Vehicle information providing device and vehicle information providing method

Abstract

This vehicle information providing device comprises: a history information accumulation means for storing user information including information about a vehicle owned by a user together with a modification history; a vehicle basic information acquisition means for acquiring vehicle basic information including vehicle type information for the vehicle owned by the user from the user information accumulated in the history information accumulation means; a specification information acquisition means for acquiring specification information for the vehicle type indicated by the vehicle type information from the vehicle basic information acquired by the vehicle basic information acquisition means; a desired condition acquisition means for acquiring the user's desired conditions for a vehicle on the basis of the specification information acquired by the specification information acquisition means; an extraction means for extracting a vehicle type or a vehicle matching all or part of the desired conditions acquired by the desired condition acquisition means; and a proposal means for proposing the vehicle type or the vehicle extracted by the extraction means to the user.

Description

Vehicle Information Providing Device and Vehicle Information Providing Method

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle information providing device and a vehicle information providing method. This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-221702 filed in Japan on December 18, 2024, and incorporates its content herein by reference.

[0002] Conventionally, a system for promoting the sale of products such as used cars has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-227977

[0004] However, there are cases where, although the user is considering purchasing a product, the user does not have sufficient knowledge about the product to be sold, or the user's thoughts about the specific type or category of the product to be purchased are not well-organized. In such cases, in the case of a service system that provides a function for specifying and searching for products, the user may not be able to successfully search for information about the product under consideration for purchase.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and its object is to provide a vehicle information providing device and a vehicle information providing method that can increase the possibility of selling products to users.

[0006] One embodiment of the present invention includes a history information storage means for storing user information including information about the user's owned vehicle together with a change history, a vehicle basic information acquisition means for acquiring vehicle basic information including vehicle type information about the user's owned vehicle from the user information stored in the history information storage means, a specification information acquisition means for acquiring specification information of the vehicle type indicated by the vehicle type information from the vehicle basic information acquired by the vehicle basic information acquisition means, a desired condition acquisition means for acquiring the user's desired conditions regarding the vehicle based on the specification information acquired by the specification information acquisition means, an extraction means for extracting vehicle types or vehicles that match all or part of the desired conditions acquired by the desired condition acquisition means, and a proposal means for proposing the vehicle types or vehicles extracted by the extraction means to the user.

[0007] One embodiment of the present invention is a vehicle information providing device comprising: a means for acquiring owned vehicle information, which is information about a user's owned vehicles; a means for estimating the purchase price of the owned vehicle by referring to a distribution vehicle database that stores information about vehicles currently circulating in the market, based on the owned vehicle information acquired by the owned vehicle information acquisition means; a means for acquiring desired conditions, which is based on the owned vehicle information acquired by the owned vehicle information acquisition means, based on the user's desired conditions regarding the vehicle; an extraction means for extracting vehicle types or vehicles that match all or part of the desired conditions acquired by the desired conditions acquisition means; and a proposal means for proposing to the user the vehicle types or vehicles extracted by the extraction means, along with an amount obtained by subtracting the purchase price estimated by the purchase price estimation means from the sales price of the vehicle types or vehicles.

[0008] One embodiment of the present invention is a vehicle information provision method comprising: storing user information, including information about the user's owned vehicles, along with a change history; obtaining basic vehicle information, including vehicle type information, for the user's owned vehicles from the stored user information; obtaining specification information for the vehicle type indicated by the vehicle type information from the obtained basic vehicle information; obtaining the user's desired conditions regarding the vehicle based on the obtained specification information; extracting vehicle types or vehicles that match all or part of the obtained desired conditions; and proposing the extracted vehicle types or vehicles to the user.

[0009] One embodiment of the present invention is a vehicle information provision method comprising: acquiring vehicle information, which is information about a user's owned vehicles; estimating the purchase price of the owned vehicles by referring to a distribution vehicle database that stores information about vehicles currently circulating in the market based on the acquired vehicle information; acquiring the user's desired conditions regarding vehicles based on the acquired vehicle information; extracting vehicle models or vehicles that match all or part of the acquired desired conditions; and proposing the extracted vehicle models or vehicles to the user along with the amount obtained by subtracting the estimated purchase price from the sales price of the vehicle models or vehicles.

