System and method

Abstract

Provided is a new system for outputting an advertisement.　The system comprises at least a user terminal. The user terminal comprises: a display means for displaying content; and an advertisement display means for displaying an advertisement in a part on a window for displaying the content.

Description

Systems and methods

[0001] The present invention relates to a system and method for outputting advertisements.

[0002] Recently, there are many apps and services that allow users to watch manga and videos for free. Conventionally, there have been advertisement display status monitoring programs that claim to be able to more accurately monitor advertisement display status (see Patent Document 1).

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-109706

[0004] The object of the present invention can be exemplified as follows, but is not limited to these: An object of the present invention is to provide a novel system for outputting advertisements.

[0005] The problems are, for example, [1] a system including at least a user terminal, the user terminal including a display means for displaying content and an advertisement display means for displaying an advertisement in a part of a window displaying the content; [2] the system according to [1] above, including a counting means for counting the number of times an advertisement is output by the advertisement display means in a certain period of time in a plurality of user terminals and / or the advertisement output time; [3] the system according to [1] or [2] above, including an advertising fee calculation means for calculating an advertising fee to be paid by an advertising client based on the number of times an advertisement is output by the advertisement display means in a certain period of time in a plurality of user terminals and / or the advertisement output time; [4] the system according to any of [1] to [3] above, including a remuneration calculation means for calculating a remuneration to be received by a content provider for displaying an advertisement based on the number of times an advertisement is output by the advertisement display means in a certain period of time in a plurality of user terminals; [5] The system according to any one of [1] to [4], comprising a first server device and a second server device, the second server device comprising second advertisement transmitting means for transmitting advertisements to the first server device, the first server device comprising content transmitting means for transmitting content to a user terminal and first advertisement transmitting means for transmitting advertisements received from the second server device to the user terminal, the display means displays the content received from the first server device, and the advertisement display means displays the advertisements received from the first server device; [6] The system according to any one of [1] to [4], comprising a first server device and a second server device, the second server device comprising content transmitting means for transmitting content to a user terminal, the first server device comprising first advertisement transmitting means for transmitting advertisements to the user terminal, the display means displays the content received from the second server device, and the advertisement display means displays the advertisements received from the first server device; [7] The system according to any one of [1] to [4] above, comprising a server device, the server device comprising a content transmitting means for transmitting content to the user terminal and a first advertisement transmitting means for transmitting advertisements to the user terminal, the display means for displaying the content received from the server device, and the advertisement display means for displaying the advertisements received from the server device;[8] The system according to any one of [1] to [7] above, comprising an information storage means for storing or updating predetermined information in response to transmission of an advertisement from a server device to a user terminal or in response to displaying an advertisement on the user terminal; [9] The system according to [8] above, wherein the predetermined information is points to be awarded to a user operating the user terminal;

[10] The system according to any one of [1] to [9] above, comprising a first advertisement display means for displaying an advertisement on a portion of a window of one application on the user terminal, and a second advertisement display means for displaying an advertisement on a portion of a window of another application on the user terminal, wherein when the user terminal switches from running one application to running another application, the second advertisement display means continues to display the advertisement displayed by the first advertisement display means;

[11] A system comprising at least a user terminal, comprising a first advertisement display means for displaying an advertisement on a portion of a window of one application that is running;

[12] The system according to

[11] above, which includes a second advertisement display means for displaying an advertisement in a portion of the window of another application that is running, and when the user terminal switches from running one application to running another application, the second advertisement display means continues to display the advertisement displayed by the first advertisement display means;

[13] The system according to

[11] or

[12] above, which includes a counting means for counting the number of times an advertisement is output by the first advertisement display means and / or the second advertisement display means in a certain period of time in a plurality of user terminals;

[14] The system according to any of

[11] to

[13] above, which includes a calculation means for calculating an advertising fee to be paid by an advertising client based on the number of times an advertisement is output by the first advertisement display means and / or the second advertisement display means in a certain period of time in a plurality of user terminals;

[15] The system according to any one of

[11] to

[14] , further comprising a remuneration calculation means for calculating a remuneration to be received by a content provider for displaying an advertisement based on the number of times an advertisement is output by the first advertisement display means and / or the second advertisement display means in a certain period of time in a plurality of user terminals;

[16] The problem can be solved by a method executed in a system including at least a user terminal, the method including a first advertisement display step of displaying an advertisement on a portion of a window of one application that is running.

[0006] The effects of the present invention include, but are not limited to, the following: According to the present invention, a novel system for outputting advertisements can be provided.

[0007] 1 is an example of a display screen of a user terminal. 2 is an example of a display screen of a user terminal. 3 is an example of a display screen of a user terminal. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a system. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a user terminal. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a first server device. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a second server device. 8 is a diagram showing a flowchart of an advertisement display process. 9 is a diagram showing a flowchart of an application switching process. 10 is a diagram showing a flowchart of an advertisement publishing fee calculation process. 11 is a diagram showing a flowchart of an advertisement display remuneration calculation process.

[0008] The following describes embodiments of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments as long as they do not violate the spirit of the present invention. The order of each process constituting the flowcharts described below is random as long as no contradictions or inconsistencies occur in the process content. Furthermore, it is possible to omit some of the processes constituting the flowcharts or add new processes to each process constituting the flowcharts as long as they do not violate the spirit of the present invention. Furthermore, the device that executes each process constituting the flowcharts can be changed to another device as long as it does not violate the spirit of the present invention. In this case, the process content can be changed so as not to cause contradictions or inconsistencies in the process content.

