Information processing device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

The present invention provides a mechanism for displaying articles in a list for a user. An information processing device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of articles including a first article and one or more articles related to the first article; and a display control unit that performs first display control in which the plurality of articles are organized in chronological order and displayed in a first display area in accordance with information related to the date and time of each of the acquired plurality of articles, and second display control in which a second article selected by a user from among the plurality of articles is displayed in a second display area in front of the first display area.

Description

Information processing device, information processing method, and program CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-092936 filed on June 7, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program.

[0003] In recent years, a technology for displaying content such as news articles in an automatically created layout has become known. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses an information processing system that proposes a rational layout for articles on a newspaper page.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-080169

[0005] However, the technology of Patent Document 1 proposes a layout based on the volume of the components of the articles to be arranged in the layout, such as the number of characters and the number of lines, and does not take into consideration the content of the articles or the date and time related to the articles when proposing the layout, so content displayed in such a layout has problems such as a lack of visibility for users. Therefore, one of the objects of the present disclosure is to provide a system for displaying articles in a list format for users.

[0006] An information processing device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of articles including a first article and one or more articles related to the first article, a first display control that organizes the plurality of acquired articles in chronological order according to information relating to the date and time of each of the plurality of articles and displays them in a first display area, and a second display control that displays a second article selected by a user from the plurality of articles in a second display area that is in front of the first display area.

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a mechanism for displaying articles in a list format for the user.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of a configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of a hardware configuration of a server device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of a hardware configuration of a user terminal device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an example of a functional configuration of a server device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an example of a functional configuration of a user terminal device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining an example of a process of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining an example of display control by an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining an example of display control by an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an example of display control by an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0009] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals denote the same or similar components.

[0010] 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of an information processing system 1 of the present disclosure. The information processing system 1 of the present disclosure displays a screen on which articles are arranged on a display such as a spatial display. A user receives a service of viewing articles as images while viewing the display such as a spatial display using a user terminal device 30.

[0011] In this disclosure, a "spatial display" is a display that is shown to a user in a space such as a virtual reality (VR) space, a mixed reality (MR) space, an augmented reality (AR) space, or an augmented virtuality (AV) space.

[0012] The field of view that the user has through a display such as a spatial display by using the user terminal device 30 (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as the "user's field of view") may display in real time objects in the real world around the user that are input using the input device 34 of the user terminal device 30. Objects in the virtual world may also be displayed in the user's field of view.

[0013] In this disclosure, an "article" typically refers to news content data including text and images, but is not limited to this and may also be essays, columns, reviews, academic papers, blogs, interviews, recipes, guides such as instruction manuals, or text content data indicating the contents of books, etc., or image content data indicating the contents of photographs.

[0014] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the system configuration of the information processing system 1 of the present disclosure. The information processing system 1 includes a server device 20 and one or more user terminal devices 30. The server device 20 and the user terminal devices 30 are communicatively connected via a communication network N. The communication network N is, for example, the Internet, a local area network (LAN), Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity), Bluetooth (registered trademark), an in-house network, a mobile communication network, a telephone line, another communication line, or a combination thereof, and may be wired or wireless.

[0015] The server device 20 is an information processing device that uses the user terminal device 30 as a client. The server device 20 is a computer, a web server device, or the like. The server device 20 may be configured as a single computer, or may be configured as multiple computers distributed over the communication network N.

[0016] The user terminal device 30 is an information processing device used by a user. The user uses the user terminal device 30 to view articles as images and input instructions. The user terminal device 30 is typically a head-mounted display, but is not limited to this and may be, for example, a wearable device that can be worn by a user in the same way as glasses, goggles, or a helmet.

[0017] In the present disclosure, a case will be described in which the user terminal device 30 itself is connected to the communication network N and is capable of communicating with the server device 20, but the user terminal device 30 itself does not necessarily have to be connected to the communication network N. For example, the user terminal device 30 is connected to another information processing device (not shown) that is connected to the communication network N and is capable of communicating with the server device 20, and the user terminal device 30 receives various information from the other information processing device. The other information processing device is, for example, a general-purpose or dedicated computer such as a smartphone, a personal computer, a tablet computer, a laptop, a mobile phone, or a tablet.

[0018] 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the server device 20. The server device 20 includes a processor 21, a storage device 22, a communication IF 23, an input device 24, and an output device 25.

[0019] The processor 21 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or the like.

[0020] The storage device 22 is a memory (for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a ROM (Read Only Memory)), a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and / or an SSD (Solid State Drive), etc.

[0021] The communication IF (Interface) 23 is a device that performs data communication with devices external to the server device 20 via the communication network N in a wired or wireless manner.

[0022] The input device 24 receives input operations, and is, for example, a keyboard, a touch panel, a mouse, and / or a microphone.

[0023] The output device 25 outputs information, and is, for example, a display, a touch panel, and / or a speaker.

[0024] 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the user terminal device 30. The user terminal device 30 includes a processor 31, a storage device 32, a communication IF 33, an input device 34, and an output device 35.

[0025] The processor 31 is a CPU, a GPU, or the like.

[0026] The storage device 32 is a memory (for example, a RAM or a ROM, a HDD and / or an SSD), etc.

[0027] The communication IF 33 is a device that performs data communication with devices external to the user terminal device 30 via the communication network N in a wired or wireless manner.

