Content delivery device, content delivery method, and program

Abstract

To provide a content providing device, a content providing method, and a program capable of effectively presenting content that a user wants to continue viewing. [Solution] The content providing device 100 comprises a generating unit 130 that generates a focus list for each user, an adding unit 131 that adds content whose usable portion has been used to the user's focus list, an identifying unit 140 that identifies content included in the focus list whose unused portion has been changed to a usable portion, a presenting unit 150 that presents the identified content in a selectable manner, a providing unit 120 that, when any content from the presented content is selected, presents the unused portion of the selected content that has been changed to a usable portion, and a deleting unit 132 that deletes from the focus list any content from which a predetermined period of time has passed without the unused portion of the presented content that has been changed to a usable portion being provided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a content providing apparatus, a content providing method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Techniques for providing electronic content via a network are known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an electronic content providing apparatus that provides electronic content such as an electronic book in which a plurality of constituent contents are developed in a predetermined order in an appropriate manner according to a user's preference.

[0003] In this electronic content providing apparatus, each constituent content of an electronic book is classified into any one of always free, limited free, and always charged. When a browsing request for a constituent content classified as limited free is received, it is determined whether the current time is within the limited free period. If it is determined that it is within the limited free period, the constituent content is output. If it is determined that it is not within the limited free period, the constituent content is output only when it is determined that a predetermined approval process has been executed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In an electronic content providing service provided using such a technique, for example, the first to third episodes of an electronic book are set to be always free, the fourth episode to five episodes before the latest episode are set to be limited free, and the episodes from there to the latest episode are set to be always charged.

[0006] Furthermore, it is possible to repeatedly grant users the right to subscribe to one episode at a time through a so-called "free charge" system, in order to view the constituent content. In such a system, it is expected that users will access the electronic content provision service on a daily basis.

[0007] Incidentally, in such electronic content provision services, users are presented with a browsing history list, which is a list of summary information for content they have viewed in the past. In the browsing history list, when a free charge is completed or when subsequent content following previously viewed content becomes available, a label or mark indicating this is added to the summary information. When the user selects the summary information, the subsequent content is provided.

[0008] However, the browsing history list may present a mix of content that the user viewed after clicking an ad banner, but does not want to continue viewing, and content that they do want to continue viewing.

[0009] Therefore, even if subsequent content becomes available for users who want to continue viewing it, it can get buried amongst content they don't want to continue viewing, making it difficult for users to notice. This can lead to users having to manually search for whether the continuation is available or remove the unwanted content from their list, which can be time-consuming. Thus, there was room for improvement in effectively presenting content that users want to continue viewing.

[0010] This invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a content provision device, a content provision method, and a program that can effectively present content that users wish to continue viewing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] To solve the above problems, the content provision device according to the present invention A generation unit generates a list of items of interest for each user, which shows a list of content that the user is estimated to continue using. An additional unit adds the content in which the available portion available to the user has been used to the user's list of interests, A special unit identifies content included in the aforementioned list of focus, where the unused portion that has not yet been used by the user has been transformed into the available portion. A display unit that displays content identified by the aforementioned identification unit in a selectable manner, When any of the content presented by the presentation unit is selected, the providing unit provides the unused portion of the selected content that has been transformed into the usable portion. A deletion unit removes content from the user's list of interests if, among the content presented by the presentation unit, the unused portion that has been changed to the usable portion has not been provided to the user for a predetermined period of time. It is equipped with. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a content provisioning device, a content provisioning method, and a program that can effectively present content that users wish to continue viewing. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This diagram shows the overall configuration of the content provision system according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of the home screen displayed on a device. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of the details screen for ebooks displayed on a device. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of a usage confirmation screen displayed on a device. [Figure 5] This figure shows another example of the usage confirmation screen displayed on the device. [Figure 6]It is a diagram showing another example of the detailed screen of an e-book displayed on a terminal. [Figure 7] It is a diagram showing an example of a list of items of interest displayed on a terminal. [Figure 8] It is an explanatory diagram showing the functional configuration of a content providing device. [Figure 9] It is a diagram showing an example of content management information stored in an information storage unit. [Figure 10] It is a diagram showing another example of a list of items of interest displayed on a terminal. [Figure 11] It is a diagram showing another example of an update list displayed on a terminal. [Figure 12] It is an explanatory diagram showing the hardware configuration of an information processing device. [Figure 13] It is a flowchart of additional processing by a content providing device. [Figure 14] It is a flowchart of specific processing by a content providing device. [Figure 15] It is a flowchart of deletion processing by a content providing device. [Figure 16] It is a diagram showing an example of a list of items of interest according to a modified example.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. In this embodiment, a content providing system that provides e-books will be described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to e-books and is applicable to, for example, content providing systems that provide other contents such as videos and games. That is, this embodiment is for the purpose of explanation and does not limit the scope of the present invention. Therefore, those skilled in the art can adopt embodiments in which each of these elements or all of these elements are replaced with equivalents thereof, and these embodiments are also included in the scope of the present invention.