[0009] The present invention provides a system including at least a user terminal, the user terminal including a display means for displaying content and an advertisement display means for displaying an advertisement in a portion of a window displaying the content. This system is applicable, for example, to a case where a single advertisement provider displays advertisements on user terminals in multiple content applications. An advertisement requester (advertiser) pays a fee (advertising fee) for displaying an advertisement to each content application provider. The content application provider not only uses the received advertising fee as revenue for itself, but also returns it to users in the form of points, etc., as described below. The advertising fee paid by the advertiser can be calculated based on a count of the number of times an advertisement is output and / or the advertisement output time for multiple user terminals over a certain period of time. The advertising fee received by the content application provider is calculated for each content application provider on multiple user terminals, and can be calculated based on a count of the number of times an advertisement is output and / or the advertisement output time for each content application provider over a certain period of time. These advertising fees can be calculated by the system.

[0010] The content application provider is a concept that includes content distribution service platforms.

[0011] The present invention also provides a system including at least a user terminal, the system including a first advertisement display means for displaying an advertisement in a portion of the window of a running first application. The system also includes a second advertisement display means for displaying an advertisement in a portion of the window of a running second application. When the user terminal transitions from running the first application to running the second application, the second advertisement display means continues to display the advertisement displayed by the first advertisement display means. In this case, the advertising client (advertiser) pays a fee (advertising fee) to each content application provider for displaying the advertisement. The content application provider can use the advertising fee received as revenue for its own purposes without providing reward points or the like to users. The advertising fee paid by the advertiser can be calculated based on the results of tallying the number of times an advertisement is output and / or the duration of the advertisement output over a certain period of time on multiple user terminals. The advertising fee received by the content application provider can be calculated for each content application provider over multiple user terminals, based on the results of tallying the number of times an advertisement is output and / or the duration of the advertisement output when the provider outputs content over a certain period of time. These advertising fees can be calculated by the system.

[0012] Here, the window displaying the content and the window of an application in operation are concepts that include not only a window displayed on a portion of the display screen, but also the entire display screen when the content corresponding to an application is displayed full-screen across the entire display screen.

[0013] 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the system 10. The system 10 includes at least one computer device, such as a server device. The system 10 may include multiple computer devices, and the functions of the server may be performed by these multiple computer devices.

[0014] The system 10 is composed of, for example, a user terminal 13 operated by a user, a server device, and a communication network 14. In the following, an example of the system 10 including a first server device 11 and a second server device 12 will be described, but the first server device and the second server device may be a single server device, or may be physically configured as one server device.

[0015] The user terminal 13 can be communicatively connected to the first server device 11 and / or the second server device 12 via the communication network 14. The system 10 may include one user terminal 13 or multiple user terminals 13.

[0016] The user terminal 13 is not particularly limited as long as it is a computer device having a display screen and an input unit. The user terminal 13 may be a stationary type or a portable type that the user can carry when traveling. Examples of the user terminal 13 include conventional mobile phones, tablet terminals, smartphones, and desktop and notebook personal computers. The user terminal 13 is preferably a portable terminal such as a tablet terminal or smartphone. The present invention is preferably used with a tablet terminal or smartphone that typically displays a full-screen display in which a single application window is displayed across the entire screen, except when the display is in PinP format.

[0017] 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a user terminal 13. The user terminal 13 includes a control unit 13a, a main memory 13b, a storage unit (memory unit) 13c, an input device 13d, a display device 13e, and a communication interface 13f, all of which are connected by a bus.

[0018] The control unit 13a is composed of a CPU and a ROM. The control unit 13a executes programs stored in the storage unit 13c and controls the user terminal 13. For example, a RAM is used as the main memory 13b. The main memory 13b is a work area for the control unit 13a. The storage unit 13c is a storage area for saving programs and data. The control unit 13a performs arithmetic processing based on programs read from the main memory 13b or programs stored in an external storage medium, and data input via the input device 13d.

[0019] The display device 13e has a display screen. The control unit 13a outputs a video signal for displaying an image on the display screen in accordance with the result of the arithmetic processing. Here, the display screen may be a touch panel equipped with a touch sensor. In this case, the touch panel functions as the input device 13d.

[0020] The communication interface 13f can be connected to the communication network 14 wirelessly or via a wire, and can transmit and receive data to and from the first server device 11 or the second server device 12 via the communication network 14. Data received via the communication interface 13f is loaded into the main memory 13b, and is processed by the control unit 13a.

[0021] 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the first server device 11. The first server device 11 includes a control unit 11a, a main memory 11b, a storage unit (memory unit) 11c, and a communication interface 11d, which are all connected by a bus.

[0022] The control unit 11a is composed of a CPU and ROM, and executes programs stored in the storage unit 11c to control the first server device 11. The control unit 11a also has an internal timer for measuring time. The main memory 11b is the work area of ​​the control unit 11a. The storage unit 11c is a storage area for saving programs and data. The control unit 11a performs program execution processing based on programs read from the main memory 11b or programs stored in an external storage medium, and information received from the user terminal 13.

