Device and method for sharing information between users

Abstract

Provided is a user-friendly device for sharing information between users. A device 2 for sharing information between users shares information for assisting with transactions between a plurality of users, and comprises: a question reception unit 21 that receives question information D1 from a terminal 3 of a user who issues a question; an answer reception unit 22 that receives answer information D2 from a terminal 4 of a user who issues an answer to the question; an information for browsing management unit 23 that associates the question information and the answer information and manages the result as information D3 for browsing; a browsing control unit 25 that receives a browsing request from a terminal 5 of a user who wishes to browse the information for browsing, and on the basis of a browsing condition that has been set for the user who wishes to browse, transmits the information for browsing to the terminal of the user who wishes to browse; and a browsing condition management unit 26 that manages the browsing condition for each user in accordance with a prescribed action of the user, said action relating to the information for browsing.

Description

Apparatus and method for sharing information between users

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for sharing information between users.

[0002] A system has been proposed in which multiple companies collaborate to share business data such as the plans and results of their respective work (Patent Document 1).A system has also been proposed that allows questions and answers about technical information to be viewed within a permitted range (Patent Document 2).A system has also been proposed that selects appropriate respondents based on the attributes of the questioner and the question (Patent Document 3).

[0003] International Publication No. 2018 / 012375 JP 2002-373096 A Japanese Patent No. 5498309 A

[0004] In Patent Document 1, "the inter-company information sharing system 10 performs appropriate access control depending on the relationship between the company that registered the business data in the inter-company information sharing system 10 and the company that is trying to access the business data" (Patent Document 1, paragraph 0023). Patent Document 2 does not disclose how to gather questioners and answerers. Patent Document 3 is able to estimate and gather appropriate answerers, but does not disclose a method for gathering questioners.

[0005] Conventional techniques are unable to efficiently collect and share questions from questioners and answers from answerers.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for sharing information between users that is user-friendly.

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, a user-to-user information sharing device according to one aspect of the present invention is a user-to-user information sharing device that shares information that supports transactions between multiple users, and is equipped with a question receiving unit that receives question information from a terminal of a user among the multiple users who asks a question, a response receiving unit that receives response information from a terminal of a user among the multiple users who issues an answer to the question, a viewing information management unit that associates the question information with the response information and manages it as viewing information, a viewing control unit that receives a viewing request from a terminal of a user among the multiple users who wishes to view the viewing information, and transmits the requested viewing information to the terminal of the user who wishes to view it based on the viewing conditions set for the user who wishes to view it, and a viewing condition management unit that manages the viewing conditions for each user in accordance with the user's predetermined behavior regarding the viewing information.

[0008] According to the present invention, viewing conditions can be managed for each user in accordance with the user's predetermined behavior regarding the viewing information, and the viewing information requested for viewing can be sent to the terminal of the user who wishes to view it based on the viewing conditions set for the user who wishes to view it.

[0009] 1 is a functional configuration diagram of an entire system including a user-to-user information sharing device. FIG. 1 is a hardware configuration diagram of a user-to-user information sharing system. FIG. 2 is an example of a table for managing questions. FIG. 3 is an example of a table for managing answers. FIG. 4 is an example of a table for managing views of questions and answers. FIG. 5 is an example of a table for managing each user of the user-to-user information sharing device. FIG. 6 is an example of a table for managing the status of each user. A flowchart showing the overall processing of the user-to-user information sharing device. A flowchart showing a process for accepting questions and answers. A flowchart showing a process for controlling the viewing of questions and answers. A flowchart showing a process for updating user rank and the number of views available. A flowchart showing a process for adding the number of views available. A flowchart showing a process for updating uniqueness. An example of a screen for registering a question. An example of a screen for registering an answer. A functional configuration diagram of a user-to-user information sharing system according to a second embodiment. An example of a screen for registering a question according to a third embodiment.

[0010] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. A user-to-user information sharing device of this embodiment shares information that supports transactions between multiple users. The user-to-user information sharing device accepts question information from the terminals of multiple users and accepts answer information from the terminals of multiple users. When the user-to-user information sharing device accepts a viewing request from a user terminal, it transmits viewing information, which associates question information with answer information, to the terminal of the user who wishes to view the information, in accordance with viewing conditions set for the user who wishes to view the information. The user-to-user information sharing device then manages viewing conditions for each user in accordance with the user's predetermined behavior regarding the viewing information.

[0011] The user-to-user information sharing device of this embodiment can be applied to, for example, a user-to-user information sharing system in which buyers and suppliers exchange and share information. A buyer is a company that manufactures products by combining multiple parts or materials, such as automobiles, aircraft, ships, electrical products, robots, drones, daily necessities, cosmetics, medicines, and food. A supplier is a company that provides parts or materials used by buyers, such as a parts manufacturing company or a material manufacturing company. Hereinafter, a buyer may be referred to as a buyer company, and a supplier may be referred to as a supplier company.