[0015] As shown in Figure 1, the content provision system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a content provision device 100 that provides e-book services and a terminal 200 used by users of the e-book services. The content provision device 100 and the terminal 200 are connected via a communication network 300 such as the Internet. Although one terminal 200 is shown in Figure 1, the number of terminals 200 applicable to the content provision system 1 is not limited to this, and multiple terminals 200 may be used.

[0016] The content provision device 100 consists of one or more server computers. The content provision device 100 manages various types of ebooks (e.g., comics, novels, practical books, photo books, etc.) and provides free ebooks and ebooks purchased by users to the terminal 200.

[0017] E-books have pre-set categories of chapters: chapters that are always free to read (hereinafter referred to as "always free chapters"), chapters that can be read for free by fulfilling certain conditions such as free charging (hereinafter referred to as "conditional free chapters"), and chapters that can be read by purchasing (hereinafter referred to as "paid chapters"). Free charging refers to the granting of viewing rights after a predetermined period (for example, 1 day) has elapsed, up to a certain amount (for example, 1 chapter) of free access for each e-book. The conditions for viewing conditional free chapters may also include fulfilling any conditions other than free charging, such as the number of points held in the content provision service being equal to or greater than the number of points required to view the conditional free chapter of each e-book, or the distribution of a ticket to view the conditional free chapter. Always free chapters and conditional free chapters made available through free charging are just examples of the available portions.

[0018] The content provider 100 manages the content of ebooks on an episode-by-episode basis and ensures that each user can access a predetermined amount of free content within a specified period when providing episodes that are free under certain conditions. For example, when a user views episode 6, which is a free episode under certain conditions, the content provider 100 grants the user the right to view one episode using a free charge 24 hours after episode 6 has been viewed, thereby enabling them to access other unread free episodes under certain conditions for free.

[0019] Here, examples of screens for the terminal 200 related to the provision of ebooks are shown in Figures 2 to 5. Figure 2 shows an example of the home screen 210 that is displayed when the ebook application for using the ebook service, which is pre-installed on the terminal 200, is launched. As shown in the figure, the home screen 210 displays a list of objects 20 that represent the overview of each ebook. The objects 20 include a thumbnail 20a, the name of the ebook 20b, and strings 20c such as the number of chapters that are always free. The user searches for an ebook to view by entering predetermined keywords such as the author's name and title into the search tab 21 located at the top of the home screen 210 to narrow down the ebooks displayed in the list. When the user selects an ebook, the content providing device 100 displays the ebook details screen 220, illustrated in Figure 3, on the display screen of the terminal 200.

[0020] Figure 3 shows an example of the details screen 220 for Content A, which is displayed when Content A is selected on the home screen 210. As shown in the figure, the details screen 220 displays objects 30 representing summaries of each episode that make up Content A, arranged vertically. The objects 30 include a thumbnail 31 for each episode, a string 32 indicating the episode number, a viewing status icon 33 indicating whether each episode has been read or not, a free icon 34 indicating that the episode is always free to read, a timer icon 35 indicating that the episode is available with a free charge, and a cart icon 36 indicating that the episode is available by purchase. In the example shown, it is indicated that episode 1 of the ebook "Content A" is always free, episode 6 is free under certain conditions, and episode 20 is a paid episode.

[0021] When a user selects any object 30 on the details screen 220, the content provider 100 displays a usage confirmation screen 230, as illustrated in Figure 4 or Figure 5, on the terminal 200. Figure 4 shows an example of the usage confirmation screen 230 when object 30 of episode 6, which is a free episode, is selected and free charging has been completed. As shown in the figure, the usage confirmation screen 230 includes a free charge object 41 for selecting to view by free charging, a purchase selection object 42 for selecting to view by purchasing, and a cancel object 43 for canceling viewing. When the user selects the free charge object 41 or the purchase selection object 42 and the purchase procedure is completed, the content provider 100 provides the selected content of episode 6 to the terminal 200 and displays it on the display screen.

[0022] Figure 5 shows an example of the usage confirmation screen 230 when object 30 of episode 6 of content A, which is a free episode under certain conditions, is selected, and free charging has not yet been completed. As shown in the figure, the free charging object 41a displays the remaining time until charging is completed. When the purchase selection object 42 is selected and the purchase procedure is completed, the content provider 100 provides the content of episode 6 to the terminal 200 and displays it on the display screen.

[0023] When the content provider 100 provides the content of the selected story, or when it detects that the last page of the provided content has been displayed on the terminal 200's display screen, it records that the content has been viewed.

