrance combination.

[0057] As shown in Figure 6, the first recommended fragrance information acquisition unit 13 calculates a match score with the concept phrase for each combination of three fragrances. For example, the match score for fragrance combination No. 1, consisting of fragrances A, B, and C, is "56". Similarly, the match score for fragrance combination No. 2, consisting of fragrances A, B, and D, is "45", and the match score for fragrance combination No. 3, consisting of fragrances A, C, and D, is "53".

[0058] The first recommended fragrance information acquisition unit 13 acquires the fragrance information included in the fragrance combination with the highest matching score as the first recommended fragrance information. In the example shown in Figure 6, the first recommended fragrance information acquisition unit 13 acquires the fragrance information of fragrances A, B, and C included in fragrance combination No. 1 as the first recommended fragrance information. Alternatively, the first recommended fragrance information acquisition unit 13 may use a predetermined number of fragrance combinations with the highest matching scores as the first recommended fragrance information.

[0059] In the example of obtaining first recommended fragrance information described with reference to Figures 5 and 6, the concept phrase is used as a predetermined condition, and the degree of agreement between the characteristic phrase of the fragrance and the concept phrase is used as an evaluation index for adopting each fragrance as first recommended fragrance information. However, the first recommended fragrance information acquisition unit 13 may also acquire keywords entered by beverage developers, etc., using keywords that may be included in the name of the fragrance as a predetermined condition, and acquire candidate fragrances to be adopted as first recommended fragrance information by searching for the name of the fragrance based on the keywords.

[0060] The second recommended flavor information acquisition unit 14 obtains flavor information of flavors used in a reference beverage as second recommended flavor information by referring to existing beverage information. Existing beverage information is information that associates an existing beverage with the flavors used in that existing beverage. The existing beverage information storage unit 30 is a storage means that stores the existing beverage information. Figure 7 is a diagram showing the structure of the existing beverage information stored in the existing beverage information storage unit 30 and an example of the data stored. As shown in Figure 7, the existing beverage information is information that associates the flavors used with the beverage name that identifies the existing beverage.

[0061] In the example shown in Figure 7, the existing beverage information storage unit 30 stores existing beverage information associating "Flavor A," "Flavor B," and "Flavor C" with beverage "AAA." Note that in the existing beverage information, information identifying the core flavor may be associated with the flavors contained in the existing beverage. In the example shown in Figure 7, the core flavor is identified by the symbol "*." Therefore, flavor A used in the existing beverage "AAA" is the core flavor. Furthermore, the existing beverage information storage unit 30 stores existing beverage information associating the core flavors "Flavor X," "Flavor Y," and "Flavor Z" with beverage "DDD."

[0062] For example, if the reference beverage information acquisition unit 12 has acquired reference beverage information that identifies the existing beverage "AAA" as a reference beverage, the second recommended flavor information acquisition unit 14 will refer to the existing beverage information and acquire the flavor information of "Flavor A," "Flavor B," and "Flavor C" associated with beverage "AAA" as the second recommended flavor information.

[0063] Furthermore, for example, if reference beverage information identifying the existing beverage "DDD" as a reference beverage is obtained by the reference beverage information acquisition unit 12, the second recommended flavor information acquisition unit 14 will refer to the existing beverage information and acquire the flavor information of "flavor X," "flavor Y," and "flavor Z" associated with the beverage "DDD" as second recommended flavor information.

[0064] The proposed fragrance information generation unit 15 obtains the fragrance information of the proposed fragrance from the fragrance information included in the first recommended fragrance information and the second recommended fragrance information as proposed fragrance information. The proposed fragrance information generation unit 15 increases the number or proportion of fragrance information included in the second recommended fragrance information in the proposed fragrance information as the similarity obtained by the reference beverage information acquisition unit 12 increases.

[0065] Referring to Figure 8, the process for generating proposed fragrance information will be explained. As shown in Figure 8, the proposed fragrance information generation unit 15 generates proposed fragrance information RF based on the first recommended fragrance information R1 and the second recommended fragrance information R2. The first recommended fragrance information R1 is, as mentioned above, information on fragrances obtained based on concept phrases, etc., and includes fragrance information for "Fragrance A", "Fragrance B", and "Fragrance C". On the other hand, the second recommended fragrance information R2 is, as mentioned above, information on fragrances used in existing beverages designated as reference beverages, and includes fragrance information for "Fragrance X", "Fragrance Y", and "Fragrance Z".

