Information processing device, program, and information processing method

Abstract

To allow browsing or transaction of writing information written in an electronic book.SOLUTION: In a writing transaction system 100, a program of an information processing device (communication terminal 140) comprises: a first writing acquisition unit which acquires information indicating a content of first writing which is writing to a first written content of an electronic book, from an input unit which receives input from a user; an identification information acquisition unit which acquires identification information of the electronic book; a written position acquisition unit which acquires written position information indicating a position where the first written content is written, in the electronic book; and a generation unit which generates first writing information in which the identification information of the electronic book acquired by the identification information acquisition unit, the written position information acquired by the written position acquisition unit and the information indicating the content of the first writing acquired by the writing acquisition unit are associated with each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an auction apparatus that provides, to a winning bidder who has won a lot in an auction with a paper medium as the lot, an electronic medium in which the paper medium is digitized and data in which handwritten characters written on the paper medium are digitized. [Prior Art Document] [Patent Document] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2014-186511

Summary of the Invention

Means for Solving the Problems

[0003] In a first aspect of the present invention, an information processing apparatus is provided. The information processing apparatus includes, for example, a first writing acquisition unit that acquires information indicating the content of a first writing, which is a writing on the first described content of an e-book, from an input unit that receives an input from a user. The information processing apparatus includes, for example, an identification information acquisition unit that acquires identification information of an e-book. The information processing apparatus includes, for example, a description position acquisition unit that acquires description position information indicating a position where the first described content is described in the e-book. The information processing apparatus includes, for example, a generation unit that generates first writing information in which the identification information of the e-book acquired by the identification information acquisition unit, the description position information acquired by the description position acquisition unit, and the information indicating the content of the first writing acquired by the writing acquisition unit are associated with each other.

[0004] The above-described information processing device may include a transmission unit that transmits first write information to a database management system via a communication line. In the above-described information processing device, the database management system may store, for each of one or more ebooks, in association with identification information for each ebook, information indicating the content of one or more writes for one or more contents of each ebook, and information indicating the location where one or more contents of each ebook are written.

[0005] The above-described information processing device may include an output control unit that controls an output unit that presents information to the user. The above-described information processing device may include a data acquisition unit that acquires data for an e-book. The above-described information processing device may include a write information acquisition unit that, by referring to a database management system, acquires information indicating the content of at least one of one or more writes that is stored in association with the identification information of the e-book acquired by the identification information acquisition unit. In the above-described information processing device, the output control unit may generate a first screen for presenting at least a part of the e-book to the user based on the e-book data acquired by the data acquisition unit. The output control unit may cause the output unit to output (i) the first screen and (ii) information indicating the content of at least one of one or more writes acquired by the write information acquisition unit.

[0006] In the above-described information processing device, the database management system may receive the first write information transmitted by the transmission unit. The database management system may manage the first write information using distributed ledger technology.

[0007] The above-described information processing device may include a second write acquisition unit that acquires information from an input unit indicating the content of a second write, which is a write to the content of a first write. In the above-described information processing device, the generation unit may generate second write information in which the information indicating the content of a first write acquired by the first write acquisition unit and the information indicating the content of a second write acquired by the second write acquisition unit are associated.

[0008] In a second aspect of the present invention, an information processing device is provided. The information processing device includes, for example, an output control unit that controls an output unit that presents information to a user. The information processing device includes, for example, an identification information acquisition unit that acquires identification information of an ebook. The information processing device includes, for example, a data acquisition unit that acquires data of an ebook. The information processing device includes, for example, a writing information acquisition unit that, for each of one or more ebooks, stores in association the following: (i) identification information of each ebook, (ii) information indicating the content of one or more writings for one or more contents of each ebook, and (iii) information indicating the location where one or more contents of each ebook are written in each ebook, and acquires information indicating the content of at least one of the one or more writings that is stored in association with the identification information of the ebook acquired by the identification information acquisition unit.

[0009] In the above-described information processing device, the output control unit generates a first screen for presenting at least a portion of an e-book to the user, based on the e-book data acquired by the data acquisition unit. The output control unit causes the output unit to output, for example, (i) the first screen and (ii) information indicating the content of at least one of the one or more writes acquired by the write information acquisition unit.

[0010] In the above-described information processing device, the output control unit may generate a second screen that includes a first screen and information indicating the content of at least one of the one or more writes acquired by the write information acquisition unit. The output control unit may have the output unit output the second screen.

[0011] The above-described information processing device may include a presentation position acquisition unit that acquires presentation position information indicating the location where content presented to the user from the first screen is written in an ebook. In the above-described information processing device, the writing information storage unit may store, in association with each of one or more ebooks, (i) identification information for each ebook, (ii) information indicating the content of one or more writes for one or more written contents in each ebook, (iii) information indicating the location where one or more written contents are written in each ebook, and (iv) information indicating the sales price of one or more writes. In the above-described information processing device, the writing information acquisition unit may refer to the writing information storage unit and acquire information indicating the sales price of one or more writes for content written at the location indicated by the presentation position information acquired by the presentation position acquisition unit. In the above-described information processing device, the output control unit may generate a third screen for presenting the information indicating the sales price of one or more writes acquired by the writing information acquisition unit to the user.

[0012] In a third aspect of the present invention, an information processing device is provided. The information processing device includes, for example, a first request receiving unit that receives a first request signal for requesting the acquisition of information relating to writing to specific content in a particular e-book, the first request receiving unit receiving a first request signal which includes (i) identification information of a particular e-book and (ii) information indicating the location in which specific content is written in the particular e-book. The information processing device includes, for example, a writing information acquisition unit that, for each of one or more e-books, stores in association with (i) identification information of each e-book, (ii) information indicating the content and / or sales price of one or more writings to one or more content in each e-book, and (iii) information indicating the location in which one or more content is written in each e-book, and acquires information indicating at least one of the e-book and the content and sales price of one or more writings to the content and

[0013] In the above-described information processing device, the written information storage unit may store, in association with each of the following for each of the one or more ebooks: (i) identification information for each ebook, (ii) information indicating the content and / or sales price of each of the one or more writes on the content of each ebook, (iii) information indicating the location where each of the one or more contents is written in each ebook, and (iv) information indicating an evaluation of each of the one or more writes. In the above-described information processing device, the written information acquisition unit may, by referring to the written information storage unit, acquire information indicating at least one of the content and sales price of each of the ebooks and content of each of the one or more writes on the content of each ebook and content of each of the ebooks indicated by the first request signal, and information indicating an evaluation of each of the content of each of the one or more writes on the ebooks and content of each of the ebooks indicated by the first request signal.

[0014] In a fourth aspect of the present invention, a program is provided. The program may be a program that causes a computer to function as an information processing device according to the first, second, or third aspect described above. The program may also be a program that causes a computer to execute an information processing method in an information processing device according to the first, second, or third aspect described above. A computer-readable medium for storing the program may be provided. The computer-readable medium may be a non-temporary computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium may be a computer-readable recording medium.

[0015] It should be noted that the above summary of the invention does not list all the necessary features of the present invention. Furthermore, subcombinations of these features may also constitute an invention. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] [Figure 1] A schematic example of the system configuration of the writing transaction system 100 is shown below. [Figure 2] A schematic example of the internal configuration of the eBook management server 110 is shown below. [Figure 3]An example of the internal configuration of the writing information management server 120 is schematically shown. [Figure 4] An example of information processing in the response generation unit 360 is schematically shown. [Figure 5] An example of the data structure of the data table 500 is schematically shown. [Figure 6] An example of the internal configuration of the communication terminal 140 is schematically shown. [Figure 7] An example of the screen 700 is schematically shown. [Figure 8] An example of the screen 800 is schematically shown. [Figure 9] An example of the screen 900 is schematically shown. [Figure 10] An example of the screen 1000 is schematically shown. [Figure 11] An example of the system configuration of the computer 3000 is schematically shown.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments of the invention. However, the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Also, not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential for the solution means of the invention. In the drawings, the same or similar parts may be given the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions may be omitted.

