Program, method, and information processing device

Abstract

To continuously maintain or increase the satisfaction level of users participating in the virtual space. [Solution] A program executed by a computer equipped with a processor, the program causes the processor to perform the following steps: receiving an operation from a first user participating in the virtual space to enter a virtual room constructed in the virtual space; allowing the first user to enter the virtual room after receiving the entry operation; determining whether the first user can provide a gift to the virtual room after receiving the entry operation; presenting guidance information regarding the provision of a gift to the first user who has entered the virtual room if it is determined that the provision of a gift is possible; receiving an operation from the first user to provide a gift to the virtual room; and placing a gift object corresponding to the gift in the virtual room in accordance with the received operation to provide the gift.

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] There is a technology in which a visiting user provides a gift to a virtual room in a specific space constructed in a virtual space.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a technology for inputting items into a virtual space from viewers or distributors in contents such as events held in a virtual space.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in the technology of Patent Document 1, items are thrown in for the purpose of showing approval or praise for a program or a performer, but the throwing in of those items is only for the moment with respect to the program or the like viewed by the user. For this reason, the effect of providing items or gifts is limited to events or the like viewed by the user, and there is a problem that it is difficult for the user to continuously maintain the satisfaction with the gift providing or to maintain a continuous connection with the person to whom the gift was provided.

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to continuously maintain or increase the satisfaction of users participating in a virtual space.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] To solve the above problems, a program according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a program executed by a computer equipped with a processor, the program causing the processor to perform the following steps: receiving an operation from a first user participating in a virtual space to enter a virtual room constructed in the virtual space and accessible to any user participating in the virtual space; after receiving the operation to enter the virtual room, allowing the first user to enter the virtual room; after receiving the operation to enter the virtual room, determining whether the first user can provide a gift to the virtual room; if it is determined that the provision of the gift to the virtual room is possible, presenting guidance information regarding the provision of the gift to the first user who has entered the virtual room; receiving the operation from the first user who has received the guidance information to provide the gift to the virtual room; and, in response to the received operation to provide the gift, placing a gift object corresponding to the gift in the virtual room. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to this disclosure, it is possible to continuously maintain or increase the satisfaction of users participating in the virtual space. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] Block diagram showing the overall configuration of System 1. [Figure 2] This diagram shows the functional configuration of terminal device 10. [Figure 3] This diagram shows the functional configuration of server 20. [Figure 4] This is the data structure of the user information database stored in the memory unit of server 20. [Figure 5] This is the data structure of the virtual room information database stored in the memory of server 20. [Figure 6]This is the data structure of the gift information database stored in the memory of server 20. [Figure 7] This flowchart illustrates the sequence of events when the first user enters a virtual room and offers a gift to that virtual room. [Figure 8] This flowchart illustrates a series of processes for determining whether to grant permission for the first user to enter the virtual room. [Figure 9] This is an example screen showing a gift offer notification to the first user who enters a virtual room. [Figure 10] This is an example screen showing the selection of a gift to be offered to the virtual room by the first user who enters the virtual room. [Figure 11] This is an example screen showing how a gift object is placed in a virtual room in response to a gift offering operation by the first user who enters the virtual room. [Figure 12] This is an example screen for displaying information about the user who provided the gift corresponding to the gift object placed in the virtual room. [Figure 13] This is an example screen for receiving input from users participating in a virtual space to evaluate gift objects placed in the virtual room. [Figure 14] This is a block diagram showing the basic hardware configuration of a computer. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. In all the drawings illustrating the embodiments, common components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations are omitted. The following embodiments are not intended to unduly limit the content of this disclosure as described in the claims. Not all components shown in the embodiments are necessarily essential components of this disclosure. Also, each drawing is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily a strict illustration.

[0011] Also, in the following description, a "processor" refers to one or more processors. At least one processor is typically a microprocessor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), but may also be another type of processor such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). At least one processor may be single-core or multi-core.

[0012] Also, at least one processor may be a processor in a broad sense such as a hardware circuit (e.g., FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit)) that performs part or all of the processing.

[0013] Also, in the following description, an expression such as "xxx table" may be used to describe information from which an output is obtained for an input. This information may be data of any structure or a learning model such as a neural network that generates an output for an input. Therefore, "xxx table" can be referred to as "xxx information".

[0014] Also, in the following description, the configuration of each table is an example. One table may be divided into two or more tables, or all or part of two or more tables may be one table.

[0015] Also, in the following description, when a "program" is used as the subject to describe a process, since the program is executed by a processor to perform a defined process while appropriately using a storage unit and / or an interface unit, etc., the subject of the process may be a processor (or a device such as a controller having that processor).

[0016] The program may be installed on a device such as a computer, or it may reside on a program distribution server or a computer-readable (e.g., non-temporary) recording medium. Furthermore, in the following description, two or more programs may be implemented as a single program, or one program may be implemented as two or more programs.

[0017] Furthermore, in the following explanation, identification numbers are used as identification information for various objects, but other types of identification information (for example, identifiers including letters or symbols) may also be used.

[0018] Furthermore, in the following explanations, when describing similar elements without distinction, a reference code (or a common code among reference codes) may be used, and when describing similar elements with distinction, the element's identification number (or reference code) may be used.

[0019] Furthermore, in the following explanation, only control lines and information lines deemed necessary for the explanation are shown, and not all control lines and information lines in the product are necessarily shown. All components may be interconnected.

[0020] Each information processing device consists of a computer equipped with an arithmetic unit and a memory device. The basic hardware configuration of the computer and the basic functional configuration of the computer realized by said hardware configuration will be described later. For each of the terminal device 10 and the server 20, explanations that overlap with the basic hardware configuration and basic functional configuration of the computer described later will be omitted.

[0021] (First Embodiment) <Overview> The following embodiment describes a technology that enables a user participating in a virtual space (first user) to enter a virtual room constructed in the virtual space by another user (second user) also participating in the virtual space, and enables the first user to provide a gift to the virtual room. Here, the devices used as appropriate when implementing the technology disclosed herein are not limited, and various devices can be used, including terminal devices such as smartphones and tablet terminals owned by the user, as well as stationary PCs (personal computers), head-mounted displays (HMDs), and other devices.

[0022] In this embodiment, System 1 provides a technology that can particularly enhance the desire of users to gift when they enter a virtual room constructed in a virtual space.

[0023] <1 System Configuration Diagram> Figure 1 shows the overall configuration of System 1 in the first embodiment.

[0024] As shown in Figure 1, System 1 includes a terminal device 10 and a server 20. The terminal device 10 and the server 20 communicate with each other via a network 80.

[0025] Terminal device 10 is a device used by users who participate in the virtual space and the services provided in that virtual space (hereinafter mainly referred to as "participating in the virtual space"). Terminal device 10 is implemented by a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or tablet that supports a mobile communication system. Alternatively, terminal device 10 may be a stationary PC (Personal Computer), laptop PC, etc. Terminal device 10 includes a communication interface 12, an input device 13, an output device 14, a memory 15, a storage unit 16, and a processor 19. Server 20 includes a communication interface 22, an input / output interface 23, a memory 25, storage 26, and a processor 29. In this embodiment, a user participating in the virtual space who performs operations such as entering a virtual room that can be entered and exited by any user constructed in the virtual space, and providing a gift after entering the room, is described as the first user. In this embodiment, a user who constructs a virtual room in the virtual space is described as the second user. In this case, the device used by the first user is represented as terminal device 10A, and the device used by the second user is represented as terminal device 10B. In this embodiment, terminal devices used by participating users other than the first user and the second user are represented as terminal device 10.

[0026] Terminal device 10 is connected to server 20 via network 80 in a way that allows communication. Terminal device 10 is connected to network 80 by communicating with communication equipment such as a wireless base station 81 that supports communication standards such as 5G and LTE (Long Term Evolution), and a wireless LAN router 82 that supports wireless LAN (Local Area Network) standards such as IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11.

[0027] The communication interface 12 is an interface for inputting and outputting signals so that the terminal device 10 can communicate with external devices. The input device 13 is an input device (e.g., a touch panel, touchpad, mouse or other pointing device, keyboard, etc.) for receiving input operations from the user. The output device 14 is an output device (display, speaker, etc.) for presenting information to the user. The memory 15 is for temporarily storing programs and data processed by programs, etc., and is a volatile memory such as DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory). The storage unit 16 is a storage device for saving data, such as flash memory or an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). The processor 19 is hardware for executing the instruction set written in the program, and is composed of an arithmetic unit, registers, peripheral circuits, etc.

[0028] Server 20 is a device that manages a series of processes related to System 1. For example, Server 20 stores information about the virtual space and users participating in the services performed in the virtual space. Server 20 also receives an operation from a user participating in the virtual space (the first user) to enter a virtual room that is constructed in the virtual space by other users participating in the same virtual space (the second user) and that any user can enter and leave. After receiving the operation from the first user to enter the virtual room, Server 20 allows the first user to enter the virtual room. After receiving the aforementioned operation from the first user to enter the virtual room, Server 20 determines whether the first user can provide a gift to the virtual room. If Server 20 determines that the first user can provide a gift to the virtual room, it presents guidance information regarding gift provision to the first user who has entered the virtual room. Server 20 also receives an operation from the first user who has received the guidance information to provide the gift. Server 20 also places a gift object corresponding to the gift in the virtual room in response to an operation to provide the received gift. Server 20 also executes and manages a series of processes related to the construction of a virtual room in the virtual space performed by the second user. Furthermore, Server 20 manages a series of processes related to the operation of the virtual room constructed by the second user.

[0029] Communication IF22 is an interface for inputting and outputting signals so that the server 20 can communicate with external devices. Input / Output IF23 functions as an interface to an input device for receiving input operations from the user and an output device for presenting information to the user. Memory 25 is for temporarily storing programs and data processed by programs, etc., and is a volatile memory such as DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory). Storage 26 is a storage device for saving data, such as flash memory or HDD (Hard Disk Drive). Processor 29 is hardware for executing the instruction set written in the program, and is composed of an arithmetic unit, registers, peripheral circuits, etc.

[0030] In this embodiment, each device (terminal device, server, etc.) can also be considered as an information processing device. That is, the collection of each device can be considered as a single "information processing device," and System 1 may be formed as a collection of multiple devices. The way in which the multiple functions required to realize System 1 according to this embodiment are distributed to one or more hardware can be appropriately determined in view of the processing capacity of each hardware and / or the specifications required for System 1.

[0031] <1.1 Configuration of terminal device 10> Figure 2 is a block diagram of the terminal device 10 that constitutes System 1 of Embodiment 1. As shown in Figure 2, the terminal device 10 includes a plurality of antennas (antenna 111, antenna 112), wireless communication units corresponding to each antenna (first wireless communication unit 121, second wireless communication unit 122), an operation reception unit 130 (including a touch-sensitive device 1301 and a display 1302), an audio processing unit 140, a microphone 141, a speaker 142, a position information sensor 150, a camera 160, a motion sensor 170, a storage unit 180, and a control unit 190. The terminal device 10 also has functions and configurations not specifically shown in Figure 2 (for example, a battery for maintaining power, a power supply circuit for controlling the supply of power from the battery to each circuit, etc.). As shown in Figure 2, each block included in the terminal device 10 is electrically connected by a bus or the like.

[0032] Antenna 111 radiates signals emitted by terminal device 10 as radio waves. Antenna 111 also receives radio waves from space and provides the received signals to first wireless communication unit 121.

[0033] Antenna 112 radiates signals emitted by terminal device 10 as radio waves. Antenna 112 also receives radio waves from space and provides the received signals to second wireless communication unit 122.

[0034] The first wireless communication unit 121 performs modulation and demodulation processing, etc., for the terminal device 10 to transmit and receive signals via the antenna 111 in order to communicate with other wireless devices. The second wireless communication unit 122 performs modulation and demodulation processing, etc., for the terminal device 10 to transmit and receive signals via the antenna 112 in order to communicate with other wireless devices. The first wireless communication unit 121 and the second wireless communication unit 122 are a communication module that includes a tuner, an RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) calculation circuit, a CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) calculation circuit, a high-frequency circuit, etc. The first wireless communication unit 121 and the second wireless communication unit 122 perform modulation and demodulation, and frequency conversion, of the wireless signals transmitted and received by the terminal device 10, and provide the received signal to the control unit 190.