[0010] This invention makes it possible to increase the likelihood of selling products to users.

[0011] This figure shows an example of a system configuration including a vehicle information provision device. This is a block diagram showing in more detail each of the functional parts of the vehicle information provision device: the vehicle information acquisition unit, the desired conditions acquisition unit, and the proposal unit. This figure shows an example of the operation flow of the vehicle information provision device of this embodiment. This figure shows an example of the configuration of user information stored in the user DB. This figure shows an example of the configuration of user information, owned vehicle information, and their history information included in user information. This figure shows an example of the configuration of user information, owned vehicle information, and their history information included in information that a user wishes to purchase. This figure shows an example of the configuration of desired conditions information included in user information. This figure shows an example of the configuration of budget definition information used when acquiring desired conditions information included in user information. This figure shows an example of the configuration of definition information used when acquiring desired conditions information included in user information. This figure shows an example of the configuration of usage scene definition information used when acquiring desired conditions information included in user information. This figure shows an example of the configuration of image definition information used when acquiring desired conditions information included in user information. This figure shows an example of the configuration of preference definition information regarding car costs used when acquiring desired conditions information included in user information. This figure shows an example of the configuration of preference definition information regarding ease of driving and sense of security used when acquiring desired conditions information included in user information. This figure shows an example of what is displayed on the user's terminal when guiding them to a service provided by the vehicle information provision device. This figure shows an example of what is displayed on the user's terminal when guiding them to a service provided by the vehicle information provision device. This is an example of what is displayed on the user's terminal when prompting the user to select the purchase period. This is an example of what is displayed on the user's terminal when the vehicle basic information acquisition unit obtains information from the user about the type of vehicle the user currently owns. This is an example of what is displayed on the user's terminal when the user checks information about the vehicle the user owns. This is another example of what is displayed on the user's terminal when the user checks information about the vehicle the user owns. This is an example of what is displayed on the user's terminal when the purchase budget acquisition unit processes the information. This is an example of what is displayed on the user's terminal when the size acquisition unit processes the information. This is another example of what is displayed on the user's terminal when the size acquisition unit processes the information. This is an example of what is displayed on the user's terminal when the usage scene acquisition unit processes the information.This is an example of how the exterior image acquisition unit displays the user's terminal. This is another example of how the exterior image acquisition unit displays the user's terminal. This is yet another example of how the exterior image acquisition unit displays the user's terminal. This is an example of how the keyword acquisition unit displays the user's terminal. This is an example of how the user's terminal displays the user's terminal to confirm the registration of the user's desired conditions. This is an example of how the vehicle suggested to the user is displayed based on the user's desired conditions. This is an example of how the suggested vehicle is displayed on the user's terminal. This is an example of how the user's terminal displays the second suggested vehicle by tapping a tab. This is an example of how the user's terminal displays the vehicle when the number of vehicle choices selected by the user is less than the upper limit. This is an example of how the user's terminal displays the vehicle in addition to the vehicle chosen by the user.

[0012] This embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, used cars will be used as an example of the products offered. In the following description, "car model" refers to the name of a car that is generally sold, and "vehicle" refers to an individual used car or the car itself. Therefore, each "vehicle" belongs to one of the "car models". The products offered include various goods and services for which a buyback market or buyback price has been established. For example, this includes brand-name bags, watches, jewelry, and other fashion and jewelry items. Furthermore, the products subject to appraisal may be used goods that are simply bought back and do not involve new sales.