[0023] 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the second server device 12. The second server device 12 includes a control unit 12a, a main memory 12b, a storage unit (memory unit) 12c, and a communication interface 12d, which are all connected by a bus.

[0024] The control unit 12a is composed of a CPU and ROM, and executes programs stored in the storage unit 12c to control the second server device 12. The control unit 12a also has an internal timer for measuring time. The main memory 12b is a work area for the control unit 12a. The storage unit 12c is a storage area for saving programs and data. The control unit 12a performs program execution processing based on programs read from the main memory 12b or programs stored in an external storage medium, and information received from the user terminal 13.

[0025] The first server device 11 has a function of establishing a communication connection with the user terminal 13 and controlling the output of advertisements on the user terminal 13. An application (hereinafter referred to as the "first application") for accessing the first server device 11 and displaying advertisements on the display screen of the user terminal 13 is installed in the user terminal 13 operated by the user. The user operates the input device 13d of the user terminal 13 to start the first application and access the first server device 11. The first application may be a browser.

[0026] By operating the input device 13d of the user terminal 13, the user can use the function of the first application to send an advertisement output request to the first server device 11. When the first server device 11 receives the advertisement output request, the advertisement stored in the first server device 11 is sent to the user terminal 13. The user terminal 13 may download the advertisement or receive the advertisement by streaming.

[0027] The first server device 11 can store and manage, for each user, a history of advertisement output and information stored or updated in response to the advertisement output in a user management table. Examples of information stored or updated in response to the advertisement output include points awarded to users. The user management table of the first server device 11 can store points acquired by users in association with user identification information that identifies the user. Points are awarded to users, for example, each time an advertisement is output on the user terminal 13. Each time an advertisement is output, the value of the points is incremented and updated in the user management table. The value of the points to be incremented may also differ depending on the advertisement output. The awarded points are consumed when a predetermined information process is executed in the first server device 11, the second server device 12, the user terminal 13, or another computer device.

[0028] Furthermore, information that is stored or updated in response to the output of an advertisement includes a flag indicating whether or not a predetermined information processing is possible in the first server device 11, the second server device 12, the user terminal 13, or another computer device. In the user management table of the first server device 11, the flag is stored in association with user identification information that identifies the user. For example, if the conditions for enabling the predetermined information processing are met, "true" is stored, and if the conditions for enabling the predetermined information processing are not met, "false" is stored.

[0029] The condition for enabling a predetermined information processing can be set as appropriate. For example, the condition for enabling a predetermined information processing can be that the number of times an advertisement is output in the user terminal 13 is equal to or greater than a predetermined number (the predetermined number can be designed as appropriate as long as it is equal to or greater than one). Here, for example, the number of times an advertisement is output can be set to one when one video advertisement is output from start to finish, or when it is output from start to a predetermined time. Also, the condition for enabling a predetermined information processing can be that the advertisement output time is equal to or greater than a predetermined time. Here, the advertisement output time may be the output time of one advertisement or the total output time of multiple advertisements.

[0030] In addition to the method of managing points and flags in the user management table, it is also possible to enable specific information processing in the first server device 11, the second server device 12, or the user terminal 13 simply in response to the output of an advertisement.

[0031] When the user terminal 13 receives an advertisement from the first server device 11, the content and the advertisement are displayed on the display screen of the user terminal 13. The user terminal 13 can display an advertisement in PinP (Picture-in-Picture) format on a portion of the display screen on which the content is displayed, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 . Furthermore, when the user terminal 13 does not display the first application on the display screen but instead displays a screen by another application (an application capable of providing content different from the first application) different from the first application, it is also possible to display an advertisement in PinP format on a portion of the screen by the other application, as shown in FIG. 2 . Furthermore, when the user terminal 13 does not display the first application on the display screen but instead displays a home screen, it is also possible to display an advertisement in PinP format on a portion of the home screen, as shown in FIG. 1 . This allows the user to view an advertisement even when a screen by an application different from the first application is displayed or when the home screen is displayed.

[0032] The format of the data constituting the advertisement is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a text advertisement, an audio advertisement, an advertisement using a still image (for example, a banner, etc.), or a video advertisement.

[0033] The second server device 12 fulfills a different role and function from the first server device 11. For example, the second server device 12 has a function of establishing a communication connection with the user terminal 13 and providing products or services to the user terminal 13. An application (hereinafter referred to as a second application) for accessing the second server device 12 and receiving products or services is installed in the user terminal 13 operated by the user. The user operates the input device 13d of the user terminal 13 to launch the second application and access the second server device 12. The second application may be a browser.

[0034] There are no particular limitations on the products and services that can be provided using the first application and the second application. Examples of products include books, home appliances, electronic devices, stationery, food, clothing, toys, and electronic content (downloads of electronic content such as manga and videos) that can be purchased on regular e-commerce sites. Examples of services include services that can be received offline, such as in stores, as well as services that can be received online. Examples of services that can be received online include services that provide games, services that distribute content such as manga, videos, music, audio, books, and games, and services that provide communication tools such as social networking services. Services that can be received online also include SaaS (Software as a Service).

[0035] For example, a user can operate the input device 13d of the user terminal 13 to send a product purchase request to the second server device 12. The second server device 12 queries the user management table of the first server device 11 and determines whether the points granted to the corresponding user are equal to or greater than the points corresponding to the product. If the determination result shows that the points granted to the corresponding user are equal to or greater than the points corresponding to the product, the points are consumed, and the user can purchase the product.