[0012] There is a need to advance value chains in preparation for natural disasters and other emergencies. To achieve this, it is necessary for buyer companies to be able to find appropriate supplier companies (sourcing operations) along the value chain and place orders for the parts or materials they need. The user-to-user information sharing device of this embodiment enables each buyer company and each supplier company to share information, rather than each buyer company individually asking each supplier company for information on parts, etc.

[0013] Each buyer company and each supplier company can view and refer to information exchanged in past orders (browsing information including question information and answer information). Furthermore, in the user-to-user information sharing device of this embodiment, each buyer company and each supplier company can disclose their true identity as needed, and the number of times they can view the browsing information can be increased depending on the disclosure level. In this way, the user-to-user information sharing device of this embodiment is beneficial for both the participating buyer companies and supplier companies, actively encouraging information sharing while maintaining confidentiality as needed, and is highly user-friendly.

[0014] A first embodiment will be described using Figures 1 to 15. Figure 1 is a functional configuration diagram of a user-to-user information sharing system 1. The user-to-user information sharing system 1 includes, for example, at least one user-to-user information sharing device 2, at least one questioner terminal 3, at least one respondent terminal 4, and at least one viewer terminal 5. The questioner terminal 3, respondent terminal 4, and viewer terminal 5 are computer terminals used by users of the user-to-user information sharing device 1, and therefore can also be called user terminals.

[0015] The user-to-user information sharing device 2 includes, for example, a question receiving unit 21, an answer receiving unit 22, a browsing information management unit 23, an evaluation unit 24, a browsing control unit 25, and a browsing condition management unit 26.

[0016] The question receiving unit 21 has a function of receiving question information D1 transmitted from the questioner terminal 3. The answer receiving unit 22 has a function of receiving answer information D2 transmitted from the answerer terminal 4. The browsing information management unit 23 has a function of managing browsing information D3 in which the question information D1 and the answer information D2 are associated with each other. The browsing information management unit 23 can use a question table T1, an answer table T2, and a browsing table T3, which will be described later.

[0017] The evaluation unit 24 evaluates whether the question information D1 is unique compared to past question information, and whether the answer information D2 is unique compared to past answer information. The viewing control unit 25 has a function of accepting a viewing request from the viewer terminal 5 and controlling the viewing of the viewing information D3. The viewing condition management unit 26 has a function of managing viewing conditions for determining whether the viewing terminal 5 can view the viewing information D3. The viewing control unit 25 can use a user table T4 and a user status table T5, which will be described later.

[0018] FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of the user-to-user information sharing system 1 including the user-to-user information sharing device 2. As shown in FIG.

[0019] The user-to-user information sharing device 2 is configured as a computer including, for example, a calculation unit 201, a memory 202, a communication unit 203, and a user interface unit 204. In the drawings, the word "unit" may be omitted. Furthermore, in the drawings, the user interface may be abbreviated as UI.

[0020] The calculation unit 201 is a device that realizes predetermined functions by reading and executing computer programs stored in the memory 202. The calculation unit 201 is not limited to a CPU (Central Processing Unit), but may also include a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).

[0021] The memory 202 includes a main storage device and an auxiliary storage device (neither of which are shown). A computer program stored in the auxiliary storage device is transferred to the main storage device and executed by the calculation unit 201.

[0022] The communication unit 203 is a device for communicating with other devices 3, 4, and 5 via the communication network CN. The user interface unit 204 is a device for users such as a system administrator to exchange information with the user-to-user information sharing device 2. The user interface unit 204 includes, for example, a monitor display, a keyboard, a pointing device, a touch panel, a printer, a voice recognition device, a voice synthesis device, etc.

[0023] The user-to-user information sharing device 2 can be connected to a storage medium MM. The storage medium MM is configured, for example, as a memory device, a hard disk device, an optical disk device, a magneto-optical disk device, a magnetic tape device, or the like, and can non-temporarily store computer programs and data. The storage medium MM can transfer and store computer programs and data to the memory 202 of the user-to-user information sharing device 2. Computer programs and data can also be transferred and stored from the memory 202 to the storage medium MM. A computer program that realizes the functions of the user-to-user information sharing device 2 can be stored in the storage medium MM, and by connecting the storage medium MM to another computer and installing the computer program stored in the storage medium MM on the other computer, the other computer can function as the user-to-user information sharing device 2.

[0024] The questioner terminal 3 included in the user terminal is a computer terminal used by the user who is the questioner. The questioner is, for example, a buyer company. The questioner terminal 3 includes, for example, a calculation unit 301, a memory 302, a communication unit 303, and a user interface unit 304. Each of these devices 301-304 is similar to each of the devices 201-204 described above, and therefore details thereof will be omitted.

[0025] The respondent terminal 4 included in the user terminal is a computer terminal used by a user who is a respondent. The respondent is, for example, a supplier company. The respondent terminal 4 includes, for example, a calculation unit 401, a memory 402, a communication unit 403, and a user interface unit 404. Each of these devices 401-404 is similar to each of the devices 201-204 described above, so details will be omitted.