[0018] [Overview of the Writing Transaction System 100]

[0019] FIG. 1 schematically shows an example of the system configuration of the writing transaction system 100. In the present embodiment, the writing transaction system 100 includes an e-book management server 110, a writing information management server 120, and a distributed ledger system 130. In the present embodiment, the distributed ledger system 130 has a plurality of nodes 132. A distributed ledger 134 is stored in each of the plurality of nodes 132. In the present embodiment, the e-book management server 110, the writing information management server 120, and the distributed ledger system 130 can send and receive information to and from each other via the communication network 10.

[0020] Also, in the present embodiment, the writer 22 and the purchaser 24 access the writing transaction system 100 using the communication terminal 1x0 and use the services provided by the writing transaction system 100. The communication terminal 140 may function as an interface between the writing transaction system 100 and the writer 22 and the purchaser 24.

[0021] In the present embodiment, the writing transaction system 100 mediates transactions of information regarding opinions, feelings, criticisms, detailed explanations, supplementary notes, corrections of misrecords, etc. (sometimes referred to as writings) regarding the content of books or documents. For example, the writing transaction system 100 mediates transactions of information regarding writings on the content of e-books. Also, in the present embodiment, the writing transaction system 100 mediates transactions of information regarding opinions, feelings, criticisms, explanations, supplementary notes, etc. (these may also be sometimes referred to as writings) regarding the content of the above-mentioned writings.

[0022] The e-book may be data of an electronic book or document, and the content of the book or document is not particularly limited. Also, the file format of the e-book is not particularly limited. The e-book may be data obtained by imaging and digitizing information recorded on a physical medium such as paper, a blackboard, or a whiteboard using an imaging device such as a scanner or a camera.

[0023] In this embodiment, for the purpose of simplifying the explanation, the details of the write transaction system 100 will be described using the following procedure as an example, where various information related to writing (sometimes referred to as write information) is traded. Please note that, as will be described later, the method of trading write information is not limited to this embodiment.

[0024] According to this embodiment, first, the writer 22 uses the communication terminal 140 to register writing information regarding specific content X of the e-book EA, which is the electronic version of book A, with the writing information management server 120. The writing information includes, for example, information indicating the content of the writing and information indicating the sales price of the writing. The sales price may be for a fee or free of charge.

[0025] Next, the buyer 24 uses the communication terminal 140 to access the writing information management server 120 and search for writing information related to a specific description X of the e-book EA. From the one or more writing information presented as search results, the buyer 24 decides to purchase, for example, the writing information registered by the writer 22. The buyer 24 uses the communication terminal 140 to send information to the writing transaction system 100 for purchasing the writing information registered by the writer 22.

[0026] When the purchase process for the above-mentioned writing information is completed in the writing transaction system 100, the writing transaction system 100 transmits information indicating the content of the writing to the buyer's 24 communication terminal 140. The buyer's 24 communication terminal 140 generates a screen in which the content X of the e-book EA and the writing to the content X are appropriately positioned and displays it on the display device of the buyer's 24 communication terminal 140. This allows the buyer 24 to view the content of the writing by the writer 22.

[0027] Subsequently, in one embodiment, the purchaser 24 evaluates the content of the writing by the writer 22. Specifically, the purchaser 24 uses the communication terminal 140 to register information indicating the evaluation of the content of the writing in the writing transaction system 100. The writing transaction system 100 stores, for example, the information indicating the content of the writing by the writer 22 and the information indicating the evaluation by the purchaser 24 in association.

[0028] In another embodiment, the purchaser 24 uses the communication terminal 140 to register the write information for the content written by the writer 22 with the write information management server 120. This allows the purchaser 24's write information to be subject to transactions, just like the writer 22's write information.

[0029] As described above, according to this embodiment, the act of writing on the contents of a book or document can itself be the subject of a transaction. Furthermore, the act of writing on the content of the writing can also be the subject of a transaction. Moreover, according to this embodiment, the evaluation of the content of the writing can also be registered in the writing transaction system 100 and disclosed to prospective buyers. This can facilitate the transaction of writing, for example, by (i) assigning a large number of positive evaluations, or by (ii) assigning evaluations by authors, copyright holders, or publishers (sometimes referred to as authors, etc.).

[0030] [Overview of each part related to the writing transaction system 100] In this embodiment, the communication network 10 may be a wired communication transmission line, a wireless communication transmission line, or a combination of a wireless communication transmission line and a wired communication transmission line. The communication network 10 may include, for example, at least one of a wireless packet communication network, the Internet, a P2P network, a dedicated line, a VPN, a power line communication line, a vehicle-to-vehicle communication line, and a vehicle-to-infrastructure communication line.

[0031] The communication network 10 may include (i) a mobile communication network such as a mobile phone network, and (ii) a wireless communication network such as Wireless MAN (e.g., WiMAX®), Wireless LAN (e.g., WiFi®), Bluetooth®, Zigbee®, and NFC (Near Field Communication). As described above, Wireless LAN, Bluetooth®, Zigbee®, and NFC may be examples of short-range wireless communication methods.

[0032] In this embodiment, the ebook management server 110 manages one or more ebooks. Details of the ebook management server 110 will be described later.

[0033] In this embodiment, the write information management server 120 manages each of the one or more write information entries. Details of the write information management server 120 will be described later.

[0034] In this embodiment, the distributed ledger system 130 stores information using a known distributed ledger technology. Blockchain technology is an example of such a distributed ledger technology. For example, the distributed ledger system 130 receives one or more write information transmitted by one or more communication terminals 140 from the write information management server 120. The distributed ledger system 130 may also receive the above one or more write information from one or more communication terminals 140.

[0035] The distributed ledger system 130 manages each of the one or more of the above-mentioned written information. For example, the distributed ledger system 130 stores each of the one or more of the above-mentioned written information using distributed ledger technology. In addition, the distributed ledger system 130 extracts written information or a part thereof that matches the conditions indicated by the request from the written information management server 120.

[0036] In this embodiment, each of the multiple nodes 132 is provided with a distributed ledger 134. Each of the multiple nodes 132 is connected, for example, by a P2P network. The distributed ledger 134 stores one or more write information. Details of the write information stored in the distributed ledger 134 will be described later.

[0037] In this embodiment, the communication terminal 140 is any terminal capable of sending and receiving information with the e-book management server 110 and the writing information management server 120, and its details are not particularly limited. Examples of the communication terminal 140 include personal computers and mobile terminals. Examples of mobile terminals include mobile phones, smartphones, PDAs, tablets, notebook computers or laptop computers, and wearable computers. Details of the communication terminal 140 will be described later.

[0038] [Specific configuration of each part of the writing transaction system 100 and the communication terminal 140] Each part of the write transaction system 100 and / or communication terminal 140 may be implemented by hardware, by software, or by both hardware and software. Each part of the write transaction system 100 and / or communication terminal 140 may be implemented by a single server or by multiple servers, at least in part. Each part of the write transaction system 100 and / or communication terminal 140 may be implemented on a virtual machine or a cloud system, at least in part. Each part of the write transaction system 100 and / or communication terminal 140 may be implemented by a personal computer or a mobile terminal. Examples of mobile terminals include mobile phones, smartphones, PDAs, tablets, notebook computers or laptop computers, and wearable computers. Each part of the write transaction system 100 and / or communication terminal 140 may store information using distributed ledger technology or a distributed network such as blockchain.