[0024] Furthermore, the number of free chapters under certain conditions may increase in each e-book. For example, the oldest paid chapters may be changed to free chapters under certain conditions by a few chapters each time a predetermined period of time has elapsed, or, if the e-book is being serialized, the oldest paid chapters may be changed to free chapters under certain conditions as the latest chapter is added. Here, Figure 6 shows an example of the detail screen 220 illustrated in Figure 3, when the latest chapter is newly added and chapter 20, which is a paid chapter, is updated to a free chapter under certain conditions. As shown in the figure, a timer icon 35 indicating that it is available with a free charge is added to the object 30 of chapter 20, and an update icon 37 indicating that it has been updated is placed and displayed above it. Also, chapter 31, which is the latest chapter, is added as a paid chapter and is displayed together with the update icon 37. Through these displays, the user can be informed that the number of free chapters under certain conditions has increased and that the latest chapter has been added.

[0025] Returning to Figure 1, the content provider 100 generates and presents to each user a list of ebooks that the user is currently viewing and that the user is presumed to want to read subsequent chapters of. Based on the user's browsing behavior, the content provider 100 generates and updates the list of interest by adding or removing ebooks that meet pre-set conditions from the list of interest. Here, an example of the list of interest 50 displayed on the display screen of the terminal 200 is shown in Figure 7. As shown in the figure, the list of interest 50 has objects 51 that show an overview of the ebooks arranged to be vertically scrollable. Objects 51 include a charge icon 52 that shows the status of free charging, and display whether free charging has been completed or the remaining time until free charging is completed for each ebook.

[0026] Returning to Figure 1, terminal 200 is an information terminal (so-called computer) such as a smartphone, tablet, or PC (Personal Computer) used by a user of the e-book service, and is capable of communicating with the content provider 100 via the communication network 300. For example, an e-book application for using the e-book service is installed on terminal 200. The user launches the e-book application and accesses the content provider 100. The user then views e-books that are available for free or through purchase. Alternatively, the user may launch a browser (browser application) installed on terminal 200, access the content provider 100, and use e-books.

[0027] The communication network 300 may include various types of networks. For example, local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs) such as the Internet, telecommunications networks such as public switched telephone networks (PSTNs), wireless networks, public switched networks, satellite networks, cellular networks, public land mobile communications networks (PLMNs), metropolitan area networks (MANs), private networks, ad hoc networks, intranets, fiber optic-based networks, or any combination of these or other types of networks.

[0028] (Functional configuration of content delivery device) Next, the functional configuration of the content provision device 100 will be explained using Figure 8. The content provision device 100 comprises an information storage unit 110, a provision unit 120, a generation unit 130, a specification unit 140, and a presentation unit 150.

[0029] The information storage unit 110 stores content management information for managing ebooks that are currently or will be available to each user. An example of content management information is shown in Figure 9. As shown in the figure, the content management information includes a "User ID" which uniquely identifies the user, a "Content ID" which uniquely identifies the ebook, a "Content Name" which indicates the name of the ebook, a "Chapter Number" which identifies each chapter within the ebook, a "Content Category" which indicates whether each chapter within the ebook is always free, conditionally free, or paid, a "Usage Category" which indicates whether each chapter within the ebook has been viewed or not, and a "Usage Date and Time" which indicates the date and time each chapter within the ebook was viewed or provided to the user. The content management information is managed by an administrator user, for example, to add new ebooks, add the latest chapters, change content categories, etc.

[0030] In addition to content management information, the information storage unit 110 stores user information for each user (user ID, password, address, age, payment card information, etc.), management information for each e-book (content ID, book title, author name, genre, number of chapters, etc.), a user-specific focus list 50 generated by the generation unit 130, and the actual data for each e-book.

[0031] The provision unit 120 provides the terminal 200 with ebooks that the user can use. Specifically, the provision unit 120 provides the terminal 200 with available chapters from among the chapters within the ebook that the user can use, based on the user's selection operation. The provision unit 120 records the date and time when it provided the available chapters to the user, or the date and time when it detected that the last page of the available chapters provided to the terminal 200 was displayed, in the "Usage Date and Time" field of the content management information, and changes the "Usage Status" from "Unread" to "Read".

[0032] The generation unit 130 generates a list of items of interest 50, as illustrated in Figure 7, for each user. The generation unit 130 includes an addition unit 131 and a deletion unit 132.

[0033] The addition unit 131 adds ebooks that meet pre-set additional conditions to the focus list 50 based on the user's browsing status. For example, if the addition unit 131 determines that a certain amount (threshold) or a predetermined percentage (threshold percentage) of the free available chapters of an ebook has been viewed by the user, it adds that ebook to the user's focus list 50.

[0034] The deletion unit 132 deletes ebooks from the focus list 50 that meet pre-set deletion conditions based on the user's viewing status. For example, the deletion unit 132 deletes ebooks from the focus list 50 that have been identified by the identification unit 140 as having completed free charging and made unread chapters available, but for which a predetermined period has elapsed without the unread chapters being viewed.

[0035] The generation unit 130 assigns a display order to each ebook in the focus list 50 after it has been added or deleted by the addition unit 131 and the deletion unit 132, based on setting rules that set the display order of each ebook, and then rearranges them in the order according to the assigned display order to generate the focus list 50. Any setting rules can be set, such as setting a higher display order for the latest time when unread chapters became available, the fewest number of unread chapters, the update date when the number of free chapters increased, the addition date when the latest chapter was added, or the addition date when it was added to the focus list 50.

