Servers, methods, terminals, and programs

Abstract

One of the objectives of this invention is to provide a simpler way for a caregiver to monitor a user terminal held by the person being monitored. [Solution] A method to be performed in a system comprising a caregiver terminal carried by a caregiver, a cared-for terminal carried by a cared-for person, and a server that communicates with the caregiver terminal and the cared-for terminal, the method comprising: obtaining a notification from the caregiver terminal that a message sending operation has been received; determining whether a talk function restriction that restricts message communication between the cared-for terminal and the caregiver terminal is enabled or disabled in response to the notification that a message sending operation has been received; and, if the result of the determination is that the talk function restriction is enabled, restricting message communication between the cared-for terminal and the caregiver terminal, and disabling operations by the cared-for person to input messages to the cared-for terminal.

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, various systems using the location information of user terminals have been proposed. Such systems include, as in Patent Document 1, a system that detects an emergency of a user terminal using an application and automatically transmits information such as the location information and voice of the user terminal.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] One object of the present invention is to enable a caregiver to monitor a user terminal possessed by a care recipient in a more convenient manner.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method executed in a system including a caregiver terminal carried by a caregiver, a care recipient terminal carried by a care recipient, and a server that communicates with the caregiver terminal and the care recipient terminal, the method comprising: obtaining a notification indicating that a message transmission operation has been received at the caregiver terminal; determining whether to enable or disable a talk function restriction that restricts message communication between the care recipient terminal and the caregiver terminal in response to the notification indicating that the message transmission operation has been received; If the determination results in the restriction of the talk function being effective, the communication of the message between the monitored person's terminal and the monitor's terminal will be restricted, and the monitored person's ability to input the message on the monitored person's terminal will be disabled. A method is provided that includes this.

[0006] Furthermore, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a server that communicates with a monitoring terminal carried by the monitoring person and a monitoring terminal carried by the person being monitored, Means for obtaining notification that a message sending operation has been received by the aforementioned monitoring terminal, In response to a notification that the message sending operation has been received, it is determined whether the talk function restriction, which restricts message communication between the monitored person's terminal and the monitoring terminal, is enabled or disabled. If the determination results in the restriction of the talk function being effective, the means for restricting the communication of the message between the monitored person's terminal and the monitor's terminal, for disabling the monitored person's operation to input the message on the monitored person's terminal, and for disabling the operation to play back the message received on the monitored person's terminal, A server equipped with the following features will be provided.

[0007] Furthermore, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a program is executed on a server that communicates with a monitoring terminal carried by the monitoring person and a monitoring terminal carried by the person being monitored, wherein the server is Means for obtaining notification that a message sending operation has been received by the aforementioned monitoring terminal, In response to a notification that the message sending operation has been received, means for determining whether the talk function restriction, which restricts message communication between the monitored person's terminal and the monitoring terminal, is enabled or disabled. If the determination results in the restriction of the talk function being effective, the means to restrict the communication of the message between the monitored person's terminal and the monitor's terminal, disable the monitored person's ability to input the message on the monitored person's terminal, and disable the ability to play back the message received on the monitored person's terminal. A program is provided to make it function as such.

[0008] Furthermore, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method is performed on a monitoring terminal carried by the monitoring person, The system accepts the message sending operation from the aforementioned caregiver, In response to receiving the message sending operation, the system determines whether the talk function restriction, which restricts message communication between the monitored terminal associated with the monitor terminal and the monitor terminal, is enabled or disabled. A method is provided which, if the determination result indicates that the talk function restriction is effective, includes sending a talk function restriction instruction to the server to restrict the communication of the message between the monitored person's terminal and the monitor's terminal, disable operations by the monitored person to input the message on the monitored person's terminal, and disable operations to play back the message received on the monitored person's terminal.

[0009] Furthermore, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a monitoring terminal carried by the monitoring person is provided, A means for receiving the message sending operation by the aforementioned caregiver, In response to receiving the message sending operation, means for determining whether the talk function restriction, which restricts message communication between the monitored terminal associated with the monitor terminal and the monitor terminal, is enabled or disabled; A caregiver terminal is provided, which includes means for sending a talk function restriction instruction to a server, which, if the result of the above determination is that the talk function restriction is effective, restricts the communication of the message between the caregiver terminal and the caregiver terminal, disables the caregiver's operation to input the message to the caregiver terminal, and disables the caregiver's operation to play back the received message.

[0010] Furthermore, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a program is executed on a monitoring terminal carried by a monitoring person, wherein the monitoring terminal is... A means for receiving the message sending operation by the aforementioned caregiver, In response to receiving the message sending operation, means for determining whether the talk function restriction, which restricts message communication between the monitored terminal associated with the monitor terminal and the monitor terminal, is enabled or disabled; A program is provided that, as a result of the above determination, if the talk function restriction is effective, functions as a means to send a talk function restriction instruction to the server that restricts the communication of the message between the monitored person's terminal and the monitor's terminal, disables the operation by the monitored person to input the message to the monitored person's terminal, and disables the operation to play back the message received on the monitored person's terminal. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of a system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This figure shows a schematic appearance of a first user terminal (terminal for the person being monitored) according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a functional block diagram of a system relating to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This shows an example of the selection screen for the monitoring range creation mode displayed on the display unit of a second user terminal (monitoring terminal) according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] An example of a screen on which a plurality of monitoring ranges are displayed on the display unit of the second user terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. [Figure 6] An example of a label setting screen for label information displayed on the display unit of the second user terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. [Figure 7] A flowchart of a registration process for a monitoring range executed on the second user terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. [Figure 8] This is an example of a monitoring range setting screen displayed on the display unit of the second user terminal in the first mode according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] This is an example of a monitoring range setting screen displayed on the display unit of the second user terminal in the first mode according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] This is an example of a monitoring range setting screen displayed on the display unit of the second user terminal in the first mode according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] This is an example of a monitoring range setting screen displayed on the display unit of the second user terminal in the first mode according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] An example of a screen for modifying a monitoring range according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. [Figure 13] An example of a screen for modifying a monitoring range according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. [Figure 14] An example of a screen for modifying a monitoring range according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. [Figure 15] An example of a screen for modifying a monitoring range according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. [Figure 16] An example of a screen for modifying a monitoring range according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. [Figure 17] An example of a screen for modifying a monitoring range according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. [Figure 18] This is a flowchart showing the procedure of a process for setting an initial monitoring range in the second user terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 19]This flowchart shows the procedure for modifying and changing the monitoring range set in a second user terminal according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 20] This is an example of a monitoring range setting screen displayed on the display unit of a second user terminal in the second mode according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 21] This is an example of a monitoring range setting screen displayed on the display unit of a second user terminal in the second mode according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 22] This diagram shows a flowchart of the process performed on the second user terminal in the second mode according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 23] An example of a screen displayed on the display unit of a second user terminal according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown. [Figure 24] An example of a message transmission screen displayed on the display unit of a second user terminal according to one embodiment of the present invention during a function restriction mode is shown. [Figure 25] An example of the function restriction setting screen for the function restriction mode displayed on the display unit of a second user terminal according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown. [Figure 26] This flowchart shows the procedure for switching to a function restriction mode in a server according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 27] An example of a screen showing the forced release of the function restriction mode displayed on the display unit of a second user terminal according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown. [Figure 28] This flowchart shows the procedure for message transmission processing performed on a second user terminal according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] [Details of the embodiments of this disclosure] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the following description is merely an example and is not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention to these embodiments. In the drawings, identical or similar elements are denoted by identical or similar reference numerals, and redundant descriptions of identical or similar elements may be omitted in the description of each embodiment. Furthermore, features shown in each embodiment are applicable to other embodiments as long as they do not contradict each other. However, embodiments of the present disclosure are not necessarily limited to these forms. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that embodiments of the present disclosure can take various forms that fall within the scope defined in the claims.

[0013] <System 1 Hardware Configuration> Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of System 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. System 1 comprises a first user terminal 10 (terminal for the person being monitored) carried by the person being monitored (e.g., a child, an elderly person), a second user terminal 30 (terminal for the caregiver) carried by the caregiver (e.g., a parent), and a server 50 configured to communicate with the first user terminal 10 and the second user terminal 30 via Network 2. In the example shown in Figure 1, System 1 is configured to have one first user terminal 10 and one second user terminal 30, but the number of first user terminals 10, second user terminals 30, and server 50 in System 1 is arbitrary. In the following description, the person being monitored will also be referred to as the first user, and the caregiver will also be referred to as the second user.

[0014] Network 2 may consist of, for example, the Internet, a mobile communication system (e.g., 3G, 4G, 5G, LTE (Long Term Evolution), etc.), WiFi (Wireless Fidelity), Bluetooth (registered trademark), other communication lines, or a combination thereof.

[0015] (Server 50) The server 50 (in other words, the information processing device) may be, for example, a general-purpose computer such as a workstation or personal computer, a cloud server, or a combination thereof. The server 50 includes a processor 51 for executing programs, a storage device 52 for storing programs, and a communication interface (IF) 53 for communicating with external devices such as a first user terminal 10 and a second user terminal 30. Although not shown in Figure 1, the server 50 may also include an input / output interface and a display device.

[0016] The processor 51 controls the operation of the entire server 50. The processor 51 may include a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), etc. The processor 51 reads and executes programs from the storage device 52. The storage device 52 is, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or a semiconductor storage device (SSD (Solid State Drive)). Various data and information processing programs are stored in the storage device 52.

[0017] Communication IF53 is an interface for communicating with other devices (for example, the first user terminal 10, the second user terminal 30, etc.).

[0018] (First user terminal 10) The first user terminal 10 (in other words, an information processing device, a terminal for the monitored person) comprises a processor 11 for executing a program, a storage device 12 for storing the program, a communication interface (IF) 13 for communicating with an external device such as a server 50, an input / output interface (IF) 14, a microphone 15, a speaker 16, a display device (LED) 17, a notification device 18, a location acquisition device 19, an input device 20, and a subscriber information storage device 21. The first user terminal 10 may be configured as an IoT (Internet of Things) terminal and can be configured to communicate with a base station (not shown) via LTE-M (Long-Term Evolution for Machines), which is one of the LPWA (Low-Power Wide-Area) standards.

[0019] The processor 11 controls the overall operation of the first user terminal 10. The processor 11 reads and executes programs from the storage device 12. The storage device 12 stores various data and information processing programs. The storage device 12 can store information processing programs of the first user terminal 10, voice data transmitted from the server 50, various notifications, etc. By assigning a terminal identification number to the data transmitted from the first user terminal 10, the server 50 can determine which first user terminal 10 the received data was transmitted from. The processor 11 can also perform processing such as compression and decompression of voice data. These processes may be performed by a dedicated voice conversion device (not shown) instead of the processor 11, or in cooperation with the processor 11.

[0020] The microphone 15 is a device that converts sound vibrations into electrical signals. The user of the first user terminal 10 can input voice and ambient sounds using the microphone 15. The microphone 15 can be controlled by the processor 11, the notification device 18 (described later), and the input device 20. The sound data of the input sound is transmitted to the server 50 via the communication interface 13.

[0021] Speaker 16 is an audio device that converts electrical signals into sound. Speaker 16 can play sound data transmitted from the second user terminal 30 via the server 50. Speaker 16 is controlled by the processor 11 and the input device 20 described later, and can play sound data when, for example, the input device 20 is operated. Speaker 16 may also be controlled by the processor 11 and configured to stop audio output in a predetermined function restriction mode.

[0022] The display device 17 is, for example, an LED. The display device 17 emits light (on or blinks) in a set pattern or a predetermined pattern or color to indicate that a message has been received, that sound is being collected by the microphone 15, or that sound is being recorded. The display device 17 is also controlled by the processor 11, and its illumination can be stopped in a predetermined function restriction mode.

[0023] The notification device 18 is a device that uses a location acquisition device 19, such as a GPS sensor, to notify the second user terminal 30 of the current location information of the first user terminal 10 via the server 50. When the first user presses the notification device 18, the location information of the first user terminal 10 at the time of operation can be notified to the second user terminal 30. The notification device 18 may also light up (turn on or blink) when operated and turn off when the transmission of location information is complete.

[0024] Furthermore, upon receiving a single press operation from the first user, the notification device 18 can identify the current location information of the first user terminal 10, collect and record ambient sounds using the microphone 15 for a predetermined period, and transmit the recorded sound along with the identified location information to the server 50. The location information identification and recording functions can be enabled through settings on the first user terminal 10, the second user terminal 30, and the server 50. Enabling the recording function is performed, for example, on the condition that a recording period is set. In one example, the function is enabled by the first user setting the recording period on the application settings screen of the first user terminal 10. In another example, the function can be enabled on the condition that the recording period is pre-set in the firmware of the second user terminal 30. In yet another example, the function is enabled on the condition that the recording period is set by a value obtained from the server 50 by the second user terminal 30. The recording period may be set in advance before receiving a single press operation to the notification device 18, or it may be set when the single press operation is received. The notification device 18 may be configured to start sound collection and recording with the first short press operation (e.g., less than 0.5 seconds) and to cancel sound collection and recording with a second short press operation immediately following (e.g., less than a few seconds). In this way, the notification device 18 can cause the first user terminal 10 to perform different processes depending on the number of times it is pressed, or the interval between presses if it is pressed multiple times.

[0025] The position acquisition device 19 periodically, or when the notification device 18 is operated, receives at least one of the following signals: for example, signals transmitted from multiple GPS satellites, signals from a wireless LAN access point (AP), signals from a mobile phone base station, or Bluetooth ("Bluetooth" is a registered trademark; the registered trademark is omitted hereinafter) beacon signals, and transmits them to the server 50.