[0039] If at least a portion of the components constituting the write transaction system 100 and / or the communication terminal 140 are implemented by software, the components implemented by software may be implemented by launching software or a program that defines the operation of the components in a general-purpose information processing device. The above general-purpose information processing device may include (i) a data processing device having a processor such as a CPU or GPU, ROM, RAM, and a communication interface; (ii) an input device such as a keyboard, pointing device, touch panel, camera, voice input device, gesture input device, various sensors, and GPS receiver; (iii) an output device such as a display device, voice output device, and vibration device; and (iv) a storage device such as memory, HDD, or SSD (including external storage devices).

[0040] In the above-described general configuration of an information processing device, the above-described data processing device or storage device may store the above-described software or program. The above-described software or program is executed by the processor, causing the above-described information processing device to perform the operations defined by the software or program. The above-described software or program may be stored on a non-temporary computer-readable recording medium. The above-described software or program may be a program that causes the computer to function as at least part of the write transaction system 100 and / or the communication terminal 140. The above-described software or program may be a program that causes the computer to perform information processing in at least part of the write transaction system 100 and / or the communication terminal 140.

[0041] In one embodiment, the above program may be a program that causes the computer of the communication terminal 140 to execute a process for generating writing information. The above process includes, for example, a first writing acquisition step of acquiring information indicating the content of a first writing, which is a writing to the first content of the e-book, from an input unit that accepts input from a user. The above process includes, for example, an identification information acquisition step of acquiring identification information of the e-book. The above process includes, for example, a description location acquisition step of acquiring description location information indicating the location where the first content is written in the e-book. The above process includes, for example, a generation step of generating first writing information in which the identification information of the e-book acquired in the identification information acquisition step, the description location information acquired in the description location acquisition step, and the information indicating the content of the first writing acquired in the writing acquisition step are associated.

[0042] In other embodiments, the above program may be a program that causes the computer of the communication terminal 140 to execute a process for extracting written information. The above process includes, for example, an output control step that controls an output unit that presents information to the user. The above process includes, for example, an identification information acquisition step that acquires identification information of an ebook. The above process includes, for example, a data acquisition step that acquires data of an ebook. The above process includes, for example, a written information acquisition step that, by referring to a written information storage device, acquires information indicating the content of at least one of one or more writes that is stored in association with the identification information of the ebook acquired in the identification information acquisition step. The written information storage device stores, for example, for each of one or more ebooks, in association with (i) the identification information of each ebook, (ii) information indicating the content of one or more writes for one or more written contents of each ebook, and (iii) information indicating the location in which each of the one or more written contents is written in each ebook.

[0043] The above output control step may include a step of generating a first screen for presenting at least a portion of an e-book to the user based on the e-book data acquired in the data acquisition step. The above output control step may include a step of causing the output unit to output (i) the first screen and (ii) information indicating the content of at least one of the one or more writes acquired in the write information acquisition step.

[0044] The above output control stage may include a stage in which users who have paid the sales price for writing, as described later, are permitted to obtain the writing information. The above output control stage may also include a stage in which users who have not paid the sales price for writing, as described later, are permitted to obtain a portion of the writing information.

[0045] In another embodiment, the above program may be a program that causes the computer of the write information management server 120 to perform processing for extracting write information. The above processing includes, for example, a first request receiving step of receiving a first request signal which is a signal for requesting the acquisition of information regarding writing to specific content in a particular e-book, and which includes (i) identification information of a particular e-book, and (ii) information indicating the location in which the specific content is written in the particular e-book. The above processing includes, for example, a write information acquisition step of referring to a write information storage device and acquiring information indicating at least one of the content and sales price of each of the e-books and content indicated by the first request signal received in the first request receiving step. The write information storage device stores, for example, for each of the one or more e-books, in association with (i) identification information of each e-book, (ii) information indicating the content and / or sales price of each of the one or more writings to the content in each e-book, and (iii) information indicating the location in which each of the one or more content is written in each e-book.

[0046] The writer 22 may be an example of a user. The buyer 24 may be an example of a user. The write transaction system 100 may be an example of an information processing device. The write information management server 120 may be an example of an information processing device. The distributed ledger system 130 may be an example of a database management system or a write information storage unit. The communication terminal 140 may be an example of an information processing device. The written information may be an example of first written information or second written information.

[0047] [Examples of other embodiments] In this embodiment, the details of the writing transaction system 100 were described using as an example a case in which the writer 22 uses a communication terminal 140 to register writing information regarding specific content X of the electronic book EA, which is the electronic version of book A, with the writing information management server 120. However, the writing transaction system 100 is not limited to this embodiment. In other embodiments, the writer 22 uses a communication terminal 140 to register writing information regarding specific content X of the printed book A with the writing information management server 120.

[0048] In this embodiment, the details of the writing transaction system 100 were described using the example of a purchaser 24 using a communication terminal 140 to search for written information relating to specific content X of an e-book EA. However, the writing transaction system 100 is not limited to this embodiment. In another embodiment, the purchaser 24 uses the communication terminal 140 to search for written information relating to specific content X of a printed book A.

[0049] In this embodiment, the details of the writing transaction system 100 were described using the example of a case where the ebook management server 110 manages the distribution of ebooks and the writing information management server 120 manages the distribution of writing information. However, the functions of the ebook management server 110 and the writing information management server 120 are not limited to this embodiment. In other embodiments, some or all of the functions of the writing information management server 120 are implemented by the ebook management server 110. In this case, the ebook management server 110 may be an example of an information processing device.

[0050] In this embodiment, the details of the write information management server 120 were described using the example of a case where the write information management server 120 manages write information using a distributed ledger system 130. However, the write information management server 120 is not limited to this embodiment. In other embodiments, the write information management server 120 manages write information using a centralized database management system.

[0051] Figure 2 schematically shows an example of the internal configuration of the eBook management server 110. In this embodiment, the eBook management server 110 includes, for example, a book information management unit 210, a user information management unit 220, and a storage unit 230. In this embodiment, the storage unit 230 has a book information storage unit 240 and a user information storage unit 250.

[0052] In this embodiment, the book information management unit 210 manages the e-book distribution service provided by the e-book management server 110. The book information management unit 210 performs various information processing related to the e-book distribution service. The book information management unit 210 may manage various information related to one or more e-books. For example, the book information management unit 210 stores various information related to one or more e-books in the book information storage unit 240. For example, the book information management unit 210 extracts information about e-books that match the conditions indicated by a request from the writing information management server 120.

[0053] In this embodiment, the user information management unit 220 manages various types of information about users of the e-book distribution service provided by the e-book management server 110. For example, the user information management unit 220 stores various types of information about one or more users in the user information storage unit 250. The user information management unit 220 extracts information about users that meet the conditions indicated by a request from the writing information management server 120, for example.

[0054] In this embodiment, the storage unit 230 stores various types of information. In one embodiment, the storage unit 230 stores various types of information used for information processing in the e-book management server 110. In another embodiment, the storage unit 230 stores various types of information generated during information processing in the e-book management server 110.

[0055] In this embodiment, the book information storage unit 240 stores various types of information relating to one or more ebooks. For example, the book information storage unit 240 stores the book ID 242, the book data 244, and the associated information 246 in association with each other.