[0066] As shown in Figure 8, when the similarity is "1", the proposed fragrance information generation unit 15 includes the fragrance information of the three fragrances included in the first recommended fragrance information R1, namely "Fragrance A", "Fragrance B", and "Fragrance C", in the proposed fragrance information. Furthermore, when the similarity is "2", the proposed fragrance information generation unit 15 includes the fragrance information of "Fragrance X" included in the second recommended fragrance information R2, as well as "Fragrance A" and "Fragrance B" included in the first recommended fragrance information R1, in the proposed fragrance information. In other words, when the similarity is "2", the number or proportion of fragrance information included in the second recommended fragrance information R2 in the proposed fragrance information RF is larger than when the similarity is "1".

[0067] Furthermore, if the similarity is "3", the proposed fragrance information generation unit 15 includes the fragrance information of the three fragrances included in the second recommended fragrance information R2, namely "Fragrance X", "Fragrance Y", and "Fragrance Z", in the proposed fragrance information. In other words, when the similarity is "3", the number of fragrances included in the second recommended fragrance information R2 is greater or the proportion of the proposed fragrance information RF is greater than when the similarity is "1" or "2".

[0068] In this way, the number of fragrance information components included in the second recommended fragrance information R2 within the proposed fragrance information RF is adjusted so that the number or proportion increases as the similarity increases. Therefore, by inputting a similarity to a reference beverage corresponding to the desired level of creativity, it becomes possible to propose fragrances with the desired level of creativity.

[0069] The proposed fragrance information generation unit 15 may include all fragrance information included in the second recommended fragrance information in the proposed fragrance information if the acquired similarity is the maximum degree within the range of possible levels. In the example shown in Figure 8, if the similarity is "3", which is the maximum degree within the range of possible levels, the proposed fragrance information generation unit 15 includes all fragrance information included in the second recommended fragrance information R2, namely "Fragrance X", "Fragrance Y", and "Fragrance Z", in the proposed fragrance information.

[0070] In this way, by inputting reference beverage information that identifies a certain existing beverage as a reference beverage, and a similarity score set to the maximum degree, second recommended flavor information consisting of flavors used in the reference beverage is proposed as suggested flavor information. Therefore, it becomes possible to propose flavors that realize the aroma characteristics of the existing beverage.

[0071] The proposed fragrance information generation unit 15 may include all fragrance information included in the first recommended fragrance information in the proposed fragrance information if the acquired similarity is the smallest degree within the range of possible levels. In the example shown in Figure 8, if the similarity is "1", which is the smallest degree within the range of possible levels, the proposed fragrance information generation unit 15 includes all the fragrance information included in the first recommended fragrance information R1, namely "Fragrance A", "Fragrance B", and "Fragrance C", in the proposed fragrance information.

[0072] In this way, by inputting a similarity score set to the minimum level, the first recommended fragrance information extracted based on predetermined conditions is proposed as suggested fragrance information. Therefore, it becomes possible to propose highly creative fragrances that achieve fragrance characteristics different from existing beverages.

[0073] The proposed fragrance information generation unit 15 may also generate proposed fragrance information that includes the number of fragrances specified by the fragrance number information. In the example shown in Figure 8, when the reference beverage information acquisition unit 12 acquires fragrance number information specifying the number of fragrances as "3", the proposed fragrance information generation unit 15 acquires a number or proportion of fragrances from the first recommended fragrance information R1 and the second recommended fragrance information R2, respectively, according to their similarity, and generates proposed fragrance information consisting of three fragrances. In this way, by configuring the system to accept the specification of the number of fragrances in the proposed fragrance information, it becomes possible to obtain proposals consisting of a desired number of fragrance combinations.

[0074] Furthermore, the proposed flavor information generation unit 15 may include core flavors in the proposed flavor information. Specifically, if core designation information specifying a flavor included in the reference beverage or other flavors as core flavors is acquired by the reference beverage information acquisition unit 12, the proposed flavor information generation unit 15 will include the core flavors as essential flavors in the proposed flavor information. In this way, by designating flavors that are essential to be used in the beverage as core flavors, it becomes possible to obtain proposals that include essential flavors.

[0075] Furthermore, if the first recommended fragrance information acquisition unit 13 acquires multiple combinations of fragrances as first recommended fragrance information, the proposed fragrance information generation unit 15 may generate proposed fragrance information based on each of the multiple combinations of fragrances.

[0076] The output unit 16 outputs the proposed fragrance information generated by the proposed fragrance information generation unit 15. Specifically, the output unit 16 outputs the proposed fragrance information by displaying it on a predetermined display, storing it in a predetermined storage means, or transmitting it to a predetermined computer.