[0035] The operation reception unit 130 has a mechanism for receiving user input operations. Specifically, the operation reception unit 130 is configured as a touchscreen and includes a touch-sensitive device 1301 and a display 1302. The touch-sensitive device 1301 receives user input operations of the terminal device 10. The touch-sensitive device 1301 detects the user's contact position with the touch panel, for example, by using a capacitive touch panel. The touch-sensitive device 1301 outputs a signal indicating the user's contact position detected by the touch panel to the control unit 190 as an input operation. The terminal device 10 may also be equipped with a physically usable keyboard (not shown) and may receive user input operations via the keyboard.

[0036] The display 1302 displays data such as images, videos, and text in response to control from the control unit 190. The display 1302 is implemented, for example, by an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display.

[0037] The audio processing unit 140 modulates and demodulates the audio signal. The audio processing unit 140 modulates the signal received from the microphone 141 and provides the modulated signal to the control unit 190. The audio processing unit 140 also provides the audio signal to the speaker 142. The audio processing unit 140 is implemented, for example, by an audio processing processor. The microphone 141 receives an audio input and provides the audio signal corresponding to that audio input to the audio processing unit 140. The speaker 142 converts the audio signal received from the audio processing unit 140 into sound and outputs the sound to the outside of the terminal device 10.

[0038] The location information sensor 150 is a sensor that detects the position of the terminal device 10, and is, for example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) module. A GPS module is a receiving device used in a satellite positioning system. In a satellite positioning system, signals are received from at least three or four satellites, and the current position of the terminal device 10, which is equipped with a GPS module, is detected based on the received signals. The location information sensor 150 may also be a transmitting and receiving device based on a communication standard used in short-range communication systems between information devices. Specifically, the location information sensor 150 uses the 2.4GHz band, such as a Bluetooth® module, to receive beacon signals from other information devices equipped with a Bluetooth® module.

[0039] Camera 160 is a device that receives light using a photodetector and outputs it as an image. Camera 160 is, for example, a depth camera that can detect the distance from camera 160 to the object being photographed. Furthermore, camera 160 acquires the body movements of users, performers, etc., using the terminal device 10. Specifically, for example, camera 160 acquires the user's mouth movements and the movements of various parts of the face (eyes, eyebrows, etc.). Any existing technology may be used to acquire these movements.

[0040] The motion sensor 170 is composed of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, and the like, and detects the tilt of the terminal device 10.

[0041] The storage unit 180 is composed of, for example, flash memory and stores data and programs used by the terminal device 10. In certain situations, the storage unit 180 stores user information 1801, etc. This information is held in the storage unit 180 of the terminal device 10, or it may be stored as a database in the storage unit 202 of the server (described later) and retrieved via the network 80.

[0042] Here, we will explain an example in which a user participating in a virtual space uses terminal device 10. For example, a user participating in a virtual space can move around the virtual space by operating an avatar object corresponding to the user via terminal device 10 used by the user. In this case, the avatar object corresponding to the user is displayed on the display 1302 of terminal device 10A in either a first-person or third-person perspective. First-person perspective means that the avatar object is not displayed on the display 1302 of terminal device 10 used by the user, and the user who controls the movement of the avatar object views the virtual space from the avatar object's perspective, and the avatar object corresponding to the user performs actions such as movement when the user operates from that perspective. Third-person perspective means that the avatar object is displayed on the display 1302 of terminal device 10 used by the user, and the user who controls the movement of the avatar object views the movement of the avatar object existing in the virtual space, and the avatar object corresponding to the user performs actions such as movement when the user operates from that perspective. This display in first-person and third-person perspectives can be switched based on the user's operation. Furthermore, a first user participating in the virtual space can enter a virtual room constructed in the virtual space via a terminal device 10 (terminal device 10A) used by the first user. In this case, for example, the virtual room may be placed in the virtual space in a way that makes it visually recognizable, and the first user may move an avatar object corresponding to the first user to the virtual room via the terminal device 10 (terminal device 10A) and perform an operation to enter the virtual room at a position close to the virtual room. Alternatively, for example, the first user may perform an operation to enter the virtual room via the terminal device 10 (terminal device 10A) based on information about the virtual room displayed on the display 1302, without performing such an operation to move the avatar object.

[0043] User information 1801 is information about a user participating in the virtual space. User information includes, for example, information about the identification ID, the user's name, the user's age, the user's gender, the user's contact information, information about the user's favorite events held in the virtual space and / or favorite performers appearing in those events, information about the total amount of gifts the user has provided in the virtual space in the past, gift provision history information regarding gifts provided in past events held in the virtual space, log information representing the user's activity history at events held in the virtual space or outside of those events, and, if the user is a user who creates virtual rooms in the virtual space (a second user), information about virtual rooms that have been created or are currently being created in the virtual space. The events held or conducted in the virtual space in which the user participates can include various events held in the virtual space, such as live music events, talk events, merchandise sales events, game events, fashion shows, conferences, and exhibitions. In the system 1 according to this embodiment, if there are multiple users, information about each user using the terminal device 10 is stored. For example, in the terminal device 10A used by the first user, information about the first user is stored as user information 1801. Similarly, in the terminal device 10B used by the second user, information about the second user is stored as user information 1801.

[0044] The control unit 190 controls the operation of the terminal device 10 by reading the program stored in the memory unit 180 and executing the instructions contained in the program. The control unit 190 is, for example, an application processor. By operating according to the program, the control unit 190 performs the functions of an input operation receiving unit 1901, a transmitting / receiving unit 1902, a data processing unit 1903, and a notification control unit 1904.

[0045] The input operation receiving unit 1901 processes input operations from the user to an input device such as a touch-sensitive device 1301. Based on the coordinate information of the touch-sensitive device 1301 where the user's finger or the like has made contact, the input operation receiving unit 1901 determines the type of operation, such as whether the user's operation is a flick operation, a tap operation, or a drag (swipe) operation.

[0046] The transmitting / receiving unit 1902 performs processing to enable the terminal device 10 to send and receive data with an external device such as a server 20 in accordance with a communication protocol.

[0047] The data processing unit 1903 performs calculations on the data received as input by the terminal device 10 according to the program and outputs the calculation results to memory or the like.

[0048] The data processing unit 1903 receives input operations related to an event from the user and controls the processing to execute various processes related to the event. For example, the data processing unit 1903 executes the process of sending various information related to the execution of the event received from the user to the server or the terminal device of the virtual space administrator.

[0049] The notification control unit 1904 performs the following processes: displaying the image on the display 1302, outputting sound to the speaker 142, and generating vibrations in the camera 160.

[0050] <1.2 Functional Configuration of Server 20> Figure 3 shows the functional configuration of server 20. As shown in Figure 3, the server 20 functions as a communication unit 201, a storage unit 202, and a control unit 203.

[0051] The communications unit 201 performs processing to enable the server 20 to communicate with external devices.

[0052] The storage unit 202 stores data and programs used by the server 20. The storage unit 202 stores the user information database 2021, the virtual room information database 2022, the gift information database 2023, and so on.

[0053] The User Information Database 2021 is a database for storing various information about users participating in the virtual space. This information includes, for example, information about users participating in the virtual space. This information includes, for example, information about the user's identification ID, name, age, gender, contact information, membership status, number of visits to virtual rooms built in the virtual space, user preferences, favorite virtual rooms, total amount spent on gifts provided by the user in the virtual space, gift provision history in past events held in the virtual space, log information representing activity history during or outside of events held in the virtual space, and, if the user is a user who builds virtual rooms in the virtual space (a second user), information about virtual rooms built or under construction. Details of each record held in this database will be described later.

[0054] The Virtual Room Information Database 2022 is a database for storing various information about virtual rooms constructed in virtual space. Information about virtual rooms includes information about the virtual room's identification ID, information about the virtual room's name, information about the identification ID of the virtual room's owner user (second user) who constructs, operates, and manages the virtual room, information about objects placed in the virtual room, information about the conditions for visitors to the virtual room, information about the conditions for placing gifts provided to the virtual room, information about visitor history, information about gift provision history, etc. The information regarding the conditions for visitors to a virtual room, stored in the virtual room information database 2022, is information regarding the conditions under which visitors can visit a virtual room. This information regarding visitor conditions includes, for example, information about users that a second user is permitted to visit (enter) the virtual room, information about users individually designated by the second user, and information about users who are friends with the second user. The information regarding visitor conditions may also include, for example, information about users that the second user is not permitted to visit (enter) the virtual room. The information regarding the placement conditions of gifts provided to a virtual room, stored in the virtual room information database 2022, is information regarding the placement conditions of gift objects corresponding to gifts provided by visitors (first users) who visit the virtual room. This information regarding the placement conditions of gift objects includes, for example, information regarding the possible placement locations of gift objects, information regarding the placement size of gift objects, information regarding the settings of gift objects that can be placed in a virtual room, and information regarding the settings of user conditions that enable the placement of gift objects (provision of gifts) to a virtual room. The visitor history information stored in the Virtual Room Information Database 2022 indicates the visit history of users who have visited (entered) a virtual room. This information includes, for example, the number of users who have visited in the past (total number of users who have visited in the past, average number of users per day, total number of visitors in the past week, etc.), and information regarding the IDs of the visiting users. The information stored in the Virtual Room Information Database 2022 regarding gift provision history indicates the history of gifts provided to virtual rooms. This information includes, for example, the number of gifts provided (total number of gifts provided in the past, average number of gifts per day, total number of gifts in the past week, etc.), information about the provided gift IDs, and information about the amount of money visitors spent to purchase the provided gifts (total amount of money spent on gifts provided in the past, average amount of money spent on gifts per day, amount of money spent on gifts in the past week, etc.). Information regarding the amount of money spent includes not only information about the specific amount of money spent, but also information corresponding to the amount of money spent in the case of means that substitute for money, such as points. Here, a virtual room is a space that constitutes a part of the virtual space, assigned to a specific area within the virtual space, and is a space that allows any user to enter and exit. Furthermore, a virtual room is a space that can express a different personality or worldview from other spaces by setting the background, color scheme, etc., and placing objects in that space. A virtual room can be created, for example, by a user participating in the virtual space (a second user). In this case, the second user may have an account specifically for creating virtual rooms and can create a virtual room in a particular area assigned based on that account. A virtual room is constructed in a specific spatial area within a virtual space. For example, a user participating in the virtual space (a second user) can specify any location in the virtual space and construct a virtual room at that location. In this case, for example, the constructed virtual room is positioned to separate it from other spaces in the virtual space (spaces where the virtual room is not constructed), and a user participating in the virtual space can see the objects corresponding to the virtual room when viewing it from the outside within the virtual space. The user participating in the virtual space can then visually confirm the interior of the virtual room by entering it. The second user, who is the room owner of the virtual room, can construct the virtual room by performing operations on the space inside the virtual room, such as setting the room environment including the background and color scheme, placing objects, changing the placement of placed objects, editing placed objects, and deleting placed objects, via a terminal device 10 (terminal device 10B) used by the second user. It should be noted that virtual rooms are not limited to those constructed by placing objects corresponding to the virtual room in a specific spatial region of the virtual space, as described above. For example, a virtual room may already be assigned to a specific spatial region in the virtual space, and a user joining the virtual space (a second user) can construct the virtual room by performing operations on the assigned spatial region, such as setting the room environment (background, color scheme, etc.), placing objects, changing the position of placed objects, editing placed objects, and deleting placed objects. The information stored in the Virtual Room Information Database 2022 regarding objects placed in virtual rooms is information about objects placed in virtual rooms. This information includes information about the identification IDs of various objects placed in the virtual room by the owner user (second user), information about the type of object, information about the location of the object, and information about the size of the object. The spatial region in which the virtual room is constructed and the surrounding spatial region can be separated, for example, by a wall object, and the virtual room can be constructed in such a way that a user participating in the virtual space cannot see the interior of the virtual room when viewing it from outside the spatial region in which the virtual room is constructed. Alternatively, the spatial region in which the virtual room is constructed and the surrounding spatial region can be separated by a wall object, and the virtual room can be constructed in such a way that a user participating in the virtual space can see the interior of the virtual room when viewing it from outside the spatial region in which the virtual room is constructed. Here, we will describe the manner in which a user enters a virtual room constructed in a virtual space. For example, when a user participating in a virtual space (the first user) operates an avatar object via terminal device 10 (terminal device 10A), the user can enter the virtual room by moving the avatar object into the virtual room through an entrance installed in the object corresponding to the virtual room, thereby moving through a continuous space from the outside to the inside of the virtual room. Similarly, the user can exit the virtual room by moving through a continuous space from the inside to the outside of the virtual room. As another example, instead of moving through a continuous space of an avatar object as described above, when a user participating in a virtual space (the first user) performs an entry operation via terminal device 10 (terminal device 10A), the display switches from the virtual space displayed before entry to the virtual space displaying the inside of the virtual room after entry (other virtual space data is loaded), thereby enabling entry into the virtual room. Similarly, when an exit operation is performed, the display switches from the virtual space inside the virtual room displayed before exiting to the virtual space after exiting, thereby enabling exit from the virtual room. The second user, who is the room owner, can create virtual rooms of various types according to their preferences and purposes. For example, the created virtual room may be a room intended for interaction between users who visit the virtual room (first user) and interaction between visiting users (first user) and the room owner (second user) through the provision of gifts by users who enter the virtual room (first user). Alternatively, for example, the created virtual room may be a virtual room with a shop function that sells goods to users who enter the virtual room (first user), and may be a room intended for interaction between users who visit the virtual room and interaction between visiting users (first user) and the room owner (second user) through the purchase of goods by users who enter the virtual room (first user) and the provision of gifts by users who enter the virtual room (first user). Furthermore, if the second user receives payment (including payment in the form of money or points or other means equivalent to money) from the user who entered the virtual room (the first user) to provide a gift, the second user may receive a share of at least a portion of the revenue equivalent to the amount of payment received. A second user can allow other users (first users) to enter their virtual room. In this case, for example, the second user can allow all users participating in the virtual space to enter, or they can set conditions for which users can enter so that only specific users can enter their virtual room. For example, the conditions for users could be that only users who have some connection to the second user, such as users who are friends with the second user, can enter. By setting such user conditions, the second user can restrict entry by users they did not intend to use, so they can build and operate their virtual room with peace of mind. A second user can allow users who enter their virtual room (the first user) to offer gifts within that virtual room. In this case, for example, the second user can allow all users who enter the virtual room to offer gifts, or they can set conditions for which users can offer gifts, so that only specific users who enter the virtual room can offer gifts. For example, the conditions for users could be that only users who have some connection to the second user, such as users who are friends with the second user, can offer gifts. By setting such user conditions, the second user can restrict gifts from users they did not intend to offer, so they can build and operate virtual rooms with peace of mind. In this case, the second user can also set conditions for the gifts that can be offered. For example, these conditions could include allowing only paid gifts, or allowing only specific gifts set by the second user. By setting such gift conditions, the second user can ensure that only gifts they deem beneficial to their virtual room are placed within the virtual room, allowing them to build and manage the virtual room with peace of mind. Furthermore, while it's possible to set gifts that can be offered in virtual spaces other than virtual rooms, it's also possible to set so-called exclusive gifts that can only be offered in virtual rooms. By making such settings, it's possible to clearly distinguish between virtual rooms and other areas, and to increase the motivation of users to enter virtual rooms to participate in the virtual space.