[0056] In this embodiment, the book ID 242 may be identification information for identifying one or more ebooks. The book ID 242 may be an ISBN code, or may include an ISBN code. In this embodiment, the book data 244 may be information indicating the content of each ebook. The book data 244 may be an electronic file for an application program for viewing ebooks. The supplementary information 246 includes various information related to each ebook. Examples of supplementary information 246 include the book title, edition, author, editor, publisher, copyright holder, publishing rights holder, publication date, and ISBN code. For example, if an ISBN code is not used as the book ID 242, the supplementary information 246 includes an ISBN code.

[0057] In this embodiment, the user information storage unit 250 stores various information relating to one or more users. For example, the user information storage unit 250 stores the user ID 252 and the subscription history 254 in association with each other.

[0058] In this embodiment, User ID 252 may be identification information for identifying one or more users. In this embodiment, Subscription History 254 indicates one or more ebooks that each user has subscribed to during a specific period. For example, Subscription History 254 includes identification information for one or more ebooks that each user has subscribed to during a specific period. The above specific period may be the period from when each user started using the service until the present, or it may be any period specified by an arbitrary start and end point.

[0059] Figure 3 schematically shows an example of the internal configuration of the write information management server 120. In this embodiment, the write information management server 120 includes, for example, a book information acquisition unit 322, a subscription history acquisition unit 324, and a storage unit 330. In this embodiment, the write information management server 120 also includes, for example, a request reception unit 340, a registration unit 352, an extraction unit 354, a settlement unit 356, and a response generation unit 360.

[0060] In this embodiment, the book information acquisition unit 322 accesses the write information management server 120 to acquire supplementary information 246 for a specific book. The book information acquisition unit 322 may store the acquired supplementary information 246 in the storage unit 330.

[0061] In this embodiment, the subscription history acquisition unit 324 accesses the write information management server 120 to acquire the subscription history 254 of a specific user. The subscription history acquisition unit 324 may store the acquired subscription history 254 in the storage unit 330.

[0062] In this embodiment, the storage unit 330 stores various types of information. In one embodiment, the storage unit 330 stores various types of information used for information processing in the write information management server 120. In another embodiment, the storage unit 330 stores various types of information generated during information processing in the write information management server 120. Details of the storage unit 330 will be described later.

[0063] In this embodiment, the request receiving unit 340 receives various request signals from each of the one or more communication terminals 140. Examples of the above request signals include (i) a signal requesting that write information be stored in the distributed ledger system 130, (ii) a signal requesting that write information or a part thereof that matches specific conditions be extracted from among a plurality of write information stored in the distributed ledger system 130, and (iii) a signal requesting the purchase of a specific write.

[0064] In one embodiment, the request receiving unit 340 receives a registration request from the writer's 22 communication terminal 140. The registration request may be a signal from the communication terminal 140 to the write information management server 120 requesting that specific write information be stored in the distributed ledger system 130. The registration request includes, for example, the specific write information described above.

[0065] In another embodiment, the request receiving unit 340 receives a search request from the purchaser's 24 communication terminal 140. The search request may be a signal from the communication terminal 140 to the written information management server 120 requesting (i) access the distributed ledger system 130 to search for written information relating to a specific e-book and output information indicating the search results, or (ii) access the distributed ledger system 130 to search for written information relating to specific content of a specific e-book and output information indicating the search results.

[0066] A search request includes, for example, (i) identification information for a particular ebook, and (ii) information indicating the location in the particular ebook where specific content is located. The location information may be information indicating a specific word or sentence, information indicating a single line, or information indicating multiple lines. The location may be identified, for example, by (i) page number, (ii) page number and line number, (iii) page number and paragraph number, (iv) chapter number, or (v) chapter number and section.

[0067] The information representing the search results may include a record for each of the one or more extracted posts. Each record may include, for example, the user ID of the writer of each extracted post, the attributes of the writer, the rating of the writer, the type of post, the description of the post, the data size of the post, the selling price of the post, the rating of the post, the sales performance of the post, and at least one of the cited information for the post.

[0068] Examples of a writer's attributes include their level of knowledge and their area of ​​expertise. A writer's attributes are determined, for example, based on their purchase history. A writer's rating is determined, for example, based on the ratings of others for their past posts. Details regarding the type of post, introductory text, ratings, and cited information will be described later.

[0069] In another embodiment, the request receiving unit 340 receives a purchase request from the purchaser's 24 communication terminal 140. The purchase request may be a signal from the communication terminal 140 to the write information management server 120 requesting the execution of a purchase process for a specific write. The purchase request may be a signal from the communication terminal 140 to the write information management server 120 to access the distributed ledger system 130 to obtain information indicating the content of the purchased write and to output said information.

[0070] In this embodiment, the registration unit 352 registers the information specified by the user in the distributed ledger system 130. The extraction unit 354 may output information indicating that registration is complete (sometimes referred to as registration information) to the response generation unit 360.

[0071] For example, when the request receiving unit 340 receives a registration request from the writer's 22 communication terminal 140, the registration unit 352 stores the write information included in the registration request in the distributed ledger 134 of the distributed ledger system 130. As a result, the above write information is registered in the write transaction system 100.

[0072] In this embodiment, the extraction unit 354 refers to the information stored in the distributed ledger system 130 and extracts information that matches specific conditions. The extraction unit 354 may output the extracted information (sometimes referred to as extracted information) to the response generation unit 360.

[0073] In one embodiment, when the request receiving unit 340 receives a search request from the purchaser's 24 communication terminal 140, the extraction unit 354 accesses the distributed ledger system 130 and extracts information that matches the conditions indicated by the search request. For example, the extraction unit 354 refers to the information stored in the distributed ledger system 130 and extracts information corresponding to each item that constitutes the record of the search results described above for each of the e-books and one or more entries on the content indicated by the search request.

[0074] The extraction unit 354 may refer to the information stored in the distributed ledger system 130 and extract information indicating at least one of the content and sales price of each of the one or more comments on the e-book and its contents indicated by the search request. The extraction unit 354 may also extract information indicating at least one of the content and sales price of each of the one or more comments on the e-book and its contents indicated by the search request, and information indicating the evaluation of the content of each comment. The information indicating the content of the comments above does not have to include the text data, image data, video data, and / or audio data of the comments.

[0075] In another embodiment, when the request receiving unit 340 receives a purchase request from the purchaser's 24 communication terminal 140, the extraction unit 354 accesses the distributed ledger system 130 and extracts information that matches the conditions indicated by the purchase request. For example, the extraction unit 354 refers to the information stored in the distributed ledger system 130 and extracts information indicating the content of one or more writes indicated by the purchase request. The information indicating the content of the writes may include text data, image data, video data, and / or audio data of the writes.

[0076] In this embodiment, the settlement unit 356 performs various settlement processes associated with the purchase of the write by the purchaser 24. The settlement unit 356 may output information (sometimes referred to as settlement information) indicating that the purchase or settlement has been completed to the response generation unit 360.

[0077] For example, the settlement unit 356 executes a process to deduct the payment for the writing from the buyer's account 24. The settlement unit 356 also executes a process to transfer the payment for the writing to the writer's account 22. In this case, the amount transferred to the writer's account 22 may be the sales price of the writing minus various fees.

[0078] If the author, copyright holder, or publisher has performed specific tasks related to the writing, the settlement unit 356 may transfer payment for such tasks to the account of the author, copyright holder, or publisher. Examples of such specific tasks include assigning ratings to the writing, confirming the type of writing, and creating introductory texts for the writing.

[0079] In this embodiment, the response generation unit 360 generates information (sometimes referred to as response information) indicating the content of the response to the request received by the request reception unit 340. Details of the response generation unit 360 will be described later.