[0036] The identification unit 140 identifies ebooks from the focus list 50 whose unread chapters have become available. Specifically, the identification unit 140 refers to the content management information illustrated in Figure 9 to identify ebooks that have unread chapters available because the free charge has been completed. The identification unit 140 notifies the presentation unit 150 of the identified ebooks. Details of the processing by the identification unit 140 will be described later.

[0037] The presentation unit 150 presents the e-books identified by the identification unit 140. For example, if it is identified that unread chapters of content A have become available, the presentation unit 150 places a charge icon 52 indicating that the charge is complete and an update icon 37 indicating that it has been newly updated on the object 51 of content A in the focus list 50, as illustrated in Figure 10, and displays them on the terminal 200. The presentation unit 150 may also display the objects 51 in the focus list 50 in order of the most recent date and time of free charge completion. Furthermore, the presentation unit 150 is not limited to presenting e-books identified by the identification unit 140 in the focus list 50; as illustrated in Figure 11, it may also generate an update list 60, which is a list of identified e-books, separately from the focus list 50, and display it on the display screen of the terminal 200. In addition to these, the presentation unit 150 may also display a pop-up on the terminal 200 indicating that unread chapters have become available, or notify the user via email.

[0038] (Hardware configuration of information processing equipment) Figure 12 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the information processing device 10 on which the content provisioning device 100 and terminal 200 are realized. The information processing device 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11 that executes processing according to a program, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 12 which is volatile memory, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 13 which is non-volatile memory, a storage unit 14 that stores data, an input unit 15 that accepts information input, a display unit 16 that visualizes and displays the information, and a communication unit 17 that sends and receives information, all of which are connected via an internal bus 99.

[0039] The CPU 11 controls the operation of the entire information processing device 10, is connected to each component, and exchanges control signals and data. The CPU 11 performs various processes by reading programs stored in the memory unit 14 into the RAM 12 and executing them. The CPU 11 performs the processes of the providing unit 120, the generating unit 130, the specifying unit 140, and the presentation unit 150, which are the main functions provided by the program.

[0040] RAM12 is for temporarily storing data and programs, and holds programs and data read from memory unit 14, as well as other data necessary for communication. RAM12 is used as the work area of ​​CPU 11.

[0041] ROM13 stores control programs, BIOS (Basic Input Output System), and other information processing devices that the CPU11 executes for the basic operation of the information processing device 10.

[0042] The storage unit 14 includes a hard disk drive, flash memory, etc., and stores programs executed by the CPU 11, as well as various data used during program execution. The storage unit 14 functions as an information storage unit 110.

[0043] The input unit 15 is a user interface equipped with a touch panel, keyboard, mouse, communication device, etc. The input unit 15 receives operation input from the user of the information processing device 10 and outputs a signal corresponding to the received operation input to the CPU 11.

[0044] The display unit 16 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display that visualizes and displays information.

[0045] The communication unit 17 is a network termination device or wireless communication device connected to a network, and a serial interface or LAN (Local Area Network) interface connected to them. The information processing device 10 communicates with other information processing devices, etc., via the communication unit 17. The communication unit 17 functions as a providing unit 120 and a presentation unit 150.

[0046] (Additional processing) Next, we will explain the operation of the content provision device 100. First, we will explain the process of adding a new ebook to the focus list 50, referring to Figure 13. When the user operates the terminal 200 and launches the ebook application that is pre-installed on the terminal 200, the addition process begins.

[0047] The content provision unit 120 of the content provision device 100 waits for a content provision request (step S101). Specifically, the user searches for an ebook by entering the author's name or title of the work in the search tab 21 on the home screen 210 as illustrated in Figure 2, and selects an ebook object 20 to view, or selects an ebook object 20 displayed on the home screen 210 as a recommendation. Once the user has selected any ebook object 20, the provision unit 120 displays the details screen 220 of the selected ebook on the terminal 200, as illustrated in Figure 3.

[0048] When an object 30 of any story is selected on the details screen 220, the terminal 200 sends a request to the content provider 100 to provide the content of the selected story.

[0049] Next, when the provision unit 120 receives a provision request (step S102; Yes), it reads the content management information illustrated in Figure 9 and determines whether or not to provide the requested story to the user, using the user ID, the content ID and story number related to the provision request as keys. Specifically, if the requested story is always free, the provision unit 120 determines to provide the requested story to the user. Also, if the requested story is conditionally free, the provision unit 120 extracts the most recent date and time of use of the ebook and determines to provide the requested story to the user if the predetermined period has elapsed and the free charge has been completed. Also, if the requested story is paid, the provision unit 120 determines to provide the requested story to the user when the purchase procedure is completed. If the provision unit 120 determines to provide the requested story to the user, it provides it to the user by transmitting the content data of the requested story to the terminal 200 (step S103).