[0026] When the input device 20 receives input of a first operation from the first user, it can play sound data transmitted from the second user terminal 30 via the speaker 16. The first operation by the first user to the input device 20 is not particularly limited, but is a short, single press operation on the input device 20 (for example, less than 0.5 seconds). In a predetermined function restriction mode, the input device 20 can be controlled to not accept the first operation, or to not play sound data via the speaker 16 even if the first operation is input.

[0027] Furthermore, the input device 20 starts collecting and recording sound with the microphone 15 a few seconds (for example, 2 seconds) after receiving the second operation input from the first user. While the second operation is being received, the microphone 15 converts ambient sounds and voices into electrical signals. These electrical signals are converted into digital data (sound data) by the microphone 15's A / D converter (not shown) and transmitted to the server 50. When the second operation is completed, the input device 20 transmits the sound data to the server 50. In a predetermined function restriction mode, the system can be controlled to not accept the second operation, or even if the second operation is input, to not collect or record sound with the microphone 15, or to not transmit sound data to the server 50.

[0028] The second operation by the first user on the input device 20 is a press operation for a different duration than the first operation, and is not particularly limited, but is a long press (hold) operation in which the input device 20 is kept pressed. In this case, the input device 20 records while the long press operation is continued, and when the long press operation is released, it sends the sound data to the server 50.

[0029] The subscriber information storage device 21 stores an identification number for identifying the first user terminal 10. The subscriber information storage device 21 may also be a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module). The SIM may be either a removable SIM or an embedded communication module (eSIM: Embedded Subscriber Identity Module) built into the terminal.

[0030] (Second user terminal 30) The second user terminal 30 (in other words, the information processing device) may be, for example, a smartphone, feature phone, PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), tablet computer, personal computer, wearable device, etc.

[0031] The second user terminal 30 comprises a processor 31, a storage device 32, a communication interface (IF) 33, an input / output IF 34, a microphone 35, a speaker 36, and a touchscreen 37. These components of the second user terminal 30 are connected to each other by a communication bus.

[0032] The processor 31 controls the overall operation of the second user terminal 30. The processor 31 reads and executes programs from the storage device 32. The storage device 32 stores various data and information processing programs. The storage device 32 stores an identification number for identifying the second user terminal 30, information processing programs, location information and sound data transmitted from the first user terminal 10, etc. By assigning the terminal identification number to the data transmitted from the second user terminal 30, the server 50 can determine which second user terminal 30 the received data was transmitted from.

[0033] The microphone 35 is a device that converts sound vibrations into electrical signals. Users of the second user terminal 30 can input voice using the microphone 35. The input voice data can be transmitted to the server 50 via the communication IF 33.

[0034] Speaker 36 is an audio device that converts electrical signals into sound. Speaker 36 can play sound data transmitted from the first user terminal 10.

[0035] The touchscreen 37 includes an input unit 38 that accepts input from a second user and a display unit 39 that outputs an image. The input unit 38 has the function of detecting the position input to the input surface by user operation (for example, touch operation, tap operation, slide operation, swipe operation, stroke operation (single-touch stroke operation, multi-touch stroke operation), and flick operation, etc.) and transmitting information indicating the detected position as an input signal. The display unit 39 may be, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display.

[0036] <Appearance of the first user terminal 10> Figure 2 shows a schematic appearance of a first user terminal 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The first user terminal 10 has a microphone 15, a speaker 16, a display unit (e.g., an LED display unit) 17, and a notification device 18 arranged on its front, and an input device 20 arranged on the side of the first user terminal 10. In this embodiment, the display device 17 is shown as being provided as one on the front of the first user terminal 10, but additional display devices 17 may be provided on the side. Furthermore, the arrangement of the microphone 15, speaker 16, display device 17, notification device 18, and input device 20 is not limited to the illustrated example and may be arranged at any position on the first user terminal 10, for example, on the side. In addition, the notification device 18 and the input device 20 may be configured to have different shapes, sizes, and colors. This allows even a first user (e.g., a child) to easily identify each device.

[0037] <System Functional Configuration> Figure 3 is a functional block diagram of System 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the server 50 identifies each user and the first user terminal 10 and second user terminal 30 using user accounts that have been registered in advance. The method of registering accounts is not particularly limited, but for example, the second user terminal 30 may transmit information necessary for user account registration (information of the first user who is being monitored, and information of the second user who is monitoring) to the server 50 based on the operation of the second user, and the server 50 may create and save each user's account based on the received information. Multiple monitor accounts may be associated with one first user terminal 10 (terminal for the person being monitored). Similarly, multiple person being monitored accounts may be associated with one second user terminal 30 (terminal for the monitor).

[0038] <Server Functional Configuration> The server 50 functions as a control unit 510 and a storage unit 520 through the cooperation of the processor 51, storage device 52, communication interface 53, etc. The storage unit 520 stores various data used by the control unit 510. The various data are not particularly limited, but include a management program 521 for managing the first user terminal 10 and the second user terminal 30, user information 522, and activity history information 523.

[0039] The management program 521 is a program for realizing a monitoring service in which the second user terminal 30 monitors the first user terminal 10. User information 522 and behavior history information 523 are data that the control unit 510 refers to when executing the management program 521.

[0040] Furthermore, the management program 521 may include, in addition to the program executed on the server 50, the functions of a program sent to the first user terminal 10 and executed on the first user terminal 10 (the monitored program 121 described later) or a program executed on the second user terminal 30 (the monitoring program 321 described later).

[0041] User information 522 is information managed for each user account. User information 522 includes first user information 522A and second user information 522B.

[0042] The first user information 522A includes, but is not limited to, an identifier for the first user, an identifier for a related second user, and monitoring range information for the first user as data items.

[0043] The monitoring range information of the first user can be shared among multiple monitor accounts. The monitoring range information of the first user includes, but is not limited to, data that defines the monitoring range of the first user who is being monitored, and may include, as data items, the position coordinates (latitude, longitude) of each vertex of the monitoring range, the center coordinates and radius information of the monitoring range, label information, and notification condition information. Each coordinate that defines the monitoring range may be a screen coordinate on the display unit of the first user terminal 10, or it may be a coordinate indicating geographical location information (latitude, longitude, etc.). The monitoring range is the range in which notifications are sent to the second user terminal 30 according to the location information of the first user terminal 10.

[0044] Label information includes the name of the monitoring area and the attributes assigned to that area. Details of the label information are explained in detail using Figure 5.

[0045] The notification condition information includes conditions for sending an alarm notification to the second user terminal 30 based on the relationship between the location of the first user terminal 10 and the monitoring area, as well as information on the notification method. Specifically, the notification condition information is set according to the attributes of the monitoring area (living area or access control area) and the positional relationship between the first user terminal 10 and the monitoring area. The living area is the area of ​​activity in the first user's daily life, such as school or home. The access control area is not limited to places where danger to the first user is anticipated (e.g., intersections, ponds), but is an area for managing entry and exit to specific places such as cram schools or grandparents' houses. If the attribute of the monitoring area is "living area," the notification conditions are when the first user terminal 10 leaves the living area, when the first user terminal 10 enters the living area, or both. If the attribute is "access control area," the notification conditions are when the first user terminal 10 enters the access control area, when the first user terminal 10 leaves the access control area, or both. When System 1 detects that the location information acquired from the first user terminal 10 satisfies these notification conditions, it sends an alarm notification to the second user terminal 30 according to the notification method associated with the notification condition information. The notification method can be one of the following: sound notification from the speaker 16 of the first user terminal, notification by illuminating the display device 17, or notification by vibration, or any combination thereof. The second user terminal 30 can display and set both the living area and the access control area on the same map. This allows the second user to manage both the first user's living area and the area where the first user needs access control, using a single interface.

[0046] The second user information 522B includes, but is not limited to, the second user's identifier, gender, address, language, age, voice quality, and the identifier of the first user being monitored, as data items. Multiple second users can be associated with one first user.

[0047] The activity history information 523 is information managed for each first user account. The activity history information 523 is not particularly limited, but includes information about the activity history of the first user over a predetermined period of time since the notification device 18 was operated (for example, the history of the location information of the first user terminal 10, the date and time each location information was acquired, the history of sound data acquired by the first user terminal 10, text data converted from sound data, the date and time the notification device 18 of the first user terminal 10 was operated, and information on whether the first user terminal 10 left or entered the set monitoring range).

[0048] The control unit 510 controls various processes related to monitoring the first user by executing a management program 521 stored in the storage unit 520. The control unit 510 includes, for example, a transmitting / receiving unit 511, a server processing unit 512, and a data management unit 513.

[0049] The transmitting / receiving unit 511 transmits or receives various types of data. For example, the transmitting / receiving unit 511 receives requests to transmit various types of data and programs, location information and input sound data from the first user terminal 10, and text data and the like that input to the second user terminal 30, and passes them to the server processing unit 512. The transmitting / receiving unit 511 also transmits various types of data and programs, including instructions, to the first user terminal 10 and the second user terminal 30 in accordance with the control of the server processing unit 512.

[0050] The server processing unit 512 provides the monitoring service for the first user terminal 10 by the second user terminal 30 by executing calculation processes described in the management program 521 in response to requests from the first user terminal 10. For example, when the server processing unit 512 receives a request for processing for the monitoring service or data to be processed from the first user terminal 10 or the second user terminal 30, it executes the processing for the monitoring service.

[0051] If multiple caregivers have registered accounts for a single person being cared for, various notifications are sent to each of the second user terminals 30, which are the caregiver terminals. Specifically, when the location information of the first user terminal 10 meets the notification conditions set for the caregiving area (for example, leaving the living area), the server processing unit 512 identifies the multiple caregiver accounts associated with the first user terminal 10. Then, it can send notifications to each of the one or more caregiver terminals associated with each identified caregiver account.

[0052] The server processing unit 512 can estimate the location of the first user terminal 10 by integrating data obtained from multiple different positioning means. Specifically, the server processing unit 512 acquires location information from the first user terminal 10's location acquisition device 19 by combining data obtained from multiple positioning means, such as signals from a GPS receiver, signals from a wireless LAN access point, and signals from a mobile phone base station. By sequentially processing this positioning data using a Kalman filter or the like, the server processing unit 512 can determine the location of the first user terminal 10 more accurately. As a result, even if the first user terminal 10 has limited resources such as battery consumption and communication speed, the server 50's resources can be used to determine the accurate location of the first user terminal 10.

[0053] The data management unit 513 manages the management program 521, user information 522, and behavioral history information 523, etc.

[0054] <Functional configuration of the first user terminal> The first user terminal 10 functions as a control unit 110 and a storage unit 120 through the cooperation of a processor 11, a storage device 12, a communication IF 13, an input / output IF 14, a microphone 15, a speaker 16, a display device 17, a notification device 18, a location acquisition device 19, an input device 20 (Figure 1), etc. The storage unit 120 stores various data used by the control unit 110. Examples of such data include a monitoring program 121, user information 122, and sound data 123.

[0055] The monitoring program 121 is a program for enabling a second user to monitor the first user terminal 10. User information 122 and sound data 123 are data that the control unit 110 refers to when executing the monitoring program 121.

[0056] User information 122 is data relating to the account of a user using the first user terminal 10, and may include the identifier of the first user and monitoring range information.

[0057] Furthermore, the user information 122 may include location information indicating the current location of the first user terminal 10 detected by the location acquisition device 19, and the date and time corresponding to said location information. This location information and the corresponding date and time may be transmitted to the server 50 via the network 2 and stored as the server 50's activity history information 523.

[0058] The sound data 123 may include sound data acquired by the first user terminal 10, sound data based on operations of the second user terminal 30 acquired from the server 50, and preset voice data having specific acoustic characteristics, such as voice quality and intonation. The preset voice data is not particularly limited, but may include voice data of voice actors, actors, idols, etc.

[0059] The control unit 110 controls various monitoring-related processes performed on the first user terminal 10 by executing the monitoring program 121 stored in the memory unit 120. The control unit 110 includes, for example, an operation reception unit 111, a transmission / reception unit 112, and an operation control unit 113.

[0060] The operation reception unit 111 receives operations (hereinafter also referred to as "input operations") input by the user via the input IF 14. Specifically, the operation reception unit 111 detects input operations to the notification device 18 and the input device 20, as well as the type of input operation. Examples of input operation types include a short, single press operation to the notification device 18, a second press operation immediately following a short, single press operation, a short press operation to the input device 20, and a long press (hold) operation that maintains a pressed state.

[0061] The transmitting / receiving unit 112 transmits and receives various types of data. The transmitting / receiving unit 112 transmits sound data recorded by the first user terminal 10 and location information to the server 50. The transmitting / receiving unit 112 can receive monitoring range information set by the second user terminal 30, sound data based on operations of the second user terminal 30, and various programs from the server 50.

[0062] The operation control unit 113 performs various processes for monitoring the first user terminal 10. The operation control unit 113 is not particularly limited, but it performs processes for setting the recording period on the first user terminal 10, processes for starting and ending the recording of sound data, and processes for notifying when the first user terminal 10 deviates from the monitoring range. Note that the first user terminal 10 does not need to store monitoring range information. The system may be configured to receive a notification from the server 50 when the first user terminal 10 deviates from the monitoring range.

[0063] <Functional configuration of the second user terminal> The second user terminal 30 functions as a control unit 310 and a storage unit 320 through the cooperation of a processor 31, storage device 32, communication interface 33, input / output interface 34, microphone 35, speaker 36, touchscreen 37 (Figure 1), etc. The storage unit 320 stores various data used by the control unit 310. Examples of such data include a monitoring program 321, user information 322, and behavioral history information 323.

[0064] The monitoring program 321 is a program for enabling a second user to monitor the first user terminal 10. User information 322 and behavioral history information 323 are data that the control unit 310 refers to when executing the monitoring program 321.

[0065] User information 322 is data relating to the second user's account and may include information similar to that of the server 50's user information 522 described above. User information 322 may include information about the second user (e.g., the second user's identifier, gender, address, language, and age) and information about the first user being monitored (e.g., the first user's identifier and monitoring range information).