[0077] Figure 9 shows an example of a screen displaying suggested fragrance information on a predetermined display. As illustrated in Figure 9, the output unit 16 presents a combination of fragrances consisting of "Fragrance X," "Fragrance A," and "Fragrance B" as suggested fragrance information.

[0078] Furthermore, if multiple combinations of fragrances are generated as proposed fragrance information by the proposed fragrance information generation unit 15, the output unit 16 may present multiple fragrance combinations along with ranking them according to their scores. In the example screen shown in Figure 9, the output unit 16 presents a fragrance combination consisting of "Fragrance X," "Fragrance A," and "Fragrance C" as the second-ranked proposed fragrance information.

[0079] The score associated with each fragrance combination here may be, for example, a match score calculated for the fragrance combination during the process of acquiring the first recommended fragrance information, or a score calculated by multiplying the match score by a coefficient predetermined according to the similarity.

[0080] Next, the operation of the proposed system 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 10. Figure 10 is a flowchart showing the processing details of the proposed method implemented in the proposed system 1.

[0081] In step S1, the phrase acquisition unit 11 acquires a concept phrase that represents the desired characteristics of the beverage's aroma. The reference beverage information acquisition unit 12 also acquires reference beverage information and similarity.

[0082] In step S2, the first recommended fragrance information acquisition unit 13, for example, using a concept phrase as a predetermined condition, acquires one or more fragrance information corresponding to the fragrance characteristics of the beverage expressed by the concept phrase as the first recommended fragrance information, using the fragrance characteristic information.

[0083] In step S3, the second recommended flavor information acquisition unit 14 refers to existing beverage information and acquires flavor information of the flavors used in the reference beverage as the second recommended flavor information.

[0084] In step S4, the proposed fragrance information generation unit 15 obtains proposed fragrance information from the fragrance information contained in the first recommended fragrance information and the second recommended fragrance information according to the degree of similarity. The proposed fragrance information generation unit 15 increases the number or proportion of fragrance information contained in the second recommended fragrance information in the proposed fragrance information as the degree of similarity increases.

[0085] In step S5, the output unit 16 outputs the proposed fragrance information generated by the proposed fragrance information generation unit 15 in step S4.

[0086] According to the proposed system 1, proposed device 10, proposed method, and proposed program P of this embodiment described above, reference beverage information and similarity to the reference beverage are obtained from an existing beverage. Proposed flavor information is generated from first recommended flavor information consisting of flavor information obtained based on predetermined conditions, and second recommended flavor information consisting of flavor information of flavors used in the reference beverage. The number of flavor information included in the second recommended flavor information in the proposed flavor information is adjusted so that the number or proportion increases as the similarity increases. Therefore, by inputting a similarity to the reference beverage corresponding to the desired degree of creativity, it becomes possible to propose flavors with the desired level of creativity.

[0087] The present invention has been described in detail above based on its embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The present invention can be modified in various ways without departing from its spirit. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0088] 1...Proposal system, 10...Proposal device, 11...Phrase acquisition unit, 12...Reference beverage information acquisition unit, 13...First recommended flavor information acquisition unit, 14...Second recommended flavor information acquisition unit, 15...Proposed flavor information generation unit, 16...Output unit, 20...Flavor characteristic information storage unit, 30...Existing beverage information storage unit, P...Program.

Claims

1. This is a proposal system for suggesting flavorings to be used in beverages. A reference beverage information acquisition unit that acquires reference beverage information, which identifies one existing beverage as a reference beverage, and a similarity score that represents the degree of similarity in flavor to the reference beverage. A phrase acquisition unit that acquires a concept phrase containing at least one word that expresses a desired characteristic of the flavor of a beverage, A first recommended flavor information acquisition unit extracts information on one or more flavors that are candidates for use in the beverage from among a plurality of flavors applicable to the beverage, based on predetermined input conditions, as first recommended flavor information. A second recommended flavor information acquisition unit obtains flavor information of the flavor used in the referenced beverage as second recommended flavor information by referring to existing beverage information, which is information relating the existing beverage and the flavor used in the existing beverage. A proposed fragrance information generation unit that obtains fragrance information of a proposed fragrance as proposed fragrance information from the fragrance information contained in the first recommended fragrance information and the second recommended fragrance information, wherein the proposed fragrance information generation unit increases the number or proportion of fragrance information contained in the second recommended fragrance information in the proposed fragrance information as the similarity is greater, It comprises an output unit that outputs the proposed fragrance information, The first recommended fragrance information acquisition unit uses the concept phrase as a predetermined condition to acquire one or more fragrance information corresponding to the flavor characteristics of the beverage expressed by the concept phrase, using fragrance characteristic information which is information that associates fragrance information identifying a fragrance with a characteristic phrase that represents the characteristics of the fragrance, as the first recommended fragrance information. Proposed system.