[0028] The input device 34 accepts input operations. For example, it may be a camera that captures the user's surroundings and hand gestures, various sensors for recognizing the user's gaze direction, tracking the user's gaze, tracking the user's hand gestures, or performing voice recognition, a keyboard, a touch panel, buttons, etc. Other devices such as a smartphone may also be used as a controller.

[0029] The output device 35 outputs information, and may be, for example, a lens, an optical device, a display such as a spatial display, or a speaker.

[0030] <Functional Configuration> -Server Device- Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of the server device 20. The server device 20 includes a storage unit 210, an acquisition unit 220, and a display control unit 230. The storage unit 210 can be realized using a storage device 22 included in the server device 20. The acquisition unit 220 and the display control unit 230 can be realized by a processor 21 included in the server device 20 executing a program stored in the storage device 22. The program can be stored in a storage medium. The storage medium storing the program may be a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The non-transitory storage medium is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a storage medium such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory or a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read-Only Memory).

[0031] (Storage Unit) The storage unit 210 stores various types of information required for the operation of the server device 20. The storage unit 210 stores various programs executed by the acquisition unit 220 and the display control unit 230, which will be described later.

[0032] (Acquisition Unit) The acquisition unit 220 acquires multiple articles including a first article and one or more articles related to the first article. For example, in response to the launch of an application program AP (hereinafter sometimes referred to as an “app AP”) for a user to receive a service for viewing articles as images, the acquisition unit 220 receives multiple preloaded articles corresponding to the launch date and time from one or more article sources. The acquisition unit 220 acquires multiple articles by extracting from the received group of multiple articles multiple articles including a first article selected by the user from the received multiple preloaded articles and one or more articles related to the first article. The article source and the preloaded articles may be multiple articles pre-stored in the storage unit 210 or multiple articles accumulated in another system. The first article is not limited to an article selected by the user, but may also be an article selected based on the launch time of the application program AP or a user profile such as the user's age, gender, or community membership. An article related to the first article is, for example, an article related to the first article in terms of content such as a person, organization, social issue, technology, country, region, or industry contained in the article.

[0033] In the present disclosure, acquiring various data such as articles means making the data processable by the processor 21. Acquiring various data such as articles includes receiving the data from another device via the communication network N and reading the data from the storage unit 210.

[0034] (Display Control Unit) The display control unit 230 performs first display control and second display control. The first display control and second display control can be performed separately in sequence, or can be performed in parallel.

[0035] [First Display Control] In the first display control, the display control unit 230 organizes the multiple articles in chronological order and displays them in the first display area according to information about the date and time of each of the multiple articles acquired by the acquisition unit 220. For example, the first display control includes (1) determining a layout and (2) arranging the articles. Through the first display control, the articles are arranged in the layout and displayed within the user's field of view.

[0036] 1. Determining the Layout The display control unit 230 determines the layout based on the number of articles to be displayed in the user's field of view (in this disclosure, this may be simply referred to as the "number of articles"). In this disclosure, "layout" refers to the arrangement of article frames to be displayed in the user's field of view.

[0037] For example, determining the layout includes (i) defining the display area of ​​the content in the user's field of view, (ii) determining the number of articles, and (iii) arranging frames in which the articles will be placed.

[0038] In one aspect, the display control unit 230 determines the layout by generating information that defines the position of a frame in which an article to be displayed in the user's field of view is placed.

[0039] (i) Definition of Display Area A user's field of view is determined based on the user's gaze direction, with the origin, which is the user's viewpoint, at the center. Because the user's field of view changes as the origin moves, the user can feel immersed in the content displayed in the user's field of view through a display such as a spatial display. A user launches the app AP and views content such as articles displayed in the user's field of view, thereby receiving a service for viewing articles as images.

[0040] The display control unit 230 defines an area in the user's field of view that is the target of display control of content such as articles (hereinafter referred to as a "display area"). For example, the display control unit 230 determines the position of an area in the entire field of view of the user where content such as articles is to be displayed, and generates information that defines the position of that area, thereby defining the display area.

[0041] In one aspect, at least two display areas are defined. For example, the display control unit 230 defines a first display area in which a plurality of articles are arranged and displayed in chronological order, and a second display area in which a second article selected by the user from the plurality of articles is arranged and displayed.

[0042] In one aspect, the display control unit 230 can define the display area based on the user's origin, gaze direction, and field of view. For example, the display area is positioned using coordinates that represent a position within the user's field of view based on the user's gaze direction and distance from the origin in the x, y, and z axis directions.

[0043] Two or more display areas may be defined. For example, the display control unit 230 defines a first display area and a second display area. The positions defined by the coordinates assigned to the first display area and the second display area may overlap in part or in whole.

[0044] In one aspect, the positional relationship between the user's field of view and the display area in that field of view may vary in response to movement of the origin or movement of the gaze direction, but it does not have to vary.

[0045] The coordinates assigned to the display area are not necessarily fixed but can be changed. For example, during the second display control described below, the display control unit 230 changes the coordinates assigned to the display area in response to input from the user. For example, when changing the display size of an article, the display control unit 230 changes the coordinates assigned to the display area.

[0046] In one aspect, the display area may also be positioned three-dimensionally within the user's field of view by defining its position using three-dimensional coordinates.