[0066] Furthermore, the user information 322 may include location information indicating the current location of the first user terminal 10 detected by the location acquisition device 19, and the date and time corresponding to said location information. This location information and the corresponding date and time can be received from the server 50 via the network 2.

[0067] The activity history information 323 is information relating to the activity history of the first user terminal 10 over a predetermined period of time from the time the notification device 18 of the first user terminal 10 was operated, and may include information similar to the activity history information 523 of the server 50 described above.

[0068] The control unit 310 controls various monitoring-related processes performed on the first user terminal 10 by executing a monitoring program 321 stored in the memory unit 320. The control unit 310 includes, for example, an operation reception unit 311, a transmission / reception unit 312, an operation control unit 313, and a display control unit 314.

[0069] The operation reception unit 311 receives operations (hereinafter also referred to as "input actions") input by the user via the input unit 38. Specifically, when an input operation is performed on the input unit 38, the operation reception unit 311 detects the screen coordinates of the input location and the type of input operation. Examples of input operations include various operations performed with fingers, such as touch operations, tap operations, slide operations, swipe operations, flick operations, touch stroke operations where a finger or other object is in contact with the screen and draws an arbitrary trajectory, pinch-in operations, and pinch-out operations. These can be used for various functions such as setting and modifying the monitoring range. Input operations are not limited to operations that physically contact the input unit 38 (for example, the touchscreen 37), but can also include non-contact operations. Operations that terminate an input operation that was previously performed, such as a touch-off operation that ends contact with the touchscreen 37, can also be considered a form of input operation.

[0070] The transmitting / receiving unit 312 can send and receive various types of data to and from the server 50.

[0071] The transmitting / receiving unit 312 can transmit various data and operation information entered by the second user to the server 50. The data entered by the second user includes voice data, text data, monitoring range information, etc. The transmitting / receiving unit 312 can receive various data such as operations and sound data entered at the first user terminal 10, programs, etc., from the server 50.

[0072] The operation control unit 313 performs various processes for monitoring the first user terminal 10 by the second user terminal 30. The operation control unit 313, although not particularly limited, performs processes for setting the recording period on the first user terminal 10, processes for setting the monitoring range by the second user, and processes for receiving voice and text input by the second user.

[0073] The display control unit 314 causes the display unit 39 to display various images, such as a map image that includes the monitoring area.

[0074] Note that the functions of the first user terminal 10, the second user terminal 30, and the server 50 shown in Figure 3 are merely examples. Each of the devices, the first user terminal 10, the second user terminal 30, and the server 50, may also have at least some of the functions of other devices. In other words, in this embodiment, the server 50 may have some of the functional blocks of the first user terminal 10 and the second user terminal 30, and the first user terminal 10 or the second user terminal 30 may have some of the functional blocks of the server 50.

[0075] <First Embodiment> Next, with reference to Figures 4 to 6, an example of a screen displayed on the display unit 39 of the second user terminal 30 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0076] In this embodiment, the second user terminal 30 can create multiple monitoring areas in response to input operations by the second user and display them in a single map area.

[0077] Figure 4 shows an example of a selection screen 400 for the monitoring range creation mode displayed on the display unit 39 of a second user terminal 30 (monitoring terminal) according to one embodiment of the present invention. The monitoring range can be created in multiple modes. The method for creating the monitoring range is not particularly limited, but includes a first mode in which the second user creates the monitoring range according to the trajectory of an operation by tracing the screen of the second user terminal 30, and a second mode in which the second user creates the monitoring range based on the distance between the start and end points of an operation by tracing the screen of the second user terminal 30.

[0078] The selection screen 400 displays a map along with icons for selecting the mode of creating the monitoring area. In the illustrated example, tapping the "Trace to Create Icon 401" selects the first mode, and tapping the "Circle to Create Icon 402" selects the second mode. In the "Trace to Create Icon 401" (first mode), a polygonal monitoring area can be set based on the starting point, ending point, and trajectory of the input movement. In the "Circle to Create Icon 402" (second mode), the radius of the circular monitoring area can be adjusted based on the distance between the starting point and ending point of the input movement. Furthermore, if the second mode is selected by tapping the "Circle to Create Icon 402," the selection screen 400 can display the "Circle to Create Icon 403." Also, if the first mode is selected by tapping the "Trace to Create Icon 401," the selection screen 400 can display the "Fill Icon 808" (Figure 8), which will be described later, instead of the "Circle to Create Icon 403."

[0079] Figure 5 shows an example of a screen 500 displaying multiple monitoring ranges shown on the display unit 39 of a second user terminal 30 according to one embodiment of the present invention. According to this disclosure, multiple monitoring ranges set in different ways can be displayed in the same map area. In the example of screen 500, a polygonal monitoring range 501 defined by the trajectory of an input operation created in the first mode (tracing mode), a circular monitoring range 502 with a radius equal to the distance between the start and end points of an input operation created in the second mode (circle creation mode), and a monitoring range 503 are displayed. Other monitoring ranges set outside the display area of ​​screen 500 can also be displayed within screen 500 by moving the map in response to a map scroll operation on the input unit 38 (Figure 1). When a new monitoring range is created by the operation of the second user, it can be added to the same map area as the already set monitoring ranges.

[0080] According to this disclosure, multiple monitoring areas can be displayed in the same area, allowing a second user to set a new monitoring area while checking the map and considering its relationship to the already set monitoring areas, such as their position. Furthermore, the second user can easily fine-tune the position and shape of the new monitoring area because they can visually see the proximity and overlap of the monitoring areas.

[0081] Furthermore, as illustrated in Figure 5, the second user terminal 30 may display, in addition to the monitoring area, label information 504, 505 set for each monitoring area, and information 506 prompting input of label information. The label information can be displayed near the monitoring area and is not particularly limited, but may include text information indicating the name of the monitoring area (for example, the text "Company" in label information 504) and an icon indicating the type or attribute assigned to the monitoring area (for example, "Company Icon" in label information 504).

[0082] Furthermore, the second user terminal 30 may display notification condition information (not shown in Figure 5) for each monitoring area, in addition to the monitoring area.

[0083] The name of the monitoring area may be a name arbitrarily registered by a second user, or it may be a name automatically obtained from map information, such as a facility name or road name.

[0084] The monitoring range is not particularly limited, but it can be assigned either a "living area" corresponding to the first user's normal living area, or an "access control area" corresponding to an area where the first user's entry and exit need to be controlled. The attributes of the monitoring range can be indicated by the display manner of the icon (e.g., brightness or hue), and in the example in Figure 6, it is indicated by the brightness of the icon. The attributes of the monitoring range include an attribute indicating the first user's normal living area (e.g., the bright color of the school icon 605) and an attribute indicating the area where the first user's entry and exit need to be controlled (e.g., the dark color of the car icon 606). The second user can identify the attributes of the range simply by visually observing the display manner of the icon (brightness of color, etc.).

[0085] Figure 6 shows an example of a label setting screen 600 of label information displayed on the display unit 39 of a second user terminal 30 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The label setting screen 600 displays prompts for inputting label information for the monitoring range (in the illustrated example, a "speech bubble display 506" and a "pop-up display 602").

[0086] The "speech bubble display 506" is a display that prompts the user to enter label information, such as "Tap to enter name," and can be displayed near a monitoring area where label information has not yet been set. When a tap operation is received on the speech bubble display 506, a "pop-up display 602" is displayed to prompt the user to enter more detailed information.

[0087] The timing of the pop-up display 602 is not limited to after tapping the speech bubble display 506. The pop-up display 602 may be displayed before the monitoring range is set, such as after tapping the "Create with Circle Icon 403," or it may be displayed after the monitoring range has been set, for purposes such as editing the label information 504 and 505 (Figure 5).

[0088] The "popup display 602" includes, but is not limited to, a text input area 603 that accepts text input of the name of the monitoring area (for example, "home", "school", "dangerous intersection", etc.), an icon selection area 604 that accepts selection of various icons to correspond to the monitoring area, a save icon 607 for saving the entered content, a delete icon 608, and a cancel (close) icon 609 for interrupting the operation being performed or discarding the set content.

[0089] If the delete icon 608 is selected, and label information has already been set, the system may, instead of simply interrupting the editing of the label information, or in addition to doing so, perform the deletion of the monitoring area itself. Specifically, when the system receives the selection of the delete icon 608, a confirmation screen asking whether to delete the monitoring area is displayed on the display unit 39. If a deletion instruction is entered via this confirmation screen, the monitoring area information associated with the label information is deleted.

[0090] If the Cancel icon 609 is selected, editing of the label information will be interrupted, and the system will revert to the state before the popup display 602 was displayed.

[0091] The icons in the icon selection area 604 can be assigned attributes of the monitoring area. Furthermore, different shapes may be assigned to the icons depending on the type of monitoring area (e.g., "home," "school," "dangerous intersection," "pond," etc.). In the example in Figure 6, the icon selection area 604 includes a school icon 605 assigned the attribute of a living area and a car icon 606 assigned the attribute of an access control area.

[0092] Next, with reference to Figure 7, the information processing performed in System 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0093] Figure 7 shows a flowchart 700 of the monitoring range registration process performed on the second user terminal 30 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0094] First, in step S1, the display control unit 314 of the second user terminal 30 displays a map along with a selection screen 400 (Figure 4) for the monitoring area creation mode on the display unit 39.

[0095] Next, in step S2, when the operation reception unit 311 of the second user terminal 30 receives a selection for the selection button, the operation control unit 313 determines whether the first mode ("Create icon by tracing 401") or the second mode ("Create icon by circle 402") was selected.

[0096] If the first mode is selected, the process proceeds to step S3.

[0097] In step S3, the operation control unit 313 performs the display position change process, the monitoring range setting process, and the label setting and notification condition setting process.

[0098] The display position change process in the first mode changes the map display based on input actions by the second user on the map. The input action in the first mode is a multi-touch stroke on the screen. Specifically, when the second user terminal 30 receives input actions using multiple fingers (e.g., two fingers), it can move the map display by sliding with the multiple fingers, zoom out with pinch-in, and zoom in with pinch-out. The second user terminal 30 may be configured to perform this display position change process even while the monitoring area is being created.

[0099] The monitoring area creation process in the first mode sets the monitoring area according to the input operation of the second user on the map. Specifically, when the second user terminal 30 receives an input operation with a single finger, it sets the shape of the monitoring area according to the trajectory of the single touch stroke of that input operation. The second user terminal 30 can also accept additional input operations after the monitoring area has been set. If the trajectory of the additional input operation overlaps with at least a part of the set monitoring area, the second user terminal 30 can change the shape of the already set monitoring area according to the trajectory of the additional input operation. Details of the monitoring area setting process in the first mode will be explained using Figures 8 to 19.

[0100] In the first mode, when a single-touch stroke input is detected, the system executes a process to create a monitoring area based on that input. When a multi-touch stroke input with multiple fingers is detected, the system executes a process to change the display position of the display screen based on that input. Therefore, a second user can switch between creating a monitoring area and changing the display position simply by changing the number of fingers.

[0101] In the label setting process of the first mode, the second user terminal 30 displays a label setting screen 600 (Figure 6) that accepts input of label information for the monitoring area, accepts input of label information from the second user, and performs editing and setting of the label information.

[0102] The display control unit 314 can display the set monitoring range and label information on the map on the display unit 39.

[0103] On the other hand, if the second mode is selected, the process proceeds to step S4.

[0104] In step S4, the operation control unit 313 performs the display position change process, the monitoring range setting process, and the label setting and notification condition setting process.

[0105] The display position change process in the second mode changes the map display based on input actions by the caregiver on the map. Specifically, it accepts input actions by a second user (e.g., a swipe operation) and moves the map display so that the desired monitoring range is positioned in a predetermined location on the screen. In addition, the operation reception unit 311 accepts input actions with multiple fingers (multitouch operation) and can zoom out the map display with a pinch-in operation and zoom in with a pinch-out operation.

[0106] The monitoring area creation process in the second mode sets the monitoring area according to the input operation of the second user on the map. Specifically, the second user terminal 30 accepts a single-finger input operation for an initial circular monitoring area centered on a predetermined position on the screen (for example, the center of the screen). If the trajectory of the input operation overlaps with at least a portion of the handles 507 (Figure 5) positioned on the top, bottom, left, and right of the outer perimeter of the monitoring area, the second user terminal 30 sets the radius of the monitoring area according to the distance between the start and end points of the input operation. If the input operation is a stroke outward from the outer edge of the displayed monitoring area, the radius is expanded, and if the stroke is inward, the radius is reduced. The initial radius of the monitoring area can be arbitrarily set by the system, and as an example, it is 80m in actual distance on the map. Details of the monitoring area setting process in the second mode will be explained using Figures 20 to 22. The second user terminal 30 can change the radius of the circle of the monitoring range according to the distance between the start and end points of an additional input action by accepting additional input actions for an already configured monitoring range (for example, handles placed on the top, bottom, left, and right sides of the outer perimeter).

[0107] Furthermore, in the second mode's monitoring area creation process, the second user terminal 30 can change the position of the monitoring area according to an additional input operation on an already set monitoring area (e.g., the center). Specifically, when a part of the handle 508 (Figure 5) located at the center of the circular monitoring area overlaps with the trajectory of the input operation by the second user, the second user terminal 30 can change the position of the monitoring area 502 according to the amount of movement of the input operation.

[0108] The label setting process in the second mode is the same as in the first mode, so redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0109] The display control unit 314 can display the set monitoring range and label information on the map on the display unit 39.

[0110] The order in which input actions by the second user are accepted is not limited to the examples described above. For example, input actions for changing the display position may be accepted after the input action for creating the monitoring area is completed, or input actions for changing the display position may be accepted after the input action for setting the label. In other words, each input action can be accepted in any order.