[0055] The Gift Information Database 2023 is a database for storing information about gifts that can be offered within a virtual room after a user participating in the virtual space (the first user) enters the virtual room constructed within that virtual space. Gifts are placed in the virtual room as gift objects in response to an operation by the first user to offer a gift, such as to support the virtual room owner user (the second user), to place a gift object of the first user's choosing within the virtual room, or to support the construction of the virtual room. Gift information includes, for example, information about the gift ID that identifies the gift, information about the gift name, information about the gift category, information about the gift data type, information about the gift object, and information about the charge price required to provide the gift (including the amount charged in cash or by means of monetary substitutes such as points). The gift categories include information indicating gift categories such as gift object type gifts, tipping type gifts, wearable type gifts that are attached to user avatars corresponding to users, and performance type gifts in which user avatars corresponding to users perform. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the gifts provided by the first user who enters the virtual room are gift object type gifts, but other categories of gifts may also be included as offerings. The data type of a gift includes information indicating the type of data, such as video data, image data, music / audio data, or text data. Gift objects are, for example, objects that are visually placed in a virtual room constructed in a virtual space, and are mainly composed of video data and image data (including images that move within the virtual space). Gift objects can be placed at any position in the virtual room, but they can also be limited to specific positions or to specific targets. Limiting to specific positions or targets means, for example, that a gift object representing a "leaf" can be limited to being placed on the branches of an object representing a "tree" placed in the virtual room. In this case, for example, a gift object representing a "cow" can be limited to being placed in the "pasture area" placed in the virtual room, and if the "cow" gift object is a movable, dynamic object, it can only move within the "pasture area" placed in the virtual room. In addition to the above, gift objects may also include, in the case where there is an avatar object corresponding to a user in the virtual room, gift objects attached to the avatar object, gift objects placed around the avatar object, etc. Examples of gift objects attached to an avatar object include an object representing a "wristwatch" that is attached to the wrist of an avatar object staying in the virtual room, an object representing a "hat" that is attached to the head of an avatar object staying in the virtual room, and an object representing a "staff" that is attached to the hand of an avatar object staying in the virtual room. Examples of gift objects placed around an avatar object include an object representing a "balloon" that is placed above the head of an avatar object staying in the virtual room, and an object representing a "butterfly" that is placed so as to fly around an avatar object staying in the virtual room. In addition to gift objects, gifts may also include, for example, gifts consisting of text data, gifts consisting of music or audio data, and gifts equivalent to money or a means of payment, often referred to as "tips." Furthermore, the contents of a gift can include, for example, actions performed by an avatar object (user avatar) corresponding to a user residing in the virtual room. Actions performed by a user avatar include, for example, actions in which the user avatar wears or holds an object (for example, an object representing a T-shirt, an object representing a hat, an object representing a towel, an object representing a glow stick, etc.). In this case, in response to the operation to provide the gift received from the user, the state in which the user avatar in the virtual space (virtual room) is wearing or holding the object corresponding to the gift is reflected. In this way, the gift is provided when the action of wearing or holding an object on the user avatar is reflected in the virtual space. Actions performed by a user avatar can also include, for example, actions related to performances such as dancing, jumping, or waving in the virtual space. In this case, in response to the operation to provide the gift received from the user, the user avatar in the virtual space performs the performance corresponding to the gift. In this way, the gift is provided when the action of performance by the user avatar is reflected in the virtual space. Gifts are primarily provided by users who are event participants, through the payment of money or equivalent means (such as points). Payment refers to the act of paying a set purchase price for a gift (including an indicator such as points equivalent to the purchase price) using money or equivalent means in order to provide the gift. When a user makes a payment, the purchase of the gift is confirmed and the gift is provided to the performer or other person to whom it is intended. Payment is not limited to this act; it can also include, for example, the act of purchasing a special currency usable in the event in advance using money or equivalent means and then paying using the purchased special currency. Details of each record held in the database will be described later.

[0056] The control unit 203 is composed of, for example, a processor 29, and by performing processing according to the program, this processor 29 performs functions such as the reception control module 2031, transmission control module 2032, user information acquisition module 2033, entry operation reception module 2034, entry processing module 2035, gift provision eligibility determination module 2036, gift provision guidance information presentation module 2037, gift provision operation reception module 2038, gift placement module 2039, entry permission determination module 2040, gift placement condition setting operation reception module 2041, user information presentation module 2042, gift evaluation operation reception module 2043, and gift editing operation reception module 2044.

[0057] The receive control module 2031 controls the process by which the server 20 receives signals from external devices according to a communication protocol.

[0058] The transmission control module 2032 controls the process by which the server 20 transmits signals to external devices according to a communication protocol.

[0059] The user information acquisition module 2033 controls a series of processes for acquiring information about users participating in the virtual space. User information includes, for example, information about the user's identification ID, the user's name, the user's age, the user's gender, the user's contact information, information about favorite events held in the virtual space and / or favorite performers appearing in those events, information about the total amount of gifts the user has provided in the virtual space in the past, gift provision history information regarding gifts provided in past events held in the virtual space, log information representing the user's activity history at events held in the virtual space or outside of those events, and, if the user is a user who creates virtual rooms in the virtual space (a second user), information about virtual rooms that have been created or are currently being created in the virtual space. Specifically, for example, the user information acquisition module 2033 may acquire the information by receiving user information 1801 stored in the storage unit 180 from terminal devices 10 (terminal device 10A, terminal device 10B) used by users (first user, second user). Alternatively, the user information acquisition module 2033 may acquire the information by referring to the user information database 2021 held in the storage unit 202 of the server 20. In addition, the user information acquisition module 2033 may acquire the information by directly receiving various user-related information input from users (first user, second user).

[0060] The entry operation reception module 2034 controls a series of processes for receiving an operation from a user participating in the virtual space (the first user) to enter a virtual room that is constructed in the virtual space and can be entered and exited by any user participating in the virtual space. Specifically, the entry operation reception module 2034 receives an operation to enter a selected virtual room via the terminal device 10 (terminal device 10A) used by the first user. In this case, for example, the first user can select one virtual room from among several virtual rooms installed in the virtual space in which the first user participates by operating the terminal device 10 (terminal device 10A) that they are using, and then perform an entry operation to the selected virtual room. When the first user selects a virtual room, they can also refer to information about the virtual room in advance (information about the owner user of the virtual room, information about the concept of the virtual room, information about the number of visitors who have visited the virtual room in the past, information about the number of gifts provided to the virtual room, etc.) and select the virtual room they wish to enter. As a result of the above operation, terminal device 10 (terminal device 10A) transmits information regarding the entry operation received from the first user to server 20. The entry operation reception module 2034 of server 20 receives this information from terminal device 10 (terminal device 10A).

[0061] The entry processing module 2035 controls a series of processes to allow the first user to enter the virtual room after the entry operation reception module 2034 receives an operation from the user (first user) to enter the virtual room. Specifically, the entry processing module 2035 allows the first user to enter the virtual room when the entry operation reception module 2034 of the server 20 receives information regarding the entry operation from the terminal device 10 (terminal device 10A) used by the first user. In another embodiment, when the entry permission determination module 2040, described later, determines whether the conditions for the first user to enter the virtual room are met in response to an entry operation received by the entry operation reception module 2034, the entry processing module 2035 allows the first user to enter the virtual room if the entry permission determination module 2040 determines that the first user is allowed to enter the virtual room. In the processing performed by the entry processing module 2035, for example, the display 1302 of the terminal device 10 (terminal device 10A) used by the first user will show the state in which the avatar object corresponding to the first user has switched from being outside the virtual room in the virtual space to being inside the virtual room. In this case, when the entry processing module 2035 allows the first user to enter, the process of the avatar object corresponding to the first user entering the virtual room can also be visually represented, such as when the avatar object enters the virtual room (building) by opening a door installed in the building, starting from a state in which the avatar object is outside the virtual room (building) in the virtual space.

[0062] The gift provision eligibility determination module 2036 controls a series of processes that determine whether the first user is allowed to provide a gift to the virtual room after the entry operation reception module 2034 receives an operation from the user (first user) to enter the virtual room. Specifically, after the entry operation reception module 2034 receives an operation from the user (first user) to enter the virtual room, the gift provision eligibility determination module 2036 determines whether the first user meets the conditions for providing a gift to the virtual room. For example, the conditions for providing a gift include the first user being a user who can provide a gift to the virtual room they have entered. For example, if the owner user of the virtual room (the second user) has set user conditions that allow gift provision only to specific users who enter the virtual room, or to allow gift provision excluding specific users (for example, if the gift placement condition setting operation reception module 2041, described later, receives an operation from the second user to set user conditions that can provide gifts as placement conditions for gift objects placed in the virtual room), the gift provision eligibility determination module 2036 can determine that the first user can provide a gift to the virtual room if the first user is a user who meets the set user conditions. On the other hand, if the owner user of the virtual room (the second user) has set conditions that allow gift provision to all users who enter the virtual room, the first user will unconditionally meet those conditions, and therefore the gift provision eligibility determination module 2036 can determine that the first user can provide a gift to the virtual room.