[0036] For example, a user can operate the input device 13d of the user terminal 13 to send a delivery request for content such as manga, video, music, audio, books, or games to the first server device 11 or the second server device 12. The first server device 11 consults the user management table and determines whether a flag indicating that delivery of the requested content is permitted is stored for the corresponding user. The second server device 12 consults the user management table of the first server device 11 and determines whether a flag indicating that delivery of the requested content is permitted is stored for the corresponding user. If the determination results in a flag indicating that delivery of the requested content is permitted, the flag is updated to indicate that delivery of the content is prohibited, and the content is delivered from the second server device 12 to the user terminal 13.

[0037] The above-mentioned predetermined information processing is not particularly limited. When purchasing a product using the second application, the predetermined information processing can be a product purchase process by the second server device 12 or a purchase process after a price reduction for the product, or a product purchase request or a transmission process by the user terminal 13 after a price reduction for the product. Therefore, if the points awarded to the corresponding user in the user management table are less than a predetermined value or if a flag for allowing the purchase of the product is not stored, the product purchase process by the second server device 12 or the transmission process of the product purchase request by the user terminal 13 cannot be executed.

[0038] Furthermore, when the second application provides a content distribution service, the predetermined information processing may be content distribution processing by the second server device 12, content distribution processing after a distribution fee has been reduced, or content output processing by the user terminal 13, or content output processing after a distribution fee has been reduced. Therefore, if the points assigned to the corresponding user in the user management table are less than a predetermined value or if a flag for enabling content distribution is not stored, the content distribution processing by the second server device 12 or the content output processing by the user terminal 13 cannot be executed.

[0039] The first advertisement display process will now be described. Fig. 8 is a flowchart of the first advertisement display process. Note that while steps S7 to S12 are being executed, steps S41 to S46 of the application switching process (described later) can be executed in parallel.

[0040] The user operates the input device 13d of the user terminal 13 to start the first application, access the first server device 11, and log in. When logging in, the user enters user identification information that can identify the user and a password. After logging in, the user uses the first application to output content (step S1). The content to be output is not particularly limited. The content to be output may be manga, video, music, audio, books, games, etc., a web search service, a reservation site for restaurants, accommodations, etc., or a communication tool such as SNS.

[0041] Next, the user operates the input device 13d of the user terminal 13 to transmit an advertisement output request to the first server device 11 (step S2). The first server device 11 receives the advertisement output request from the user terminal 13 (step S3).

[0042] When the first server device 11 receives the advertisement output request, it identifies an advertisement to be output together with the content on the user terminal 13 (step S4). The advertisement may be any of text data, still image data, video data, and audio data.

[0043] In step S4, an advertisement can be identified so that a different advertisement is output depending on the application currently running on the user terminal 13. As described above, since the application switching process can be executed in parallel while the advertisement display process is being executed, the application currently running on the user terminal 13 may be an application different from the first application. In this case, information about the application currently running on the user terminal 13 is transmitted to the first server device 11, and this information about the application currently running is used to identify the advertisement. For example, if the application currently running is a game, an advertisement related to the game is identified. In this way, an advertisement can be identified depending on the genre and purpose of the application currently running.

[0044] Furthermore, in step S4, an advertisement can be specified so that a different advertisement is output depending on the display content in the window of the application running on the user terminal 13. At this time, information about the display content in the window of the application running on the user terminal 13 is transmitted to the first server device 11, and this information about the running application is used to specify the advertisement.

[0045] Furthermore, if an application that enables capturing images of the real world using a camera installed in the user terminal 13 is running, in step S4, an advertisement can be identified so that different advertisements are output depending on the image captured by the camera. When step S4 is executed, image information captured by the camera of the user terminal 13 is transmitted to the first server device 11, and this image information is used to identify the advertisement. The display screen of the user terminal 13 displays the real world image captured by the camera (i.e., the real world image corresponding to the image information). For example, if the real world image captured by the camera is an ocean view, an advertisement related to the ocean (e.g., an advertisement for fishing gear or marine sports) is displayed. The scenery can be identified using a machine-learned prediction model that uses the image as input data and the content of the image as output data.

[0046] Furthermore, if a home screen is displayed on the user terminal, in step S4, an advertisement can be identified so that different advertisements are output depending on the display content of the home screen. The display content of the home screen can be, for example, icons corresponding to various applications displayed on the home screen or a standby image displayed on the home screen. During execution of step S4, the display content of the home screen is transmitted to the first server device 11, and information about the running applications is used to identify the advertisement.

[0047] When an advertisement is identified in step S4, the first server device 11 transmits the identified advertisement to the user terminal 13 (step S5). The user terminal 13 receives the advertisement from the first server device 11 (step S6). If the advertisement is a video, the advertisement is received in streaming format. The received advertisement is output by the user terminal 13 (step S7).

[0048] In step S7, the content can be displayed on the entire display screen of the user terminal 13, or the advertisement can be displayed in PinP (Picture-in-Picture) format on a portion of the display screen as shown in Figures 1 to 3. For example, the advertisement can be displayed in PinP format on a portion of the screen of the first application.