[0047] (ii) Determining the Number of Articles The display control unit 230 determines the number of articles to be displayed in the first display area. For example, the display control unit 230 determines some or all of the number of articles acquired by the acquisition unit 220 as the number of articles to be displayed within the user's field of view. In one aspect, the display control unit 230 can determine the number of articles to be displayed as a predetermined number taking into account the user's desired visibility of the articles. The display control unit 230 can also determine the number of articles suitable for the display area based on a ranking created taking into account the number of accesses, importance, publication time, etc. Information regarding the predetermined number of articles taking into account the user's desired visibility of the articles and the ranking created taking into account the number of accesses, importance, publication time, etc. may be stored in the storage unit 210 in advance, or information accumulated in another system may be referenced. In one aspect, the display control unit 230 can determine the number of articles having information regarding dates and times included in a period set by the user as the number of articles to be displayed.

[0048] (iii) Frame Arrangement The display control unit 230 arranges frames within the display area. Each frame is associated with a content such as an article, and in the user's field of view, each article is arranged and displayed according to the arrangement of the frames within the display area. For example, the display control unit 230 determines the position of the frame in which each content such as an article will be arranged within the display area, and arranges the frames within the display area by generating information defining the position of the frame. Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of a display mode in this embodiment. In Figure 8, frames f11 to f15 are arranged within the first display area d100.

[0049] In one aspect, the position of a frame is determined using coordinates representing a position within the display area. The position of each frame is determined using at least one coordinate. For example, one coordinate is assigned corresponding to the center position of each frame. Frames can also be positioned three-dimensionally within the display area in the user's field of view by defining their positions using three-dimensional coordinates. In this case, it is also preferable that the position of each frame is determined using two or more three-dimensional coordinates. For example, four three-dimensional coordinates are assigned corresponding to the upper left, upper right, lower left, and upper right positions of each frame, respectively. By defining the positions of these four three-dimensional coordinates so that their distances from the user's origin are different, the display of each article can be curved or the angle of the display of each article can be adjusted. Here, the angle of the display of an article is, for example, the angle formed by the line connecting the origin and the gaze direction and the line connecting the origin and the coordinates of the frame. It is also, for example, the angle formed by the line connecting the origin and the gaze direction and the perpendicular line passing through the position corresponding to the center of the article. Additionally, the angle of the article may be the angle at which the article is displayed to the user.

[0050] In one aspect, the position of the frame is determined based on the distance from the user's origin and the angle formed between the origin, the gaze direction, and the position of the frame. For example, the display control unit 230 determines the display angle of the article displayed in the first display area based on the number of articles acquired by the acquisition unit 220, and places a frame to which three-dimensional coordinates reflecting the determined angle are assigned.

[0051] In one aspect, the positional relationship between the display area in the user's field of view and the frame in the display area may or may not change in response to movement of the origin or movement of the gaze direction.

[0052] Two or more frames may be arranged, and the positions defined by the coordinates assigned to each of the frames may overlap in part or in whole.

[0053] The coordinates assigned to the frame are not necessarily fixed but can be changed. For example, in the second display control described below, the display control unit 230 changes the coordinates assigned to the frame in response to input from the user. For example, when changing the display size of an article, the display control unit 230 changes the coordinates assigned to the frame. For example, when moving the display of an article, the display control unit 230 changes the coordinates assigned to the frame.

[0054] 2. Article Arrangement The display control unit 230 arranges the articles based on the determined layout and information related to the date and time of each of the multiple articles acquired by the acquisition unit 220. For example, the display control unit 230 arranges the articles by associating each article with each frame in the display area. In the example of Fig. 8, articles are arranged in each of frames f11 to f15 arranged in the first display area d100.

[0055] Here, the display control unit 230 arranges the articles based on information about the date and time of each article. For example, the display control unit 230 arranges the multiple articles in chronological order based on information about the date and time of each of the multiple articles. For example, the oldest article is associated with the leftmost frame, the second oldest article is associated with the frame immediately to the right, and the third oldest article is associated with the frame immediately to the right, and so on. Using the example of FIG. 8 , for example, an article published at 5:00 AM on January 1, 2024 is arranged in frame f11, an article published at 7:00 AM on January 1, 2024 is arranged in frame f12, and an article published at 3:00 PM on January 1, 2024 is arranged in frame f13. In this way, the display control unit 230 arranges the multiple articles in chronological order and arranges them. The display control unit 230 can also arrange the articles in chronological order for the user in a vertical, horizontal, or front-to-back direction. Examples of information related to the date and time of an article include the time when the article was published, the time when the article was created, the time when the content of the article was written, or the time when the article was updated.

[0056] The association between a frame and an article can be changed by a user instruction or automatic control by a computer. For example, if frame f11 is associated with article a1 and frame f12 is associated with article a2, the association can be changed so that frame f11 is associated with article a2 and frame f12 is associated with article a1.

[0057] In this disclosure, associating a frame with an article includes matching information defining the location of the frame with information defining the location of the image of the article.

[0058] [Second Display Control] In the second display control, the display control unit 230 displays a second article selected by the user from among multiple articles displayed in the first display area in a second display area that is in front of the first display area. For example, the second display control includes (1) accepting a selection from the user and (2) displaying the selected second article in the second display area. Through the second display control, the article selected by the user is displayed in the second display area within the user's field of view. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a display mode in this embodiment. In FIG. 9, the article selected by the user is displayed in a frame f21 in the second display area d200 that is in front of the first display area d100.