2. The proposed fragrance information generation unit, when the acquired similarity is the maximum degree within the range of possible degrees, includes all fragrance information included in the second recommended fragrance information in the proposed fragrance information. The proposed system according to claim 1.

3. The proposed fragrance information generation unit, when the acquired similarity is the minimum of the settable range, includes all fragrance information included in the first recommended fragrance information in the proposed fragrance information. The proposed system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The first recommended fragrance information acquisition unit acquires fragrance information to be included in the first recommended fragrance information based on the degree of agreement between the concept phrase and the characteristic phrase in the fragrance characteristic information. The proposed system according to claim 1.

5. The aforementioned reference beverage information acquisition unit acquires flavor number information that specifies the number of flavors in the proposed flavor information, The proposed fragrance information generation unit generates the proposed fragrance information which includes the number of fragrances specified by the number of fragrances information. The proposed system according to claim 1.

6. The aforementioned reference beverage information acquisition unit acquires core flavor designation information that designates one of the flavors used in the reference beverage as the core flavor, The proposed fragrance information generation unit includes the core fragrance in the proposed fragrance information. The proposed system according to claim 1.

7. A proposal method in a proposal system for suggesting flavorings to be used in beverages, A reference beverage information acquisition step involves obtaining reference beverage information, which identifies one existing beverage as a reference beverage, and a similarity score that represents the degree of similarity in flavor to the reference beverage. A phrase acquisition step to obtain a concept phrase containing at least one word that expresses a desired characteristic of the flavor of a beverage, A first recommended flavor information acquisition step, in which information on one or more flavors that are candidates for use in the beverage is extracted as first recommended flavor information from among a plurality of flavors applicable to the beverage based on predetermined input conditions, A second recommended flavor acquisition step involves obtaining flavor information of the flavor used in the referenced beverage as second recommended flavor information by referring to existing beverage information, which is information relating the existing beverage and the flavor used in the existing beverage; A proposed fragrance information generation step, which involves obtaining the fragrance information of a proposed fragrance as proposed fragrance information from the fragrance information contained in the first recommended fragrance information and the second recommended fragrance information, wherein the greater the similarity, the greater the number or proportion of fragrance information contained in the second recommended fragrance information in the proposed fragrance information. The system includes an output step that outputs the proposed fragrance information, In the first recommended fragrance information acquisition step, using the concept phrase as a predetermined condition, one or more fragrance information corresponding to the flavor characteristics of the beverage expressed by the concept phrase is acquired as the first recommended fragrance information, using fragrance characteristic information which is information that associates fragrance information that identifies a fragrance with a characteristic phrase that represents the characteristics of the fragrance. Proposal method.

8. A proposal program for making a computer function as a proposal system for suggesting flavorings to be used in beverages, To the aforementioned computer, A reference beverage information acquisition function that identifies one existing beverage as a reference beverage, and obtains a similarity score representing the degree of similarity in flavor to the said reference beverage. A phrase acquisition function that acquires a concept phrase containing at least one word that expresses a desired characteristic of the flavor of a beverage, A first recommended flavor information acquisition function that, based on predetermined input conditions, extracts information on one or more flavors that are candidates for use in the beverage from among a plurality of flavors applicable to the beverage, as first recommended flavor information, A second recommended flavor acquisition function that obtains flavor information of the flavor used in the referenced beverage as second recommended flavor information by referring to existing beverage information, which is information that associates the existing beverage with the flavor used in the existing beverage, A proposed fragrance information generation function that obtains the fragrance information of a proposed fragrance as proposed fragrance information from the fragrance information contained in the first recommended fragrance information and the second recommended fragrance information, wherein the greater the similarity, the greater the number or proportion of fragrance information contained in the second recommended fragrance information in the proposed fragrance information. An output function that outputs the proposed fragrance information is implemented, The first recommended fragrance information acquisition function uses the concept phrase as a predetermined condition to acquire one or more fragrance information corresponding to the flavor characteristics of the beverage expressed by the concept phrase, using fragrance characteristic information which is information that associates fragrance information identifying a fragrance with a characteristic phrase that represents the characteristics of the fragrance. Proposed program.

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