[0013] Figure 1 shows an example of a system configuration including the vehicle information providing device 1. The vehicle information providing device 1 is configured to be connectable to user terminals 2 and 3 and the appraisal server 4 via the network NT. Users can connect to the vehicle information providing device 1 from personal computer type terminal 2 or smartphone type terminal 3. Here, "user" includes users who receive information on used cars available for purchase from the vehicle information providing device 1, and users (companies) who register used cars to be sold with the vehicle information providing device 1. In this embodiment, the description will focus on the vehicle information providing device 1, which provides information on used cars for sale. Therefore, in the following, "user" simply refers to a user who receives information on used cars available for purchase from the vehicle information providing device 1, i.e., a user considering purchasing a used car. The appraisal server 4 is a server that provides information on the purchase price of used cars based on market price trends. The appraisal server 4 includes at least vehicle type information and has a function to estimate the price based on market transaction prices of similar vehicles of the same vehicle type, based on other information such as the grade, registration year, and mileage of that vehicle type.

[0014] The vehicle information provider 1 comprises a user database 10, a vehicle distribution database 11, a definition information database 12, and a vehicle catalog database 13. The user database 10 is a database that stores user information such as identification information of users who use the services provided by the vehicle information provider 1, age, family structure, address, contact information, occupation, and annual income; vehicle information including information on vehicles currently owned by the user (hereinafter referred to as "currently owned vehicles" or simply "owned vehicles") (currently owned vehicle information) and vehicle history information regarding vehicles previously owned (hereinafter referred to as "past owned vehicles"); and desired conditions information regarding desired conditions and preferences that the user considers when purchasing a vehicle. The vehicle distribution database 11 is a database that stores information on used cars circulating in the market. The definition information database 12 is a database that defines information for identifying vehicle types to propose to the user by comparing them with the vehicle the user owns. Vehicle catalog DB-13 is a database that stores information on each vehicle model and year from each automobile manufacturer, including its size, fuel efficiency, specifications, etc. The vehicle information providing device 1 may include these databases within the device itself, or it may be configured to allow access to these databases via a network.

[0015] The vehicle information providing device 1 includes, as functional units, a vehicle ownership information acquisition unit 20, a purchase price estimation unit 25, a desired conditions acquisition unit 30, a proposal unit 40, and a replacement timing prediction unit 50. The vehicle ownership information acquisition unit 20 acquires information about the vehicle owned by the user from the user and stores it in the user DB 10. The purchase price estimation unit 25 queries the appraisal server 4 to estimate the purchase price of the vehicle based on information such as the vehicle type, year of manufacture, equipment, and mileage. The desired conditions acquisition unit 30 acquires relative desired conditions (hereinafter simply referred to as "desired conditions") regarding vehicle purchase set with the currently owned vehicle as the judgment axis from the user, and uses information from the definition information DB 12 and the vehicle catalog DB 13 to derive specific desired conditions and register them in the user DB 10 to propose. The proposal unit 40 searches the distribution vehicle DB 11 or the vehicle catalog DB 13 based on the information obtained by the desired conditions acquisition unit 30 and extracts one or more vehicle types to propose to the user. Furthermore, the suggestion unit 40 also extracts vehicles from the vehicle database 11 that match the vehicle selected by the user, and presents them to the user. The replacement timing prediction unit 50 predicts the timing of a user's vehicle replacement based on the vehicle ownership information and user information stored in the user database 10, taking into account information such as the frequency of vehicle replacement, the mileage of the currently owned vehicle, and changes in family structure. The vehicle information providing device 1 also performs the process of suggesting suitable vehicle types and vehicles to the user based on the timing predicted by the replacement timing prediction unit 50.

[0016] In this embodiment, the vehicle information providing device 1 and the appraisal server 4 are described as separate devices, but the embodiment is not limited to this. The vehicle information providing device 1 and the appraisal server 4 may be implemented using the same hardware, either physically or logically integrated.