[0080] The request receiving unit 340 may be an example of a first request receiving unit. The search request may be an example of a first request signal. The information indicating the search results may be an example of information relating to writing to specific content in a specific e-book. The writing information or a part thereof relating to specific content in a specific e-book may be an example of information relating to writing to specific content in a specific e-book.

[0081] Figure 4 schematically shows an example of information processing in the response generation unit 360. According to this embodiment, the response generation unit 360 generates response information by referring to the information stored in the storage unit 330. As shown in Figure 4, the storage unit 330 includes a book information storage unit 432, a user information storage unit 434, and a new / old correspondence information storage unit 436. The response generation unit 360 also includes a search result output unit 462 and a written data output unit 464.

[0082] In this embodiment, the book information storage unit 432 stores the book information acquisition unit 322's associated book information obtained from the e-book management server 110, along with the book ID of the book.

[0083] In this embodiment, the user information storage unit 434 stores the user's subscription history obtained by the subscription history acquisition unit 324 from the e-book management server 110, associating it with the user's user ID 442. The user ID 442 identifies each user in the services provided by the write information management server 120.

[0084] As shown in Figure 4, the user information storage unit 434 may store each user's user ID 442, each user's account information 444, information 446 indicating each user's subscription history, and information 448 indicating each user's attributes or evaluation in association with each user. As described above, each user's attributes are determined, for example, based on each user's purchase history. Also, each user's evaluation is determined, for example, based on evaluations from others of each user's past posts.

[0085] In this embodiment, the new / old correspondence information storage unit 436 stores information indicating the correspondence between the old and new editions of each book. The new / old correspondence information storage unit 436 may store the book ID of the old edition of each book, the book ID of the new edition of each book, and the information indicating the correspondence in association with each other.

[0086] In this embodiment, the search result output unit 462 outputs information indicating the search results corresponding to the search request. As described above, the information indicating the search results includes a record for each of the one or more extracted posts. Each record includes, for example, the user ID of the writer of each extracted post, the attributes of the writer, the evaluation of the writer, the type of post, the description of the post, the data size of the post, the sales price of the post, the evaluation of the post, the sales performance of the post, and at least one of the cited information for the post.

[0087] The search result output unit 462 obtains information extracted by the extraction unit 354 based on the search request from the extraction unit 354. For example, for each of the one or more posts that match the conditions indicated by the search request, the search result output unit 462 obtains information indicating at least one of the following: the user ID of the writer, the type of post, the description of the post, the data size of the post, the sales price of the post, the evaluation of the post, the sales performance of the post, and the information of the posts that have been cited. The search result output unit 462 also refers to the user information storage unit 434 to extract information 448 indicating the attributes or evaluation of the writer 22. Based on this information, the search result output unit 462 generates information indicating the search results.

[0088] The search result output unit 462 may analyze the purchaser's 24 subscription history 446 stored in the user information storage unit 434 to determine whether the purchaser 24 has already subscribed to the ebook corresponding to the post purchased by the purchaser 24. If it is determined that the purchaser 24 has not already subscribed to the ebook corresponding to the post purchased by the purchaser 24, the search result output unit 462 may output search results that include a message indicating that fact.

[0089] In this embodiment, the write data output unit 464 outputs text data, image data, video data, and / or audio data (which may be referred to as write data) that indicates the content of the write corresponding to the purchase request. The write data output unit 464 obtains the above write data from the extraction unit 354. When the write data output unit 464 obtains payment information from the payment unit 356, it transmits the above write data to the communication terminal 140 of the purchaser 24.

[0090] The write data output unit 464 may generate information to adjust the display position of the write data by referring to the information stored in the new / old correspondence information storage unit 436. For example, the write data output unit 464 refers to the user information storage unit 434 to analyze the purchaser's 24 subscription history. If the version of the ebook that purchaser 24 is subscribing to is different from the version of the ebook that purchaser 24 has purchased to write to, the write data output unit 464 refers to the information stored in the new / old correspondence information storage unit 436 to generate information to adjust the display position of the write data.

[0091] Figure 5 schematically shows an example of the data structure of data table 500. Data table 500 may be, for example, an example of a distributed ledger 134. Also, each record in data table 500 may be an example of written information.

[0092] In this embodiment, the data table 500 includes one or more records. Each of the one or more records corresponds to each of the one or more writes. Each of the one or more records stores, in association with the write ID 510 of the corresponding write, the user ID 520 of the writer of the write, information 530 indicating the target of the write, information 540 indicating the content of the write, information 550 indicating the sales price of the write, information 560 indicating the evaluation of the write, and citation information 570 of the write.

[0093] In this embodiment, the write ID 510 is identification information for identifying one or more writes, and is assigned, for example, by the write information management server 120. In this embodiment, the user ID 520 is identification information for identifying one or more users of the write information management server 120, and is assigned, for example, by the write information management server 120.

[0094] In this embodiment, the information 530 indicating the target of writing includes, for example, (i) identification information 532 of a book or writing containing the content to be written, and (ii) information 534 indicating the location where the content is written in the book or writing identified by the identification information 532. For example, in writing Y to content SA of an ebook EA, the information 530 indicating the target of writing includes identification information 532 of the ebook EA and information 534 indicating the location where content SA is written in the ebook EA (for example, page number, paragraph number, line number, chapter number, section number, etc.). For example, in writing Z to content SB of writing Y, the information 530 indicating the target of writing includes identification information 532 of writing Y and information 534 indicating the location where content SB is written in writing Y (for example, line number, etc.).

[0095] In this embodiment, the information 540 indicating the content of the writing includes, for example, information 542 indicating the type of the writing content, information 543 indicating the content of the introductory text of the writing content, the URI 544 of the writing data, information 545 indicating the size of the writing data, and information 546 indicating the layout of the writing. Examples of the types of writing content include (i) opinions, impressions, or criticisms, (ii) detailed explanations, (iii) answers to problems, (iv) alternative solutions, and (v) corrections of errors, etc. The layout of the writing indicates, for example, the position and size of the writing data on the screen where the content of the ebook is displayed.

[0096] In this embodiment, the information 560 indicating the evaluation of a post may include, for example, information 562 indicating the evaluation by the purchaser 24 and information 564 indicating the evaluation by the author, etc. In this embodiment, the cited information 570 includes, for example, information indicating the number of posts for the post, the post ID of the post for the post, etc.

[0097] Figure 6 schematically shows an example of the internal configuration of the communication terminal 140. In this embodiment, the communication terminal 140 comprises an output device 620, an input device 630, and a control device 640. In this embodiment, the output device 620 has a display 622. In this embodiment, the input device 630 has a touch panel 632 and a camera 634. In this embodiment, the control device 640 comprises an operation input receiving unit 650, a write input receiving unit 660, a write information generation unit 662, a request output unit 670, a book data acquisition unit 682, a response information acquisition unit 684, and a screen control unit 690.

[0098] In this embodiment, the output device 620 presents information to the writer 22 or the purchaser 24. The display 622 displays various screens for presenting information to the writer 22 or the purchaser 24.

[0099] In this embodiment, the input device 630 receives various inputs from the writer 22 or the purchaser 24. The touch panel 632 receives touch input from the writer 22 or the purchaser 24. The camera 634 receives input from the writer 22 by capturing an image. For example, the camera 634 captures an image of the writing that the writer 22 has written on a physical medium such as paper, a blackboard, or a whiteboard. As a result, the writing by the writer 22 is input to the communication terminal 140. The camera 634 may also receive gesture input from the writer 22 or the purchaser 24.