[0050] The provisioning unit 120 updates the content management information by changing the "Usage Status" of a provided story from "Unread" to "Read" and entering the date and time the content data was sent into "Usage Date and Time". Note that the provisioning unit 120 does not only detect that a provided story has been read when the content data is provided; for example, it may also detect that a story has been read when it receives a notification from the terminal 200 indicating that the last page of the provided story has been displayed, and record the time the notification was received in "Usage Date and Time".

[0051] On the other hand, if the supply unit 120 does not receive a supply request (step S102; No), it returns to step S101 and waits for a supply request.

[0052] Next, the addition unit 131 reads the user's focus list 50 from the information storage unit 110 and determines whether the ebook related to the story content data provided in step S103 has already been added to the focus list (step S104). If the generation unit 130 determines that the ebook has already been added to the focus list 50 (step S104), it terminates the addition process.

[0053] On the other hand, if the addition unit 131 determines that the ebook is not one that has already been added to the focus list 50 (step S104; No), it determines whether the ebook satisfies the pre-set additional conditions (step S105).

[0054] For example, the additional unit 131 adds to the focus list 50 ebooks in which a predetermined amount or a predetermined percentage of the always-free chapters and conditionally free chapters have been viewed. The additional conditions may be the same for all ebooks, or thresholds such as 1 chapter or more, 3 chapters or more, or 5 chapters or more may be set for each ebook depending on the number of always-free chapters and conditionally free chapters.

[0055] If the addition unit 131 determines that the e-book related to the provision request received in step S102 satisfies the addition conditions (step S105; Yes), it adds the e-book to the user's list of interest 50 (step S106) and terminates the addition process. Subsequently, the generation unit 130 sets the highest possible sorting order for the e-book newly determined to satisfy the addition conditions and displays it at the top of the list of interest 50. On the other hand, if the addition unit 131 determines that the e-book related to the provision request received in step S102 does not satisfy the addition conditions (step S105; No), it terminates the addition process without adding the e-book to the user's list of interest 50.

[0056] (Specific processing) Next, with reference to Figure 14, we will explain the identification process, which identifies ebooks from the focus list 50 whose unread chapters have become available and presents the identified ebooks. The identification process is performed at set intervals, such as every minute, every 5 minutes, or every 10 minutes.

[0057] The specific unit 140 acquires content management information, as illustrated in Figure 9, from the information storage unit 110 (step S201).

[0058] Next, the specific unit 140 repeatedly executes the processes from steps S203 to S205 for each user included in the content management information acquired in step S201 (step S202).

[0059] In step S203, the identification unit 140 determines whether or not there are any ebooks included in the focus list 50 for which free charging has been completed. Specifically, the identification unit 140 identifies the ebooks included in the focus list 50 from the content management information, extracts the most recent "usage date and time" for each ebook, and identifies ebooks for which a predetermined amount of time has elapsed since the extracted "usage date and time" as ebooks for which free charging has been completed.

[0060] If the specific unit 140 determines that there are ebooks for which free charging has been completed (step S203; Yes), it proceeds to step S204. If it determines that there are no ebooks for which free charging has been completed (step S203; No), it proceeds to step S206.

[0061] In step S204, the identification unit 140 determines whether or not there are unread chapters in the ebook for which the free charge has been completed. Specifically, the identification unit 140 determines from the content management information whether or not there is an ebook whose "Content Category" is "2 (Conditional Free)" and whose "Usage Category" is "Unread".

[0062] If the identification unit 140 determines that there are unread stories (step S204; Yes), it proceeds to step S205. If it determines that there are no unread stories (step S204; No), it proceeds to step S206. The identification unit 140 also stores in the information storage unit 110 the date and time on which it identified the ebook for which the unread stories became available through the processing in steps S203 and S204.

[0063] In step S205, the presentation unit 150 presents the user with the ebook for which it has been determined that unread chapters are now available. For example, as illustrated in Figure 10, the presentation unit 150 displays a charge icon 52 indicating that charging is complete and an update icon 37 indicating that it has been newly updated on object 51 of content A for which it has been determined that unread chapters are now available in the focus list 50.

[0064] Next, in step S206, the identification unit 140 determines whether or not the processing of Loop 1 has been executed for all users included in the content management information. If the identification unit 140 determines that there are unprocessed users, it executes the processing of Loop 1 for those unprocessed users. On the other hand, if the identification unit 140 determines in step S206 that the processing of Loop 1 has been executed for all users included in the content management information, it returns to step S201, and when it detects that the set time interval has elapsed, it executes the processing of step S201.

[0065] (Deletion process) Next, the deletion process for deleting ebooks that meet the deletion criteria from the list of items of interest (50) will be explained with reference to Figure 15. The deletion process is executed at set intervals, such as every minute, every 5 minutes, or every 10 minutes. The deletion process may be executed simultaneously with a specific process, or at different times. Furthermore, the deletion process may be executed at longer or shorter intervals than a specific process.

[0066] The deletion unit 132 acquires content management information, as illustrated in Figure 9, from the information storage unit 110 (step S301).