[0026] The viewer terminal 5 included in the user terminal is a computer terminal used by a user who is a viewer. The viewer is, for example, a buyer company or a supplier company. The viewer terminal 5 includes, for example, a calculation unit 501, a memory 502, a communication unit 503, and a user interface unit 504. Each of these devices 501-504 is similar to each of the devices 201-204 described above, and therefore details thereof will be omitted.

[0027] A supplier company may purchase parts or materials from yet another supplier company to manufacture the parts or materials. In this case, a supplier company that purchases parts, etc. from another supplier company becomes a buyer company for the other supplier company. Therefore, some supplier companies may also be buyer companies and thus become questioners. While it is considered that viewers are mostly buyer companies, this is not a limitation, and supplier companies may also be viewers. To find a supplier company that can manufacture the parts, etc. that the buyer company desires, the buyer company may send question information D1 to the user-to-user information sharing device 2 to solicit answers or refer to past browsing information D3 managed by the user-to-user information sharing device 2.

[0028] 3 shows an example of a table for managing question information. The question table T1 associates and manages, for example, a question ID C11, a questioner user ID C12, a reference answer ID C13, a questioner disclosure level C14, a question content C15, a request destination type C16, a request destination C17, and a uniqueness C18.

[0029] The question ID C11 is identification information that uniquely identifies the question information within the system 1. The questioner user ID C12 is identification information that uniquely identifies the user who has become the questioner within the system 1. The referenced answer ID C13 is identification information that identifies past answer information that the questioner referenced when asking the question.

[0030] The questioner disclosure level C14 is a level at which the questioner's true identity is made public. There are multiple disclosure levels, for example, "anonymous," "major industry classification," "medium industry classification," "minor industry classification," and "company name." "Anonymous" is a level at which the questioner's identity is not revealed. "major industry classification," "medium industry classification," and "minor industry classification" are levels that indicate the industry to which the questioner belongs at several levels of granularity. "Company name" is the name of the questioner's company.

[0031] The question content C15 is the content of the question. The question includes various technical matters such as production technology, production capacity, quality, etc. In addition to technical matters, the question may also include matters such as delivery time, price, and production location.

[0032] The requestee type C16 is the type of respondent who is requested to answer the question. The requestee type can be, for example, "industry" or "company name." "Industry" is, for example, an industry name that is distinguished based on major industry classifications, medium industry classifications, and minor industry classifications. The questioner can ask a question by specifying an industry that is appropriate for the content of the question. "Company name" is the company name of the respondent.

[0033] The uniqueness C18 is an index indicating how distinctive the content of the question identified by the question ID C11 is compared to the content of past questions. The uniqueness can be calculated using techniques such as text mining and principal component analysis. The requester type C16 or the requester C17 from which the question was asked may also be taken into consideration when calculating the uniqueness. For example, even if a question is technically similar to questions asked in other industries, a question asked in an industry different from the usual requester type C16 can be considered unique. Furthermore, the greater the number of similar questions, the less unique the question can be considered. In this way, the uniqueness C18 can be calculated taking into consideration, for example, the content of the question, the requester, the number of similar questions, and the like. Here, the larger the uniqueness value, the more unique (newer) the question is.

[0034] 4 shows an example of a table for managing answer information. The answer table T2 manages, for example, a question ID C21, an answer ID C22, an answerer user ID C23, an answerer disclosure level C24, an answer content C25, an asker's evaluation C26, and a uniqueness C27 in association with each other.

[0035] The questioner ID C21 is identification information that uniquely identifies the question information, and its value is the same as the question ID 11 in FIG. 3. The answer ID C22 is identification information that uniquely identifies the answer information. The ID of the answer information referenced by the questioner is recorded in the reference answer ID C13 in FIG. 3. The answerer user ID C23 is identification information that uniquely identifies the user who has become the answerer.

[0036] The answerer disclosure level C24 is a level at which the answerer's identity is made public. Similar to the questioner disclosure level C14 described in FIG. 3, the answerer disclosure level C24 has multiple levels, such as "anonymous," "major industry category," "medium industry category," "minor industry category," and "company name."

[0037] The answer content C25 is the content of the answer to the question identified by the question ID C21. The answer format may be a multiple-choice answer such as "yes" or "no" to the question, or "up to 1 mm thickness," or "up to 1.5 mm thickness," or "up to 1.8 mm thickness," or it may be a free text answer. The answer format may be specified by the questioner, or the answerer may choose from a set of pre-prepared formats.

[0038] The questioner's evaluation C26 is the questioner's evaluation of the answer. If the content C25 of the answer identified by the answer ID C22 is in line with the questioner's intention, the questioner will give the answer an evaluation such as "Good." The evaluation value may be a binary value such as "0" or "1," or a ternary value such as "excellent," "average," or "disappointing." The evaluation C26 may be entered in free text. Alternatively, the questioner may operate something like a slide bar to input the degree of satisfaction with the answer.

[0039] The uniqueness C27 is an index indicating how distinctive or new the content of the answer identified by the answer ID C22 is compared to the content of past answers.