[0059] 1. Acceptance of User Selection The display control unit 230 accepts a user selection of a specific article (second article) from among the multiple articles displayed in the first display area. The user can select the article by, for example, selecting the icon of the article displayed in the user's field of view.

[0060] 2. Display of Second Article in Second Display Area The display control unit 230 displays the second article selected by the user in the second display area, which is in front of the first display area. For example, displaying the second article in the second display area includes (i) changing the position of the second article and (ii) changing the layout.

[0061] (i) Changing the Arrangement of the Second Article The display control unit 230 changes the arrangement of the second article. For example, the display control unit 230 changes the arrangement of the second article by changing the frame with which the second article is associated in response to a user selection of the second article. For example, in response to a user selecting an article associated with a frame in the first display area, the display control unit 230 associates the article with a frame in the second display area. Using the example of FIG. 9 , for example, in response to a user selecting an article associated with frame f11 in the first display area d100, the display control unit 230 associates the article with frame f21 in the second display area d200. Furthermore, for example, the display control unit 230 changes the arrangement of the second article by performing a layout change (described below) that changes the position of the frame with which the second article is associated in response to a user selection of the second article.

[0062] (ii) Changing the Layout The display control unit 230 changes the layout and moves the display area within the user's field of view. For example, the display control unit 230 moves the display area by changing the coordinates assigned to a specific display area. For example, when a user selects an article associated with a frame in the first display area, the display control unit 230 changes the coordinates assigned to the first display area, so that a first display area displaying multiple articles not selected by the user and a second display area displaying a second article selected by the user and positioned in front of the first display area are displayed within the user's field of view. Using the example of FIG. 9 , for example, when a user selects an article associated with frame f11 in the first display area d100, the display control unit 230 changes the coordinates assigned to the first display area d100 and changes the layout so that the second display area d200 is positioned in front of the first display area d100.

[0063] The display control unit 230 may also change the layout and move frames within the user's field of view. For example, the display control unit 230 moves a frame by changing the coordinates assigned to the frame. For example, using the example of FIG. 9 , when the user selects an article associated with frame f11 in the first display area d100, the display control unit 230 changes the coordinates assigned to frame f11 to move frame f11 toward the user or to the second display area.

[0064] In one aspect, when an article is displayed in the second display area, in response to the user selecting a new article in the first display area, the display control unit 230 may move the article displayed in the second display area back to the first display area and display the newly selected article, while moving the newly selected article forward to the second display area. For example, using the example of FIG. 9 , in response to the user selecting a second article associated with frame f11 in the first display area d100, the display control unit 230 changes the coordinates assigned to frame f11 and moves frame f11 to the second display area. In this case, frame f21 in FIG. 9 indicates frame f11 after the movement. Furthermore, when the user newly selects a third article associated with frame f12 in the first display area d100, the display control unit 230 moves frame f11 back to the first display area and displays frame f12 forward to the second display area. This display control allows the user to visually and easily understand that the articles displayed in the second display area have been replaced. Furthermore, during such display control, the display of the second article and the display of the third article may be prevented from overlapping. For example, based on the display sizes of the second article and the third article, the frames of each article may be moved along a flow line determined so that the article displays do not overlap. During such display control, the display control unit 230 may also accept a swipe or drag operation by the user on a specific article as a selection of the article from the user.

[0065] In one aspect, the display control unit 230 can also perform control so that the article displayed in the second display area (the second article selected by the user) is not displayed in the first display area.

[0066] In one aspect, the display control unit 230 controls the display of articles in the virtual space, and displays a second article selected by a user in a second display area located closer to the user than the first display area in the virtual space. For example, the display control unit 230 causes the second article displayed in the first display area to be displayed in the second display area, while changing the coordinates assigned to the first display area. As a result, the second display area displaying the second article selected by the user and the first display area displaying other articles not selected by the user and located farther from the user than the second display area are displayed within the user's field of view. By changing the coordinates assigned to the display areas, the display control unit 230 can position a predetermined display area closer to the user (or in front of the user), position a predetermined display area closer to the user, or position a predetermined display area farther from the user. To explain using the example of Figure 9, for example, when a user selects an article placed in frame f11 of the first display area d100, the display control unit 230 displays the article in frame f21 of the second display area d200, and also changes the three-dimensional coordinates assigned to the first display area d100 so that the distance from the origin of the three-dimensional coordinates assigned to the first display area d100 is longer than the distance from the origin of the three-dimensional coordinates assigned to the second display area d200.

[0067] In one aspect, when a virtual space includes a first display area and a second display area assigned coordinates different from those of the first display area, the display control unit 230 controls the distance from the user to the first display area when no article is placed in the second display area to be approximately equal to the distance from the user to the second display area when an article is placed in the second display area. For example, the display control unit 230 changes the position of the display area within the user's field of view by changing the coordinates assigned to the display area in response to the user's selection of a specific article (second article). The distance from the user to the display area is, for example, the distance from the origin to a position corresponding to the center of the display area.