[0049] If the advertisement is a text advertisement or a still image advertisement, the advertisement ends after a predetermined time has elapsed since the advertisement was displayed. If the advertisement is a video advertisement or an audio advertisement, output of the advertisement is completed when playback of the video data or audio data ends (step S8).

[0050] When the output of the advertisement is completed, the user terminal 13 notifies the first server device 11 that the advertisement has been completed (step S9). The first server device 11 receives the notification that the advertisement has been completed (step S10).

[0051] Next, the user management table stored in the storage unit 11c of the first server device 11 is updated (step S11). The user management table stores user identification information (user ID) that can identify the user operating the user terminal 13 and points owned by the user, in association with each other. In step S11, points are awarded to the user in response to transmission of an advertisement from the first server device 11 to the user terminal 13 or output of an advertisement on the user terminal 13. A different value of points may be awarded for each advertisement. The value of points to be awarded for each advertisement may be stored in advance, or the value of points may be determined depending on the playback time of the video or audio advertisement. In step S11, points may be awarded to the user in response to transmission of one advertisement from the first server device 11 or output of one advertisement on the user terminal 13, or depending on the total time of the transmitted advertisements or the total time of the output advertisements.

[0052] Next, the advertisement management table stored in the storage unit 11c of the first server device 11 is updated (step S12). The advertisement management table stores the number of times an advertisement is output (number of impressions) and / or the advertisement output time (display time) in association with advertiser identification information (advertiser ID) that can identify the advertiser who placed the advertisement and / or advertisement identification information (advertisement ID) that can identify the advertisement. In step S12, the number of times an advertisement is output and / or the advertisement output time is updated. If the number of times an advertisement is output is updated, the number of times an advertisement is output is incremented by "1" each time a notification of completion of the advertisement is received in step S11. The advertisement output time is the cumulative time that the advertisement is output over a certain period of time. If the advertisement output time is updated, the advertisement output time is added each time a notification of completion of the advertisement is received in step S11. If the advertisement is a video, the length of the video is added to the advertisement output time.

[0053] The advertisement management table may store the number of times an advertisement is output (the number of times it is displayed) and / or the length of time the advertisement is output (the length of time the advertisement is displayed), in association with provider identification information that identifies a provider that provides an application or content (here, a provider that provides the first application). In step S12, the number of times the advertisement is output and / or the length of time the advertisement is output is updated.

[0054] When step S12 is completed, the process returns to step S1, and the processes from steps S4 to S12 can be repeated, or when step S12 is completed, the process returns to step S4, and the processes from steps S4 to S12 can be repeated.

[0055] When repeatedly playing back an advertisement, in step S4, the same advertisement as that previously transmitted to the user terminal 13 may be identified, or an advertisement different from that previously transmitted to the user terminal 13 may be identified. Also, the user may operate the input device 13d of the user terminal 13 to end the continuous playback of the advertisement without returning to step S4.

[0056] In step S11, points are awarded in response to transmission of an advertisement from the first server device 11 to the user terminal 13 or in response to output of an advertisement at the user terminal 13. Alternatively, for example, a flag indicating whether predetermined information processing is possible can be updated in the first server device 11, the second server device 12, or the user terminal 13. A flag indicating that predetermined information processing is possible is set each time transmission of an advertisement from the first server device 11 or output of an advertisement at the user terminal 13 is completed, each time a predetermined number of transmissions of these advertisements or output of these advertisements are completed, or each time the total time of transmission of these advertisements or output of these advertisements has passed a predetermined time.

[0057] The advertisement display process ends at steps S1 to S12.

[0058] The second advertisement display process will now be described. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a flowchart of the second advertisement display process. The second advertisement display process can be executed instead of the first advertisement display process. Note that while steps S25 to S37 are being executed, steps S41 to S46 of the application switching process, which will be described later, can be executed in parallel.

[0059] The user operates the input device 13d of the user terminal 13 to start the second application, access the second server device 12, and log in. When logging in, the user enters user identification information that can identify the user and a password. After logging in, the user uses the second application to send a content output request to the second server device 12 (step S21). The second server device 12 receives the content output request from the user terminal 13 (step S22).

[0060] When the second server device 12 receives the content output request, it transmits the content to the user terminal 13 (step S23). The user terminal 13 receives the content from the second server device 12 (step S24). The received content is output by the user terminal 13 (step S25). In step S25, the content is displayed on the entire display screen of the user terminal 13.

[0061] The content output using the second application in step S25 is not particularly limited. The content output in step S25 may be manga, video, music, audio, books, games, etc., a web search service, a reservation site for restaurants, accommodations, etc., or a communication tool such as SNS.

[0062] Next, when the conditions for outputting an advertisement are satisfied (step S26), the user terminal 13 transmits a request to output an advertisement to the first server device 11 (step S27). The conditions for outputting an advertisement can be set as appropriate depending on the purpose and function of the second application and the type of content. If the second application distributes content such as manga, video, music, audio, books, or games, examples of the conditions for outputting an advertisement include reaching a milestone in the distributed content, having distributed the content for a predetermined period of time, or having distributed a predetermined amount of content. A milestone in the content specifically refers to the completion of distribution of one episode or volume of a manga, the completion of distribution of one piece of music, or the completion of distribution of one video. Furthermore, as a condition for outputting an advertisement, when such distributed content reaches a break, when content has been distributed for a predetermined time, or when a predetermined amount of content has been distributed, a question as to whether or not to display an advertisement, such as "Do you want to display an advertisement?", is displayed on the display screen of the user terminal 1, and a button to select whether to display the advertisement is pressed on the user terminal 1, for example.