[0067] Next, the deletion unit 132 repeatedly executes the processes from steps S303 to S305 for each user included in the content management information obtained in step S301 (step S302).

[0068] In step S303, the deletion unit 132 obtains the list of users to be processed 50 from the information storage unit 110.

[0069] In step S304, the deletion unit 132 determines whether there are any ebooks in the focus list 50 that satisfy the pre-set deletion conditions. For example, the deletion unit 132 determines whether there are any ebooks in the focus list 50 that satisfy the deletion rule of deleting ebooks from the focus list 50 if, among the ebooks included in the focus list 50, the number of unread chapters has become available through a specific process as illustrated in Figure 14, and a predetermined period of time has passed without the unread chapters being viewed. The deletion unit 132 may also delete from the focus list 50 ebooks if the number of free chapters has increased due to a change from paid chapters to free chapters, but the number of unread chapters has not been viewed for a predetermined period of time. For example, the deletion unit 132 can count the number of free chapters for each ebook each time it executes a deletion process and store it in the storage unit 14 along with the date and time. The deletion unit 132 can delete from the focus list 50 ebooks if the number of free chapters has increased since the date and time the unread chapters were identified as available through the specific process, and the number of unread chapters has not been viewed for a predetermined period of time.

[0070] The deletion unit 132 compares the date and time identified by the identification unit 140 with the current date and time for each ebook in the focus list 50. If there are ebooks for which a predetermined period has elapsed, the unit determines that there are ebooks that meet the deletion conditions (step S304; Yes) and proceeds to step S305. On the other hand, if the deletion unit 132 determines that there are no ebooks that meet the deletion conditions (step S304; No), it proceeds to step S306.

[0071] In step S305, the deletion unit 132 deletes the e-book that was determined to meet the deletion conditions in step S304 from the user's list of interests 50.

[0072] Next, in step S306, the deletion unit 132 determines whether or not it has executed the loop 2 process for all users included in the content management information. If the deletion unit 132 determines that there are unprocessed users, it executes the loop 2 process for those users and deletes ebooks that meet the deletion conditions from the focus list 50. On the other hand, if the deletion unit 132 determines in step S205 that it has executed the loop 2 process for all users included in the content management information, it returns to step S301, and when it detects that the set time interval has elapsed, it executes the process in step S301.

[0073] As described above, the content provider 100 generates a list of interest 50 for each user by adding content that meets additional conditions based on the user's browsing behavior. The content provider 100 removes content that is presumed to be unreadable by deleting content that meets deletion conditions from the list of interest 50 and updating it. Therefore, even if the list of interest 50 contains content that the user does not want to continue viewing, if the user does not take any explicit action regarding that content, it will be automatically deleted from the list of interest 50. Thus, users can easily manage the content they want to continue viewing without the burden of having to perform an operation to delete content they do not want to continue viewing from the list of interest 50.

[0074] Furthermore, since the content provision device 100 presents ebooks for which unread portions have become available, users can easily recognize the content for which further reading is now available.

[0075] (modified version) In the above embodiment, the deletion unit 132 may also notify the user that an ebook that meets the deletion conditions will be deleted. Specifically, in the process of step S303, if it is determined that there is an ebook that meets the deletion conditions, the deletion unit 132 displays a delete icon 53 on the object 51 of the ebook to be deleted, as illustrated in Figure 16, indicating that it will soon be deleted from the focus list 50. Subsequently, if the unread chapters of content C are not viewed until the user displays the object 51 of content C a predetermined number of times in the focus list 50, the deletion unit 132 may delete content C from the focus list 50. Alternatively, the deletion unit 132 may display the remaining time until deletion in the focus list 50 instead of the delete icon 53.

[0076] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the conditional free access may have a limited period of availability during which it can be viewed free of charge. For example, the content management information may be set so that it can be viewed for free for one week, and thereafter only available for a fee. In that case, information indicating the availability period should be set in the content management information. The generation unit 130 may also rearrange and display the ebooks included in the focus list 50 at the beginning of the focus list 50 in order of the shortest availability period, provided that an availability period is set for each ebook.

[0077] Furthermore, although the identification unit 140 was described as identifying ebooks for which free charges have been completed and unread chapters have become available, it is not limited to this. For example, the identification unit 140 may determine that unread chapters have become available when any condition is met, such as when the number of points granted to the user when certain conditions are met and usable in the content provision service exceeds the number of points required to view the conditions free chapters of each ebook, or when a ticket to view the conditions free chapters is distributed.

[0078] Furthermore, the generation unit 130 may generate a browsing history showing the user's viewing history in addition to the focus list 50 and display it on the terminal 200. In this case, the generation unit 130 can refer to the content management information illustrated in Figure 9 and add ebooks containing stories in which "read" is entered as the usage category to the browsing history. As a result, even if an ebook has been deleted from the focus list 50, the user can still find it in the browsing history because the ebook is retained there.