[0100] The control device 640 controls the operation of the communication terminal 140. In one embodiment, the control device 640 controls the operation of the output device 620. In another embodiment, the control device 640 controls the operation of the input device 630.

[0101] In this embodiment, the operation input receiving unit 650 receives inputs related to the operation of the communication terminal 140 from among the inputs received by the input device 630. Examples of operations of the communication terminal 140 include downloading an ebook, selecting an ebook, viewing an ebook, displaying a specific location in an ebook, registering annotations, checking for the presence or absence of annotations, searching for annotations, displaying annotations, and hiding annotations.

[0102] The operation input receiving unit 650 may acquire identification information of an e-book when an operation to view the e-book is performed. The operation input receiving unit 650 may acquire information indicating a specific location when an operation to display a specific location of the e-book is performed.

[0103] In this embodiment, the write input receiving unit 660 receives a write input from among the inputs received by the input device 630. The above write may be a write to the content of the ebook, or it may be a write to the content of another write.

[0104] In one embodiment, when the writing input receiving unit 660 receives input for writing to the contents of an e-book, the writing input receiving unit 660 acquires, for example, identification information of the e-book to be written to. The writing input receiving unit 660 acquires information (sometimes referred to as content location information) indicating the location in the e-book where the contents to be written to are written. The writing input receiving unit 660 also acquires information from the input device 630 indicating the content of the writing to be written to the contents of the e-book.

[0105] In another embodiment, when the write input receiving unit 660 receives input for a write to the contents of another write, the write input receiving unit 660 acquires, for example, identification information of the other write that is the target of the current write. The write input receiving unit 660 acquires information (sometimes referred to as description location information) indicating the location where the contents that are the target of the current write are written in the other write. The write input receiving unit 660 also acquires information from the input device 630 indicating the contents of the current write in relation to the contents of the other write.

[0106] In this embodiment, the write information generation unit 662 generates write information to be registered in the write transaction system 100 based on information indicating the content of the write received by the write input reception unit 660. As described above, the write information may include various types of information for one or more items contained in each record of the data table 500 described in relation to Figure 5.

[0107] In one embodiment, the writing information generation unit 662 generates writing information by associating (i) identification information of the e-book to be written, (ii) information indicating the location in the e-book where the content to be written is written, and information indicating the content to be written to the content of the e-book. In another embodiment, the writing information generation unit 662 generates writing information by associating (i) identification information of another writing, (ii) information indicating the location in the other writing where the content to be written this time is written, and information indicating the content to be written this time to the content of the other writing.

[0108] In yet another embodiment, the writing information generation unit 662 may generate writing information by associating information indicating the content of other writings with information indicating the content of the current writing. For example, the writing information generation unit 662 generates writing information by associating (i) identification information of an e-book, (ii) information indicating the location where a specific description is written in the e-book, (iii) information indicating the content of a writing to the specific description, and (iv) information indicating the content of other writings to the content of the current writing.

[0109] In this embodiment, the request output unit 670 outputs various request signals to the e-book management server 110 or the writing information management server 120. For example, the request output unit 670 outputs a request signal to the e-book management server 110 to request the download of book data 244 of a specific e-book.

[0110] In one embodiment, the request output unit 670 outputs a registration request to the write information management server 120. For example, the request output unit 670 sends a request signal to the write information management server 120 requesting that the various write information generated by the write information generation unit 662 be registered in the distributed ledger system 130. As a result, the above write information is transmitted to the distributed ledger system 130 via the write information management server 120.

[0111] In another embodiment, the request output unit 670 outputs a search request to the write information management server 120. The request output unit 670 outputs a search request, for example, when (i) an ebook is searched, (ii) an ebook is downloaded, (iii) the ebook viewing process is executed, (iv) a specific page of the ebook is displayed, (v) the purchaser 24 instructs confirmation of the presence or absence of written locations, or (vi) the purchaser 24 instructs a search for writing.

[0112] In another embodiment, the request output unit 670 outputs a purchase request to the write information management server 120. The request output unit 670 outputs a purchase request, for example, when the purchaser 24 instructs the purchase of a write.

[0113] In this embodiment, the book data acquisition unit 682 accesses the ebook management server 110 to acquire the book data 244 of the ebook specified by the writer 22 or the purchaser 24. The book data acquisition unit 682 outputs the book data 244 of the ebook to the screen control unit 690.

[0114] In this embodiment, the response information acquisition unit 684 acquires response information from the response generation unit 360 of the write information management server 120, which indicates the content of the response to the request output by the request output unit 670. The response information acquisition unit 684 outputs the response information to the screen control unit 690.

[0115] In this embodiment, the screen control unit 690 controls the operation of the display 622. The screen control unit 690 generates various screens. The screen control unit 690 generates various screens in response to operations received by the operation input reception unit 650. The screen control unit 690 generates various screens using, for example, information acquired by at least one of the book data acquisition unit 682 and the response information acquisition unit 684. The screen control unit 690 also controls the transitions between various screens. For example, the screen control unit 690 controls the transitions between various screens in response to operations received by the operation input reception unit 650.

[0116] In one embodiment, the screen control unit 690 generates a first screen for presenting at least a portion of an e-book to the user based on the e-book data 244 of the e-book acquired by the e-book data acquisition unit 682. The screen control unit 690 also causes the display 622 to display (i) the first screen and (ii) information indicating the content of the writing indicated by each piece of writing data, based on at least one piece of writing data acquired by the response information acquisition unit 684. Specifically, the screen control unit 690 generates a second screen including the first screen and information indicating the content of at least one piece of writing, and displays the second screen on the display 622.

[0117] In another embodiment, the screen control unit 690 generates a screen for presenting the search results to the purchaser 24 based on the information indicating the search results acquired by the response information acquisition unit 684. The screen control unit 690 may also generate a third screen for presenting the user with information indicating the sales price of each of the one or more writes included in the search results.

[0118] The screen control unit 690 may allow users who have paid the writing sales price to obtain the writing information. The screen control unit 690 may also allow users who have not paid the writing sales price to obtain a portion of the writing information.

[0119] Output device 620 may be an example of an output unit. Display 622 may be an example of an output unit. Input device 630 may be an example of an input unit. Touch panel 632 may be an example of an input unit. Camera 634 may be an example of an input unit. Control device 640 may be an example of an information processing device.

[0120] The operation input receiving unit 650 may be an example of an identification information acquisition unit or a description position acquisition unit. The write input receiving unit 660 may be an example of an identification information acquisition unit, a description position acquisition unit, a first write acquisition unit, or a second write acquisition unit. The write information generation unit 662 may be an example of a generation unit. The request output unit 670 may be an example of a transmission unit. The book data acquisition unit 682 may be an example of a data acquisition unit. The screen control unit 690 may be an example of an output control unit. This write to the contents of the ebook may be an example of a first write. This write to the contents of other writes may be an example of a second write. The information 546 indicating the layout of the write may be an example of presentation position information.

[0121] Figure 7 schematically shows an example of a screen 700. Screen 700 may be an example of a screen generated by the screen control unit 690. In this embodiment, screen 700 includes a command area 720 on which one or more objects embedded with commands for performing various operations are arranged, and a viewing area 740 on which the content of the ebook is displayed. According to this embodiment, the command area 720 includes an object 722 embedded with a command for performing a process to select an ebook to be viewed, an object 724 embedded with a command for performing a process to input and register a write, an object 726 embedded with a command for performing a process to display the location of the written content on which the write is registered, an object 728 embedded with a command for performing a process to search for a write on a specific written content, an object 732 embedded with a command for performing a process to display the content of the write, and an object 734 embedded with a command for performing a process to hide the content of the write.