[0063] In step S27, a request to output an advertisement is sent from the user terminal 13 to the first server device 11, but the request to output an advertisement may also be sent from the user terminal 1 to the first server device 11 via the second server device 12.

[0064] The first server device 11 receives the advertisement output request from the user terminal 13 (step S28). Upon receiving the advertisement output request, the first server device 11 identifies an advertisement to be output together with the content on the user terminal 13 (step S29). The advertisement may be any of text data, still image data, video data, and audio data.

[0065] In step S29, an advertisement can be identified so that a different advertisement is output depending on the application currently running on the user terminal 13. As described above, since the application switching process can be executed in parallel while the advertisement display process is being executed, the application currently running on the user terminal 13 may be an application different from the second application. In this case, information about the application currently running on the user terminal 13 is transmitted to the first server device 11, and this information about the application currently running is used to identify the advertisement. For example, if the application currently running is a game, an advertisement related to the game is identified. In this way, an advertisement can be identified depending on the genre and purpose of the application currently running.

[0066] Furthermore, in step S29, an advertisement can be specified so that a different advertisement is output depending on the display content in the window of the application running on the user terminal 13. At this time, information about the display content in the window of the application running on the user terminal 13 is transmitted to the first server device 11, and this information about the running application is used to specify the advertisement.

[0067] When an advertisement is identified in step S29, the identified advertisement is transmitted from the first server device 11 to the user terminal 13 (step S30). In step S30, the identified advertisement is transmitted from the first server device 11 to the user terminal 13, but the advertisement may be transmitted from the first server device 11 to the user terminal 13 via the second server device 12.

[0068] The user terminal 13 receives the advertisement from the first server device 11 (step S31). If the advertisement is a video, the advertisement is received in streaming format. The received advertisement is output by the user terminal 13 (step S32).

[0069] In step S32, the advertisement can be displayed on the entire display screen of the user terminal 13, or it can be displayed in PinP (Picture-in-Picture) format on a portion of the display screen with the content output in step S25 as the background, as shown in Figures 1 to 3. For example, the advertisement can be displayed in PinP format on a portion of the screen of the second application.

[0070] If the advertisement is a text advertisement or a still image advertisement, the advertisement ends after a predetermined time has elapsed since the advertisement was displayed. If the advertisement is a video advertisement or an audio advertisement, output of the advertisement is completed when playback of the video data or audio data ends (step S33).

[0071] When the output of the advertisement is completed, the user terminal 13 notifies the first server device 11 that the advertisement has been completed (step S34). The first server device 11 receives the notification that the advertisement has been completed (step S35).

[0072] Next, the user management table stored in the storage unit 11c of the first server device 11 is updated (step S36). The user management table stores user identification information (user ID) that can identify the user operating the user terminal 13 and points owned by the user, in association with each other. In step S36, points are awarded to the user in response to transmission of an advertisement from the first server device 11 to the user terminal 13 or output of an advertisement on the user terminal 13. A different value of points may be awarded for each advertisement. The value of points to be awarded for each advertisement may be stored in advance, or the value of points may be determined depending on the playback time of the video or audio advertisement. In step S36, points may be awarded to the user in response to transmission of one advertisement from the first server device 11 or output of one advertisement on the user terminal 13, or depending on the total time of the transmitted advertisements or the total time of the output advertisements.

[0073] Next, the advertisement management table stored in the storage unit 11c of the first server device 11 is updated (step S37). The advertisement management table stores the number of times an advertisement is output (number of impressions) and / or the advertisement output time (display time) in association with advertiser identification information (advertiser ID) that can identify the advertiser that placed the advertisement and / or advertisement identification information (advertisement ID) that can identify the advertisement. In step S37, the number of times an advertisement is output and / or the advertisement output time are updated. If the number of times an advertisement is output is updated, the number of times an advertisement is output is incremented by "1" each time a notification of completion of the advertisement is received in step S36. The advertisement output time is the cumulative time that the advertisement is output over a certain period of time. If the advertisement output time is updated, the advertisement output time is added each time a notification of completion of the advertisement is received in step S36. If the advertisement is a video, the length of the video is added to the advertisement output time.

[0074] The advertisement management table may store the number of times an advertisement is output (the number of times it is displayed) and / or the length of time the advertisement is output (the length of time the advertisement is displayed), in association with provider identification information that identifies the provider of the application or content (here, the provider of the first application). In step S37, the number of times the advertisement is output and / or the length of time the advertisement is output is updated.

[0075] When step S34 is completed, the process returns to step S21, and the processes of steps S29 to S37 can be repeatedly performed. When step S37 is completed, the process returns to step S29, and the processes of steps S29 to S37 can be repeatedly performed.

[0076] When repeatedly playing back an advertisement, in step S29, the same advertisement as that previously transmitted to the user terminal 13 may be identified, or an advertisement different from that previously transmitted to the user terminal 13 may be identified. Also, the user may operate the input device 13d of the user terminal 13 to end the continuous playback of the advertisement without returning to step S29.