[0079] Furthermore, the content provisioning device 100 according to the above embodiment can be implemented using a regular computer, not a dedicated device. For example, the content provisioning device 100 that performs the above processing may be configured by installing a program for performing any of the above-mentioned operations from a recording medium stored on the computer to the computer. Alternatively, the content provisioning device 100 may be configured by multiple computers working together.

[0080] Furthermore, if the above-mentioned functions are realized through a division of labor between the OS (Operating System) and the application, or through collaboration between the OS and the application, then only the parts other than the OS may be stored on the medium.

[0081] Furthermore, it is possible to superimpose a program onto a carrier wave and distribute it via a communication network. For example, the program could be distributed through an application store (App Store) or posted on a bulletin board system (BBS) on a communication network and distributed via the network. These programs can then be launched and executed under the control of the operating system, just like other application programs, to perform the aforementioned processing.

[0082] Furthermore, the information stored by the content provider 100 may be centrally managed by a cloud server located on the network, and the content provider 100 may access the cloud server as needed to read and write information. In this case, the content provider 100 does not need to have an information storage unit 110. In addition, addition processing, identification processing, and deletion processing by the content provider 100 may be executed on the cloud using the information stored on the cloud server.

[0083] The various aspects of this disclosure are summarized below as an appendix.

[0084] (Note 1) A generation unit generates a list of items of interest for each user, which shows a list of content that the user is estimated to continue using. An additional unit adds the content in which the available portion available to the user has been used to the user's list of interests, A special unit identifies content included in the aforementioned list of focus, where the unused portion that has not yet been used by the user has been transformed into the available portion. A display unit that displays content identified by the aforementioned identification unit in a selectable manner, When any of the content presented by the presentation unit is selected, the providing unit provides the unused portion of the selected content that has been transformed into the usable portion. A deletion unit removes content from the user's list of interests if, among the content presented by the presentation unit, the unused portion that has been changed to the usable portion has not been provided to the user for a predetermined period of time. A content provisioning device equipped with the following features.

[0085] (Note 2) The aforementioned addition adds the content for which all of the available portions have been used to the list of focus. The content provision device described in Appendix 1.

[0086] (Note 3) The aforementioned addition unit adds content in which a predetermined amount or a predetermined percentage or more of the available portion has been used to the focus list. The content provision device described in Appendix 1.

[0087] (Note 4) The display unit generates an update list showing a list of content identified by the identification unit. A content delivery device as described in any one of the appendices 1 to 3.

[0088] (Note 5) The display unit displays the content identified by the identification unit at the beginning of the focus list, and displays the remaining content included in the focus list that was not identified by the identification unit, following the identified content. A content delivery device as described in any one of the appendices 1 to 3.

[0089] (Note 6) The generation unit sets the display order of the content in the focus list to be higher in order of the time when the unused portion was transformed into the usable portion, in descending order. A content delivery device as described in any one of the appendices 1 to 5.

[0090] (Note 7) The available portion has a set period of availability. The generation unit sets the display order of the content to be higher in order of the shortest remaining available period. A content providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

[0091] (Note 8) The deletion unit deletes content where the unused portion has increased in the usable portion, but the unused portion has not been provided to the user for a predetermined period of time. A content provisioning device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

[0092] (Note 9) The deletion unit displays information in the focus list indicating that the content has been decided to be deleted from the focus list, and deletes the content from the focus list when the information is displayed a predetermined number of times. A content provisioning device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

[0093] (Note 10) Computers The steps include generating a list of topics for each user that is estimated to be used regularly, and The steps include adding the content in which the available portion available to the user has been used to the user's list of interests, The steps include identifying content included in the aforementioned list of focus, where the unused portion that has not yet been used by the user has been transformed into the available portion; Steps include presenting the identified content in a selectable format, When any of the presented content is selected, the unused portion of the selected content is provided as the usable portion, The steps include: removing from the user's list of interest any content that, among the presented content, has had its unused portion, which has been changed to the usable portion, not provided to the user for a predetermined period of time; A method for delivering content that performs this task.

[0094] (Note 11) On the computer, A process to generate a list of items of interest for each user, which shows a list of content that the user is estimated to continue using, The process of adding the content in which the available portion available to the user has been used to the user's list of interests, A process to identify content included in the aforementioned list of focus, where the unused portion not yet used by the user has been transformed into the available portion; The process of presenting the identified content in a selectable format, When any of the presented content is selected, the process involves providing the unused portion of the selected content, which has been transformed into the usable portion, A process to remove content from the user's list of interests if, among the presented content, the unused portion that has been changed to the usable portion has not been provided to the user for a predetermined period of time, and A program that executes the command.