[0122] Figure 8 schematically shows an example of screen 800. Screen 800 may be an example of a screen generated by the screen control unit 690. Screen 800 may be an example of a screen that appears when an object 724, which has instructions embedded for executing a process for inputting and registering a write, is clicked.

[0123] In this embodiment, screen 800 includes a selection object 822 for writer 22 to select the content to be written, and an input object 824 for writer 22 to input the content. In this embodiment, screen 800 also includes an input object 842 for writer 22 to input the sales price of the write, an object 844 embedded with instructions for executing a process to generate write information and output a registration request, and an object 846 embedded with instructions for canceling the process of inputting and registering the write.

[0124] [An example of an alternative embodiment] In this embodiment, the details of an example of the screen 800 and screen control unit 690 were described using the case where the writer 22 inputs the sales price of the write into the input object 842 of the screen 800 as an example. However, the screen 800 and screen control unit 690 are not limited to this embodiment.

[0125] In other embodiments, the screen control unit 690 may determine the price of the current writing or a recommended price based on (i) the price of writing on the same or similar book, (ii) the price set by the user who wrote the writing on past writings, and (iii) at least one of the user's attributes. Examples of user attributes include the user's history, the user's field of expertise, and evaluations from others of the user's past writings. The screen control unit 690 may also generate a screen having an object for displaying the price determined by the screen control unit 690 or a recommended price, either in place of or together with the input object 842.

[0126] Figure 9 schematically shows an example of screen 900. Screen 900 may be an example of a screen generated by the screen control unit 690. Screen 900 may be an example of a screen displayed when an object 726, which has an embedded instruction for executing a process to display the location of the written content that has been registered to be written, is clicked.

[0127] In this embodiment, the screen 900 includes an area 920 in which an object is displayed to indicate the location of the content to be written to, if such content exists among the content displayed in the viewing area 740. According to this embodiment, objects 922, 924, and 926 are placed in area 920. For example, when a purchaser 24 clicks on object 922, object 924, or object 926, a screen is displayed showing the search results for one or more written items for the content corresponding to that object.

[0128] The attributes of the writing represented by an object may be expressed by at least one of the following: color, pattern, shape, and display position of an object contained in area 920. For example, objects 922 and 924 indicate writings that do not have evaluations or writings by the author, etc. On the other hand, object 926 indicates writings that do have evaluations or writings by the author, etc., and is displayed in an area closer to the outside of the page than objects 922 and 924.

[0129] Figure 10 schematically shows an example of screen 1000. Screen 1000 may be an example of a screen generated by the screen control unit 690. Screen 1000 may be an example of a screen displayed when an object 728, which has an embedded command for performing a process to search for writings for specific content, is clicked. Screen 1000 may also be an example of a screen displayed when an object placed in area 920 of screen 900 is clicked.

[0130] In this embodiment, the screen 1000 includes a writing selection area 1020 that displays search results for one or more writings related to the content displayed in the viewing area 740. The purchaser 24 can select a writing that they wish to purchase or are considering purchasing from the search results displayed in the writing selection area 1020.

[0131] In this embodiment, screen 1000 includes an object 1042 with embedded instructions for executing a process to display the details of the write selected in the write selection area 1020. Screen 1000 also includes an object 1044 with embedded instructions for executing a process to purchase the write selected in the write selection area 1020. When object 1044 is clicked on screen 1000, the selected write is purchased, and the screen transitions to a screen where the contents of the write are displayed in the browsing area 740, as in screen 800. Furthermore, screen 1000 also includes an object 1044 with embedded instructions for canceling the write search process and returning to screen 700.

[0132] Figure 11 shows an example of a computer 3000 in which multiple aspects of the present invention may be embodied in whole or in part. For example, a part of the writing transaction system 100 is implemented by the computer 3000. For example, at least a part of the e-book management server 110 is implemented by the computer 3000. For example, at least a part of the writing information management server 120 is implemented by the computer 3000. For example, at least a part of the distributed ledger system 130 is implemented by the computer 3000. For example, at least a part of the communication terminal 140 is implemented by the computer 3000.

[0133] A program installed on computer 3000 can cause computer 3000 to function as an operation associated with an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, or as one or more "parts" of said apparatus, or to execute said operation or said one or more "parts", and / or to cause computer 3000 to execute a process or a stage of said process according to an embodiment of the present invention. Such a program may be executed by CPU 3012 to cause computer 3000 to execute a particular operation associated with some or all of the blocks of the flowcharts and block diagrams described herein.

[0134] The computer 3000 according to this embodiment includes a CPU 3012, RAM 3014, GPU 3016, and display device 3018, which are interconnected by a host controller 3010. The computer 3000 also includes input / output units such as a communication interface 3022, a hard disk drive 3024, a DVD-ROM drive 3026, and an IC card drive, which are connected to the host controller 3010 via an input / output controller 3020. The computer also includes legacy input / output units such as a ROM 3030 and a keyboard 3042, which are connected to the input / output controller 3020 via an input / output chip 3040.

[0135] The CPU 3012 operates according to the programs stored in the ROM 3030 and RAM 3014, thereby controlling each unit. The GPU 3016 acquires the image data generated by the CPU 3012 and stores it in the frame buffer provided in RAM 3014 or within itself, so that the image data is displayed on the display device 3018.

[0136] The communication interface 3022 communicates with other electronic devices via a network. The hard disk drive 3024 stores programs and data used by the CPU 3012 in the computer 3000. The DVD-ROM drive 3026 reads programs or data from the DVD-ROM 3001 and provides them to the hard disk drive 3024 via the RAM 3014. The IC card drive reads programs and data from the IC card and / or writes programs and data to the IC card.

[0137] The ROM 3030 stores boot programs and / or hardware-dependent programs of the computer 3000, which are executed by the computer 3000 upon activation. The input / output chip 3040 may also connect various input / output units to the input / output controller 3020 via parallel ports, serial ports, keyboard ports, mouse ports, etc.

[0138] The program is provided on a computer-readable storage medium such as a DVD-ROM 3001 or an IC card. The program is read from the computer-readable storage medium and installed on a hard disk drive 3024, RAM 3014, or ROM 3030, which are examples of computer-readable storage media, and executed by the CPU 3012. The information processing described within these programs is read by the computer 3000, resulting in coordination between the program and the various types of hardware resources described above. The apparatus or method may be configured to realize the operation or processing of information in accordance with the use of the computer 3000.

[0139] For example, when communication is performed between computer 3000 and an external device, CPU 3012 may execute a communication program loaded into RAM 3014 and, based on the processing described in the communication program, instruct the communication interface 3022 to perform communication processing. Under the control of CPU 3012, the communication interface 3022 reads transmission data stored in a transmission buffer area provided in a recording medium such as RAM 3014, hard disk drive 3024, DVD-ROM 3001, or IC card, transmits the read transmission data to the network, or writes received data received from the network to a reception buffer area provided on the recording medium.

[0140] Furthermore, the CPU 3012 may read all or necessary parts of files or databases stored on external recording media such as the hard disk drive 3024, DVD-ROM drive 3026 (DVD-ROM 3001), or IC card into the RAM 3014, and perform various types of processing on the data in the RAM 3014. The CPU 3012 may then write the processed data back to the external recording media.