[0077] In step S36, points are awarded in response to transmission of an advertisement from the first server device 11 to the user terminal 13 or in response to output of an advertisement at the user terminal 13. Alternatively, for example, a flag indicating whether predetermined information processing is possible can be updated in the first server device 11, the second server device 12, or the user terminal 13. A flag indicating that predetermined information processing is possible is set each time transmission of an advertisement from the first server device 11 or output of an advertisement at the user terminal 13 is completed, each time a predetermined number of transmissions of these advertisements or output of these advertisements are completed, or each time the total time for transmission of these advertisements or output of these advertisements has passed a predetermined time.

[0078] In steps S21 to S37, the advertisement display process ends.

[0079] 10 is a flowchart illustrating the application switching process. The following describes a case where the application switching process is executed while steps S6 to S7 or steps S31 to S32 are being executed, that is, while an advertisement is being output on the user terminal 13 (for example, while a video advertisement is being played).

[0080] The first application is running on the user terminal 13, and an advertisement by the first application is displayed in PinP format on a part of the display screen of the user terminal 13. Here, the user operates the input device 13d of the user terminal 13 to close the window of the first application (step S41).

[0081] When the window of the first application is closed, a home screen is displayed on the display screen of the user terminal 13 (step S42). Even if the window of the first application is closed, the operation of the first application is not terminated while an advertisement is being output on the user terminal 13 (for example, while a video advertisement is being played). In step S42, the advertisement is displayed in a PinP (Picture-in-Picture) format on a part of the display screen as shown in FIG.

[0082] The advertisement displayed on the home screen in step S42 may be the advertisement that was displayed before the window of the first application was closed in step S41, or a new advertisement to be displayed may be specified, and the advertisement that was displayed before the window of the first application was closed may be switched to the newly specified advertisement.

[0083] The home screen displays one or more application icons. The displayed icons may include an icon corresponding to a second application. The user operates the input device 13d of the user terminal 13 to select an icon corresponding to an application other than the first application (step S43). The user may also select an icon corresponding to the second application.

[0084] When an icon corresponding to an application different from the first application is selected, application identification information capable of identifying the selected application is sent from the user terminal 13 to the first server device 11, and it is determined whether the application is capable of outputting advertisements (step S44).

[0085] If the result of the judgment in step S44 is that the application is unable to output advertisements, the transmission of video or audio advertisements in streaming format from the first server device 11 to the user terminal 13 is interrupted (step S45).

[0086] Even if the streaming transmission of advertisements is interrupted, if the window of an application that cannot output advertisements is closed and then an application that can output advertisements is operated, the transmission of the video advertisement or audio advertisement can be started from the point at which the transmission of the video advertisement or audio advertisement from the first server device 11 was interrupted.

[0087] The determination in step S44 may be made, for example, based on control information for determining an application that does not output advertisements, or based on control information for determining an application that outputs advertisements.

[0088] If the result of the judgment in step S44 is that the application is not capable of outputting advertisements, the video advertisement is not displayed, and a screen corresponding to the selected application is displayed on the display screen of the user terminal 13 (step S46).

[0089] If the result of the judgment in step S44 is that the application is capable of outputting advertisements, the transmission of the video advertisement in streaming format from the first server device 11 to the user terminal 13 is not interrupted, and the advertisement is displayed on the display screen of the user terminal 13 in a part of the display screen corresponding to the application together with the screen corresponding to the selected application (step S46).

[0090] In step S46, even if an application different from the first application (an application capable of providing content different from the first application) is displayed, the operation of the first application is not terminated while an advertisement is being output (for example, while a video advertisement is being played) on the user terminal 13. In step S46, the advertisement is displayed in PinP (Picture-in-Picture) format on a part of the display screen as shown in FIG.

[0091] In step S46, the advertisement displayed on the window of the application other than the first application may be the advertisement that was displayed before the icon of the application was selected in step S43, or a new advertisement to be displayed may be specified, and the advertisement displayed on the home screen may be switched to the newly specified advertisement.

[0092] Steps S41 to S46 complete the application switching process from the first application to another application (including the second application) different from the first application.

[0093] Note that, when the other application is displayed on the display screen of the user terminal 13, if the user operates the input device 13d of the user terminal 13 to close the window of the other application, the home screen is displayed on the display screen of the user terminal 13. Even in this case, while an advertisement is being output on the user terminal 13 (for example, while a video advertisement is being played), the operation of the first application is not terminated, and the advertisement is displayed in PinP (Picture-in-Picture) format.

[0094] Next, the calculation process for advertising fees (advertising fees) will be described. The advertising fees to be paid by the advertising client (advertiser) are calculated based on the number of times an advertisement is output and / or the duration of advertisement output on multiple user terminals over a certain period of time. The advertisements that are the subject of calculation in the advertising fee calculation process are the advertisements output in the first advertisement display process and / or the second advertisement display process. It is also preferable that the following advertising fee calculation process be performed periodically.

[0095] 11 is a flowchart of the advertising fee calculation process. The advertising fee calculation process is executed, for example, by the first server device 11. The first server device 11 refers to the advertisement management table stored in the storage unit 11c and tallies the number of times advertisements are output by the first advertisement display means and / or the second advertisement display means over a certain period of time (step S51). Here, the certain period is not particularly limited and may be one day, one week, or one month. In step S51, the number of times advertisements are output and / or the length of time advertisements are output over a certain period of time can be tallied for each advertisement or each advertiser.