[0111] Next, the process proceeds to step S5. In step S5, the operation control unit 313 saves the set monitoring range along with the label information.

[0112] If the monitoring range is saved in step S5, in step S6 the operation control unit 313 determines whether the number of saved monitoring ranges has reached the total number of areas created, for example, 10.

[0113] In step S6, if the operation control unit 313 determines that the number of monitoring areas saved has reached a predetermined total number of areas to be created, or if the number is less than the total number of areas to be created but the second user has requested that the process be terminated (yes in step S6), the transmission / reception unit 312 transmits the finally determined monitoring area and label information to the server 50 and terminates the process. Upon receiving the monitoring area and label information, the server 50 can store it in the user information 522 along with the identifier of the first user terminal 10 associated with the second user terminal 30.

[0114] On the other hand, in step S6, if the operation control unit 313 determines that the number of monitoring areas saved is within the total number of areas that can be created (i.e., "No" in step S6), the process returns to step S1. In this way, by setting an upper limit on the number of monitoring areas that can be created, the processing load of system 1 can be reduced.

[0115] When the process returns to step S1, the display control unit 314 will display the monitoring area creation mode selection screen 400 again on the display unit 39, and will be able to accept additional input operations from the second user.

[0116] Thereafter, the operation control unit 313 repeatedly executes the processes from steps S1 to S6 until the number of monitored areas reaches the total number of areas created, or until it receives a processing termination operation from the second user.

[0117] Next, a modified version of the flowchart 700 shown in Figure 7 will be described. In the embodiment described above, an example was described in which the number of monitoring areas is determined in step S6 after the monitoring areas have been saved, but the processing flow is not limited to this. The operation control unit 313 may perform the count determination when it receives an operation to create a new monitoring area. Specifically, when it receives an operation on the "Create with Circle Icon 403" (Figure 4) after the mode selection in step S2, or when it receives an operation on the "Fill Icon 808" (Figure 8) after the mode selection in step S2, the operation control unit 313 determines whether the number of monitoring areas already saved has reached a preset total number of areas to be created (limit). Note that when it receives an operation to change the shape of an existing monitoring area in the first mode (trace creation mode), the total number of areas does not increase, so it may be excluded from this determination process.

[0118] If the operation control unit 313 determines that the number of monitoring areas already saved has not reached the predetermined total number of areas that can be created, it proceeds to accept an operation to create an area using a circle in step S3, or to accept an operation to create an area by tracing in step S4. On the other hand, if the operation control unit 313 determines that the number of monitoring areas already saved has reached the predetermined total number of areas that can be created, it terminates the series of processes. At this time, a warning message such as "No more areas can be created" can be displayed via the display unit 39.

[0119] <Setting the monitoring range using Mode 1> Next, with reference to Figures 8 to 19, the information processing for setting the monitoring range according to one embodiment of the present invention, which is performed in the first mode (Figure 7, step S3), will be described.

[0120] In this embodiment, the monitoring area of ​​the first user terminal 10, which has a complex shape, can be set on the map according to the touch stroke operation performed by the second user on the touchscreen 37. Furthermore, the monitoring area can be changed or modified according to new touch stroke operations applied to the already set monitoring area.

[0121] For example, when setting a monitoring area for narrow and complex shapes such as rivers and roads, or complex and intricate shapes such as building sites, users previously had to add and move tens to hundreds of vertices. According to this disclosure, the creation and editing of complex monitoring areas can be performed with a few touch strokes. Therefore, even users unfamiliar with terminal operations can create polygons of complex shapes.

[0122] Figures 8 to 11 show examples of the monitoring range setting screen displayed on the display unit 39 of the second user terminal 30 when the first mode is selected, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0123] When the operation reception unit 311 receives a selection operation (tap operation) for the drawing mode icon 807, it can receive a touch stroke operation by the user, such as tracing with a finger on the screen 800. In the example in Figure 8, a trajectory 811 from the starting point 809 to the ending point 810 is drawn on the map on the screen 800 according to the touch stroke operation. When a selection operation for the fill icon 808 is received, the area of ​​lines or circles drawn in drawing mode is converted into polygons (Figure 9). The trajectory of the input operation by the second user is composed of multiple plots. The display control unit 314 may reduce the number of plots that make up the trajectory without significantly distorting the shape of the trajectory, and display the reduced number of plots on the display unit of the second user terminal 30.

[0124] Furthermore, the operation reception unit 311 can delete a polygon from the screen when it receives a selection operation on the trash can icon 801. It can also undo the previous operation (polygon conversion operation, trajectory drawing operation, etc.) when it receives an operation on the undo icon 802. In addition, the operation reception unit 311 can deform a polygon by receiving a new touch stroke operation that overlaps at least part with the periphery or region of the converted polygon. The operation reception unit 311 can accept deletion, undo, and new touch stroke operations of drawn lines until an operation on the save icon 812 is received. As a result, even users unfamiliar with terminal operation can generate polygons with complex shapes.

[0125] When the monitoring area specified by the polygon reaches the desired position and shape for the second user, the second user can save the deformed polygon as the monitoring area by selecting the save icon 812.

[0126] Furthermore, the operation reception unit 311 can receive a display position change operation to set the monitoring range to a desired location on the map for the second user. The display position change operation includes operations on the address search icon 804, the current location icon 805, the movement mode icon 806, and operations based on the multi-finger input operation described above.

[0127] When the user selects the address search icon 804, the display control unit 314 pops up a window (not shown) on the display unit 39 to accept input from the second user for the address and facility, and accepts text input for the address and facility name. The second user terminal 30 can use a geocoding service to determine the latitude and longitude from the address and facility name, and move the display to a map centered on the determined latitude and longitude.

[0128] Upon receiving a selection for the current location icon 805, the system can move to a map centered on the current location of the second user terminal 30.

[0129] When a selection is made for the movement mode icon 806, the currently displayed map can be moved according to the slide operation performed by the second user.

[0130] The display position change process may move and resize the displayed map in response to detection of a multi-finger input action by a second user, without switching the operation mode through operations on the address search icon 804, current location icon 805, or movement mode icon 806. In the first mode, the displayed map is controlled so that it moves when a multi-finger input action is a swipe, shrinks when a pinch-in is performed, and enlarges when a pinch-out is performed. According to this disclosure, since switching operation modes via the address search icon 804, movement mode icon 806, etc., is unnecessary, the second user can change the display position and scale with intuitive operation.

[0131] Next, we will explain the details of the process of converting a line or circle region drawn in drawing mode into a polygon using Figures 8 to 11.

[0132] As shown in Figure 8, when the distance between the starting point 809 and the ending point 810 of the touch stroke trajectory is less than a predetermined distance q on the screen, the monitoring range is set as a closed polygon region 901 defined by a straight line or curve connecting the starting point 809 and the ending point 810, and the trajectory 811 (Figure 9). In other words, if the starting point 809 and the ending point 810 of the user's stroke operation do not coincide, and the distance between the starting point 809 and the ending point 810 is less than a predetermined distance q, a closed polygon region is set by automatically interpolating a straight line connecting them.

[0133] On the other hand, as illustrated in Figure 10, when the starting point 1002 and ending point 1003 of the touch stroke trajectory are greater than or equal to a predetermined distance q, the monitoring range is set as a band-shaped polygon region 1101 with an offset width in the trajectory (Figure 11). The distance q may be either the distance on the screen coordinate system of the first user terminal or the actual distance on the map.

[0134] The band-shaped region 1101 shown in Figure 11 can be generated by moving the center of a circle with a predetermined radius r (for example, 0m to 50m on the map) along the touch stroke trajectory in the direction indicated by arrow P, from the starting point 1002 to the ending point 1003. The outer circumference of the trajectory traced by the moving circle forms the shape shown by lines L1 and L2, which forms the band-shaped region 1101. The distance r can be arbitrarily set by the supervisor. When the predetermined distance r is 0, the touch stroke trajectory itself becomes the polygon boundary. The distance r may be either the distance on the screen coordinate system of the first user terminal or the actual distance on the map.

[0135] According to this disclosure, a second user can easily set an elongated monitoring range, including straight lines and curves, using only touch stroke operations.

[0136] Next, we will explain the details of the process for modifying the configured monitoring range, referring to Figures 12 to 17.

[0137] Figures 12 to 17 show example screens for modifying the monitoring range according to a second embodiment of the present invention. System 1 provides means for modifying the polygon by new touch stroke operations by the user until the set monitoring range is confirmed and saved.

[0138] The operation reception unit 311 acquires a second input action (touch stroke operation) performed by a second user on the map displayed on the screen, and extracts second touch stroke information, including the start point, end point, and trajectory of the second movement, from the second movement of the second input action. It determines whether the trajectory of the second movement overlaps with the first monitoring range at least in part, and if an overlap exists, it modifies the first monitoring range based on the first touch stroke information and the second touch stroke information. The modified second monitoring range is set based on the positional relationship between the new input action (second touch stroke operation) by the user and the already drawn polygon (first monitoring range). Specifically, the polygon is modified in the following manner.

[0139] (Expansion and modification through merging) The expansion of the monitoring range is set by performing a Boolean union (union) between the first monitoring range (polygon region 901) and the region defined by the second touch stroke information, when an operation is received on the fill icon 808.

[0140] For example, as shown in Figure 12, if the trajectory of the second movement 902 intersects the drawn monitoring area 901 at multiple points, the additional area defined by the trajectory of the second movement 902 is merged with the drawn first monitoring area 901. This sets up a modified new monitoring area (e.g., polygon area 903) (Figure 13).

[0141] In another embodiment, as shown in Figure 14, when the trajectory of the second movement 904 intersects with the drawn first monitoring area 901 at one point, a band-shaped region with an offset width defined by the second movement trajectory 904 is joined to the drawn monitoring area 901. This sets up a new monitoring area (polygon area 905) (Figure 15).

[0142] (Deletion and correction based on differences) Deleting or modifying the monitoring area is set by performing a Boolean difference operation on the eraser icon 803, which is done by comparing the first monitoring area with the area defined by the second touch stroke information.

[0143] For example, as shown in Figure 16, if the trajectory 906 of the second movement intersects with the drawn monitoring area 903 at multiple points, the area defined by the trajectory 906 of the second movement is removed from the drawn monitoring area 903. In other words, the new monitoring area (polygon area 907) is set by subtracting the area defined by the trajectory 906 of the second movement and the monitoring area 903 at multiple intersections from the drawn monitoring area (Boolean subtraction). This sets the new monitoring area (polygon area 907) (Figure 17).

[0144] Furthermore, if the entire trajectory of the second movement does not intersect with the displayed monitoring range, the first monitoring range will not be modified.

[0145] The operation reception unit 311 accepts modifications to the monitoring range via continuous touch stroke operations until the save icon 812 is operated, and the operation control unit 313 temporarily holds the modified monitoring range. When the operation reception unit 311 receives an operation on the save icon 812, it finalizes and saves the shape of the monitoring range at that point. The user can modify the monitoring range by repeatedly performing multiple touch stroke operations until the final shape of the monitoring range is determined.

[0146] Figure 18 is a flowchart showing the procedure for setting the initial monitoring range in the second user terminal 30 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0147] First, in step S51, the operation reception unit 311 acquires an input operation to the input unit 38 by the second user. The input operation includes first touch stroke information, which includes the starting point, ending point, and trajectory of the touch stroke movement.

[0148] Next, in step S52, the motion control unit 313 extracts first touch stroke information from the input motion, including the starting point, ending point, and trajectory of the first touch stroke movement.

[0149] Next, in step S53, the motion control unit 313 determines whether the distance between the starting point and the ending point of the first touch stroke is less than a first predetermined distance q.

[0150] In step S53, if the distance between the starting point and the ending point of the first touch stroke is less than the first predetermined distance q, proceed to step S54.

[0151] In step S54, when the motion control unit 313 receives an operation on the fill icon 808, it interpolates the distance between the start point and the end point with a straight line or curve, and sets the monitoring range as a closed polygon region 901 (Figure 9) defined by the movement trajectory and the line connecting the start point and the end point.

[0152] On the other hand, in step S53, if the distance between the starting point and the ending point of the movement of the first touch stroke is not less than the first predetermined distance q, the process proceeds to step S55.

[0153] In step S55, when the operation control unit 313 receives an operation on the fill icon 808, it sets the monitoring range to a band-shaped area 1101 (Figure 11) with an offset width in the trajectory.

[0154] Once the monitoring range is set, the process proceeds to step S56.

[0155] In step S56, the operation control unit 313 determines whether the area of ​​the set monitoring range falls within a predetermined range. If it does not fall within the predetermined range, it displays an error message prompting the user to change the size of the monitoring range on the display unit 39, and the process returns to S51. On the other hand, if the area of ​​the set monitoring range falls within the predetermined range, the process proceeds to step S57.

[0156] In step S57, when the operation control unit 313 receives an operation on the save icon 812, it finalizes the shape of the monitoring range at that time.

[0157] On the other hand, in step S57, if the operation control unit 313 does not accept an operation on the save icon 812, it proceeds to the process shown in Figure 19.

[0158] Next, referring to Figure 19, we will explain the workflow for modifying and changing the configured monitoring range.

[0159] Figure 19 is a flowchart showing the procedure for process 1900, which modifies the monitoring range set in the second user terminal 30 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Process 1900 describes a modification process performed in the second user terminal 30 after the initial monitoring range has been set in the second user terminal 30. The initial monitoring range is assumed to be displayed on the display unit 39.

[0160] First, in step S71, the operation reception unit 311 acquires additional input actions from the second user to the input unit 38. The additional input actions include second touch stroke information, which includes the starting point, ending point, and trajectory of the touch stroke movement.

[0161] Next, in step S72, the motion control unit 313 extracts second touch stroke information from the additional input motion, including the starting point, ending point, and trajectory of a further second touch stroke.