[0063] The gift provision guidance information display module 2037 controls a series of processes to present guidance information regarding gift provision to the first user who has entered the virtual room, when the gift provision eligibility determination module 2036 determines that it is possible to provide a gift to the virtual room. Specifically, after the entry processing module 2035 has completed the first user's entry into the virtual room, the gift provision guidance information display module 2037 presents guidance information regarding gift provision to the first user to encourage them to provide a gift to the virtual room, if the gift provision eligibility determination module 2036 determines whether the first user has met the conditions for providing a gift to the virtual room. In this case, the gift provision guidance information display module 2037 transmits guidance information regarding the provision of gifts to the terminal device 10 (terminal device 10A) used by the first user. The transmitted guidance information is displayed on the display 1302 of the terminal device 10 (terminal device 10) used by the first user. For example, the display 1302 of the terminal device 10 (terminal device 10A) used by the first user displays the state of the virtual room, along with a message encouraging the first user to provide a gift to the virtual room (for example, "Why not send a gift to this virtual room?").

[0064] The gift provision operation reception module 2038 controls a series of processes for receiving an operation to provide a gift to a virtual room from a first user who has received guidance information from the gift provision guidance information presentation module 2037. Specifically, the gift provision operation reception module 2038 receives an operation to provide a gift to the virtual room entered by the first user via the terminal device 10 (terminal device 10A) used by the first user. In this case, for example, the first user can operate the terminal device 10 (terminal device 10A) they are using, and, following the guidance displayed on the display 1302 of the terminal device 10 (terminal device 10), select at least one gift from among the multiple gifts displayed on the display 1302, and provide the selected gift to the virtual room. As a result of the above operation, the terminal device 10 (terminal device 10A) transmits the information regarding the operation to provide a gift, which it received from the first user, to the server 20. The gift provision operation reception module 2038 of the server 20 receives this information from the terminal device 10 (terminal device 10A). The gift provision operation acceptance module 2038 accepts operations for providing gifts, and if it is possible to specify the placement conditions for the gift provided by the first user, then information regarding the placement conditions for the gift may be included. The placement conditions for the gift may include, for example, the placement position of the gift object in the virtual room, the placement size of the gift object in the virtual room, and whether or not the gift object has dynamic motion.

[0065] The gift placement module 2039 controls a series of processes for placing a gift object corresponding to a gift in a virtual room in response to an operation to provide a gift received by the gift provision operation reception module 2038. Specifically, the gift placement module 2039 places a gift object corresponding to a gift selected by a first user in a virtual room in response to an operation to provide a gift received via a terminal device 10 (terminal device 10A) used by a first user. In this case, for example, the display 1302 of the terminal device 10 (terminal device 10A) used by the first user will display a gift object corresponding to the gift selected by the first user at one of the locations in the virtual room. For example, if the gift placement module 2039 receives an operation to provide a gift from the gift provision operation reception module 2038 and the operation includes information about the gift placement conditions, the gift placement module 2039 can place a gift object corresponding to the gift in the virtual room according to those gift placement conditions. Furthermore, the gift placement module 2039 can, for example, place a gift object in the virtual room according to the set gift placement conditions if the owner user of the virtual room (the second user) has set the placement conditions for the gift object to be placed in the virtual room (for example, if the gift placement condition setting operation reception module 2041, described later, has received an operation from the second user to set the placement conditions for the gift object to be placed in the virtual room). Furthermore, the gift placement module 2039 can place gift objects in the virtual room according to pre-defined rules, such as rules specifying where to place gift objects in a particular location (including an area consisting of a certain region) depending on the type of gift object. For example, if a gift object is a "cow," a rule might be set to place it only in a fenced-in grazing area within the virtual room. Another example rule might be set if a gift object is a "balloon," to place it only in an empty area within the virtual room.

[0066] The entry permission determination module 2040 controls a series of processes that determine whether a first user is allowed to enter a virtual room in response to an operation to enter the virtual room received by the entry operation reception module 2034. Specifically, after the entry operation reception module 2034 receives an operation to enter the virtual room from a user (first user), the entry permission determination module 2040 determines whether the first user meets the conditions for entering the virtual room. One of the conditions for entering a virtual room is that the first user is a user who can enter that virtual room. For example, if the owner user of the virtual room (second user) has set user conditions that allow only specific users to enter the virtual room, or allow all users except specific users to enter, the entry permission determination module 2040 can determine that the first user is allowed to enter the virtual room if the first user meets the set user conditions. User conditions may include, for example, a condition that only users who have some connection to the virtual room owner user (second user), such as users who are friends with the second user, are allowed to enter the virtual room. On the other hand, if the virtual room owner user (second user) has set a condition that allows all users to enter the virtual room, the first user will unconditionally satisfy that condition, and the entry permission determination module 2040 can determine that the first user is allowed to enter the virtual room.

[0067] The gift placement condition setting operation reception module 2041 controls a series of processes for receiving an operation from a second user, who is a user participating in the virtual space and is different from the first user, to set the placement conditions for gift objects to be placed in the virtual room. Specifically, the gift placement condition setting operation reception module 2041 receives an operation from the gift placement module 2039 to set the placement conditions for gift objects to be placed in the virtual room via a terminal device 10 (terminal device 10B) used by the user participating in the virtual space (the second user). Placement conditions may include, for example, the possible locations where gift objects can be placed. In this case, a second user can specify and set any location within the virtual room they have created as the possible location for the gift object. Furthermore, the second user can specify and set the possible locations for each type of gift object or for each specific gift object. Such placement conditions can also be set for each user who enters the virtual room. Placement conditions may also include, for example, the placement size of the gift object. In this case, the second user can specify and set any size as the placement size of the gift object. Alternatively, the second user can specify and set the placement size for each type of gift object or for each specific gift object. Furthermore, such placement conditions can be set for each user who enters the virtual room. The placement conditions also include setting the gift objects that can be placed in the virtual room. In this case, the second user can set the type of gift object corresponding to the gift that can be placed in the virtual room, or the gift object corresponding to the specific gift, from among the gifts that the user who entered the virtual room (the first user) can select. These placement conditions can also be set for each user who enters the virtual room. The placement conditions also include setting user conditions for who can provide gift objects to the virtual room. User conditions could include, for example, a condition that only users who have some connection to the virtual room owner user (the second user), such as users who are friends with the second user, are allowed to provide gifts. The second user can arbitrarily specify and set user conditions. Furthermore, as a placement condition, it is also possible to set a condition that the gift object will be placed in the virtual room only after the second user has authorized the placement of the gift object corresponding to the gift, following the acceptance of an operation by the first user to provide a gift to the virtual room. Furthermore, as a placement condition, when a user who has entered a virtual room (the first user) is given the opportunity to provide a gift to the virtual room, if the first user can specify the placement location of the gift object corresponding to the gift, then the second user can grant permission for the placement of the gift object at the location specified by the first user, thereby placing the gift object in the virtual room. By allowing the virtual room owner user (the second user) to set gift placement conditions, it is possible to prevent the second user from providing gifts unintended by that user in a virtual room they have created, thereby maintaining the quality and atmosphere of that virtual room. For example, the server 20 can store information regarding the placement conditions of gift objects received by the gift placement condition setting operation reception module 2041 in the virtual room information database 2022.

[0068] The user information presentation module 2042 controls a series of processes for presenting information about the first user who provided the gift corresponding to a gift object, in association with the gift object placed in the virtual room by the gift placement module 2039, within the virtual room. Specifically, the user information presentation module 2042 presents information about the user who provided the gift corresponding to the gift object, in association with the gift object placed in the virtual room, to the user who enters the virtual room (the first user) or the owner user of the virtual room (the second user). That is, the information about the user who provided the gift is presented to the user who enters the virtual room (the first user) or the owner user of the virtual room (the second user) in association with the gift object so that the provider of the gift object corresponding to the gift is visually indicated as the provider of the gift object. For example, the presentation of user information is done by displaying information that the user is the provider of the gift object, adjacent to the gift object placed in the virtual room. For example, when a user enters a virtual room, they can use a terminal device 10 to specify a gift object placed in that virtual room, which is displayed on the terminal device 10's display 1302 (including operations such as clicking and mouseover). This information indicates that the user is the provider of that gift object. The user information display module 2042 can display user information to all users who enter the virtual room, but it can also be configured to display it only to specific users. Furthermore, the user information display module 2042 can display user information only to the owner user (second user) of the virtual room. By presenting information about the first user who provided the gift corresponding to the gift object to users entering the virtual room or the owner user of the virtual room (the second user), other users entering the virtual room can visually learn about the gift provider, and it is expected that this will create opportunities for communication between users.

[0069] The gift evaluation operation reception module 2043 controls a series of processes for receiving operations from at least one of the first user, the second user, and other users who have entered the virtual room, to evaluate gift objects placed in the virtual room by the gift placement module 2039. Specifically, the gift evaluation operation reception module 2043 receives operations to evaluate gift objects placed in the virtual room via terminal devices 10 used by at least one of the first user, the second user, and other users who have entered the virtual room. For example, when the gift evaluation operation reception module 2043 receives an operation to evaluate a gift object, the server 20 receives information regarding the evaluation of the target gift object. Information regarding the evaluation of a gift object may include, for example, evaluation values ​​such as a 5-point rating (for example, five evaluation values ​​from "1" representing the lowest rating to "5" representing the highest rating), qualitative evaluations by comments, and the number of clicks on the "Like" button representing a high rating. Information regarding the evaluation of a gift object may also include information about the user who performed the evaluation. The information regarding the evaluation of a gift object received by the server 20 through an operation related to the evaluation of the gift object received by the gift evaluation operation reception module 2043 can be presented, for example, by the user information presentation module 2042 to the user who entered the virtual room (the first user) or the owner user of the virtual room (the second user). In this way, the gift evaluation operation reception module 2043 accepts evaluations of gift objects provided to the virtual room. As a result, users providing gifts will be encouraged to provide better gifts, which is expected to improve the value of the virtual room, such as its appearance. Furthermore, it is expected that opportunities for communication between users will be created through the evaluation of gift objects.

[0070] The gift editing operation reception module 2044 controls a series of processes that receive an operation from a second user to edit information about gift objects placed in the virtual room by the gift placement module 2039. Specifically, the gift editing operation reception module 2044 edits information about gift objects placed in the virtual room by the gift placement module 2039 via a terminal device 10 (terminal device 10B) used by the owner user of the virtual room (the second user). Editing information about gift objects includes, for example, changing the placement position of a placed gift object, changing the placement size of a gift object, deleting a gift object, and re-placing a deleted gift object. In this way, the gift editing operation acceptance module 2044 accepts editing operations from the virtual room owner user (second user), allowing the second user to correct the placement of gift objects that they did not intend, thus enhancing the value of the virtual room.

[0071] <2 Data Structure> Figure 4 shows the data structure of the user information database 2021 stored by server 20.

[0072] As shown in Figure 4, the user information database 2021 includes items such as "User ID", "User Name", "Age", "Gender", "Contact Information", "Membership Status", "Number of Virtual Room Visits", "User Preferences", "Favorite Virtual Room", "Total Amount Spent", "Gift Provision History", "Log", and "Remarks".

[0073] The "ID" field is information that identifies the user participating in the virtual space.

[0074] The "User Name" field contains information indicating the user's name. In this case, the record may also hold information about the name (handle name) the user uses in the virtual space, in addition to the user's real name.

[0075] The "Age" field contains information indicating the user's age.

[0076] The "Gender" field indicates the user's gender.

[0077] The "Contact Information" field contains information that shows the user's contact details. This information includes the user's address, phone number, etc.

[0078] The "Membership Status" field contains information about the membership status set when a user registers as a member to use services conducted in a virtual space. This membership status information includes, for example, information representing the member's rank, such as S, A, B, or C.

[0079] The item "Virtual Room Visit Count" indicates the number of times a user has visited (entered) a virtual room created in the virtual space in the past. This information includes, for example, the total number of visits to all virtual rooms the user has visited (entered), and the number of visits to each individual virtual room the user has visited (entered).

[0080] The item "User Preferences" refers to information about user preferences, including their likes, favorite subjects, and favorite activity patterns regarding events held in the virtual space. This information includes, for example, information about events that the user likes or enjoys, such as the type of event, the content of the event, and the type or content of performances given by the performers at the event.