[0040] 5 shows an example of a table T3 for managing views of questions and answers. The view management table T3 associates and manages, for example, a question ID C31, an answer ID C32, a viewer user ID C33, a viewer rating C34, and favorites C35.

[0041] The browsing information D3 is composed of a set of question information D1 and answer information D2. When the user-to-user information sharing system 1 obtains multiple pieces of answer information D2 for one piece of question information D1, the browsing information D3 is generated for each piece of answer information D2. The browsing information D3 is formed by an ID that identifies the question information D1 and an ID that identifies the answer information.

[0042] The question ID C31, which constitutes part of the viewing information D3, is identification information that uniquely identifies the question information D1, and is set to the same value as the question ID C11 in the question table T1. The answer ID C32, which constitutes another part of the viewing information D3, is identification information that uniquely identifies the answer information D2, and is set to the same value as the answer ID C22 in the answer table T2. The viewer user ID C33 is identification information that uniquely identifies a user who has become a viewer. Either the questioner or the answerer can become a viewer. There may also be users who only view the information.

[0043] The viewer's rating C34 is the viewer's rating of the viewing information D3. For example, if the viewer determines that the viewing information D3 is useful, the viewer sets a high rating. Here, the viewing information D3 is rated using the number of stars. Five stars is the highest rating, and one star or zero stars is the lowest rating. Other rating methods are also possible. The viewer may write their impressions of the rating in free text. The favorites C35 are information that the viewer uses to mark the viewing information D3 if they like it. The viewing information D3 registered in the viewer's favorites can be viewed again promptly at a later date.

[0044] 6 shows an example of a table T4 for managing each user. The user table T4 manages, for example, a user ID C41, a company name C42, a minor industry classification C43, a medium industry classification C44, a major industry classification C45, an email address C46, ​​a prefecture C47, an address C48, and a telephone number C49 in association with each other.

[0045] The user ID C41 is identification information that uniquely identifies each user who uses the user-to-user information sharing system 1. The company name C42 is the user's company name. The company name C42 is not limited to companies, and the name of a university, research institute, government agency, local government, or individual can be registered, for example.

[0046] The industry minor classification C43 is a minor classification of the industry to which the user belongs. The industry medium classification C44 is a medium classification of the industry to which the user belongs. The industry major classification C45 is a major classification of the industry to which the user belongs. In other words, items C43 to C45 are information that abstractly and stepwise indicates what kind of company the user belongs to. Classification methods other than the minor classification C43, medium classification C44, and major classification C45 may also be used.

[0047] The mail C46 is information for sending an e-mail to the user. The mail C46 may be any information that can send information consisting of text, still images, moving images, audio, or a combination of these to the user, and is not limited to an e-mail address.

[0048] The prefecture C47 is information indicating the general location of the user. The address C48 indicates the location of the user. The telephone number C49 is the user's telephone number.

[0049] 7 shows an example of a table for managing the status of each user. The user status table T5 manages, for example, a user ID C51, a number of views allowed C52, and a user rank C53 in association with each other.

[0050] The user ID C51 is identification information that uniquely identifies a user within the system 1. The number of views C52 indicates the number of times the user can view the viewing information D3. The user rank C53 indicates the activity level of a predetermined action taken by the user regarding the viewing information D3.

[0051] The predetermined actions that the user performs regarding the browsing information D3 include at least one of asking a question, answering a question, and browsing a pair of a question and an answer.

[0052] Here, the user's action of asking a question means that question information D1 from the questioner terminal 3 is accepted by the question accepting unit 21. The user's action of answering means that answer information D2 from the answerer terminal 4 is accepted by the answer accepting unit 22. The user's action of browsing means that a browsing request from the browser terminal 5 is accepted by the browsing control unit 25.

[0053] When a user performs a predetermined action regarding the viewing information D3, the user's viewable number increases by a predetermined number. The predetermined number for asking a question, the predetermined number for answering an answer, and the predetermined number for viewing may be the same or different. For example, if the predetermined number for asking a question is called the first predetermined number, the predetermined number for answering an answer is called the second predetermined number, and the predetermined number for viewing is called the third predetermined number, the second predetermined number may be set to the largest, the third predetermined number to the smallest, and the first predetermined number to be set somewhere in between (second predetermined number > first predetermined number > third predetermined number). The predetermined number obtained when viewing the viewing information may be a negative value. In other words, as a user views the viewing information D3, the viewable number decreases.

[0054] When a user asks a question and reveals information about the user's identity, the user-to-user information sharing device 2 adjusts the predetermined number according to the level of disclosure (α) (=first predetermined number+α, or first predetermined number×α). Similarly, when a user answers and reveals information about the user's identity, the user-to-user information sharing device 2 adjusts the predetermined number according to the level of disclosure (=second predetermined number+α, or second predetermined number×α). For example, when a user's name is revealed, the user-to-user information sharing device 2 increases the predetermined number by "1," and when the user's name is not revealed, the user-to-user information sharing device 2 does not increase the predetermined number.

[0055] The predetermined number by which the number of views that can be viewed is increased or decreased can also be adjusted according to the activity level of a predetermined behavior (user rank).