[0162] Next, in step S73, the motion control unit 313 determines whether the trajectory of the further movement overlaps with the set monitoring range in at least part of it.

[0163] In step S73, if the trajectory of further movement overlaps with the initially set monitoring range in at least part of it, the process proceeds to step S74. In the subsequent steps S75 and S76, the set monitoring range is modified and changed based on the first touch stroke information and the second touch stroke information.

[0164] In step S75, when the operation reception unit 311 receives a first predetermined operation (selection operation for the fill icon 808), it modifies and changes the set monitoring range by combining the area defined by the second touch stroke information with the first monitoring range.

[0165] On the other hand, in step S76, when the operation reception unit 311 receives a second predetermined operation (selection operation for the eraser icon 803), it modifies and changes the set monitoring range by deleting the area defined by the second touch stroke information from the first monitoring range.

[0166] If, in step S73, the trajectory of further movement does not overlap, at least partially, with the initially set monitoring range, the process proceeds to step S77.

[0167] In step S77, the operation reception unit 311 adds the area defined by the second touch stroke information as a new monitoring range. The setting of the monitoring range is as described in steps S53 to S55 of Figure 18, so redundant explanations are omitted.

[0168] Next, in step S78, it is determined whether the area of ​​the set monitoring range falls within a predetermined range. If it does not fall within the predetermined range, an error message prompting a change in the size of the monitoring range is displayed on the display unit 39, and the process returns to S71. On the other hand, if the area of ​​the set monitoring range falls within the predetermined range, the process proceeds to step S79.

[0169] Next, in step S79, it is determined whether an operation on the save icon 812 has been accepted.

[0170] In step S79, if it is determined that an operation on the save icon 812 has been accepted ("Yes" in step S79), the operation control unit 313 finalizes the shape of the monitoring range at that point.

[0171] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S79 that no operation has been accepted for the save icon 812, the process returns to step S71 and accepts further touch stroke operations.

[0172] The processing procedure shown in Figure 19 is illustrative and does not limit the content of this disclosure; some parts of the processing procedure may be omitted or modified.

[0173] In this embodiment, the monitoring range can be set or modified by the user through multiple touch stroke operations. The user can repeatedly perform multiple touch stroke operations until the final shape of the monitoring range is determined. This allows the user to easily set even complex-shaped monitoring ranges.

[0174] The above explains how to set, modify, and add to the monitoring range of the second user terminal 30, as shown in Figures 18 and 19.

[0175] Next, we will describe the processes executed on the first user terminal 10 and the server 50 after the monitoring range of the second user terminal 30 has been set.

[0176] The first user terminal 10 can periodically transmit its location coordinates to the server 50 at regular intervals. The server 50 notifies the second user terminal 30 based on the relationship between the acquired location coordinates of the first user terminal 10 and the stored monitoring range.

[0177] When the monitoring area is set to the access control area, the server 50 can send a push notification to the second user terminal 30 when the location coordinates of the first user terminal 10 are within the access control area or when it enters the access control area. The server 50 also sends a trigger signal to the first user terminal 10 for the lamp to light up and sound playback to play. When the first user terminal 10 receives the trigger signal, it can make the display device 17 blink and play the voice data (pre-configured voice of the second user or warning sound) sent from the server 50 through the speaker 16.

[0178] When the monitoring area is set to the living area, the server 50 can send a push notification to the second user terminal 30 when the location coordinates of the first user terminal 10 move outside the living area. The server 50 also sends a trigger signal to the first user terminal 10 for the lamp to light up and sound playback to play. Upon receiving the trigger signal, the first user terminal 10 can make the display device 17 blink or play sound data (pre-configured voice or warning sound of the second user) sent from the server 50 through the speaker 16.

[0179] <Setting the monitoring range using the second mode> Next, with reference to Figures 20 to 22, we will describe the information processing for setting the monitoring range according to one embodiment of the present invention, which is performed in the second mode (Figure 7, step S4).

[0180] In this embodiment, the circular monitoring area of ​​the first user terminal 10 can be set on the map according to the touch stroke operation performed by the second user on the touchscreen 37.

[0181] Figures 20 and 21 show an example of the monitoring range setting screen displayed on the display unit 39 of the second user terminal 30 when the second mode is selected, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0182] When the operation reception unit 311 receives a selection operation (tap operation) for the circular icon 402, the display control unit 314 displays a reference mark 2001 at a predetermined position on the display screen (for example, the center of the screen). The second user can move the map display by performing a touch stroke operation, such as tracing the screen, so that the monitoring range they want to set overlaps with the reference mark 2001.

[0183] Next, when the operation reception unit 311 receives a selection operation for the "created with a circle icon 403", the display control unit 314 can transition from screen 2000 to the label setting screen 600 (Figure 6) which accepts input of label information.

[0184] On the label setting screen 600, once the second user has entered label information and the label information has been saved, the display control unit 314 transitions from the label setting screen 600 to the monitoring range setting screen 2100 shown in Figure 21.

[0185] The initial screen of the monitoring range setting screen 2100 displays the initial circular monitoring range based on a predetermined position, along with the entered label information. When the operation reception unit 311 receives input operations on the up, down, left, and right handles 507 displayed on the outer edge of the monitoring range, it can change the radius of the circle of the monitoring range based on the input operations.

[0186] The monitoring range setting screen 2100 may display a slider bar, separate from or in addition to the handle 507, for accepting changes to the radius of the monitoring range circle. The slider bar displays a linear guide section 2101 corresponding to the radius of the monitoring range, and a knob 2102 that can be moved along the guide section. The operation reception unit 311 accepts the sliding operation of the knob 2102 by a second user, and changes the radius of the monitoring range according to the amount of operation.

[0187] Next, with reference to Figure 22, the information processing performed in System 1 in the second mode according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0188] Figure 22 shows a flowchart 2200 of the process performed on the second user terminal 30 in the second mode according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0189] First, in step S91, the operation reception unit 311 acquires the input operation of the second user to the input unit 38.

[0190] Next, in step S92, when the motion control unit 313 detects a touch-off from the input motion, it extracts touch stroke information including the starting point and ending point of the touch stroke movement.

[0191] Next, in step S93, the motion control unit 313 determines whether the distance between the starting point and the ending point of the touch stroke movement is within a third predetermined range u.

[0192] In step S93, if the distance between the starting point and the ending point of the touch stroke movement is within a third predetermined range u, the process proceeds to step S94. In step S94, the motion control unit 313 determines the radius of the monitoring range between the starting point and the ending point of the touch stroke movement.

[0193] On the other hand, if in step S93 the distance between the start and end points of the touch stroke movement is not within the third predetermined range u, the process proceeds to step S97, the display control unit 314 displays an error message on the display unit 39, and the operation control unit 313 can automatically adjust the radius of the monitoring range circle to within the third predetermined range u. For example, if the distance between the start and end points of the touch stroke movement does not reach the minimum radius specified by the system, the radius of the monitoring range circle is adjusted to the specified minimum size and displayed. Alternatively, if the distance between the start and end points of the touch stroke movement exceeds the maximum radius specified by the system, the radius of the monitoring range circle is adjusted to the specified maximum size and displayed.

[0194] In step S95, when the operation on the save icon 812 is received, the operation control unit 313 determines the shape of the monitoring range at that time.

[0195] On the other hand, in step S95, if the operation control unit 313 does not accept an operation on the save icon 812, it returns to the process in step S91.

[0196] Figure 23 shows an example of a screen 2300 displayed on the display unit 39 of a second user terminal 30 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The saved monitoring range is managed in the storage unit 320 as monitoring range information for the first user, regardless of the shape of the monitoring range (circular, polygonal). The second user terminal 30 can read the monitoring range information for the first user from the user information 322 (Figure 3) and display it on the screen of the second user terminal 30 as a monitoring range list 2304.

[0197] The monitoring range list 2304 is not particularly limited, but may include the names 2303 of each monitoring range entered by the second user, and the notification conditions 2305 corresponding to the monitoring range. When a specific monitoring range (for example, the monitoring range editing icon 2306) is selected from the monitoring range list 2304 to be edited or deleted, the operation control unit 313 can set notification condition information for that monitoring range or delete the monitoring range itself based on the input from the second user.

[0198] Furthermore, when the operation reception unit 311 detects a selection operation for the "Create on map icon 2302," the display control unit 314 transitions the display screen of the display device from screen 2300 to the selection screen 400 shown in Figure 4. As a result, the operation reception unit 311 becomes ready to accept input operations related to the creation of a new monitoring area on the transitioned selection screen 400.

[0199] <Second Embodiment> Next, a function restriction mode according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described. In facilities such as schools and cram schools, terminals with communication or calling functions are considered mobile phones and their bringing in may be restricted. Furthermore, ringtones, operation sounds, and voices during class can interfere with educational activities. Therefore, in this embodiment, the communication function of the first user terminal 10 is disabled under predetermined conditions. In addition, in this embodiment, under predetermined conditions, the input device of the first user terminal 10 may be made unresponsive, and terminal functions may be further restricted, such as by stopping voice output.

[0200] In function restriction mode, the functions of the first user terminal 10 can be restricted in stages. In this embodiment, in function restriction mode, "basic function restriction" can be applied to the first user terminal 10 while the first user is staying at a specific facility such as a school or cram school. Under basic function restriction, the sounding of electronic sounds such as button press sounds and security warning sounds emitted from the first user terminal 10 is restricted, and the illumination notifications from the display device 17 are stopped or restricted, allowing the first user terminal 10 to operate as a silent GPS terminal for transmitting location information. Specifically, the basic function restriction is not particularly limited, but includes at least one of the following: stopping the sounding of the first user terminal 10 to notify the first user of security warning sounds when the first user terminal 10 enters or leaves the monitoring range, stopping the operation of the speaker 16 of the first user terminal 10, and stopping the operation sounds made by the first user to the first user terminal 10. When the speaker 16 is turned off, the first user terminal 10 does not automatically play the warning sound.

[0201] Furthermore, in the function restriction mode, in addition to the basic function restrictions described above, a "talk function restriction" can be enabled, which restricts the communication of messages using sound data or text data between the first user terminal 10 and the second user terminal 30. When the talk function restriction is enabled by the second user, it restricts the sending and receiving functions of sound data input to the first user terminal 10 or the second user terminal, and the receiving function of synthesized speech data converted from text input to the second user terminal 30, causing the terminal to operate as a GPS terminal for transmitting location information. This allows the second user, as a caregiver, to continuously know the location of the first user, who is being cared for, while taking into consideration the facility's restrictions on the sound of electronic noises and restrictions on bringing in mobile devices.

[0202] Furthermore, when the talk function restriction is enabled, at least one of the following may be performed: disabling the operation to play messages to the first user terminal 10, disabling the operation to input messages to the first user terminal 10, and stopping incoming notification upon message reception on the first user terminal 10. Disabling the operation to play messages to the first user terminal 10 includes the speaker 16 not playing messages from the second user even if an input operation to the input device 20 is detected. Disabling the operation to input messages to the first user terminal 10 includes the first user terminal 10 not executing the function associated with the operation to the input device 20, not starting sound collection and recording by the microphone 15 for message input, and not sending a message. Restricting incoming notification upon message reception includes at least one of the following: turning off the ringtone, not activating vibration, or not illuminating the display device 17 even if a message is received.

[0203] The chat function restriction in this invention applies to both the first user terminal 10 and the second user terminal 30 based on at least one of the location information or time information of the first user terminal 10, regardless of the content of the contract between the second user terminal 30 and the provider of the monitoring application used by the second user terminal 30, such as the type of pricing plan. Therefore, the second user can restrict the chat function in specific locations or time periods without changing their pricing plan. Hereinafter, the basic function restriction and the chat function restriction may be collectively referred to simply as function restrictions.

[0204] Next, with reference to Figure 24, an example of a message sending screen displayed on the display unit 39 of a second user terminal 30 according to one embodiment of the present invention while the talk function is restricted will be described.

[0205] Figure 24 shows an example of a message sending screen 2400 displayed on the display unit 39 of a second user terminal 30 according to one embodiment of the present invention, while in talk function restriction mode.

[0206] In the example shown in Figure 24, text 2401 indicating that the talk function is restricted is displayed at the top of the message sending screen 2400. While the talk function is restricted, even if a message (voice data, synthesized voice data converted from text to voice) is sent from the second user terminal 30, playback of the message is temporarily restricted on the first user terminal 10. However, the location information of the first user terminal 10 is sent to the server 50, and the first user terminal 10 functions as a GPS terminal. Also, while the talk function is restricted, the second user terminal 30 can send voice and text messages, but the messages are temporarily held by the server 50, and are sent to the first user terminal 10 only when the talk function restriction on the first user terminal 10 is lifted. Subsequently, when the server 50 detects that the talk function restriction on the first user terminal 10 has been lifted, it sends the held messages to the first user terminal 10. Furthermore, the system may be configured to immediately send messages entered in the second user terminal 30 to the first user terminal 10, and to restrict message output on the first user terminal 10 until the talk function restriction is lifted. In this embodiment, the message includes at least one of the following: voice data entered in the second user terminal 30, synthesized voice data obtained by converting text entered in the second user terminal 30 into voice, and voice data or sound data entered in the first user terminal.