[0081] The item "Favorite Virtual Rooms" contains information about the virtual rooms that the user has visited (entered). The information about the virtual rooms stored in this record includes, for example, the ID information of the favorite virtual room, information about the owner user (second user) of the virtual room, and information about the type of favorite virtual room.

[0082] The item "Total Amount Spent" is information that shows the total amount of money spent by users when visiting (entering) virtual rooms built in the virtual space or during past events held in the virtual space, including money equivalent to charges for providing gifts, money paid as participation fees for events, and money paid when purchasing items and goods related to events. The total gift amount can include not only money paid by the user but also means of payment that can be used in lieu of money (such as points).

[0083] The item "Gift Provision History" is information that shows a user's history of providing gifts when visiting (entering) virtual rooms constructed in the virtual space or in past events held in the virtual space. The information showing the gift provision history includes information showing the total number of gifts provided by the user in the past, information showing the number of gifts provided by each type of gift provided by the user in the past, information showing the number of gifts provided for each virtual room visited (entered) and each event participated in (including viewing) by the user, information showing the number of gifts provided for each performance held in the event participated in (including viewing) by the user (the number of gifts provided by the user at the time a specific performance was being performed), information about the gift ID of the gift provided, information about the timing (date and time) when the operation to provide a gift was accepted, and information about the recipient (performer) to whom the gift was provided.

[0084] The "Log" item refers to information about user activity history, such as visits to virtual rooms built in the virtual space and participation in events held in the virtual space. This log information includes, for example, information about visits to virtual rooms built in the virtual space, information about past events held in the virtual space that the user participated in, information about user reactions (different from giving gifts) to performers at past events held in the virtual space, information about purchase history of content, goods, services, etc., different from gifts given to performers at past events held in the virtual space, information about access history to websites etc. set up at past events held in the virtual space, and information about the sending and receiving history of messages etc. exchanged by the user at past events held in the virtual space.

[0085] The "Remarks" field is used to store information if there are any special notes or other important details in the user's information. Server 20 may, for example, record any other information that needs to be stored in the record.

[0086] Figure 5 shows the data structure of the virtual room information database 2022 stored by server 20.

[0087] As shown in Figure 5, the virtual room information database 2022 includes items such as "Virtual Room ID", "Name", "Owner ID", "Placement Object", "Visitor Conditions", "Gift Placement Conditions", "Visitor History", "Gift Provision History", and "Remarks".

[0088] The "Virtual Room ID" field is information that identifies the virtual room.

[0089] The "Name" field contains information indicating the name of the virtual room.

[0090] The "Owner ID" field is information that identifies the owner user (second user) of the virtual room that was created.

[0091] The "Placed Objects" item contains information about objects placed in the virtual room. This information includes the identification ID of various objects placed in the virtual room by the owner user (second user), information about the type of object, information about the placement location of the object, and information about the placement size of the object.

[0092] The "Visitor Conditions" item contains information indicating various conditions for visitors (the first user) who visit the virtual room. Information regarding visitor conditions includes information about users that the second user is permitted to visit (enter) the virtual room, information about users individually designated by the second user, information about users who are friends with the second user, etc. Information regarding visitor conditions may also include information about users that the second user is not permitted to visit (enter) the virtual room.

[0093] The item "Gift Placement Conditions" contains information about the placement conditions for gift objects corresponding to gifts provided by visitors (first users) who visit the virtual room. This information includes information about the possible placement locations of gift objects, information about the placement size of gift objects, information about the settings for gift objects that can be placed in the virtual room, and information about the user conditions for which gift objects can be placed (gifts provided) in the virtual room.

[0094] The "Visitor History" item provides information indicating the visit history of users who have visited (entered) a virtual room. This information includes, for example, the number of users who have visited in the past (total number of users who have visited in the past, average number of users per day, total number of visitors in the past week, etc.) and information regarding the visitor user's ID.

[0095] The item "Gift Provision History" is information that shows the history of gifts provided to the virtual room. This information includes, for example, the number of gifts provided (total number of gifts provided in the past, average number of gifts per day, total number of gifts in the past week, etc.), information about the gift IDs provided, and information about the amount of money visitors spent to purchase the provided gifts (total amount of money spent on gifts provided in the past, average amount of money spent on gifts per day, amount of money spent on gifts in the past week, etc.). Information regarding the amount of money spent includes not only information about the specific amount of money spent, but also information corresponding to the amount of money spent in the case of means that substitute for money, such as points.

[0096] The "Remarks" field is used to store information if there are any special notes or other details in the gift information. Server 20 may, for example, record any other information that needs to be stored in the record.

[0097] Figure 6 shows the data structure of the gift information database 2023 stored by server 20.

[0098] As shown in Figure 6, the gift information database 2023 includes fields such as "ID", "Gift Name", "Category", "Data Type", "Content", "Charging Price", and "Remarks".

[0099] The "ID" field is information that identifies the gifts available in a virtual room created in a virtual space.

[0100] The item "Gift Name" contains information indicating the name of the gift.

[0101] The "Category" field contains information indicating the category of the gift. This information includes, for example, gift object-type gifts, tip-type gifts, wearable gifts that are attached to a user avatar, and performance-type gifts in which a user avatar performs.

[0102] The "Data Type" field indicates the type of data related to the gift content representing the gift. This information includes, for example, data types such as video data, image data, music / audio data, and text data.

[0103] The item "Content" refers to information (data) about gift content that represents a gift. This information (data) includes, for example, data about gift objects placed in virtual spaces such as virtual rooms, data that visually represents when a tip is sent into a virtual space such as a virtual room, data about wearable objects that are attached to the user avatar corresponding to the user, and performance information (data) about the performances that the user avatar corresponding to the user performs. This information (data) consists of data such as video data, image data, music / audio data, and text data.

[0104] The "Charging Price" item contains information about the price charged to purchase the gifts necessary to provide them. This information includes not only the specific monetary amount charged, but also information corresponding to monetary amounts in the case of alternative means such as points. In the case of free gifts that do not require payment, this information includes indications such as "0 yen" or "free."

[0105] The "Remarks" field is used to store information if there are any special notes or other details in the gift information. Server 20 may, for example, record any other information that needs to be stored in the record.

[0106] <3 Example of Operation> The following describes the series of processes by which System 1 receives a gift from a user (the first user) who has entered the virtual room.

[0107] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating a series of processes in which a user (the first user) who has entered a virtual room performs an operation to provide a gift to the virtual room, and a gift object corresponding to the gift is placed in the virtual room in response to that operation. However, the operation flow is not limited to this in this disclosure. That is, the terminal device 10 may perform all of the processes, or the server 20 may perform all of the processes.

[0108] In step S701, the control unit 203 of the server 20 receives an operation from a first user participating in the virtual space to enter a virtual room constructed in the virtual space, which can be entered and exited by any user participating in the virtual space. Specifically, for example, the control unit 190 of the terminal device 10 (terminal device 10A) used by the first user receives an operation to enter a virtual room constructed in the virtual space via a predetermined operation screen displayed on the display 1302. The terminal device 10A transmits information regarding the entry operation received from the first user to the server 20. The entry operation reception module 2034 receives this information from the terminal device 10A.

[0109] In step S751, the control unit 203 of the server 20, after receiving an entry operation from the first user in step S701, allows the first user to enter the virtual room. Specifically, for example, the entry processing module 2035 allows the first user to enter the virtual room when the entry operation reception module 2034 receives information regarding the entry operation from the terminal device 10 (terminal device 10A) used by the first user.

[0110] In step S752, the control unit 203 of the server 20 determines whether the first user can provide a gift to the virtual room after receiving an operation to enter the virtual room in step S751. Specifically, for example, the gift provision eligibility determination module 2036 determines whether the conditions for the first user to provide a gift to the virtual room are met after the entry operation reception module 2034 receives an operation from the user (first user) to enter the virtual room.

[0111] In step S753, if the control unit 203 of the server 20 determines in step S752 that it is possible to provide a gift to the virtual room, it presents guidance information regarding the provision of a gift to the first user who has entered the virtual room. Specifically, for example, after the entry processing module 2035 has completed the entry of the first user into the virtual room, the gift provision eligibility determination module 2036 determines whether or not the first user has met the conditions for providing a gift to the virtual room, and then presents guidance information regarding the provision of a gift to the first user to encourage them to provide a gift to the virtual room.

[0112] In step S702, the first user, who received guidance information in step S753, is asked to provide a gift to the virtual room. Specifically, for example, the control unit 190 of the terminal device 10 (terminal device 10A) used by the first user receives the request to provide a gift on a predetermined operation screen displayed on the display 1302. The terminal device 10A transmits information regarding the entry operation received from the first user to the server 20. The entry operation reception module 2034 receives this information from the terminal device 10A.

[0113] In step S754, the control unit 203 of the server 20 places a gift object corresponding to the gift in the virtual room in response to an operation to provide the gift received in step S702. Specifically, for example, the gift placement module 2039 places a gift object corresponding to the gift selected by the first user in the virtual room in response to an operation to provide the gift received via the terminal device 10 (terminal device 10A) used by the first user.

[0114] Through this process, a user participating in the virtual space (the first user) enters a virtual room created by another user participating in the virtual space (the second user). When the user provides a gift to the virtual room they have entered, a gift object corresponding to that gift is placed in the virtual room. This allows not only the user who provided the gift, but also subsequent users who enter the virtual room and the owner user of that virtual room (the second user) to visually confirm the provided gift object. As a result, opportunities for communication between users are created through the gift objects placed in the virtual room, thereby continuously maintaining or increasing the satisfaction of users participating in the virtual space.

[0115] Figure 8 is a flowchart showing a series of processes for determining whether or not to allow entry into a virtual room when an operation to enter a virtual room is received from the first user. However, the operation flow in this disclosure is not limited to this. That is, the terminal device 10 may perform all of the processes, or the server 20 may perform all of the processes.

[0116] In step S801, the control unit 203 of the server 20 receives an operation from a first user participating in the virtual space to enter a virtual room constructed in the virtual space, which can be entered and exited by any user participating in the virtual space. Specifically, for example, the control unit 190 of the terminal device 10 (terminal device 10A) used by the first user receives an operation to enter a virtual room constructed in the virtual space on a predetermined operation screen displayed on the display 1302. The terminal device 10A transmits information regarding the entry operation received from the first user to the server 20. The entry operation reception module 2034 receives this information from the terminal device 10A.

[0117] In step S851, the control unit 203 of the server 20 determines whether the first user is allowed to enter the virtual room in response to an operation to enter the virtual room. Specifically, for example, the entry permission determination module 2040 determines whether the conditions for the first user to enter the virtual room are met after the entry operation reception module 2034 receives an operation from the user (first user) to enter the virtual room.

[0118] In step S852, the control unit 203 of the server 20 allows the first user to enter the virtual room if it was determined in step S851 that the first user is allowed to enter the virtual room. Specifically, for example, the entry processing module 2035 allows the first user to enter the virtual room if the entry permission determination module 2040 determines that the first user is allowed to enter the virtual room.

[0119] This process allows the system to determine whether the first user is allowed to enter the virtual room when an operation to enter the virtual room is received from the first user. Only if it is determined that entry is possible is the first user allowed to enter the virtual room. This allows the owner user of the virtual room (the second user) who created the virtual room to restrict entry to users they did not intend to include (for example, users who engage in malicious activities in the virtual room, or users who provide gifts that ruin the quality or worldview of the virtual room). As a result, the second user can operate the virtual room with peace of mind, and users entering the virtual room (the first user) can also enjoy the world of the virtual room with peace of mind.

[0120] In certain situations, if multiple users are present in a virtual room, the server 20 may perform processing to enable communication between the users present. Specifically, for example, if there is an avatar object corresponding to each user in the virtual room, users present in the room can communicate with each other by sending and receiving messages and performing communication through the avatar objects' movements (motions). Furthermore, in this case, the server may accept an operation for multiple users present in the room to jointly provide a gift to the virtual room, and in response to the accepted operation, it may place a gift object corresponding to the jointly provided gift in the virtual room. Through such processing, users who have entered the virtual room can not only enjoy providing gifts through their own operations, but also communicate with other users present in the same virtual room, thereby increasing the satisfaction of users participating in the virtual space and making it possible to maintain or increase that satisfaction more continuously.