[0095] This disclosure allows for various embodiments and modifications without departing from the broad spirit and scope of this disclosure. Furthermore, the embodiments described above are for illustrative purposes only and do not limit the scope of this disclosure. In other words, the scope of this disclosure is indicated by the claims, not by the embodiments. Various modifications made within the scope of the claims and the equivalent significance of the disclosure are considered to be within the scope of this disclosure. [Industrial applicability]

[0096] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a content provision device, a content provision method, and a program that can effectively present content that users wish to continue viewing. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0097] 1 Content provision system, 100 Content provision device, 200 Terminal, 300 Communication network, 110 Information storage unit, 120 Provision unit, 130 Generation unit, 131 Addition unit, 132 Deletion unit, 140 Identification unit, 150 Presentation unit, 210 Home screen, 220 Details screen, 230 Usage confirmation screen, 10 Information processing device, 11 CPU, 12 RAM, 13 ROM, 14 Storage unit, 15 Input unit, 16 Display unit, 17 Communication unit, 20,30,51 Object, 20a,31 Thumbnail, 20b Name, 20c,32 String, 33 Browsing status icon, 35 Timer icon, 36 Cart icon, 37 Update icon, 41,41a Free charge object, 42 Purchase selection object, 43 Cancel object, 50 Focus list, 52 Charge icon, 53 Delete icon, 60 Update list, 99 internal buses

Claims

1. A generation unit that generates a list of content that the user is presumed to continue using, for each user based on the user's content usage history, where the available portion of the content available to the user changes, An additional unit adds the content from which the available portion was used to the user's list of interests, A special unit identifies content included in the aforementioned list of focus, where the unused portion that has not yet been used by the user has been transformed into the available portion. A display unit that displays content identified by the aforementioned identification unit in a selectable manner, When any of the content presented by the presentation unit is selected, the providing unit provides the unused portion of the selected content that has been transformed into the usable portion. A calculation unit calculates the amount of available unused portion of each content presented by the presentation unit at predetermined intervals and records it in association with the date and time the calculation was performed. At each of the aforementioned timings, a deletion unit determines and deletes content to be removed from the user's list of interest based on whether the quantity of available unused portion has increased compared to the quantity of available unused portion calculated by the calculation unit in the previous instance, and whether there is any available unused portion that has not been provided to the user for a predetermined period of time. A content provisioning device equipped with the following features.

2. The aforementioned addition adds the content for which all of the available portions have been used to the list of focus. The content provision device according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned addition unit adds content in which a predetermined amount or a predetermined percentage or more of the available portion has been used to the focus list. The content provision device according to claim 1.

4. The display unit generates an update list showing a list of content identified by the identification unit. A content provisioning device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The display unit displays the content identified by the identification unit at the beginning of the focus list, and displays the remaining content included in the focus list that was not identified by the identification unit, following the identified content. A content provisioning device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

6. The generation unit sets the display order of the content in the focus list to be higher in order of the time when the unused portion was transformed into the usable portion, in descending order. A content provisioning device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

7. The available portion has a set period of availability. The generation unit sets the display order of the content to be higher in order of the shortest remaining available period. A content provisioning device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

8. The deletion unit deletes content that has an increased quantity of available unused portion compared to the quantity of available unused portion calculated by the calculation unit in the previous instance, and that has had a predetermined period of time elapsed without being provided to the user. A content provisioning device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

9. The deletion unit displays information in the focus list indicating that the content has been decided to be deleted from the focus list, and deletes the content from the focus list when this information is displayed a predetermined number of times. A content provisioning device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

10. Computers The steps include generating a list of content that the user is expected to continue using, based on the user's content usage history, for each user, where the available portion of the content changes depending on the user; The steps include adding the content from which the available portion has been used to the user's list of interests, The steps include identifying content included in the aforementioned list of focus, where the unused portion that has not yet been used by the user has been transformed into the available portion; Steps include presenting the identified content in a selectable format, When any of the presented content is selected, the unused portion of the selected content is provided as the usable portion, The steps include: calculating the amount of available unused portion of each of the presented contents at predetermined intervals and recording it in association with the date and time the calculation was performed; Each of the aforementioned timings, the steps include determining and deleting content to be removed from the user's list of interest based on whether the quantity of available unused portion has increased compared to the quantity of available unused portion calculated in the previous calculation for the presented content, and whether there is any available unused portion that has not been provided to the user for a predetermined period of time; A method for delivering content that performs this task.

11. On the computer, A process for generating a focus list for each user based on the user's content usage history, which shows a list of content that the user is presumed to continue using, where the available portion of the content available to the user changes; The process of adding the content from which the available portion has been used to the user's list of interests, A process to identify content included in the aforementioned list of focus, where the unused portion not yet used by the user has been transformed into the available portion; The process of presenting the identified content in a selectable format, When any of the presented content is selected, the process involves providing the unused portion of the selected content, which has been transformed into the usable portion, The process involves calculating the amount of available unused portion of each of the presented contents at predetermined intervals and recording it in association with the date and time the calculation was performed. At each of the aforementioned timings, the process of determining and deleting content from the user's list of interest is performed based on whether the quantity of available unused portion of the presented content has increased compared to the quantity of available unused portion calculated in the previous calculation, and whether there is any available unused portion that has not been provided to the user for a predetermined period of time. A program that executes the command.

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