[0068] [Third Display Control] The display control unit 230 can also perform third display control. In the third display control, the display control unit 230 displays multiple articles related to the content of a person, organization, etc. included in an article displayed in the first display area and / or the second display area. In one aspect, the display control unit 230 displays multiple newly acquired articles based on the content included in the article displayed in the first display area and / or the second display area. The acquisition unit 220 can acquire new articles. Figure 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display mode in this embodiment. In Figure 10, multiple articles are displayed in the third display area d310.

[0069] In the present disclosure, "content contained in an article" refers to information about the content of an article that is read by a computer from the article. For example, it refers to information about the content of people, organizations, social issues, technologies, countries, regions, industries, etc. that appear in the article that is read by a computer from the text of the article. For example, it refers to information about the content of people, organizations, social issues, technologies, countries, regions, industries, etc. that appear in the article that is read by a computer from an image of the article. In the present disclosure, information about the content of people, organizations, social issues, technologies, countries, regions, industries, etc. refers to, for example, information that identifies the name, popularity, or related region of the person or organization, information that identifies keywords related to the social issue, and information that identifies the type of sport if the industry is sports.

[0070] The newly extracted articles may be displayed in a manner that superimposes or does not superimpose on the articles displayed in the first display area or the second display area. It is assumed that the newly extracted articles are related to part of the content of the articles displayed in the first display area or the second display area, and the third display control that displays such articles within the user's field of view is a mechanism for further developing the user's interest in other articles. Therefore, it is preferable that the newly extracted articles be displayed in a manner that does not interfere with the display of the first display area, which displays a first article selected based on the user's initial interests and multiple articles related to the first article, and the second display area, which displays a second article selected based on the user's interests from the multiple articles displayed in the first display area.

[0071] -User Terminal Device- Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of the user terminal device 30. The user terminal device 30 includes a storage unit 310, a UI (User Interface) unit 320, and a terminal control unit 330. The storage unit 310 can be implemented using a storage unit 32 included in the user terminal device 30. The UI unit 320 and the terminal control unit 330 can be implemented by a processor 31 included in the user terminal device 30 executing a program stored in the storage unit 32. The program can be stored in a storage medium. The storage medium storing the program may be a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium. The non-transitory storage medium is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a storage medium such as a USB memory or a CD-ROM.

[0072] (Storage Unit) The storage unit 310 stores various types of information required for the operation of the user terminal device 30. The storage unit 310 stores various programs executed by the UI unit 320 and the terminal control unit 330, which will be described later. In one aspect, the storage unit 310 stores an application program AP that allows a user to receive a service that allows the user to view articles as images. The application program AP may be configured to be installed in the user terminal device 30, or may be configured such that some or all of the functions of the application program AP are provided from another device via a communication network N (so-called Software as a Service: SaaS).

[0073] (UI Unit) The UI unit 320 receives various inputs from the user and displays various screens on a display such as a spatial display.

[0074] (Terminal Control Unit) The terminal control unit 330 performs various processes required for the operation of the user terminal device 30 in cooperation with the server device 20. For example, the terminal control unit 330 acquires information for displaying a screen on a display such as a spatial display from the server device 20, and displays the screen on the display such as a spatial display based on the acquired information.

[0075] With regard to the functional configuration described above, some or all of the storage unit 210, acquisition unit 220, and display control unit 230 included in the server device 20 may be configured to be included in the user terminal device 30. That is, the various processes of the present disclosure may be executed by the processor 21 of the server device 20, by the processor 31 of the user terminal device 30, or by the processors 21 and 31 of the server device 20 and the user terminal device 30.

[0076] <Process> Examples of processes of the information processing system 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 7 to Fig. 13. Fig. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the processes of the server device 20. Figs. 8 to 13 are diagrams for explaining examples of display control by the server device 20.

[0077] First Embodiment (See FIGS. 7, 8, and 9) As a first embodiment, an example of a process relating to the first display control and the second display control of the server device 20 will be described.

[0078] (Article Acquisition) When a user launches the app AP using the user terminal device 30, multiple preloaded articles received from the article source are displayed within the user's field of view. The user selects a first article from the multiple preloaded articles based on the user's interests and concerns. In response to the user's selection of the first article, the server device 20 then acquires multiple articles including the first article and one or more articles related to the first article (S600).

[0079] (First Display Control) Then, the server device 20 displays the acquired multiple articles in the first display area d100 (S610). First, the server device 20 defines the display area by generating information that defines the position of the display area in the user's field of view. For example, the server device 20 defines the first display area d100 in which multiple articles are arranged and displayed in chronological order, and the second display area d200 in which one second article selected by the user from the multiple articles is arranged and displayed.

[0080] Next, the server device 20 determines the number of articles to be displayed in the first display area d100 within the user's field of view. For example, if the number of articles acquired in S600 is 50, the number of articles to be displayed within the user's field of view is determined to be 5, which is a predetermined number of articles that takes into account the user's preferred viewability of the articles. At this time, the number of articles determined in consideration of the preferred viewability of the articles may be adjusted based on the defined range of the first display area d100.