[0121] In a given scenario, server 20 may perform the process of placing an avatar object corresponding to a second user who is building the virtual room into the virtual room. In this case, server 20 may also perform the process of enabling communication between the first user and the second user who have entered the virtual room, such as sending and receiving messages. In this case, server 20 may also perform the process of providing a gift object corresponding to a gift to the avatar object corresponding to the second user in response to an operation from the first user to provide a gift. Through such processing, the first user who has entered the virtual room can interact with the second user, who is the owner user of the virtual room, thereby increasing the satisfaction of users participating in the virtual space and making it possible to maintain or increase that satisfaction more continuously. Furthermore, in this case, when the server 20 receives an operation from the first user to provide a gift, it may also accept an operation to choose whether to provide the gift to the virtual room or to the second user. This process allows the first user who enters the virtual room to choose who receives the gift, thereby increasing satisfaction with the gift provision.

[0122] In certain situations, the server 20 may perform the process of setting up an event area within a virtual room at the operation of a second user who has created the virtual room. For example, the server 20 may set up an event area using a portion of the space in the virtual room based on information input from a terminal device 10 (terminal device 10B) used by the second user, and further set up various events within that event area. Events can include, for example, live music events held in the virtual space, talk events held in the virtual space, merchandise sales events held in the virtual space, game events held in the virtual space, fashion show events held in the virtual space, conference events held in the virtual space, exhibition events held in the virtual space, and so on. In this case, the second user can participate as the organizer of the event, a participant in the event, or a performer in the event. Furthermore, the second user can also solicit events to be held in the event area set up in the virtual room. In this case, for example, other users participating in the virtual space can, if they apply for the recruitment and receive permission from the second user, participate in the event as an organizer or performer in the event area within the virtual room created by the second user. This process is expected to increase the number of users entering the virtual room as a result of events held in the virtual room, and for users entering the virtual room (the first user), enjoying the events held will help maintain or increase user satisfaction. Furthermore, by allowing users other than the virtual room owner to participate in events held in the virtual room as organizers or performers, it will increase the motivation of users entering the virtual room to visit, thus maintaining or increasing user satisfaction.

[0123] In certain situations, when setting up an event area in a virtual room as described above, the server 20 may perform a process in which the first user conducts an event such as a live stream with the second user, based on an operation from the second user who created the virtual room or the first user who entered the virtual room. For example, the first user and the second user may jointly become the organizers or performers of an event and receive gifts from participant users (other first users) who participate in the event as viewers. Furthermore, while gift objects corresponding to gifts provided by participant users will be placed in the virtual room where the event is held, if a gift is provided to a first user who is the organizer or performer of the event, the server 20 may either place the gift object corresponding to the gift in the virtual room or not place it in the virtual room, and instead process the system so that the first user becomes the owner of the gift object. In this case, as part of the process to make the first user the owner of the gift object, if the first user has also created a virtual room, the server 20 may place the gift object corresponding to the gift received in the event in the virtual room created by the first user. Furthermore, in this case, the server 20 may perform a process to set whether or not to allow the first user to place a gift object corresponding to the gift received in the virtual room it created, based on the actions of the second user, who is the room owner of the virtual room where the event is being held. This process allows users other than the virtual room owner to participate in events held in the virtual room as organizers or performers, and to receive gifts. This increases the motivation for users to visit the virtual room, thus maintaining or increasing user satisfaction.

[0124] In certain situations, when server 20 receives an operation from a first user who has entered a virtual room to provide a gift, and receives payment from the first user for the necessary charges (including payments in the form of money or points or other means equivalent to money) to provide the gift, server 20 may distribute at least a portion of the revenue equivalent to the received payment to the second user, who is the room owner of the virtual room. Such processing can increase the motivation of the second user who created the virtual room, and it is expected that the second user will strive to improve their virtual room. As a result, the use of the virtual room will be more active, increasing the satisfaction of users participating in the virtual space, and it will be possible to maintain or increase that satisfaction more continuously.

[0125] <4 Screen Examples> Figures 9-13 are diagrams illustrating various screen examples displayed during a series of operations related to the operation of a user (first user) who has entered a virtual room constructed in a virtual space using System 1 disclosed in the present invention, providing a gift to the virtual room, and performing operations on gift objects placed in the virtual room.

[0126] Figure 9 shows an example screen displaying information regarding the provision of a gift to a user (the first user) after the first user has entered a virtual room created by another user (the second user) who is also participating in the virtual space.

[0127] In Figure 9, the control unit 190 of the terminal device 10 (terminal device 10A) used by the first user displays a virtual room information display area 910, a virtual room display area 920, a message display area 940, etc., on the display 1302. Note that this screen does not need to be displayed across the entire surface of the display 1302. For example, this screen can be displayed on only a portion of the display 1302. Alternatively, for example, this screen can be displayed on the display 1302 in a semi-transparent manner so that the virtual space outside the virtual room is visible. In this way, the user can check and operate the screen while enjoying events and other things outside the virtual room in the virtual space.

[0128] The virtual room information display area 910 displays information about the virtual room so that the first user can see which virtual room they are in. For example, the virtual room information display area 910 displays information to the first user that says "Virtual room of Mr. / Ms. XX (the user who created the virtual room (the second user))".

[0129] The virtual room display area 920 visually displays the space of the virtual room that the first user has entered. The overall structure of the virtual room is set by, for example, the background and color scheme set by the virtual room owner user (second user), and objects such as "sun," "cloud," "tree," and "pasture fence" are placed within the space of the virtual room. Furthermore, an avatar object 930 corresponding to a user (the first user) who has entered the virtual room is placed in the virtual room display area 920. The avatar object 930 may be placed in a stationary state in the virtual room, or it may move dynamically within the virtual room. If the avatar object 930 moves dynamically, for example, the avatar object 930 can move within the virtual room through the operation of the first user via the terminal device 10 (terminal device 10A) used by the first user. The virtual room display area 920 may be displayed entirely on the display 1302, or the display area may be changed by moving the avatar object 930 through the operation of the first user. Furthermore, the virtual room display area 920 may be changed by enlarging or shrinking it through the operation of the first user.

[0130] The message display area 940 displays information such as guidance on providing gifts to the first user who enters the virtual room. For example, the message display area 940 displays a message 941 that reads, "Welcome to XX's virtual room! Why not send a gift to this virtual room?", encouraging the first user to provide a gift to the virtual room. In addition, the message display area 940 displays, below the message 941, a first operation button 942 for performing the operation of providing a gift and a second operation button 943 for performing the operation of not providing a gift. The first operation button 942 is a button used by the first user to perform the action of providing a gift to the virtual room, and is pressed when the first user wishes to perform the action of providing a gift. For example, when the control unit 190 of the terminal device 10 (terminal device 10A) used by the first user receives an operation input such as the first user pressing the button, it executes a process to display a display frame for providing a gift on the display 1302. The second operation button 943 is a button used to select not to provide a gift to the virtual room, and is pressed when the first user does not intend to provide a gift at this stage. For example, when the control unit 190 of the terminal device 10 (terminal device 10A) used by the first user receives an operation input such as the first user pressing the button, it executes a process to remove the message display area 940 from the display 1302.

[0131] Figure 10 shows an example screen when a user (the first user) who has entered a virtual room performs the operation of providing a gift to the virtual room.

[0132] In Figure 10, the control unit 190 of the terminal device 10 (terminal device 10A) used by the first user displays the virtual room information display area 1010, the virtual room display area 1020, the gift display area 1040, etc., on the display 1302. Note that this screen does not need to be displayed across the entire surface of the display 1302. For example, this screen can be displayed on only a portion of the display 1302. Alternatively, for example, this screen can be displayed on the display 1302 in a semi-transparent manner so that the virtual space outside the virtual room is visible. In this way, the user can check and operate the screen while enjoying events and other things outside the virtual room in the virtual space.

[0133] The virtual room information display area 1010 displays information about the virtual room so that the first user can see which virtual room they are in. For example, the virtual room information display area 1010 displays information to the first user that says "Virtual room of Mr. / Ms. XX (the user who created the virtual room (the second user))".

[0134] The virtual room display area 1020 visually displays the space of the virtual room that the first user has entered. The overall structure of the virtual room is set by, for example, the background and color scheme set by the virtual room owner user (second user), and objects such as "sun," "cloud," "tree," and "pasture fence" are placed within the space of the virtual room. Furthermore, an avatar object 1030 corresponding to a user (the first user) who has entered the virtual room is placed in the virtual room display area 1020. The avatar object 1030 may be placed in a stationary state in the virtual room, or it may move dynamically within the virtual room. If the avatar object 1030 moves dynamically, for example, the avatar object 1030 can be moved within the virtual room by the operation of the first user via the terminal device 10 (terminal device 10A) used by the first user. The virtual room display area 920 may be displayed entirely on the display 1302, or the display area may be changed by moving the avatar object 930 through the operation of the first user. Furthermore, the virtual room display area 920 may be changed by enlarging or shrinking it through the operation of the first user.

[0135] The gift display area 1040 displays information about gifts to be offered to the virtual room to the first user who enters the virtual room. For example, the gift display area 1040 includes a message display area 1041 and a gift list display area 1042. The message display area 1041 can display a message such as "Please choose a gift to send," prompting the first user to select a gift. The gift list display area 1042 displays a list of gifts available for the virtual room, presented to the first user. For example, the control unit 190 of the terminal device 10 (terminal device 10A) used by the first user displays multiple gift display frames 1042A, 1042B, and 1042C in the gift list display area 1042, and each gift display frame displays the gift image (gift object corresponding to the gift) and the gift name. The gift object and gift name information displayed in each gift display frame functions as buttons that accept operational input, such as pressing, from the first user. When the control unit 190 receives operational input, such as pressing the image, from the first user, it executes a process to select a gift. The display method of gifts in the gift list display area 1042 is an example, and the number of gifts displayed, the method of displaying gifts, etc., are not limited to this.

[0136] Figure 11 shows an example screen for placing a gift object in a virtual room in response to a gift-giving operation performed by a user (the first user) who has entered the virtual room.

[0137] In Figure 11, the control unit 190 of the terminal device 10 (terminal device 10A) used by the first user displays the virtual room information display area 1110, the virtual room display area 1120, etc., on the display 1302. Note that this screen does not need to be displayed across the entire surface of the display 1302. For example, this screen can be displayed on only a portion of the display 1302. Alternatively, for example, this screen can be displayed on the display 1302 in a semi-transparent manner so that the virtual space outside the virtual room is visible. In this way, the user can check and operate the screen while enjoying events and other things outside the virtual room in the virtual space.

[0138] The virtual room information display area 1110 displays information about the virtual room so that the first user can see which virtual room they are in. For example, the virtual room information display area 1110 displays information to the first user that says "Virtual room of Mr. / Ms. XX (the user who created the virtual room (the second user))".

[0139] The virtual room display area 1120 visually displays the space of the virtual room that the first user has entered. The overall structure of the virtual room is set by, for example, the background and color scheme set by the virtual room owner user (second user), and objects such as "sun," "cloud," "tree," and "pasture fence" are placed within the space of the virtual room. Furthermore, an avatar object 1130 corresponding to a user (the first user) who has entered the virtual room is placed in the virtual room display area 1120. The avatar object 1130 may be placed in a stationary state in the virtual room, or it may move dynamically within the virtual room. If the avatar object 1130 moves dynamically, for example, the avatar object 1130 can be moved within the virtual room by the operation of the first user via a terminal device 10 (terminal device 10A) used by the first user. Furthermore, the virtual room display area 1120 displays a gift object 1140 corresponding to the gift placed in the virtual room, in response to the gift-providing operation performed by the first user. The gift object 1140 is, for example, the gift object corresponding to the gift selected by the first user from the gift list display area 1042 when performing the gift-providing operation, as shown in Figure 10. In this example screen, the gift object ("cow" object) corresponding to "Gift A" displayed in the gift list display area 1042 in Figure 10 is placed in the virtual room. In this case, when the control unit 190 receives an operation input (a gift-providing operation), such as pressing the image of "Gift A" displayed in the gift list display area 1042, from the first user, it places the gift object 1140 corresponding to Gift A in the virtual room by representing its movement from the avatar object 1130 to an area surrounded by the "farm fence" object 1121 placed in the virtual room display area 1120. The gift object 1140 may be placed in the virtual room in a stationary state, or it may move dynamically within the virtual room. If the gift object 1140 is configured to move dynamically, for example, the gift object 1140 can be restricted to moving within the area enclosed by the "pasture fence" object 1121 located within the virtual room display area 1120. The virtual room display area 1120 may be displayed entirely on the display 1302, or the display area may be changed by moving the avatar object 1130 through the operation of the first user. Furthermore, the virtual room display area 1120 may be changed by enlarging or shrinking it through the operation of the first user.