[0056] 8 is a flowchart showing the overall processing of the user-to-user information sharing device 2. The user-to-user information sharing device 2 performs a question reception process and an answer reception process (S1), and publishes the received questions and answers (S2). The user-to-user information sharing device 2 controls viewing of the viewing information D3 (S4), and updates the user rank and the number of views allowed (S5).

[0057] 9 is a flowchart showing a question acceptance process and an answer acceptance process. The user-to-user information sharing device 2 performs the question acceptance process (S10). In the question acceptance process (S10), the user-to-user information sharing device 2 receives question information D1 from the questioner terminal 3, sets the disclosure level of the questioner, requests an answer to the question, and updates the uniqueness of the question.

[0058] The disclosure level of the questioner can be selected from, for example, business category, company name, or anonymity. The person to whom an answer to the question is requested can be selected from, for example, a designated specific answerer, an answerer from a designated specific group (specific industry), or all users. The user-to-user information sharing device can calculate the uniqueness of a question based on the number of similar questions by comparing the content of the question currently accepted with the content of questions accepted in the past.

[0059] In the answer acceptance process (S11), the user-to-user information sharing device 2 receives answer information D2 from the respondent terminal 4, notifies the questioner terminal 3 of the acceptance of the answer, and updates the uniqueness of the answer. The user-to-user information sharing device compares the content of the answer accepted this time with the content of answers accepted in the past, and can calculate the uniqueness of the answer based on the number of similar answers, etc.

[0060] The user-to-user information sharing device 2 accepts confirmation of the answer by the questioner (S12). In the answer confirmation process (S12), the questioner refers to the answer information D2 via the questioner terminal 3 and evaluates the answer. If the questioner thinks that the answer is helpful, the questioner can give the answer a good evaluation. Furthermore, the questioner can ask a follow-up question to the answerer. Alternatively, the questioner can ask a follow-up question to the initial answer.

[0061] The user-to-user information sharing device 2 checks whether the questioner wishes to continue accepting answers (S13). If the questioner wishes to continue accepting answers (S13: YES), the process returns to step S11. If the questioner wishes to continue accepting answers (S13: NO), the process ends normally.

[0062] The process of publishing question information D1 received from the questioner terminal 3 and the process of publishing answer information D2 received from the answerer terminal 4 are not shown in detail. In the process of publishing question information D1, the received question information D1 is registered in question table T1. In the process of publishing answer information D2, the received answer information D2 is registered in answer table T2.

[0063] 10 is a flowchart showing the browsing control process. An overview of the process will be explained first. When the user-to-user information sharing device 2 receives a browsing request from the browser terminal 5 (S30), it determines whether browsing is permitted (S31). The user-to-user information sharing device 2 determines whether the browser's permitted number of browsings n is 1 or more (S32), and if it determines that the permitted number of browsings n is 1 or more (S32: YES), it permits browsing of the requested browsing information D3 (S33).

[0064] If the viewer's viewable number n is less than 1 (S32: NO), the user-to-user information sharing device 2 determines whether the viewer should acquire the viewable number n (S34). If the viewer wishes to acquire the viewable number n (S34: YES), the user-to-user information sharing device 2 prompts the viewer to take action and acquires (adds) the viewable number n (S35).

[0065] In the process of accepting a viewing request (S30), the user-to-user information sharing device 2 accepts a viewing request from the viewer terminal 5, refers to the question table T1 and the answer table T2, and transmits part of the question and part of the answer as summary information of the viewing information D3 to the viewer terminal 5 for display. The user-to-user information sharing device 2 accepts a viewing request from the viewer terminal 5. After looking at the summary information of the viewing information D3, the viewer can select the viewing information D3 for which they wish to check the details.

[0066] In the process of determining whether viewing is permitted (S31), the user-to-user information sharing device 2 checks the number of permitted views n and the user rank UR set in the viewer terminal 5. The user-to-user information sharing device 2 compares the uniqueness included in the viewing information D3 with the user rank UR, and determines whether the user rank UR is equal to or greater than the uniqueness (user rank ≧ uniqueness). If the user rank UR is equal to or greater than the uniqueness, the user-to-user information sharing device 2 permits the viewer terminal 5 to view the viewing information D3.

[0067] The uniqueness included in the browsing information D3 is the uniqueness of the question information D1 (item C18 in FIG. 3 ) constituting part of the browsing information D3 and the uniqueness of the answer information D2 (item C27 in FIG. 4 ) constituting the other part of the browsing information D3. For example, the user-to-user information sharing device 2 can use the average of the uniqueness of the question information D1 and the uniqueness of the answer information as the uniqueness of the browsing information D3. The uniqueness of the browsing information D3 may also be calculated by other methods. The greater the uniqueness of the information, the more valuable the information is. Therefore, in this embodiment, valuable information is provided only to users who have contributed to the user-to-user information sharing system 1.