[0081] Next, the server device 20 arranges the frames within the defined display area by generating information defining the positions of a number of frames corresponding to the determined number of articles. For example, if the determined number of articles is five, information defining the position of each frame is generated based on the information defining the position of the first display area d100 so that five frames f11 to f15 corresponding to the five articles are positioned within the first display area d100. The information defining the position of each frame is generated by assigning at least two coordinates to each frame, so that the angle of the frame can be adjusted. In this embodiment, two coordinates are assigned, where the angle formed by the line connecting the origin and the gaze direction and the line connecting the perpendicular line passing through the position corresponding to the center of the article is different. This allows the display angle of each article to be adjusted when the articles are arranged left and right for the user, so that the articles are arranged in a fan shape toward the origin.

[0082] Next, the server device 20 arranges the articles by associating each article with each of the arranged frames.

[0083] 8, such first display control displays the first display area d100 and a date and time display bar d700 that displays information about the date and time of the articles displayed in each of the frames f11 to f15. In this example, five frames f11 to f15 corresponding to the determined number of articles, five, are arranged in the left-right direction for the user in the first display area d100, with articles arranged in each of the frames f11 to f15. In the first display area d100, the articles are displayed aligned in a fan shape toward the origin. Each article is displayed as an image including text and graphics such as photos and videos.

[0084] 7, the server device 20 displays the second article selected by the user in the second display area (S620). First, the server device 20 accepts a user selection of any one of the articles displayed in the first display area d100 as a selection of the second article.

[0085] Next, the server device 20 changes the layout by changing the frame with which the second article is associated. An example of a display in the user's field of view under the second display control will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating the transition (movement) of the display in the user's field of view when the user selects the article located in frame f11 of the first display area d100 as the second article in the example of Fig. 8.

[0086] In the example of Figure 9, the article placed in frame f11 of the first display area is selected as the second article, causing the placement of the second article to change (y10) and be placed in frame f21 of the second display area d200.

[0087] At this time, the coordinates assigned to define the position of the first display area d100 including the frame f11 are changed, and the first display area d100 moves further back than the second display area d200. The first display area d100 is moved so that the distance from the origin to the first display area d100 before the placement of the second article is changed and the distance from the origin to the second display area d200 after the placement of the second article is changed are approximately equal.

[0088] Second Embodiment (See FIGS. 7, 10, 11, 12, and 13) As a second embodiment, an example of a process related to the third display control of the server device 20 will be described. Note that, since the article acquisition, first display control, and second display control are similar to those in the first embodiment, their description will be omitted below. Below, an example of display in the user's field of view based on the first display control, second display control, and third display control will be described with reference to FIGS. 10, 11, 12, and 13.

[0089] The server device 20 acquires a plurality of articles (S600), performs a first display control of displaying the acquired plurality of articles in the first display area d110 (S610), and performs a second display control of displaying a second article selected by the user from the plurality of articles displayed in the first display area d110 in the second display area d210 (S620). The server device 20 also acquires a plurality of new articles related to the content of people, organizations, etc. included in the articles displayed in the first display area d110 and / or the second display area d210, and performs a third display control of displaying the newly acquired articles in the third display area d310.

[0090] First, the server device 20 acquires new articles in the same manner as in the first embodiment. For example, the server device 20 acquires new articles related to a predetermined organization included in the articles displayed in the first display area d110.

[0091] Multiple contents may be extracted from the article displayed in the first display area d110 and / or the second display area d210, and new articles related to each of the extracted multiple contents may be acquired. For example, if four contents, such as "Newspaper Company A," "Device B," "Virtual Space," and "New Device," are extracted from the article displayed in the second display area d210, the server device 20 acquires new articles linked to each of the contents. At this time, new articles related to the contents may be acquired based on, for example, words, images, etc. related to the contents.

[0092] Next, the server device 20 defines the third display area d310 by generating information that defines the position of the third display area d310 in the user's field of view, where the newly acquired articles will be displayed, in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Next, the server device 20 determines the number of articles to be displayed in the defined third display area d310, in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Next, the server device 20 arranges frames for displaying the newly acquired articles within the third display area d310 by generating information that defines the positions of a number of frames corresponding to the determined number of articles, in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Next, the server device 20 arranges the articles by associating one article with each of the arranged frames, in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

[0093] When newly acquired articles related to each of a plurality of contents are acquired, the positions of the frames in which the articles are arranged may be changed for each content. In this case, the server device 20 defines the third display areas d320 and d330 as illustrated in FIG. 11 . Next, the server device 20 determines the number of articles to be displayed in the defined third display areas d320 and d330. Next, the server device 20 generates information defining the positions of a number of frames corresponding to the determined number of articles within the third display areas d320 and d330. In this case, if newly acquired articles related to four contents, such as "Newspaper Company A," "Device B," "Virtual Space," and "New Device," the server device 20 generates information defining the positions of frame f31 for arranging an article related to "Newspaper Company A," frame f32 for arranging an article related to "Device B," frame f33 for arranging an article related to "Virtual Space," and frame f34 for arranging an article related to "New Device," and then arranges these frames. In this way, the positions of the frames in which articles are arranged may be changed for each of a plurality of contents. In the example described above, when there are four contents for acquiring new articles, frames are arranged at four different positions corresponding to the respective contents, but if there are five contents for acquiring new articles, frames may be arranged at five different positions. Next, the server device 20 arranges the articles by associating each of the arranged frames with an article.