[0140] Figure 12 shows an example screen for displaying information about the user who provided the gift corresponding to the gift object placed in the virtual room.

[0141] In Figure 12, the control unit 190 of the terminal device 10 (terminal device 10A) used by the first user displays a virtual room information display area 1210, a virtual room display area 1220, a user information display area 1250, etc., on the display 1302. Note that this screen does not need to be displayed across the entire surface of the display 1302. For example, this screen can be displayed on only a portion of the display 1302. Alternatively, for example, this screen can be displayed on the display 1302 in a semi-transparent manner so that the virtual space outside the virtual room is visible. In this way, the user can check and operate the screen while enjoying events and other activities outside the virtual room in the virtual space.

[0142] The virtual room information display area 1210 displays information about the virtual room so that the first user can see which virtual room they are in. For example, the virtual room information display area 1110 displays information to the first user that says "Virtual room of Mr. / Ms. XX (the user who created the virtual room (the second user))".

[0143] The virtual room display area 1220 visually displays the space of the virtual room that the first user has entered. The overall structure of the virtual room is set by, for example, the background and color scheme set by the virtual room owner user (second user), and objects such as "sun," "cloud," "tree," and "pasture fence" are placed within the space of the virtual room. Furthermore, an avatar object 1230 corresponding to a user (first user) who has entered the virtual room is placed in the virtual room display area 1220. The avatar object 1230 may be placed in a stationary state in the virtual room, or it may move dynamically within the virtual room. If the avatar object 1230 moves dynamically, for example, the avatar object 1230 can be moved within the virtual room by the operation of the first user via a terminal device 10 (terminal device 10A) used by the first user. Furthermore, the virtual room display area 1220 displays gift objects 1240 corresponding to gifts placed in the virtual room, in response to the gift-giving operation performed by a user who has entered the virtual room (including the user currently in the room; these users are referred to as the "first user"). The gift object 1240 is, for example, the gift object corresponding to the gift selected by the first user from the gift list display area 1042 when they perform the gift-giving operation, as shown in Figure 10. In this example screen, the gift object ("flower" object) corresponding to "Gift B" displayed in the gift list display area 1042 in Figure 10 is placed in the virtual room. The gift object 1240 may be placed in the virtual room in a static state, or it may be in a dynamic state that involves movement such as swaying. The virtual room display area 1220 may be displayed entirely on the display 1302, or the display area may be changed by moving the avatar object 1230 through the operation of the first user. Furthermore, the virtual room display area 1220 may be changed by enlarging or shrinking it through the operation of the first user.

[0144] The user information display area 1250 displays information about the user who provided the gift corresponding to the gift object 1240 placed in the virtual room (including the user currently in the room (here, these users are referred to as the first user)). The user information display area 1250 is connected to the gift object 1240 by a line so that it is visually clear that the information is related to the gift object 1240. The user information display area 1250 displays a message 1251 that reads, "This is a gift from the following user," which can draw the first user's attention to information about the provider of the gift object. Furthermore, in the user information display area 1250, below the message 1251, information about the user (such as the user's name and user ID) 1252 is displayed, allowing the first user to be informed of who provided the gift object. Furthermore, in the user information display area 1250, below the user information 1252, an operation button 1253 is displayed for performing an operation to check the user's profile. The operation button 1253 is a button that, at the operation of the first user, performs a process to check the profile information of the user who provided the gift corresponding to the gift object 1240 placed in the virtual room, and is pressed when the first user wants to perform the operation to provide a gift. For example, when the control unit 190 of the terminal device 10 (terminal device 10A) used by the first user receives an operation input such as the first user pressing the button, it performs a process to display information about the user's profile on the display 1302.

[0145] Figure 13 shows an example screen for receiving input from users participating in the virtual space (at least one of the first user, the second user, and other users who have entered the virtual room) to evaluate gift objects placed in the virtual room.

[0146] In Figure 13, the control unit 190 of the terminal device 10 (terminal device 10A) used by the first user displays a virtual room information display area 1310, a virtual room display area 1320, an evaluation operation information display area 1350, etc., on the display 1302. Note that this screen does not need to be displayed across the entire surface of the display 1302. For example, this screen can be displayed on only a portion of the display 1302. Alternatively, for example, this screen can be displayed on the display 1302 in a semi-transparent manner so that the virtual space outside the virtual room is visible. In this way, the user can check and operate the screen while enjoying events and other things outside the virtual room in the virtual space.

[0147] The virtual room information display area 1310 displays information about the virtual room so that the first user can see which virtual room they are in. For example, the virtual room information display area 1310 displays information to the first user that says "Virtual room of Mr. / Ms. XX (the user who created the virtual room (the second user))".

[0148] The virtual room display area 1320 visually displays the space of the virtual room that the first user has entered. The overall structure of the virtual room is set by, for example, the background and color scheme set by the virtual room owner user (second user), and objects such as "sun," "cloud," "tree," and "pasture fence" are placed within the space of the virtual room. Furthermore, an avatar object 1330 corresponding to a user (the first user) who has entered the virtual room is placed in the virtual room display area 1320. The avatar object 1330 may be placed in a stationary state in the virtual room, or it may move dynamically within the virtual room. If the avatar object 1330 moves dynamically, for example, the avatar object 1330 can be moved within the virtual room by the operation of the first user via a terminal device 10 (terminal device 10A) used by the first user. Furthermore, the virtual room display area 1320 displays gift objects 1340 corresponding to gifts placed in the virtual room, in response to the gift-giving operation performed by a user who has entered the virtual room (including the user currently in the room; these users are referred to here as the first user). The gift object 1340 is, for example, the gift object corresponding to the gift selected by the first user from the gift list display area 1042 when they perform the gift-giving operation, as shown in Figure 10. In this example screen, the gift object ("balloon" object) corresponding to "Gift C" displayed in the gift list display area 1042 in Figure 10 is placed in the virtual room. The gift object 1340 may be placed in the virtual room in a stationary state, or it may be in a dynamic state that moves around an empty area placed in the virtual room. The virtual room display area 1320 may be displayed entirely on the display 1302, or the display area may be changed by moving the avatar object 1330 through the operation of the first user. Furthermore, the virtual room display area 1320 may be changed by enlarging or shrinking it through the operation of the first user.

[0149] The evaluation operation information display area 1350 displays information for performing operations to evaluate the gift object 1340 placed in the virtual room. The evaluation operation information display area 1350 is connected to the gift object 1340 by a line so that it is visually clear that the information is related to the target gift object 1340. The evaluation operation information display area 1350 displays a message 1351 that reads, "Let's evaluate this gift," prompting the first user to evaluate the gift. Furthermore, in the evaluation operation information display area 1350, below the message 1351, information 1352 is displayed for performing evaluation operations to evaluate the target gift. The evaluation operation information 1352 includes, for example, five objects related to white star marks so that the gift can be evaluated by the number of star marks. The first user can perform an operation via their terminal device 10 (terminal device 10A) to change the white star mark objects to filled star mark objects and evaluate the gift by the number of filled star marks (1 to 5). Furthermore, in the evaluation operation information display area 1350, below the information 1352 for performing evaluation operations, an operation button 1353 for performing the operation of entering comments related to the evaluation is displayed. The operation button 1353 is a button that, at the operation of the first user, executes the process of entering a comment evaluation as an evaluation corresponding to the gift object 1340 placed in the virtual room, and is pressed when the first user wants to perform a comment evaluation in addition to the star evaluation mentioned above. For example, when the control unit 190 of the terminal device 10 (terminal device 10A) used by the first user receives an operation input such as the first user pressing the button, it executes a process to display information about the input frame for entering comments on the display 1302.

[0150] <5 Basic Hardware Configuration of a Computer> Figure 14 is a block diagram showing the basic hardware configuration of computer 50. Computer 50 comprises at least a processor 501, main memory 502, auxiliary memory 503, and a communication IF 591 (interface). These are electrically connected to each other by a communication bus 521.

[0151] The processor 501 is hardware for executing the instruction set written in the program. The processor 501 consists of an arithmetic unit, registers, peripheral circuits, etc.

[0152] Main memory 502 is used to temporarily store programs and data processed by programs, etc. For example, it is a volatile memory such as DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory).

[0153] Auxiliary storage device 503 is a storage device for storing data and programs. Examples include flash memory, HDD (Hard Disc Drive), magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, and semiconductor memory.

[0154] The IF591 communication interface is an interface for inputting and outputting signals for communication with other computers via a network using wired or wireless communication standards. A network consists of various mobile communication systems, such as the internet, LANs, and wireless base stations. For example, a network includes 3G, 4G, and 5G mobile communication systems, LTE (Long Term Evolution), and wireless networks that can connect to the internet via designated access points (e.g., Wi-Fi®). When connecting wirelessly, communication protocols include, for example, Z-Wave®, ZigBee®, and Bluetooth®. When connecting via a wired connection, the network also includes connections made directly via USB (Universal Serial Bus) cables, etc.

[0155] Furthermore, by distributing all or part of each hardware configuration across multiple computers 50 and connecting them to each other via a network, the computers 50 can be virtually realized. Thus, the concept of computer 50 includes not only a computer 50 housed in a single enclosure or case, but also a virtualized computer system.

[0156] <6. Basic Functional Configuration of Computer 50> The functional configuration of the computer realized by the basic hardware configuration of computer 50 (Figure 14) is described below. The computer comprises at least one functional unit: a control unit, a memory unit, and a communication unit.

[0157] Furthermore, the functional units of computer 50 can also be realized by distributing all or part of each functional unit across multiple computers 50 interconnected via a network. The term "computer 50" is a concept that includes not only a single computer 50 but also a virtualized computer system.

[0158] The control unit is realized when the processor 501 reads various programs stored in the auxiliary storage device 503, loads them into the main memory device 502, and executes processing according to those programs. The control unit can realize various functional units that perform information processing depending on the type of program. In this way, the computer is realized as an information processing device that performs information processing.

[0159] The memory unit is implemented by a main memory 502 and an auxiliary memory 503. The memory unit stores data, various programs, and various databases. The processor 501 can also reserve memory areas corresponding to the memory unit in the main memory 502 or the auxiliary memory 503 according to the program. The control unit can also cause the processor 501 to perform operations such as adding, updating, and deleting data stored in the memory unit according to the various programs.

[0160] A database, specifically a relational database, is used to manage and link together tabular data sets called masters, which are structurally defined by rows and columns. In a database, tables are called tables, masters are called masters, the columns of tables are called columns, and the rows of tables are called records. In a relational database, relationships can be established and linked between tables and masters. Typically, each table and master has a primary key column to uniquely identify records, but setting a primary key column is not mandatory. The control unit can instruct the processor 501 to add, delete, or update records in specific tables and masters stored in the storage unit, according to various programs. Furthermore, by storing data, various programs, and various databases in the memory unit, the information processing device and information processing system related to this disclosure can be considered to have been manufactured.

[0161] Furthermore, the databases and masters in this disclosure may include any data structures (lists, dictionaries, associative arrays, objects, etc.) in which information is structurally defined. Data structures also include data that can be considered as data structures by combining data with functions, classes, methods, etc., written in any programming language.

[0162] The communication unit is implemented by the communication IF 591. The communication unit provides the functionality to communicate with other computers 50 via the network. The communication unit can receive information transmitted from other computers 50 and input it to the control unit. The control unit can cause the processor 501 to perform information processing on the received information according to various programs. The communication unit can also transmit information output from the control unit to other computers 50.