[0068] In the process of determining whether the number of views n is 1 or greater (S32), it is determined whether the viewer terminal 5 has the number of views n required to view the viewing information D3. Here, when the viewing information D3 is viewed, the number of views n is reduced by 1. That is, in step S32, the user information management device 2 confirms whether the viewer terminal 5 has the number of views n required to view the viewing information D3.

[0069] In the process of allowing the viewer terminal 5 to view the view information D3 (S33), the view information D3 is provided to the viewer terminal 5, the viewable number is decremented by 1, and the process ends normally.

[0070] If the viewer terminal 5 does not wish to obtain the number of views available (S34: NO), this process ends normally.

[0071] In the process of acquiring the number of views that can be viewed (S35), the number of views that can be viewed that the viewer terminal 5 has is increased by a method that will be described later.

[0072] 11 is a flowchart of the process of updating the user rank and the number of views allowed. The user information management device 2 performs steps S41 to S44 (described later) for each user (S40).

[0073] The user information management device 2 updates the user rank (S41). The user information management device 2 calculates the number of actions of the user and updates the user rank of the user according to the calculated number of actions. The number of actions is the number of questions, answers, and views asked by the user. Different weights may be assigned to the questions, answers, and views. In this case, the number of actions can be calculated using the following (Equation 1).

[0074] Number of actions = Cumulative number of questions × c1 + Cumulative number of answers × c2 + Cumulative number of views × c3 (Formula 1) The user information management device 2 calculates the user rank from the calculated number of actions and updates the user rank C53 in the user status table T5. The user information management device 2 can also lower the user rank if the number of actions within a certain period of time decreases by more than a predetermined value.

[0075] The user information management device 2 updates the number of views n (S42). The number of views n can be calculated from the following (Equation 2), (Equation 3), and (Equation 4) in accordance with the user's predetermined actions of asking a question, answering a question, and viewing a page.

[0076] Number of views available when asking a question n = user rank × c4 × disclosure level of questioner (Formula 2) Number of views available when answering n = user rank × c5 × disclosure level of answerer (Formula 3) Number of views available when viewing n = n-1 (Formula 4) The user information management device 2 determines whether the user rank has changed as a result of step S41 (S43). If the user rank has changed (S43: YES), the user information management device 2 notifies the user that the rank has changed (S44). If the user rank has not changed (S43: NO), the process moves to the next user.

[0077] 12 is a flowchart showing a process for increasing the number of views based on an explicit instruction from a user. In the process for updating the number of views described in step S42 of FIG. 11, the number of views is automatically updated when the user takes a predetermined action. In contrast, the process shown in FIG. 12 shows details of step S35 in FIG. 10, in which the number of views is increased at the user's request. In other words, a user (viewer) who wishes to view the viewing information D3 can increase the number of views without taking a predetermined action.

[0078] The user information management device 2 updates the user rank (S350) and the number of views allowed (S351) to obtain the latest status. These steps S350 and S351 may be omitted.

[0079] The user information management device 2 confirms whether the viewer wishes to add (increase) the number of views available (S352). For example, when the viewer operates an add button displayed on the screen of the viewer terminal 5, the user information management device 2 can confirm the viewer's intention to add to the number of views available. In step S352, the user information management device 2 receives the value of the number of views available that the viewer wishes to add, calculates the fee required for the increase, and presents the calculated fee to the viewer.

[0080] When the viewer agrees to pay the additional fee for the number of views via the viewer terminal 5 (S53: YES), the user information management device 2 increases the number of views for the viewer (S54). After confirming that the viewer has paid the fee (additional fee), the user information management device 2 increases the number of views for the viewer and notifies the viewer terminal 5 that the number of views has been increased.

[0081] 13 is a flowchart showing the process of updating the uniqueness. The method of updating the uniqueness of a question and the method of updating the uniqueness of an answer are basically the same, so they will be explained without using separate flowcharts.

[0082] The user information management device 2 refers to the question table T1 or the answer table T2 (S1001) and calculates the similarity between the current question and a previous question, or the similarity between the current answer and a previous answer (S1002). The user information management device 2 calculates the uniqueness of the current question from the similarity between the previous question and the current question, or calculates the uniqueness of the current answer from the similarity between the previous answer and the current answer (S1003). In step S1003, the user information management device 2 calculates the uniqueness of the question or the uniqueness of the answer from the similarity and the number of similar questions or answers. The greater the number of questions or answers with similar content, the lower the uniqueness of the question or answer.

[0083] 14 shows an example of a screen G1 for registering a question. The question registration screen G1 is provided from the user information management device 2 to the questioner terminal 3.

[0084] The question registration screen G1 includes, for example, a questioner information display section GP11, an answer request destination display section GP12, and a question content display section GP13. The questioner information display section GP11 displays information about the questioner. The information about the questioner includes, for example, a question ID, a questioner ID, the questioner's name (e.g., company name), whether the questioner's name is public, and the disclosure level (the industry classification to which the information is publicized). The answer request destination display section GP12 specifies users in the industry or specific users who are expected to respond to the question of the questioner. The questioner can search by industry name or by company name (answerer name). The question content display section GP13 displays the content of the question and the answering method. Answering methods include, for example, a "YES / NO" multiple-choice method, a method in which the questioner selects from a pull-down menu prepared in advance, a method in which the questioner inputs a number, a method in which the questioner answers in free text format, and the like. The questioner can specify in advance the answering method that best suits the content of the question and their preferences.