[0094] In the third display control, the definition of the third display areas d310 to d330, the determination of the number of articles, and the arrangement of frames may be performed so that the display of newly acquired articles does not interfere with the display of the first display area d110 or the second display area d210. For example, the server device 20 may arrange frames in a superimposed manner in the third display areas d310 to d330, or may determine the number of articles to be displayed in the third display areas d310 to d330 so that it is less than a predetermined number.

[0095] In the example of FIG. 10, a first display area d110, a second display area d210, a date and time display bar d710, a third display area d310 for displaying newly acquired articles, and a controller panel d810 are displayed.

[0096] The controller panel d810 is an object for the user to perform various inputs. The controller panel d810 displays a button d811 for canceling the display in the second display area d210, a button d812 for changing the article displayed in the second display area d210 to the article located to the right in the first display area d110, a button d813 for changing the article displayed in the second display area d210 to the article located to the left in the first display area d110, and a slide bar d814 for adjusting the number of articles displayed in the first display area d110 based on information about the date and time of each article.

[0097] The slide bar d814 can be used by the user to instruct adjustment of the period. Articles having information about dates and times within the period specified by the user are determined to be the articles to be displayed in the first display area d110. For example, when a "period: 1 week" has been set, the user instructs adjustment of the period, which results in the setting of "period: 1 month." At this time, the display control unit 230 of the server device 20 causes articles having information about dates and times within the "period: 1 month" period to be displayed in the first display area d110. Similarly, when a "period: 1 week" has been set, the user instructs adjustment of the period, which results in the setting of "period: 24 hours." At this time, the display control unit 230 of the server device 20 causes articles having information about dates and times within the "period: 24 hours" period to be displayed in the first display area d110.

[0098] In the example of FIG. 10 , a button d310a for selecting an article displayed in the third display area d310 is displayed in the third display area d310. By selecting the button d310a, the user can instruct a display for viewing the article displayed in the third display area d310. When the selection of the button d310a is accepted, the server device 20 performs a display d410 of the article displayed in the third display area d310 of FIG. 10 , as shown in FIG. 12 , for example. In the example of FIG. 11 , a button d330a for selecting an article displayed in the third display area d330 is displayed in the third display area d330. By selecting the button d330a, the user can instruct a display for viewing the article displayed in the third display area d330. When the selection of the button d330a is accepted, the server device 20 performs a display d420 of the article displayed in the third display area d330 of FIG. 11 , as shown in FIG. 13 , for example. The position of the display for viewing an article displayed in the third display area in more detail, as illustrated in Figures 12 and 13, may be determined based on the position of the display within the third display area. For example, the position of the display for viewing an article displayed in the third display area d310 in Figure 10 is determined based on the position of the third display area d310 within the user's field of view. As a result, a display for viewing an article in more detail in the third display area d310 in Figure 10, which is displayed to the left and in front of the user within the user's field of view, is displayed to the left and in front of the user within the user's field of view, as in display d410 in Figure 12. Similarly, a display for viewing an article in the third display area d330 in Figure 11, which is displayed to the right and in front of the user within the user's field of view, is displayed to the right and in front of the user within the user's field of view, as in display d420 in Figure 13.

[0099] The above-described embodiments are intended to facilitate understanding of the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. The elements included in the flowcharts and embodiments described in the present disclosure, as well as their arrangements, materials, conditions, shapes, sizes, and the like, are not limited to those exemplified and can be modified as appropriate.

[0100] <Effects> An information processing device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of articles, including a first article and one or more articles related to the first article; and a display control unit that performs first display control to organize the plurality of articles in chronological order in a first display area according to information related to the date and time of each of the acquired articles, and second display control to display a second article selected by a user from the plurality of articles in a second display area in front of the first display area. According to this aspect, articles can be displayed in a list format for the user. Furthermore, the user can simultaneously view multiple articles, including the article selected based on their own interests and articles related to the selected article, which encourages understanding of the causal relationships and background of events and encourages the user to gain a deeper understanding of the news.

[0101] In one aspect, the display control unit controls the display of an article displayed in the second display area so that the article is not displayed in the first display area. According to this aspect, the articles can be displayed in a list format by making the articles appear to move in the user's field of view. Furthermore, the user can experience improved operability of the displayed content, thereby improving the user's customer experience.

[0102] In one aspect, the display control unit determines the angle of each of the multiple articles displayed in the first display area based on the number of articles in the multiple articles acquired by the acquisition unit. According to this aspect, by providing a layout that takes the number of articles into consideration, it is possible to display the articles in a list. Furthermore, even if the number of articles displayed increases, the user can view multiple articles simultaneously, which promotes understanding of the overall picture of the event.

[0103] In one aspect, the display control unit displays multiple articles in a virtual space, and in the virtual space, the second display area is positioned closer to the user than the first display area. According to this aspect, articles can be displayed in a list format by making articles selected by the user appear closer to the user in the virtual space than articles not selected by the user. The user can view the selected articles in the virtual space while feeling relatively closer to them, thereby improving the user's customer experience.

[0104] In one aspect, the display control unit controls the virtual space so that the distance from the user to the first display area when no article is displayed in the second display area is approximately equal to the distance from the user to the first display area when the article is displayed in the second display area. According to this aspect, the article can be displayed without substantially changing the distance to the article perceived by the user. Furthermore, the user can concentrate on viewing the selected article without changing the distance at which their eyes focus, thereby reducing eye strain.