[0163] Furthermore, each of the above-mentioned configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, etc., may be implemented in hardware, either partially or entirely, by designing them as integrated circuits, for example. The present invention can also be implemented by software program code that realizes the functions of the embodiment. In this case, a storage medium on which the program code is recorded is provided to a computer, and the processor of that computer reads the program code stored in the storage medium. In this case, the program code read from the storage medium itself realizes the functions of the embodiment described above, and the program code itself and the storage medium on which it is stored constitute the present invention. Examples of storage media used to supply such program code include flexible disks, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, hard disks, SSDs, optical disks, magneto-optical disks, CD-Rs, magnetic tapes, non-volatile memory cards, ROMs, and the like.

[0164] Furthermore, the program code that implements the functions described in this embodiment can be implemented in a wide range of programming or scripting languages, such as assembler, C / C++, Perl, Shell, PHP, and Java (registered trademark).

[0165] Furthermore, the program code for the software that implements the functions of the embodiment may be distributed via a network and stored in a storage means such as a computer's hard disk or memory, or in a storage medium such as a CD-RW or CD-R, and the computer's processor may read and execute the program code stored in the storage means or storage medium.

[0166] The functions realized by the components described herein may be implemented in a circuit or processing circuitry, including general-purpose processors, application-specific processors, integrated circuits, ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), CPUs (a Central Processing Unit), conventional circuits, and / or combinations thereof, programmed to realize the functions described herein. A processor is considered to be a circuit or processing circuitry, including transistors and other circuits. A processor may be a programmed processor that executes a program stored in memory. In this specification, circuitry, unit, and means are hardware programmed to perform or execute the functions described herein. Such hardware may be any hardware disclosed herein, or any hardware known to be programmed to perform or execute the functions described herein. If the hardware is a processor that is considered to be a type of circuitry, then the circuitry, means, or unit is a combination of hardware and software used to constitute the hardware and / or processor.

[0167] <7 Variations> Modifications of this embodiment will now be described. That is, the following embodiments may be adopted. (1) An information processing device, which may have this program pre-installed, or may install it afterward, or may store such a program on an external non-temporary storage medium, or may run on cloud computing. (2) A method in which a computer is made to function as an information processing device, and the program may be pre-installed on the information processing device or installed thereafter, or such program may be stored on an external non-temporary storage medium or run on cloud computing.

[0168] While several embodiments of this disclosure have been described above, these embodiments can be implemented in a variety of other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications are permitted without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims and their equivalents.

[0169] <Note> The details described in each of the above embodiments are noted below.

[0170] (Note 1) A program executed by a computer equipped with a processor, the program causes the processor to execute the following steps: receiving an operation from a first user participating in a virtual space to enter a virtual room constructed in the virtual space and accessible to any user participating in the virtual space (S701); allowing the first user to enter the virtual room after receiving the operation to enter the virtual room (S751); determining whether the first user can provide a gift to the virtual room after receiving the operation to enter the virtual room (S752); if it is determined that the first user can provide a gift to the virtual room, presenting guidance information regarding the provision of a gift to the first user who has entered the virtual room (S753); receiving an operation from the first user who has received the guidance information to provide a gift to the virtual room (S702); and placing a gift object corresponding to the gift in the virtual room in accordance with the received operation to provide the gift (S754).

[0171] (Note 2) The program, as described in Appendix 1, further causes the processor to perform a step (S851) to determine whether the first user is allowed to enter the virtual room in response to an operation to enter the virtual room, and in the step of allowing the first user to enter the virtual room, if it is determined that the first user is allowed to enter the virtual room, the program allows the first user to enter the virtual room (S852).

[0172] (Note 3) The program described in Appendix 2 determines, in the step of determining whether a first user can provide a gift to a virtual room, that the first user who has entered the virtual room can provide a gift to the virtual room.

[0173] (Note 4) The program described in Appendix 1, which, in the step of accepting an operation to provide a gift, accepts an operation from a first user to specify the placement location of the gift object for placing the gift object at a specific location in a virtual room, and in response to the accepted operation to provide the gift, places the gift object corresponding to the gift in the virtual room based on the specified placement location.

[0174] (Note 5) A virtual room is a program described in Appendix 1, which is created in the virtual space by a second user who is a user participating in the virtual space and is different from the first user.

[0175] (Note 6) The program described in Appendix 5 further causes the processor to perform a step that accepts an operation from a second user to set the placement conditions for gift objects to be placed in a virtual room.

[0176] (Note 7) The program described in Appendix 6 accepts an operation from a second user to set the possible placement locations of gift objects in a virtual room as placement conditions.

[0177] (Note 8) The program described in Appendix 6 accepts an operation from a second user to set gift objects that can be placed in a virtual room as placement conditions.

[0178] (Note 9) The program described in Appendix 6 accepts an operation from a second user to set user conditions that allow a virtual room to provide gifts, as placement conditions.

[0179] (Note 10) The program described in Appendix 9, which, after receiving an operation to enter a virtual room, determines, based on user conditions, whether or not a second user is permitted to provide a gift to the virtual room.

[0180] (Note 11) The program described in Appendix 1, which causes the processor to perform the step of presenting in the virtual room information about a first user who provided a gift corresponding to a gift object, in association with the gift object placed in the virtual room.

[0181] (Note 12) The program as described in Appendix 1, wherein the program causes the processor to perform a step of accepting an operation from at least one of the first user, the second user, and other users who have entered the virtual room to evaluate a gift object placed in the virtual room.

[0182] (Note 13) The program described in Appendix 1 further causes the processor to perform a step of accepting an operation from a second user to edit information about a gift object placed in a virtual room.

[0183] (Note 14) A method executed by a computer having a processor and memory, wherein the processor performs the following steps: receiving an operation from a first user participating in a virtual space to enter a virtual room constructed in the virtual space and accessible to any user; after receiving the operation to enter the virtual room, allowing the first user to enter the virtual room (S751); after receiving the operation to enter the virtual room, determining whether the first user can provide a gift to the virtual room (S752); if it is determined that the provision of a gift to the virtual room is possible, presenting guidance information regarding the provision of a gift to the first user who has entered the virtual room (S753); receiving an operation from the first user who has received the guidance information to provide a gift to the virtual room (S702); and in accordance with the received operation to provide a gift, placing a gift object corresponding to the gift in the virtual room (S754).

[0184] (Note 15) Information processing device comprising a control unit, the control unit having a function (S701) to receive an operation from a first user participating in the virtual space to enter a virtual room constructed in the virtual space and accessible to any user, a function (S751) to allow the first user to enter the virtual room after receiving the operation to enter the virtual room, a function (S752) to determine whether the first user can provide a gift to the virtual room after receiving the operation to enter the virtual room, a function (S753) to present guidance information regarding the provision of a gift to the first user who has entered the virtual room if it is determined that the provision of a gift to the virtual room is possible, a function (S702) to receive an operation from the first user who has received the guidance information to provide a gift to the virtual room, and a function (S754) to place a gift object corresponding to the gift in the virtual room in accordance with the received operation to provide the gift. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0185] 10 (10A, 10B) Terminal device, 12 Communication interface, 13 Input device, 14 Output device, 15 Memory, 16 Storage unit, 19 Processor, 20 Server, 22 Communication interface, 23 Input / Output interface, 25 Memory, 26 Storage, 29 Processor, 50 Computer, 80 Network, 501 Processor, 502 Main memory, 503 Auxiliary memory, 521 Communication path, 591 Communication IF, 1801 User information, 1901 Input operation reception unit, 1902 Transmit / receive unit, 1903 Data processing unit, 1904 Notification control unit, 1302 Display, 140 Audio processing unit, 141 Microphone, 142 Speaker, 150 Location information sensor, 160 Camera, 170 Motion sensor, 2021 User information database, 2022 Virtual room information database, 2023 Gift information database, 2031 Receive control module, 2032; transmit control module, 2033; user information acquisition module, 2034; entry operation acceptance module, 2035; entry processing module, 2036; gift provision eligibility determination module, 2037; gift provision guidance information display, 2038; gift provision operation acceptance module, 2039; gift placement module, 2040; entry permission determination module, 2041; gift placement condition setting operation acceptance module, 2042; user information display module, 2043; gift evaluation operation acceptance module, 2044; gift editing operation acceptance module

Claims

1. A program that is executed by a computer equipped with a processor, The program is provided to the processor: A step of receiving a first operation from a first user participating in the virtual space to enter a virtual room constructed in the virtual space, which can be entered and exited by any user participating in the virtual space, After receiving the first operation for entering the virtual room, the first step is to allow the first user to enter the virtual room. The steps include determining whether the first user is a user capable of performing a second operation, which is the act of providing a gift to place a gift object corresponding to the gift in the virtual room, If it is determined that the first user is a user who can perform the second operation, the first user who has entered the virtual room is presented with information regarding the provision of the gift. The step of receiving the second operation from the first user who has been presented with the aforementioned guidance information, In response to the accepted second operation, the steps include placing the gift object corresponding to the gift in the virtual room, A program that executes the command.

2. The program further provides the processor with: In response to the first operation for entering the virtual room, the system executes a step to determine whether or not the first user is allowed to enter the virtual room. The program according to claim 1, wherein, in the step of allowing the first user to enter the virtual room, if it is determined that the first user is able to enter the virtual room, the program allows the first user to enter the virtual room.

3. The program according to claim 2, wherein, in the step of determining whether or not a user is capable of performing the second operation, the program determines that the first user who has entered the virtual room is a user capable of performing the second operation.

4. In the step of receiving the second operation, the first user requests an operation to specify the placement location of the gift object in order to place the gift object at a specific location in the virtual room. The program according to claim 1, which, in response to the second operation received, places the gift object corresponding to the gift in the virtual room based on the specified placement location.

5. The program according to claim 1, wherein the virtual room is constructed in the virtual space by a second user who is a user participating in the virtual space and is different from the first user.

6. The program further provides the processor with: The program according to claim 5, which causes the program to perform the step of receiving an operation from the second user to set the placement conditions for the gift object to be placed in the virtual room.

7. The program according to claim 6, which receives from the second user the operation to set the placement conditions, which are the placement locations of the gift object in the virtual room.

8. The program according to claim 6, which receives the operation from the second user to set the gift object that can be placed in the virtual room as the placement condition.

9. The program according to claim 6, which receives the operation from the second user to set user conditions that enable the provision of the gift to the virtual room as the placement conditions.

10. The program according to claim 9, which, after receiving the first operation for entering the virtual room, determines, based on the user conditions, whether or not the second user is permitted to provide the gift to the virtual room.

11. The program further provides the processor with: The program according to claim 1, which causes the program to perform the step of presenting information in the virtual room about the first user who provided the gift corresponding to the gift object, in association with the gift object placed in the virtual room.

12. The program further provides the processor with: The program according to claim 5, which causes the program to perform the step of receiving an operation from at least one of the first user, the second user, and other users who have entered the virtual room to evaluate the gift object placed in the virtual room.

13. The program further provides the processor with: The program according to claim 5, which causes the program to perform the step of receiving an operation from the second user to edit information relating to the gift object placed in the virtual room.

14. A method performed by a computer having a processor and memory, The aforementioned processor, A step of receiving a first operation from a first user participating in the virtual space to enter a virtual room constructed in the said virtual space, which can be entered and exited by any user, After receiving the first operation for entering the virtual room, the first step is to allow the first user to enter the virtual room. The steps include determining whether the first user is a user capable of performing a second operation, which is the act of providing a gift to place a gift object corresponding to the gift in the virtual room, If it is determined that the first user is a user who can perform the second operation, the first user who has entered the virtual room is presented with information regarding the provision of the gift. The step of receiving the second operation from the first user who has been presented with the aforementioned guidance information, A method of performing the steps of: placing the gift object corresponding to the gift in the virtual room in response to the second operation received.

15. An information processing apparatus comprising a control unit, wherein the control unit is A function that receives a first operation from a first user participating in the virtual space to enter a virtual room constructed in the said virtual space, which can be entered and exited by any user, A function to allow the first user to enter the virtual room after receiving the first operation for entering the virtual room, A function to determine whether the first user is a user capable of performing a second operation, which is the act of providing a gift to place a gift object corresponding to the gift in the virtual room, When it is determined that the first user is a user who can perform the second operation, the first user who has entered the virtual room is provided with information regarding the provision of the gift. A function to receive the second operation from the first user who has been presented with the aforementioned guidance information, An information processing device having a function to place the gift object corresponding to the gift in the virtual room in response to the second operation received.

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