[0085] As shown in the upper part of the question registration screen G1, the asker can specify the level at which the question and the exchange of answers to the question are made public to viewers. That is, the disclosure levels of the viewing information D3 include, for example, "accepted" and "partially private." "accepted" means that all of the viewing information D3 is made public to viewers. "Partially private" means that part of the viewing information D3 is hidden and made public to viewers. When all of the viewing information D3 is made public, the asker may be granted an additional number of views. It may also be possible to set disclosure levels other than those described above.

[0086] 15 shows an example of the screen G2 for registering an answer. The answer registration screen G2 is provided to the respondent terminal 4 from the user information management device 2.

[0087] The answer registration screen G2 includes, for example, a question display section GP21, an answer display section GP22, and an answerer display section GP23. The question display section GP21 displays the content of the question to be answered by the answerer. The answer display section GP22 displays the answer from the answerer according to the answering method specified by the questioner. The answerer display section GP23 displays the answerer's information. The answerer's information includes, for example, the answerer ID, whether the answerer's name is public, the public level (the industry level at which the information is public), and the like.

[0088] According to the user information management device 2 of this embodiment configured as described above, questions from questioners and answers from answerers can be efficiently collected and shared.

[0089] According to this embodiment, it is possible to realize an information sharing device 2 that is easy to use for each user, ie, a questioner, a respondent, and a viewer.

[0090] The user information management device 2 of this embodiment manages the viewing conditions for each user in accordance with the user's predetermined actions regarding the viewing information D3, and can transmit the viewing-requested viewing information to the terminal of the user who wishes to view it based on the viewing conditions set by the user who wishes to view it. Therefore, only viewers who are qualified to view the viewing information D3 can view it, improving usability.

[0091] According to this embodiment, a questioner can ask about what they want to know while keeping confidential information such as company names secret, and the act of asking a question increases the number of times they can view the browsing information D3, thereby increasing their motivation to ask questions. Answerers can also promote their company to questioners, who are potential customers, while keeping confidential information such as company names secret, increasing their motivation to answer. Therefore, the user-to-user information sharing system 1 of this embodiment can attract questioners and answerers by providing benefits to the questioner and answerer, and can accumulate browsing information D3. The more browsing information D3 is accumulated, the more questioners and answerers there are, and the more convenient it is for users to use the system.

[0092] According to this embodiment, the questioner can ask a question by specifying the answer format, and thus can obtain the information he or she desires in the format he or she desires, improving usability for the user who is the questioner.

[0093] According to this embodiment, the asker can select in advance whether to make all of the browsing information D3 public or to make part of it private (partially public). Therefore, the asker can collect answers while keeping some of the exchange of questions and answers confidential from competitors or existing business partners, improving usability for the asker.

[0094] According to this embodiment, the more unique a question is compared to past questions, the more views the questioner will receive, and thus an incentive will be given to the questioner. Similarly, the more unique an answer is compared to past questions, the more views the answerer will receive, and thus an incentive will be given to the answerer. Therefore, information that has appeared less frequently in the past and is highly valuable is accumulated in large amounts in the user-to-user information sharing system 1 over time, and the utility value of the user-to-user information sharing system 1 increases.

[0095] According to this embodiment, if the viewer's user rank is equal to or higher than the uniqueness of the viewing information D3, viewing is permitted, thereby providing incentives for users to participate in the user-to-user information sharing system 1 (by asking questions, answering questions, viewing), thereby attracting more users and allowing them to exchange information.

[0096] The second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 16. In the following embodiments, including this embodiment, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described. In this embodiment, when viewing the viewing information D3, only the presence or absence of the number of views allowed is determined.

[0097] 16 is a functional configuration diagram of a user-to-user information sharing system 1A according to this embodiment. The viewing condition management unit 26A of the user information management device 2A according to this embodiment manages only the number of views allowed as a viewing condition. In other words, in this embodiment, viewing of the viewing information D3 is permitted only based on the number of views allowed, regardless of the user rank of the viewer.

[0098] This embodiment configured as above provides the same effects as the first embodiment, except for the effects obtained from the user rank.

[0099] The third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 17. Fig. 17 shows a question registration screen G1A provided by the user information management device of this embodiment. Compared to the question registration screen G1 described in Fig. 14, the question registration screen G1A of this embodiment further includes a transaction record display button GP14, a company information display button GP15, and a question reliability display section GP16.

[0100] The transaction history display button GP14 is a button for displaying the transaction history of the questioner through the user-to-user information sharing system 1. In this embodiment, when the questioner starts a transaction with a responder who has answered the question from the questioner, the start of the transaction is registered in the user information management device 2. The transaction history of the questioner provides other responders with an incentive to answer, increasing the possibility of obtaining a more useful answer.