[0207] The message sending screen 2400 displays text data converted from audio data sent and received between the first user terminal 10 and the second user terminal 30, along with the audio data itself, in chronological order by file. On the left side of the message sending screen 2400, the text data 2402 converted from the audio data (first user's audio file) sent from the first user terminal 10 is displayed along with the time it was sent 2403 and the playback time 2408. Selecting the play button 2409 will play the audio data corresponding to the displayed text data 2402, allowing the user to listen to the audio. On the right side of the message sending screen 2400, the text data 2404 converted from the audio data sent from the second user terminal 30 is displayed along with the time it was sent 2405. Each text data sent from the second user terminal 30 also includes a status 2407 (for example, whether or not the audio data was played on the first user terminal 10). Selecting the play button 2411 will play the audio data (audio file) corresponding to the displayed text data 2404, allowing the user to listen to the audio. Error 2406 is displayed if the audio data sent from the second user terminal 30 cannot be converted to text. In the event of an error, selecting the play button 2410 allows playback of the audio data sent from the second user terminal 30, but the text content of the audio data cannot be viewed. The message sending screen 2400 also displays a microphone button 2421 and a text input area 2423. Audio or text entered via the microphone button 2421 and text input area 2423 can be sent to the server 50 when the send button 2424 is pressed.

[0208] Figure 25 shows an example of a function restriction setting screen 2500 displayed on the display unit of a second user terminal according to one embodiment of the present invention. The function restriction mode is executed when the state of the first user terminal 10 satisfies predetermined conditions set in advance. The predetermined conditions include at least one of the following: the current location of the first user terminal 10 is included in a registered restricted area (location condition), and the current time information identified in the first user terminal 10 is included in a set restricted time period (time condition). The restricted area can be selected from the monitoring range.

[0209] For each monitoring area (restricted area), at least one of location conditions and time conditions can be applied. With location-based restrictions, functionality can be restricted according to the current location of the first user terminal 10. However, if restrictions are applied only by location conditions, the system may mistakenly determine that the first user terminal 10 is outside the restricted area when it is actually inside, potentially causing the functionality restrictions to be unintentionally lifted due to positioning errors in the current location of the first user terminal 10. Therefore, by applying functionality restrictions based on time conditions in addition to, or instead of, location conditions, functionality can be restricted during specific time periods without being affected by positioning errors in the current location.

[0210] The following describes how to set up function restrictions, referring to Figure 25. The function restriction settings screen 2500 includes an area setting area 2501 and a time restriction setting area 2502.

[0211] <Area Settings> The area setting area 2501 provides an interface for managing restrictions on specific monitoring areas (e.g., schools, cram schools, homes, etc.). The area setting area 2501 includes an add icon 2503, a list of one or more configured monitoring areas, a restriction label 2504 indicating the restriction status of the talk function for monitoring areas set as restricted areas, and a toggle icon 2505 for switching whether to enable or disable function restrictions for each monitoring area.

[0212] When the additional icon 2503 is tapped, the user can transition to a new monitoring range setting screen (for example, screen 500 (Figure 5) or screen 2100 (Figure 21)). From the monitoring range setting screen, the second user can set a new monitoring range on the map and register the new monitoring range as a restricted area. The monitoring range setting screen may include an icon 2103 to toggle the restriction of the talk function within the specified area (for example, screen 500 in Figure 5, screen 2100 in Figure 21). When icon 2103 is disabled, only the basic functions are restricted, and the talk function is not restricted.

[0213] When a tap operation is received on the display area 2515 of the monitoring area, the system transitions to a separate screen where various information such as the shape, size, and name of the set monitoring area, as well as whether or not to enable or disable the restrictions on the talk function set for the monitoring area, can be edited and saved. The shape and size of the monitoring area can be arbitrarily set by the second user's input operation to the second user terminal 30.

[0214] <Restricted by area> When the toggle icon 2505 is tapped, you can select to enable (on) or disable (off) function restrictions for each of the one or more pre-configured monitoring areas. By simply turning off the toggle icon 2505 for a specific "monitoring area," you can disable restrictions on the monitoring area, including restrictions on the chat function, without deleting the monitoring area's configuration information (location, shape, name, etc.). Therefore, for example, during long periods such as summer vacation, you can disable function restrictions (basic function restrictions and chat function restrictions) for "school," allowing you to manage function restrictions according to changes in usage without deleting pre-configured monitoring areas.

[0215] <Time limit> The restriction time zone setting area 2502 includes a restriction icon 2514 for switching the talk function restriction on / off by both day of the week and time zone, a day of the week icon 2508 for switching the monitoring range restriction, including the talk function restriction, on / off on a day of the week basis, and a slider 2509 for specifying the restriction time zone that applies to each day of the week.

[0216] When a tap is performed on the day of the week icon 2508, you can choose to enable (on) or disable (off) function restrictions (basic function restrictions and chat function restrictions) for the restricted time slots of each set day of the week. You can disable function restrictions simply by turning off the day of the week icon 2508 for a specific day of the week. Therefore, you can manage function restrictions according to changes in usage without deleting the set restricted time slots, for example, by turning off function restrictions for "school" during long periods such as summer vacation.

[0217] The slider 2509 includes a bar representing the time axis, a pair of pointers that can move along the axis (for example, a marker 2512 indicating the start time and a marker 2513 indicating the end time), and a start / end time display 2506. A second user can adjust the start and end times of the restricted time period by selecting the markers corresponding to the start and end times and dragging them left or right along the time axis. In the illustrated example, functionality is restricted (basic function restriction and talk function restriction) from "7:30 to 15:00" for each day of the week from Monday to Friday. Different times may be set for each day of the week, or multiple time periods (for example, AM and PM) may be set within the same day of the week.

[0218] Furthermore, the function restriction settings screen 2500 may include an exclusion setting icon 2510 that removes function restrictions (basic function restrictions and talk function restrictions) on designated days such as public holidays or school holidays. When excluded, the system can operate in normal mode without applying function restrictions, regardless of the specified restricted time period. Alternatively, when excluded, the application conditions may be relaxed regardless of the restricted time period setting. For example, when excluded, restrictions are enforced when either the "restricted time period" or the "restricted area" is met, and when not excluded, function restrictions are enforced based on a combination of "restricted time period" and "restricted area". Furthermore, the function restriction settings screen 2500 may include an icon 2507 that switches the talk function on or off during the restricted time period.

[0219] When the save button 2511 is selected, function restriction information including at least one of location conditions, time conditions, monitoring range, and whether or not there are restrictions on the talk function for each day of the week is sent from the second user terminal 30 to the server 50. The server 50 stores the function restriction information together with the user information along with the monitoring range setting information. Based on the function restriction information and the location information of the first user terminal 10, the server 50 determines whether or not the function restrictions on the first user terminal 10 and the second user terminal 30 are appropriate.

[0220] <Switching to restricted function mode> Next, with reference to Figure 26, the process for switching function restriction modes executed in the server 50 of System 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 26 is a flowchart 2600 showing the procedure for switching function restriction modes executed in the server 50 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The function restriction modes in this embodiment include "basic function restriction," which restricts electronic sounds such as operation sounds and warning sounds emitted from the first user terminal 10, and "talk function restriction," which restricts message exchange according to the settings. The determination of switching function restriction modes may be triggered by the transmission of a voice message or text message from the second user terminal 30 to the first user terminal 10, or it may be performed periodically. At least a part of the function restriction mode switching process may be configured to be executed in the second user terminal 30 or the first user terminal 10.

[0221] The Talk Function Restriction Flag F1 can be used to determine whether the Talk Function Restriction is enabled or disabled. The Talk Function Restriction Flag F1 is a control flag that switches the Talk Function Restriction on or disabled on the first user terminal 10, and is stored in the server 50's storage unit 520 in association with the identification information (terminal ID, etc.) of the first user terminal 10. Furthermore, in addition to the Talk Function Restriction Flag F1, the Talk Function Restriction Force Release Flag F2 may also be used. The Talk Function Restriction Force Release Flag F2 is a control flag that accepts a forced release instruction from the second user regardless of the state (enabled or disabled) of the Talk Function Restriction Flag F1. In this embodiment, even if the Talk Function Restriction Flag F1 is enabled, if the Talk Function Restriction Force Release Flag F2 is enabled, the Talk Function Restriction is forcibly released. The server 50 determines whether or not to apply the Talk Function Restriction to the first user terminal 10 by combining these two flags (F1, F2).

[0222] The following describes the procedure for switching between function restriction modes using the talk function restriction flag F1 and the talk function restriction forced release flag F2.

[0223] First, in step S101, the transmitting / receiving unit 511 of the server 50 acquires the current location information of the first user terminal 10 and the time information associated with the current location information. The time information may be acquired by the server 50, or it may be the time information acquired by the first user terminal 10.

[0224] Next, in step S102, the server processing unit 512 determines whether the talk function restriction forced release flag F2 is enabled (restriction forced release).

[0225] If the Talk function restriction forced release flag F2 is disabled, the process proceeds to step S103.

[0226] Next, in step S103, the server processing unit 512 determines whether the time information is within the restricted time period.

[0227] If it is within the time limit, the process proceeds to step S104.

[0228] In step S104, the transmitting / receiving unit 511 obtains the status of the talk function restriction from the second user terminal 30. The server processing unit 512 also enables (turns on) the function restriction mode. When the function restriction mode is enabled, basic function restrictions are applied, and the first user terminal 10 operates as a GPS-only terminal in a silent state, without sounding warning sounds such as security alarms or electronic sounds for operation. If it is determined that the talk function restriction is set to ON (icon 2507 in Figure 25 is ON), the process proceeds to step S105.

[0229] In step S105, the server processing unit 512 sets the talk function restriction flag F1 associated with the first user terminal 10 to "talk function restricted" (on) and sends a talk function restriction instruction to the first user terminal 10. When the talk function restriction is enabled, in addition to the restrictions on the basic functions described above, the first user terminal 10 is subject to talk function restrictions such as sending, receiving, and playing voice messages. After that, the process returns to step S101.

[0230] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S104 that the talk function restriction is set to off, the process returns to step S101.

[0231] If it is determined in step S103 that the time information is not within the restricted time period, the process proceeds to step S106.

[0232] In step S106, the server processing unit 512 determines whether the current location information of the first user terminal 10 is within the restricted area. If it is within the restricted area, the process proceeds to step S104. The server processing unit 512 repeats the process from step S101 to step S106 until the talk function restriction flag F1 is cleared, and even if the server 50 receives a message from the second user terminal 30, it suspends sending the message to the first user terminal 10 until the talk function restriction flag F1 is turned off.

[0233] On the other hand, if in step S106 it is determined that the current location of the first user terminal 10 is not within the restricted area, the process proceeds to step S107, and the server processing unit 512 sets the talk function restriction flag F1 associated with the first user terminal 10 to off. The server 50 sends a talk function restriction release instruction to the first user terminal 10. Upon receiving the talk function restriction release instruction, the first user terminal 10 can, for example, play messages from the second user terminal 30 through its speaker in response to input operations on the input device 20.

[0234] In step S102, if the server processing unit 512 determines that the talk function restriction forced release flag F2 is valid, the process proceeds to step S108.

[0235] In step S108, the server processing unit 512 sets the talk function restriction flag F1 associated with the first user terminal 10 to off. The server 50 sends a talk function restriction release instruction to the first user terminal 10. Upon receiving the talk function restriction release instruction, the first user terminal 10 transitions to a state where it accepts operation input to the input device 20. This allows the first user to record and send voice messages by operating the buttons on the input device 20. With the talk function restriction flag F1 set to off, the first user terminal 10 can receive operation input from the input device 20, display information on the display device 17, and play voice messages using the speaker 16.

[0236] Next, with reference to Figures 27 and 28, we will describe the forced removal of the talk function restriction according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0237] <Forcibly disable restricted function mode> Figure 27 shows an example of a forced release setting screen 2700 for the function restriction mode displayed on the display unit 39 of a second user terminal 30 according to one embodiment of the present invention. When the second user terminal 30 receives a message sending operation (an operation on the send button 2424 in Figure 24) in the function restriction mode, it transitions to the forced release setting screen 2700 (Figure 27). The forced release setting screen 2700 includes a first operation icon (a "release for today only" icon 2701) that forcibly releases the talk function restriction and sends a message, and a second operation icon (a "do not release" icon 2702) that maintains the state of the talk function restriction. The forced release setting screen 2700 may also be displayed when transitioning to the message sending screen 2400 in the function restriction mode.

[0238] When the operation reception unit 311 receives an operation for the "Remove today only icon 2701", it sends a signal flag F2 to the server 50 to forcibly remove the talk function restriction set for the first user terminal 10. Once the talk function restriction is forcibly removed, regardless of the state of the talk function restriction flag F1 (enabled or disabled), when the first user terminal 10 meets the location and time conditions, the message is sent to the first user terminal 10 via the server 50, and the first user terminal 10 notifies the server 50 of the incoming message.

[0239] On the other hand, when the operation reception unit 311 receives an operation for the "Do not release icon 2702", the message transmission process from the second user terminal 30 to the server 50 is executed, but the message is not immediately sent to the first user terminal 10. Instead, it is temporarily held by the server 50, and then, when the talk function restriction on the first user terminal 10 is lifted, the message is sent from the server 50 to the first user terminal 10 when the first user terminal 10 meets the location and time conditions.

[0240] Next, with reference to Figure 28, the flow 2800 of the message transmission process executed on the second user terminal 30 of System 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 28 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the message transmission process executed on the second user terminal 30 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Note that at least a part of the message transmission process may be configured to be executed on Server 50.

[0241] In step S131, when the operation reception unit 311 receives a message transmission operation, the transmission / reception unit 312 sends a message to the server 50 indicating that the message transmission operation has been received, and also inquires with the server 50 about the status of at least one of the talk function restriction flags F1 or F2.

[0242] Next, in step S132, the operation control unit 313 determines whether the talk function restriction release flag F2 obtained from the server is on or off. If the talk function restriction release flag F2 is off, the process proceeds to step S133.

[0243] Next, in step S133, the operation control unit 313 determines whether the talk function restriction flag F1 obtained from the server is on or off. If the talk function restriction flag F1 is restricted (on), the process proceeds to step S134, and the second user terminal 30 outputs the forced deactivation setting screen 2700 (Figure 27) to the display unit 39.