[0105] In one aspect, the information about the date and time is the time the article was published. According to this aspect, by providing a layout that takes into account the time the article was published, it is possible to display articles in a list. Furthermore, since the user can browse multiple articles organized according to the time the article was published, it is possible to understand the causal relationships and background of events, and it is possible to encourage the user to gain a deeper understanding of the news.

[0106] In one aspect, the display control unit displays articles aligned horizontally relative to the user in the first display area. According to this aspect, by aligning the articles horizontally in chronological order, the articles can be displayed in a list. Furthermore, since the horizontal chronological progression is expected to be natural and intuitive for the user, this is useful for promoting quick understanding of the flow of events and causal relationships, and for promoting effective memorization of the content of articles.

[0107] In one aspect, the display control unit further performs third display control to display multiple articles related to a person or organization included in the second article selected by the user. According to this aspect, articles related to the article selected by the user based on the user's interests can be further displayed and presented to the user. Furthermore, since it is expected that the user's interest in other articles will further develop, this is useful for encouraging further use of services equipped with the mechanism of the present disclosure.

[0108] An information processing method according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes the steps of: acquiring a plurality of articles, including a first article and one or more articles related to the first article, performing a first display control of chronologically organizing the plurality of articles in a first display area according to information relating to the date and time of each of the acquired plurality of articles, and displaying a second article selected by a user from the plurality of articles in a second display area in front of the first display area. According to this aspect, articles can be displayed in a list format for the user. Furthermore, the user can simultaneously view multiple articles, including the article selected based on their own interests and articles related to the selected article, which promotes an understanding of the causal relationships and background of events and encourages the user to gain a deeper understanding of the news.

[0109] A program according to one aspect of the present disclosure causes one or more computers to execute the following steps: acquiring a plurality of articles including a first article and one or more articles related to the first article; performing a first display control of chronologically organizing the plurality of articles in a first display area based on information about the date and time of each of the acquired articles and displaying the plurality of articles in a first display area; and performing a second display area of ​​a second article selected by a user from the plurality of articles in a second display area in front of the first display area. According to this aspect, articles can be displayed in a list format for the user. Furthermore, the user can simultaneously view multiple articles, including the article selected based on their own interests and articles related to the selected article, which promotes an understanding of the causal relationships and background of events and encourages the user to gain a deeper understanding of the news.

[0110] 1...information processing system, 20...server device, 21...processor, 22...storage device, 23...communication IF, 24...input device, 25...output device, 30...user terminal device, 31...processor, 32...storage device, 33...communication IF, 34...input device, 35...output device, 210...storage unit, 220...acquisition unit, 230...display control unit, 310...storage unit, 320...UI unit, 330...terminal control unit

Claims

1. An information processing device comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of articles including a first article and one or more articles related to the first article; a display control unit that performs a first display control that arranges the plurality of articles in chronological order according to information relating to the date and time of each of the acquired plurality of articles and displays them in a first display area; and a second display control that displays a second article selected by a user from the plurality of articles in a second display area in front of the first display area.

2. An information processing device comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of articles including a first article and one or more articles related to the first article; and a display control unit that performs a first display control that organizes the plurality of articles in chronological order according to information regarding the date and time of each of the acquired plurality of articles and displays them in a first display area, and a second display control that displays a second article selected by a user from the plurality of articles at a first position determined in a second display area that is in front of the first display area, wherein the display control unit displays the plurality of articles in a virtual space and arranges the second display area so that, in the virtual space, the second display area is located closer to the user than the first display area, and controls the distance from the user to the first display area when no article is displayed in the second display area to be approximately equal to the distance from the user to the second display area when an article is displayed in the second display area.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the display control unit controls the article displayed in the second display area so that the article is not displayed in the first display area.

4. An information processing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the display control unit determines the angle of each of the plurality of articles to be displayed in the first display area based on the number of articles in the plurality of articles acquired by the acquisition unit.

5. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit displays the plurality of articles in a virtual space, and arranges the second display area in the virtual space so that it is positioned closer to the user than the first display area.

6. The information processing device described in claim 5, wherein the display control unit controls the distance from the user to the first display area when no article is displayed in the second display area to be approximately equal to the distance from the user to the second display area when an article is displayed in the second display area in the virtual space.

7. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the information relating to date and time is the time when the article was published.

8. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the display control unit displays articles aligned in the left-right direction relative to the user in the first display area.

9. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the display control unit further performs third display control to display a plurality of articles related to a person or organization included in the second article selected by the user.

10. An information processing method in which one or more computers execute the steps of: acquiring a plurality of articles including a first article and one or more articles related to the first article; performing a first display control of chronologically organizing the plurality of articles acquired according to information relating to the date and time of each of the plurality of articles and displaying them in a first display area; and performing a second display control of displaying a second article selected by a user from the plurality of articles in a second display area in front of the first display area.

11. A program that causes one or more computers to execute the following steps: acquiring a plurality of articles including a first article and one or more articles related to the first article; performing a first display control that arranges the acquired plurality of articles in chronological order according to information relating to the date and time of each of the acquired plurality of articles and displays them in a first display area; and performing a second display control that displays a second article selected by a user from the plurality of articles in a second display area in front of the first display area.

Images