[0101] The company information display button GP15 is a button that displays at least a portion of the questioner's credit information. When the respondent operates the company information display button GP15, the user information management device 2 acquires the questioner's information from a company information management server (not shown) and displays all or a portion of it on the respondent terminal 4. The company information may include, for example, information such as the number of employees, capital, shareholder structure, and major banks.

[0102] The question reliability display section GP16 is a button that displays the reliability of a question. The reliability of a question is an index that determines whether a question asked by a questioner is serious or a prank question. For example, a machine learning model can be generated from the question table T1 and the answer table T2, and the reliability of a question can be determined using the machine learning model. This prevents frivolous questions and fake questions, and maintains the reliability of the user-to-user information sharing system 1.

[0103] This embodiment configured in this manner also achieves the same effects as those of Embodiment 1. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the transaction history information of the questioner, the company information of the questioner, and the reliability information of the question can be provided to the answerer, thereby improving usability for users and maintaining the reliability of the user-to-user information sharing system 1.

[0104] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those including all of the described configurations. Furthermore, some or all of the above-described configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, etc. may be implemented in hardware, for example, by designing them as integrated circuits. Furthermore, the above-described configurations, functions, etc. may be implemented in software by a processor interpreting and executing programs that implement the respective functions. Information such as programs, tables, and files that implement the respective functions may be stored in memory, a recording device such as a hard disk or SSD (Solid State Drive), or a recording medium such as an IC card, SD card, or DVD.

[0105] 1, 1A: User-to-user information sharing system, 2, 2A: User information management device, 3: Questioner terminal, 4: Answerer terminal, 5: Viewer terminal, 21: Question reception unit, 22: Answer reception unit, 23: Viewing information management unit, 24: Evaluation unit, 25: Viewing control unit, 26, 26A: Viewing condition management unit, D1: Question information, D2: Answer information, D3: Viewing information

Claims

1. A user-to-user information sharing device for sharing information to support transactions between multiple users, comprising: a question receiving unit that receives question information from a terminal of a user among the multiple users who issues a question; a response receiving unit that receives response information from a terminal of a user among the multiple users who issues an answer to the question; a viewing information management unit that associates the question information with the answer information and manages them as viewing information; a viewing control unit that receives a viewing request from a terminal of a user among the multiple users who wishes to view the viewing information, and transmits the viewing information requested to the terminal of the user who wishes to view it based on viewing conditions set for the user; and a viewing condition management unit that manages the viewing conditions for each user in accordance with a predetermined action of the user regarding the viewing information.

2. The user-to-user information sharing device of claim 1, wherein the specified action includes the question receiving unit receiving the question information from the user's terminal, and when the question information from the user's terminal is received by the question receiving unit, the number of views included in the viewing conditions of the user is increased by a specified number.

3. The user-to-user information sharing device of claim 2, wherein the specified action further includes the answer receiving unit receiving the answer information from the user's terminal, and when the answer information from the user's terminal is received by the answer receiving unit, the number of views included in the viewing conditions of the user is increased by a specified number.

4. The user-to-user information sharing device of claim 3, wherein the specified action further includes the viewing control unit receiving the viewing request from the user's terminal, and when the viewing request from the user's terminal is received by the viewing control unit, the number of views included in the user's viewing conditions is reduced.

5. The user-to-user information sharing device according to claim 4, wherein, when information relating to a user's name is made public during the specified action, the number of views is increased in addition to the specified number.

6. The user-to-user information sharing device of claim 5, wherein the information about the user name is prepared to be more specific in multiple stages, from the name of the industry to which the user belongs to to the name of the company, and the number of views increases as the information about the user name becomes more specific.

7. The user-to-user information sharing device according to claim 6, wherein the predetermined number is adjusted according to the activity level of the predetermined behavior.

8. The user-to-user information sharing device according to claim 7, further comprising an evaluation unit that calculates a uniqueness indicating the degree to which the question information is unique compared to past question information, and a uniqueness indicating the degree to which the answer information is unique compared to past answer information.

9. The user-to-user information sharing device described in claim 8, wherein the viewing control unit determines whether or not to allow viewing of the requested viewing information based on the activity level set for the user requesting the viewing and the uniqueness included in the requested viewing information.

10. The user-to-user information sharing device of claim 1, wherein the user among the multiple users who issues the question is a buyer, the user among the multiple users who issues the answer is a supplier, and the information supporting transactions between the multiple users is information related to product manufacturing.

11. A user-to-user information sharing method for sharing information supporting transactions between multiple users by a user-to-user information sharing device, wherein the user-to-user information sharing device receives question information from a terminal of a user among the multiple users who issues a question, receives answer information from a terminal of a user among the multiple users who issues an answer to the question, associates the question information with the answer information and manages them as viewing information, receives a viewing request from a terminal of a user among the multiple users who wishes to view the viewing information, transmits the viewing information requested to the terminal of the user who wishes to view it based on viewing conditions set for the user who wishes to view it, and manages the viewing conditions for each user in accordance with the user's specified behavior regarding the viewing information.

Images