[0244] Next, in step S135, the operation reception unit 311 determines whether or not it has received an operation from the second user for the forced release icon 2702. If it has received an operation for the today-only release icon 2701, the process proceeds to step S136.

[0245] In step S136, the transmitting / receiving unit 312 sends a message to the server 50 along with a notification that the talk function restriction forced release flag F2 is ON, i.e., an instruction to forcibly release the talk function restriction. When the server 50 sets the talk function restriction forced release flag F2 to ON, it sends a message to the first user terminal 10 along with the instruction to forcibly release the talk function restriction, enabling the first user terminal 10 to output messages. The first user terminal 10 may receive a message from the server 50 when it is determined that the first user terminal 10 meets predetermined conditions (location conditions, time conditions). According to this disclosure, the forcible release of the talk function restriction can be carried out without changing the content of the contract between the second user and the provider of the application used by the second user.

[0246] On the other hand, if the operation reception unit 311 receives an operation for the icon 2702 that is not to be deactivated in step S135, the process proceeds to step S137.

[0247] In step S137, the second user terminal 30 maintains the talk function restriction until the talk function restriction flag F1 is turned off (talk function restriction is disabled). While the talk function restriction is maintained, the second user terminal 30 does not immediately send a message to the first user terminal 10 to the server 50, but transitions to a message sending waiting state. In this waiting state, the second user terminal 30 periodically monitors the status of the talk function restriction flag F1 held by the server 50, or receives notifications from the server 50.

[0248] Subsequently, in step S137, when the second user terminal 30 detects that the talk function restriction flag F1 has been turned off, it sends a message to the server 50. When the talk function restriction flag F1 is turned off, the server 50 sends a message to the first user terminal 10 along with an instruction to release the talk function restriction, enabling the first user terminal 10 to output messages. The first user terminal 10 may also receive a message from the server 50 when it is determined that the first user terminal 10 meets predetermined conditions (location conditions, time conditions). Details of the on / off determination of the talk function restriction flag F1 are as described above in relation to Figure 26.

[0249] On the other hand, in step S132, if the talk function restriction forced release flag F2 is on, meaning there is no talk function restriction, the process proceeds to step S138, and the second user terminal 30 sends a message to the server 50. The server 50 can then make the first user terminal 10 capable of outputting the message.

[0250] Furthermore, in step S133, if the talk function restriction flag F1 is off, i.e., there is no restriction on the talk function, the process proceeds to step S138, and the second user terminal 30 sends a message to the server 50. The server 50 can then enable the first user terminal 10 to output the message.

[0251] The processing flow in the second user terminal 30 has been described above. The storage unit 520 of the server 50 according to this embodiment stores first user information 522A, which includes, as information for realizing the above-described processing, the position coordinates of each vertex in the monitoring range, as well as attribute information for restricting the talk function for the monitoring range.

[0252] The attribute information includes, but is not limited to, at least one of the location conditions for enabling / disabling the talk function restriction within the monitoring range (restricted in the area shown in Figure 25), time conditions (restricted at the time shown in Figure 25), the state of the talk function restriction flag F1, and the state of the talk function restriction forced release flag F2 and its expiration date.

[0253] According to this disclosure, the Talk Function Restriction Force Release Flag F2 can take precedence over the Talk Function Restriction Flag F1. Specifically, when the Talk Function Restriction Force Release Flag F2 is enabled (on) (step S132 in Figure 28), the Talk Function Restriction is forcibly released even if the Talk Function Restriction Flag F1 is enabled (on).

[0254] The Talk Function Restriction Force Release Flag F2 can be automatically changed to disabled (released) when predetermined recovery conditions are met. The predetermined recovery conditions are not particularly limited, but include at least one of the following: the expiration period has elapsed since the start of the forced release, or the timing for determining the next function restriction mode has arrived. The expiration period can be set arbitrarily; for example, it may be limited to the current communication, or it may be a predetermined period (for example, a few hours, or the same day). After the Talk Function Restriction Force Release Flag F2 returns to off, control based on the Talk Function Restriction Flag F1 is performed again. That is, the appropriateness of the Talk Function Restriction is determined according to the Talk Function Restriction Flag F1, which is updated based on the current location information and current time information of the first user terminal 10.

[0255] <Example 1> The above describes an example in which a message entered in the second user terminal 30 is sent to the server 50 and held there. However, the message may also be held in the second user terminal 30 without being sent to the server 50. The message may be temporarily stored in the second user terminal 30, and the second user terminal 30 may then send the message from the second user terminal 30 to the first user terminal 10 via the server 50, depending on the status of the acquired talk function restriction flag F1 and the talk function restriction forced release flag F2.

[0256] Alternatively, the server 50 may send the message received from the second user terminal 30 to the first user terminal 10, and the first user terminal 10 may hold the message without issuing an incoming message notification. In this case, the first user terminal 10 will determine whether or not to perform an incoming message notification, etc., depending on the status of the talk function restriction flag F1 and the talk function restriction forced release flag F2 separately obtained from the server 50. Subsequently, when the restricted time period ends, or when the first user terminal 10 moves outside the restricted area and the talk function restriction is released, the message may be made playable.

[0257] <Modification 2> The above example illustrates how the second user can forcibly remove the chat function restriction. However, the first user can also forcibly remove the chat function restriction themselves, either in addition to the second user or on behalf of the second user.

[0258] In the function restriction mode, when the first user terminal 10 detects a predetermined input operation on the input device 20 by the first user (for example, a third input operation such as a continuous long-press operation for 10 seconds or more), it transmits a forced release request for the talk function restriction to the server 50. In response to receiving the forced release request from the first user terminal 10, the server 50 sets the talk function restriction forced release flag F2 for managing the status of the first user terminal 10 to on. When the talk function restriction forced release flag F2 is set to on, the talk function restriction in the first user terminal 10 is released regardless of the presence or absence of the talk function restriction of the talk function restriction flag F1. As a result, even when the second user who is the caregiver cannot immediately release the function restriction, the first user who is the care recipient can execute functions such as message transmission / reception and playback by his own operation.

[0259] <Modification Example 3> According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a plurality of restricted areas can be set on the same map area. When there are a plurality of restricted areas in which the function restriction is set to be valid (on), the server 50 determines whether the current position is included in each restricted area based on the current position information received from the first user terminal 10. When it is determined that the current position is not included in any of the restricted areas, the normal mode (without function restriction) may be maintained.

[0260] <Modification Example 4> According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a priority may be assigned to the restricted area. When the current position of the first user terminal 10 exists within a plurality of overlapping restricted areas, the server 50 identifies the area with the highest priority set among the plurality of restricted areas. Further, a restriction attribute to be applied may be assigned to each restricted area. The restriction attribute includes at least one of a permission flag indicating whether to permit a change in the type of function restriction according to the type of function restriction and the type of function restriction applied to other overlapping restricted areas. For example, when a restricted area set as "school" overlaps with a restricted area of "classroom" where stricter restrictions are set, the function restriction set for the "classroom" with a higher priority can be applied.

[0261] Note that the solution means constituted by the above program, system, and method may be appropriately transferred to the fields of devices and media.

[0262] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, the above-described embodiments of the invention are for facilitating the understanding of the present invention and do not limit the present invention. The present invention can be changed and improved without departing from its gist, and it is needless to say that equivalents of the present invention are included. Also, within the range that can solve at least a part of the above-described problems or exhibit at least a part of the effects, any combination of embodiments and modifications is possible, and any combination or omission of each component described in the claims and the specification is possible.

[0263] At least the following technical ideas can be grasped from the above-described embodiments.

[0264] [Item 1] One aspect of the present disclosure is a method executed in a system including a caregiver terminal (30) carried by a caregiver, a care recipient terminal (10) carried by a care recipient, and a server that communicates with the caregiver terminal and the care recipient terminal, obtaining a notification indicating that a message transmission operation has been received at the caregiver terminal (S131), determining whether to enable or disable a talk function restriction that restricts message communication between the care recipient terminal and the caregiver terminal in response to the notification indicating that the message transmission operation has been received (S133), if the talk function restriction is effective as a result of the determination, restricting the message communication between the care recipient terminal and the caregiver terminal and disabling an operation for inputting the message by the care recipient to the care recipient terminal (S137, S105), including a method.

[0265] [Item 2] One aspect of the present disclosure provides the method described in Item 1, wherein the talk function restriction applies to the monitored person's terminal and the monitor's terminal, regardless of the terms of the agreement between the monitor and the provider of the application used by the monitor.

[0266] [Item 3] One aspect of the present disclosure includes restricting the communication of the message by stopping at least one of the following: the transmission of sound data entered into the monitored terminal to the monitored terminal; the transmission of sound data entered into the monitored terminal to the monitored terminal; and the transmission of synthesized speech data obtained by converting text entered into the monitored terminal into speech to the monitored terminal. Disabling the operation for inputting the aforementioned message provides a method of item 1 or 2, which includes not sending the aforementioned message to the monitoring terminal in response to an input operation performed on the monitoring terminal.

[0267] [Item 4] One aspect of the present disclosure further includes, if the result of the determination is that the talk function restriction is effective, and in response to receiving an instruction to forcibly release the talk function restriction, outputting an instruction to forcibly release the talk function restriction to the monitored person's terminal (S136), and providing a method for any one of items 1 to 4, wherein the forcible release of the talk function restriction does not involve a change in the content of the contract with the provider of the application used by the monitored person or a change in the fee plan of the application.

[0268] [Item 5] One aspect of the present disclosure provides the method according to any one of items 1 to 5, wherein, as a result of the determination, the talk function restriction is effective and no instruction to forcibly release the talk function restriction has been received, the talk function restriction is maintained until the talk function restriction becomes invalid (S137).

[0269] [Item 6] One aspect of the present disclosure further includes applying restrictions on the basic functions of the monitored terminal, the restrictions on the basic functions are applied when the state of the monitored terminal satisfies a predetermined condition (S104), and provides a method according to any one of items 1 to 5.

[0270] [Item 7] One aspect of this disclosure is that applying the restrictions on the basic functions to the monitored terminal is: (S101) Obtaining current time information from the monitored person's terminal or the server, (S103) Determine whether the acquired time information falls within the restricted time period. When the aforementioned time information falls within the restricted time period, the restrictions on the basic functions of the monitored person's terminal are applied (S104), The method described in item 6 is provided, including the method described in item 6.

[0271] [Item 8] One aspect of this disclosure applies the limitations on the basic functions described above. (S106) The process involves obtaining location information of the monitored person's terminal associated with the aforementioned time information, and determining whether the obtained location information is within the restricted area. When the location information is within the restricted area, the restrictions on the basic functions of the monitored person's terminal are applied (S104), Furthermore, the method described in item 6 or 7 is provided, including the method described in item 6 or 7.

[0272] [Item 9] One aspect of the present disclosure provides the method of item 7 or 8, wherein when the time information is within the restricted time period, the restriction of the basic functions to the monitored terminal is set to be effective regardless of whether the monitored terminal is within the restricted area (S104).

[0273] [Item 10] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a method according to Item 7 or 8, wherein the restriction on the basic functions of the monitored terminal is disabled when the time information is not within the restricted time period and the location information of the monitored terminal is not within the restricted area.

[0274] [Item 11] One aspect of the present disclosure further includes the case where the Talk function restriction is enabled. Disabling the operation for playing the message on the monitored person's terminal, Disabling the input of sound data by the person being monitored to the terminal for the person being monitored, To stop the incoming message notification on the monitored person's terminal upon receiving the message from the monitoring terminal, The present invention provides a method for any one of items 3 through 10, which includes performing at least one of the following:

[0275] [Item 12] One aspect of the present disclosure is that the limitation of the basic function is to stop the monitoring terminal from ringing to notify the monitoring person of a security warning sound when the monitoring terminal enters or leaves the monitoring area, and to disable the function of automatically outputting the warning sound using the speaker of the monitoring terminal. The method described in item 6 is provided, including the method described in item 6.

[0276] [Item 13] One aspect of the present disclosure provides the method of Item 8, further comprising, when there are multiple restricted areas associated with the location information of the monitored terminal, identifying the restricted area to be applied to the monitored terminal based on the priority assigned to the restricted areas, and the restriction of the basic function further comprises stopping the operation of the speaker of the monitored terminal.

[0277] [Item 14] One aspect of the present disclosure further includes controlling the talk function restriction on the monitored terminal based on the restriction attribute associated with the identified restricted area, The restriction attribute provides the method according to item 13, including at least one of the type of the talk function restriction and a permission flag indicating whether to permit the change of the type of the talk function restriction.

[0278] [Item 15] One aspect of the present disclosure provides the method according to item 4, wherein the forced release instruction of the talk function restriction is received at the caregiver terminal or the care recipient terminal.

[0279] [Item 16] One aspect of the present disclosure provides the method according to any one of items 1 to 16, wherein the message includes at least one of voice data input to the caregiver terminal, synthesized voice data obtained by converting text input to the caregiver terminal into voice, and voice data input to the care recipient terminal.

[0280] [Item 17] One aspect of the present disclosure provides the method according to item 4, wherein the forced release instruction of the talk function restriction is automatically released when a return condition is satisfied.

[0281] [Item 18] One aspect of the present disclosure provides the method according to item 15, further including restricting communication of the message between the care recipient terminal and the caregiver terminal when the talk function restriction is valid when the forced release instruction of the talk function restriction is released.

[0282] [Item 19] One aspect of the present disclosure provides the method according to any one of items 1 to 18, wherein even if the talk function restriction is valid at the care recipient terminal, the care recipient terminal transmits location information to the server.

[0283] ​​​[Item 21] One aspect of the present disclosure provides the method of Item 19, wherein the monitoring area is created in either a mode that creates a circular monitoring area or a mode that creates a polygonal monitoring area.