[0141] Various types of information, such as various types of programs, data, tables, and databases, may be stored on the recording medium and subjected to information processing. The CPU 3012 may perform various types of processing on the data read from RAM 3014, including various types of operations, information processing, conditional judgments, conditional branching, unconditional branching, information retrieval / replacement, etc., as described throughout this disclosure and specified by the program instruction sequence, and write the results back to RAM 3014. The CPU 3012 may also retrieve information in files, databases, etc., within the recording medium. For example, if multiple entries are stored in the recording medium, each having an attribute value of a first attribute associated with an attribute value of a second attribute, the CPU 3012 may search among the multiple entries for an entry that matches the specified condition for the attribute value of the first attribute, read the attribute value of the second attribute stored in that entry, and thereby obtain the attribute value of the second attribute associated with the first attribute that satisfies the predetermined condition.

[0142] The program or software module described above may be stored on or near computer 3000 on a computer-readable storage medium. Alternatively, a recording medium such as a hard disk or RAM provided within a server system connected to a dedicated communication network or the Internet can be used as a computer-readable storage medium, thereby providing the program to computer 3000 via the network.

[0143] In the flowcharts and block diagrams of the above embodiments, blocks may represent stages in a process in which an operation is performed or "parts" of a device that have the role of performing an operation. Specific stages and "parts" may be implemented by dedicated circuits, programmable circuits supplied with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium, and / or processors supplied with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium. Dedicated circuits may include digital and / or analog hardware circuits, and may include integrated circuits (ICs) and / or discrete circuits. Programmable circuits may include reconfigurable hardware circuits, such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and programmable logic arrays (PLAs), which include logical AND, logical OR, exclusive OR, negated AND, negated OR, and other logical operations, flip-flops, registers, and memory elements.

[0144] A computer-readable storage medium may include any tangible device capable of storing instructions to be executed by a suitable device, and as a result, a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored therein will comprise a product that includes instructions that can be executed to create means for performing operations specified in a flowchart or block diagram. Examples of computer-readable storage media may include electronic storage media, magnetic storage media, optical storage media, electromagnetic storage media, semiconductor storage media, etc. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media may include floppy disks, diskettes, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), static random access memory (SRAM), compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital multipurpose disc (DVD), Blu-ray® disc, memory stick, integrated circuit card, etc.

[0145] Computer-readable instructions may include assembler instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state setting data, or source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Smalltalk®, Java®, C++, and traditional procedural programming languages ​​such as the C programming language or similar programming languages.

[0146] Computer-readable instructions may be provided to a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or a programmable circuit, either locally or via a wide area network (WAN) such as a local area network (LAN) or the internet, so that the computer-readable instructions may be executed by the processor or programmable circuit of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device, in order to generate means for performing operations specified in a flowchart or block diagram. Examples of processors include computer processors, processing units, microprocessors, digital signal processors, controllers, microcontrollers, and the like.

[0147] Although the present invention has been described above using embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be made to the above embodiments. Furthermore, within the scope that is not technically contradictory, matters described for a particular embodiment can be applied to other embodiments. It will be clear from the claims that such modified or improved forms may also be included within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0148] It should be noted that the execution order of operations, procedures, steps, and stages in the apparatus, systems, programs, and methods shown in the claims, specifications, and drawings is not explicitly stated as "before," "prior to," etc., and that these can be implemented in any order unless the output of a previous process is used in a later process. Even if the operation flow in the claims, specifications, and drawings is described using phrases such as "first," "next," etc. for convenience, it does not mean that it is essential to perform the operations in that order. [Explanation of symbols]

[0149] 10 Communication network, 22 Author, 24 Purchaser, 100 Writing transaction system, 110 Electronic book management server, 120 Writing information management server, 130 Distributed ledger system, 132 Node, 134 Distributed ledger, 140 Communication terminal, 210 Book information management unit, 220 User information management unit, 230 Storage unit, 240 Book information storage unit, 242 Book ID, 244 Book data, 246 Ancillary information, 250 User information storage unit, 252 User ID, 254 Subscription history, 322 Book information acquisition unit, 324 Subscription history acquisition unit, 330 Storage unit, 340 Request reception unit, 352 Registration unit, 354 Extraction unit, 356 Settlement unit, 360 Response generation unit, 432 Book information storage unit, 434 User information storage unit, 436 New / Old Information Storage Unit, 442 User ID, 444 Account Information, 446 Information, 448 Information, 462 Search Result Output Unit, 464 Write Data Output Unit, 500 Data Table, 510 Write ID, 520 User ID, 530 Information, 532 Identification Information, 534 Information, 540 Information, 542 Information, 543 Information, 544 URI, 545 Size, 546 Information, 550 Information, 560 Information, 562 Information, 564 Information, 570 Cited Information, 620 Output Device, 622 Display, 630 Input Device, 632 Touch Panel, 634 Camera, 640 Control Device, 650 Operation Input Reception Unit, 660 Write Input Reception Unit, 662 Write Information Generation Unit, 670 Request Output Unit, 682 Book Data Acquisition Unit, 684 Response information acquisition unit, 690 Screen control unit, 700 Screen, 720 Command area, 722 Object, 724 Object, 726 Object, 728 Object, 732 Object, 734 Object, 740 Browsing area, 800 Screen, 822 Selected object, 824 Input object, 842 Input object, 844 Object, 846 Object, 900 Screen, 920 Area, 922 Object, 924 Object, 926 Object, 1000 Screen, 1020 Write selection area, 1042 Object, 1044 Object, 3000 Computer, 3001 DVD-ROM, 3010 Host controller, 3012 CPU, 3014 RAM, 3016 GPU, 3018 Display device, 3020Input / Output Controller, 3022 Communication Interface, 3024 Hard Disk Drive, 3026 DVD-ROM Drive, 3030 ROM, 3040 Input / Output Chip, 3042 Keyboard

Claims

1. A writing transaction system that mediates the transaction of writings written in an e-book, An identification information acquisition unit that acquires identification information for the aforementioned e-book, A data acquisition unit that acquires the data of the aforementioned e-book, A writing information storage unit stores, in association with each of the one or more aforementioned electronic books, (i) identification information of the electronic book, (ii) information indicating the content of one or more writings on one or more of the contents of the electronic book, (iii) information indicating the location in the electronic book where each of the one or more contents is written, and (iv) information indicating the attributes of the writer of the one or more writings. A writing information acquisition unit that, by referring to the writing information storage unit, acquires information indicating the content of at least one of the writings stored in association with the identification information of the e-book acquired by the identification information acquisition unit, and information indicating the attributes of the writer, Based on the data of the e-book acquired by the data acquisition unit, the output unit outputs a screen to the output unit for presenting to the user a first object embedded with a command for performing a search for at least a portion of the e-book and for searching for writings on at least a portion of the e-book; and when the first object is clicked, the output control unit outputs a screen to the output unit for presenting to the user a second object for performing a search for results including information indicating the attributes of the writer of the writings on at least a portion of the e-book and for performing a search for the writings selected by the user from the search results. When the second object is clicked, a settlement unit executes the settlement process associated with the purchase of the selected write, Equipped with, The output control unit, upon completion of the settlement process by the settlement unit, causes the output unit to output a screen containing at least a portion of the e-book and information indicating the content of the selected writing. A trading system for posting transactions.

2. The attributes of the aforementioned writer are the writer's area of ​​expertise, The write transaction system according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned write information storage unit is, Distributed ledger technology is used to manage information indicating the content of each of the one or more entries. The write transaction system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The aforementioned write information storage unit is, For each of the one or more electronic books, information indicating the content of the writing for each of the one or more writings is further stored in association with the information indicating the content of each of the one or more writings. The output control unit, The output unit further outputs information indicating the content of the write for the one or more writes mentioned above. A writing transaction system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. A program for causing a computer to function as a write transaction system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

Images