[0096] Next, for each advertisement or each advertiser, the advertising fees to be paid by the advertiser to the operator of system 10 or the provider of the application or content can be calculated based on the total number of times the advertisement is output and / or the duration of the advertisement output in a certain period (step S52). Steps S51 to S52 complete the advertising fee calculation process.

[0097] Next, the advertisement display fee calculation process will be described. The fee that application and content providers can receive is calculated based on the number of times an advertisement is output and / or the duration of advertisement output on multiple user devices over a certain period of time. The advertisements that are subject to calculation in the advertisement display fee calculation process are those output in the first advertisement display process and / or the second advertisement display process. It is also preferable that the advertisement display fee calculation process described below be performed periodically.

[0098] FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating the process for calculating the advertisement display fee. The advertisement fee calculation process is executed, for example, by the first server device 11. The first server device 11 refers to the advertisement management table stored in the storage unit 11c and tallies the number of times advertisements are output by the first advertisement display means and / or the second advertisement display means over a certain period of time (step S61). Here, the certain period is not particularly limited and may be one day, one week, or one month. In step S61, the number of times advertisements are output and / or the length of time advertisements are output over a certain period of time can be tallied for each application provider or each content provider.

[0099] Next, the remuneration that each application provider or content provider can receive can be calculated based on the total number of times advertisements are output and / or the duration of advertisement output for a certain period of time for each application provider or content provider (step S62). Steps S61 to S62 complete the calculation process for advertisement display remuneration.

[0100] 10 System 11 First server device 12 Second server device 13 User terminal 14 Communication network

Claims

A system comprising at least a user terminal, The user terminal a display means for displaying the content; an advertisement display means for displaying advertisements in a part of a window displaying content; A system comprising: A counting means for counting the number of times an advertisement is output by the advertisement display means and / or the duration of the advertisement output by the advertisement display means in a certain period of time in a plurality of user terminals. The system of claim 1 , comprising: an advertising fee calculation means for calculating an advertising fee to be paid by an advertising client based on the number of times an advertisement is output by the advertisement display means and / or the duration of the advertisement output in a certain period of time in a plurality of user terminals; The system according to claim 1 or 2, comprising: A remuneration calculation means for calculating a remuneration to be received by a content provider for displaying an advertisement based on the number of times an advertisement is output by the advertisement display means in a certain period of time in a plurality of user terminals and / or the duration of the advertisement output. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising: A first server device and a second server device are provided, The second server device second advertisement transmitting means for transmitting an advertisement to the first server device; Equipped with a first server device, a content transmission means for transmitting content to a user terminal; a first advertisement transmitting means for transmitting the advertisement received from the second server device to the user terminal; Equipped with 5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the display means displays the content received from the first server device, and the advertisement display means displays the advertisement received from the first server device. A first server device and a second server device are provided, The second server device Content transmission means for transmitting content to a user terminal Equipped with a first server device, a first advertisement transmitting means for transmitting an advertisement to a user terminal; Equipped with 5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the display means displays the content received from the second server device, and the advertisement display means displays the advertisement received from the first server device. A server device is provided, The server device a content transmission means for transmitting content to a user terminal; a first advertisement transmitting means for transmitting an advertisement to a user terminal; Equipped with 5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the display means displays the content received from the server device, and the advertisement display means displays the advertisement received from the server device. An information storage means for storing or updating predetermined information in response to transmission of an advertisement from the server device to the user terminal or in response to display of an advertisement on the user terminal. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising: The system according to claim 8, wherein the predetermined information is points given to a user who operates a user terminal. a first advertisement display means for displaying an advertisement in a portion of a window of one application in the user terminal; a second advertisement display means for displaying an advertisement in a part of a window of another application in the user terminal; Equipped with A system as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein when the user terminal switches from running one application to running another application, the second advertisement display means continues to display the advertisement displayed by the first advertisement display means. A system comprising at least a user terminal, a first advertisement display means for displaying an advertisement on a portion of a window of one application in operation; A system comprising: a second advertisement display means for displaying an advertisement in a portion of a window of another application that is running; Equipped with The system according to claim 11, wherein when the user terminal switches from running one application to running another application, the second advertisement display means continues to display the advertisement displayed by the first advertisement display means. a counting means for counting the number of times an advertisement is output and / or the duration of time an advertisement is output by the first advertisement display means and / or the second advertisement display means in a certain period of time in a plurality of user terminals; 13. The system according to claim 11 or 12, comprising: a calculation means for calculating an advertising fee to be paid by an advertising client based on the number of times an advertisement is output and / or the duration of an advertisement output by the first advertisement display means and / or the second advertisement display means in a certain period of time in a plurality of user terminals; The system according to any one of claims 11 to 13, comprising: a remuneration calculation means for calculating a remuneration to be received by a content provider for displaying an advertisement based on the number of times an advertisement is output and / or the duration of the advertisement output by the first advertisement display means and / or the second advertisement display means in a certain period of time in a plurality of user terminals; The system according to any one of claims 11 to 14, comprising:

1. A method carried out in a system comprising at least a user terminal, the method comprising: a first advertisement display step for displaying an advertisement on a portion of a window of one application that is running; A method comprising:

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