[0284] [Item 22] One aspect of the present disclosure is a server that communicates with a monitor terminal carried by a monitor and a monitored terminal carried by a monitored person, Means for obtaining notification that a message sending operation has been received by the aforementioned monitoring terminal, In response to a notification that the message sending operation has been received, means for determining whether the talk function restriction, which restricts message communication between the monitored person's terminal and the monitoring terminal, is enabled or disabled. If the result of the above determination is that the talk function restriction is effective, the means for restricting the communication of the message between the monitored person's terminal and the monitor's terminal, for disabling the monitored person's operation to input the message on the monitored person's terminal, and for disabling the operation to play back the message received on the monitored person's terminal, We provide a server equipped with the following features.

[0285] [Item 23] One aspect of the present disclosure is a program executed on a server that communicates with a monitor terminal carried by a monitor and a monitored terminal carried by a person being monitored, wherein the server is: Means for obtaining notification that a message sending operation has been received by the aforementioned monitoring terminal, In response to a notification that the message sending operation has been received, means for determining whether the talk function restriction, which restricts message communication between the monitored person's terminal and the monitoring terminal, is enabled or disabled. If the determination results in the restriction of the talk function being effective, the means to restrict the communication of the message between the monitored person's terminal and the monitor's terminal, disable the monitored person's ability to input the message on the monitored person's terminal, and disable the ability to play back the message received on the monitored person's terminal. We provide a program that makes it function as such.

[0286] [Item 24] One aspect of the present disclosure is a method performed on a caregiver terminal carried by a caregiver, The system accepts the message sending operation from the aforementioned caregiver, In response to receiving the message transmission operation, the system determines whether the talk function restriction, which restricts message communication between the monitored terminal associated with the monitor terminal and the monitor terminal, is enabled or disabled. If the determination results in the talk function restriction being effective, a talk function restriction instruction is sent to the server to restrict the communication of the message between the monitored person's terminal and the monitor's terminal, disable the monitored person's ability to input the message on the monitored person's terminal, and disable the ability to play back the message received on the monitored person's terminal. This provides a method that includes [something].

[0287] [Item 25] One aspect of the present disclosure provides the method of Item 23, further comprising sending an instruction to the server to forcibly deactivate the talk function restriction in response to receiving an instruction to forcibly deactivate the talk function restriction when the determination results in the talk function restriction being effective, wherein the forcible deactivation of the talk function restriction does not involve any change to the terms of the contract between the monitor and the provider of the application used by the monitor.

[0288] [Item 26] One aspect of this disclosure is a monitoring terminal carried by a monitoring person, A means for receiving the message sending operation by the aforementioned caregiver, In response to receiving the message sending operation, means for determining whether the talk function restriction, which restricts message communication between the monitored terminal associated with the monitor terminal and the monitor terminal, is enabled or disabled; The present invention provides a caregiver terminal comprising: means for sending a talk function restriction instruction to a server, which, if the result of the above determination is that the talk function restriction is effective, restricts the communication of the message between the monitored person's terminal and the caregiver terminal, disables the operation by the monitored person to input the message to the monitored person's terminal, and disables the operation to play back the message received on the monitored person's terminal.

[0289] [Item 27] ​​One aspect of the present disclosure is a program that runs on a caregiver terminal carried by a caregiver, wherein the caregiver terminal is: A means for receiving the message sending operation by the aforementioned caregiver, In response to receiving the message sending operation, means for determining whether the talk function restriction, which restricts message communication between the monitored terminal associated with the monitor terminal and the monitor terminal, is enabled or disabled; The present invention provides a program that, as a result of the above determination, if the talk function restriction is effective, functions as a means to send a talk function restriction instruction to the server that restricts the communication of the message between the monitored person's terminal and the monitor's terminal, disables the monitored person's operation to input the message to the monitored person's terminal, and disables the operation to play back the message received on the monitored person's terminal. [Explanation of symbols]

[0290] 1: System 2: Network 10: First user terminal 11, 31, 51: Processor 12, 32, 52: Storage device 13, 33, 53: Communication IF 14, 34: Input / Output Interface 15, 35: Microphone 16, 36: Speakers 17:Display device 18: Notification device 19: Location acquisition device 20: Input device 30: Second user terminal 37: Touchscreen 38: Input section 39: Display section 50: Server 110: Control Unit 111: Operation Reception Section 112: Transceiver Unit 113: Operation Control Unit 120: Storage section 121: Program 122: User Information 123: Audio data 212: Server Processing Unit 214: Display Control Unit 310: Control Unit 311: Operation Reception Section 312: Transceiver Unit 313: Operation Control Unit 314: Display Control Unit 320: Storage section 321: Program 322: User Information 323: Activity history information 501, 502, 503: Monitoring range 504, 505: Label information 506: Speech bubble display 510: Control Unit 511: Transceiver Unit 512: Server Processing Unit 513: Data Management Department 520: Storage section 521: Management Program 522: User Information 522A: First User Information 522B: Second User Information 523: Activity history information 602: Pop-up display 603: Text input area 604: Icon selection area 801: Trash can icon 802: Cancel icon 803: Eraser icon 804: Address search icon 805: Current location icon 806: Movement mode icon 807: Drawing mode icon 808: Fill icon 809, 1002: Origin 810, 1003: Terminal 811 :Trajectory 812: Save icon 901: Polygon region 1101 :Area 2304: List of monitoring areas 2305: Notification conditions q: distance r: radius u: predetermined range 2400: Message sending screen 2500: Function restriction settings screen

Claims

1. A method performed in a system comprising a monitoring terminal carried by a monitoring person, a monitored person's terminal carried by a person being monitored, and a server that communicates with the monitoring terminal and the monitored person's terminal, The monitoring terminal receives notification that it has received a message sending operation, In response to a notification that the message sending operation has been received, it is determined whether the talk function restriction, which restricts message communication between the monitored person's terminal and the monitoring terminal, is enabled or disabled. If the determination results in the restriction of the talk function being effective, the communication of the message between the monitored person's terminal and the monitor's terminal will be restricted, and the monitored person's ability to input the message on the monitored person's terminal will be disabled. Methods that include...

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the restriction on the talk function is applied to the monitored person's terminal and the monitor's terminal, regardless of the content of the contract between the monitor and the provider of the application used by the monitor.

3. The restriction on the communication of the aforementioned message includes stopping at least one of the following: the transmission of sound data input to the monitored terminal to the monitor terminal; the transmission of sound data input to the monitor terminal to the monitored terminal; and the transmission of synthesized speech data obtained by converting text input to the monitor terminal into speech to the monitored terminal. The method according to claim 1, wherein disabling the operation for inputting the message includes not sending the message to the monitoring terminal in response to an input operation performed on the monitoring terminal.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, if the result of the determination is that the talk function restriction is effective, and in response to receiving an instruction to forcibly release the talk function restriction, outputting an instruction to forcibly release the talk function restriction to the monitored person's terminal, wherein the forcible release of the talk function restriction does not involve a change in the content of the contract with the provider of the application used by the monitored person or a change in the application's fee plan.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein, as a result of the determination, if the talk function restriction is effective and no instruction to forcibly release the talk function restriction has been received, the talk function restriction is maintained until the talk function restriction becomes invalid.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising applying restrictions on the basic functions of the monitored terminal to the monitored terminal, wherein the restrictions on the basic functions are applied when the state of the monitored terminal satisfies a predetermined condition.

7. Applying the restrictions on the basic functions to the aforementioned monitoring terminal means that Obtaining current time information from the monitored person's terminal or the server, The acquired time information is to be determined as to whether or not it falls within the restricted time period, When the aforementioned time information falls within the restricted time period, the restrictions on the basic functions of the monitored terminal are applied, The method according to claim 6, including the method described in claim 6.

8. Applying the aforementioned limitations to the basic functions means The process involves obtaining location information of the monitored person's terminal associated with the aforementioned time information, and determining whether the obtained location information is within the restricted area. When the location information is within the restricted area, the restrictions on the basic functions of the monitored person's terminal are applied, The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein when the time information falls within the restricted time period, the restriction on the basic functions of the monitored terminal is effectively set regardless of whether the monitored terminal is within the restricted area.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the restriction on the basic functions of the monitored terminal is disabled when the time information is not within the restricted time period and the location information of the monitored terminal is not within the restricted area.

11. If the aforementioned talk function restriction is enabled, further Disabling the operation for playing the message on the monitored person's terminal, Disabling the input of sound data by the person being monitored to the terminal for the person being monitored, To stop the incoming message notification on the monitored person's terminal upon receiving the message from the monitoring terminal, The method according to claim 3, comprising performing at least one of the following.

12. The aforementioned limitations on the basic functions include stopping the ringing of the monitored terminal to notify the monitored person of a security warning sound when the monitored terminal enters or leaves the monitoring area, and disabling the function of automatically outputting the warning sound using the speaker of the monitored terminal. The method according to claim 6, including the method described in claim 6.

13. The method according to claim 8, further comprising, when there are multiple restricted areas associated with the location information of the monitored terminal, identifying the restricted area to be applied to the monitored terminal based on the priority assigned to the restricted area, and further comprising the restriction of the basic function being to stop the operation of the speaker of the monitored terminal.

14. The further includes controlling the restrictions on the talk function in the monitored person's terminal based on the restriction attributes associated with the identified restricted area, The method according to claim 13, wherein the restriction attribute includes at least one of the type of the talk function restriction and a permission flag indicating whether or not to allow a change in the type of the talk function restriction.

15. The method according to claim 4, wherein the instruction to forcibly release the restriction on the talk function is received on the monitor terminal or the monitored person's terminal.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the message includes at least one of voice data entered into the monitor terminal, synthesized voice data obtained by converting text entered into the monitor terminal into voice, and sound data entered into the monitored person's terminal.

17. The method according to claim 4, wherein the instruction to forcibly release the restriction on the talk function is automatically released when the recovery conditions are met.

18. The method according to claim 15, further comprising restricting the communication of the message between the monitored terminal and the monitoring terminal when the instruction to forcibly release the restriction on the talk function is released, if the restriction on the talk function is in effect.

19. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein even if the talk function restriction is enabled on the monitored terminal, the monitored terminal transmits location information to the server.

20. The method according to claim 8, wherein the restricted area is a monitoring range for providing notifications to the monitoring terminal based on the location information of the monitored terminal.

21. The method according to claim 19, wherein the monitoring area is created in either a mode for creating a circular monitoring area or a mode for creating a polygonal monitoring area.

22. A server that communicates with a monitoring terminal carried by the monitoring person and a monitoring terminal carried by the person being monitored, Means for obtaining notification that a message sending operation has been received by the aforementioned monitoring terminal, In response to a notification that the message sending operation has been received, means for determining whether the talk function restriction, which restricts message communication between the monitored person's terminal and the monitoring terminal, is enabled or disabled. If the result of the above determination is that the talk function restriction is effective, the means for restricting the communication of the message between the monitored person's terminal and the monitor's terminal, for disabling the monitored person's operation to input the message on the monitored person's terminal, and for disabling the operation to play back the message received on the monitored person's terminal, A server equipped with the following features.

23. A program executed on a server that communicates with a monitoring terminal carried by the monitoring person and a monitoring terminal carried by the person being monitored, wherein the server is Means for obtaining notification that a message sending operation has been received by the aforementioned monitoring terminal, In response to a notification that the message sending operation has been received, means for determining whether the talk function restriction, which restricts message communication between the monitored person's terminal and the monitoring terminal, is enabled or disabled. If the determination results in the restriction of the talk function being effective, the means to restrict the communication of the message between the monitored person's terminal and the monitor's terminal, disable the monitored person's ability to input the message on the monitored person's terminal, and disable the ability to play back the message received on the monitored person's terminal. A program that makes something function as such.

24. A method performed on a monitoring device carried by the monitoring person, The system accepts the message sending operation from the aforementioned caregiver, In response to receiving the message transmission operation, the system determines whether the talk function restriction, which restricts message communication between the monitored terminal associated with the monitor terminal and the monitor terminal, is enabled or disabled. If the determination results in the talk function restriction being effective, a talk function restriction instruction is sent to the server to restrict the communication of the message between the monitored person's terminal and the monitor's terminal, disable the monitored person's ability to input the message on the monitored person's terminal, and disable the ability to play back the message received on the monitored person's terminal. Methods that include...

25. The method according to claim 23, further comprising, if the result of the determination is that the talk function restriction is effective, and in response to receiving an instruction to forcibly release the talk function restriction, sending an instruction to the server to forcibly release the talk function restriction, wherein the forcible release of the talk function restriction does not involve a change in the terms of the contract between the caregiver and the provider of the application used by the caregiver.

26. A monitoring device carried by the caregiver, A means for receiving the message sending operation by the aforementioned caregiver, In response to receiving the message sending operation, means for determining whether the talk function restriction, which restricts message communication between the monitored terminal associated with the monitor terminal and the monitor terminal, is enabled or disabled; A caregiver terminal comprising: means for sending a talk function restriction instruction to a server, which, if the result of the above determination is that the talk function restriction is effective, restricts the communication of the message between the caregiver terminal and the caregiver terminal, disables the caregiver's operation to input the message to the caregiver terminal, and disables the caregiver's operation to play back the message received on the caregiver terminal.

27. A program that runs on a monitoring terminal carried by a caregiver, wherein the monitoring terminal is A means for receiving the message sending operation by the aforementioned caregiver, In response to receiving the message sending operation, means for determining whether the talk function restriction, which restricts message communication between the monitored terminal associated with the monitor terminal and the monitor terminal, is enabled or disabled; A program that, as a result of the above determination, if the talk function restriction is effective, functions as a means of sending a talk function restriction instruction to a server that restricts the communication of the message between the monitored person's terminal and the monitor's terminal, disables the monitored person's operation to input the message on the monitored person's terminal, and disables the operation to play back the message received on the monitored person's terminal.

Images