[0017] The vehicle information providing device 1 is a computer device such as a server. The vehicle information providing device 1 includes a calculation unit (not shown). The calculation unit of the vehicle information providing device 1 implements the following functions: a vehicle ownership information acquisition unit 20, a purchase price estimation unit 25, a desired conditions acquisition unit 30, a proposal unit 40, and a replacement timing prediction unit 50. The vehicle information providing device 1 also includes a storage unit (not shown). The calculation unit includes, for example, a CPU (central processing unit) and provides various functions based on the programs and data stored in the storage unit. The storage unit includes non-volatile semiconductor memory or a hard disk drive and stores the programs and data necessary for the calculation unit to operate.

[0018] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing in more detail the functions of the owned vehicle information acquisition unit 20, the desired conditions acquisition unit 30, and the proposal unit 40 of the vehicle information provision device 1. As shown in Figure 2, the owned vehicle information acquisition unit 20 includes a vehicle basic information acquisition unit 21 and a specification information acquisition unit 22. The vehicle basic information acquisition unit 21 performs the process of acquiring information that identifies the type of vehicle currently owned (vehicle type information). The specification information acquisition unit 22 performs the process of acquiring specification information, etc., of the vehicle type indicated by the owned vehicle information by searching the vehicle catalog DB 13 from the vehicle type information acquired by the vehicle basic information acquisition unit 21. In addition, the owned vehicle information acquisition unit 20 acquires an estimated purchase price using the purchase price estimation unit 25 during the processing. At this time, the owned vehicle information acquisition unit 20 may be designed to additionally acquire information such as the year of manufacture and mileage of the currently owned vehicle necessary for estimating the purchase price for users who desire a more accurate purchase price estimate, and to obtain an estimated purchase price by the purchase price estimation unit 25. By designing the system in this way, for users who only need a rough estimate of the purchase price, the system can calculate the price using only the minimum necessary information, such as vehicle type, thereby reducing the effort required for unnecessary input. In this case, the estimated purchase price may be given as a range, such as "approximately XX million to YY million yen."

[0019] The desired conditions acquisition unit 30 includes a purchase budget acquisition unit 31, a size acquisition unit 32, a usage scene acquisition unit 33, an exterior image acquisition unit 34, and a keyword acquisition unit 35. The purchase budget acquisition unit 31 acquires the budget for the vehicle the user intends to purchase. The size acquisition unit 32 acquires the relative size of the vehicle the user wishes to purchase by comparing it with the size of the vehicle currently owned. The size acquisition unit 32 further includes a size identification unit 321 that identifies the specific size of the vehicle the user wishes to purchase based on the acquired relative vehicle size preference and the specification information of the vehicle currently owned stored in the user DB 10. The usage scene acquisition unit 33 acquires the usage scenes of the vehicle the user wishes to purchase from the user. The usage scene acquisition unit 33 further includes a usage scene example unit 331. The usage scene example unit 331 provides examples of usage scenes linked to information on the vehicle currently owned as options for usage scenes. The exterior image acquisition unit 34 acquires the desired conditions regarding the vehicle's exterior from the user. Furthermore, the exterior image acquisition unit 34 further includes an exterior image example unit 341. When acquiring desired conditions regarding the exterior of a vehicle from the user, the exterior image example unit 341 processes images of vehicles with different exterior images as examples. The keyword acquisition unit 35 processes the acquisition of tags that represent keywords for the conditions the user desires in a vehicle they wish to purchase, in comparison with the user's currently owned vehicle, and acquires the results of the tag selection from the user. At this time, in addition to tag selection, a free-text field may be provided to allow the acquisition of desired conditions and "points of preference" in a free-text format. The keyword acquisition unit 35 also includes a tag generation unit 351. The tag generation unit 351 processes the acquisition of new tags for keywords related to desired conditions based on the content that the user has entered in the free-text field as "points of preference". If a tag with similar content to what the user has entered in the free-text field already exists, the system may replace the existing tag without generating a new tag, or it may also perform a process to link the newly generated tag with the existing tag that is similar to it.

[0020] The information acquired by the desired conditions acquisition unit 30 through the information acquisition units 31 to 35 is organized and stored as desired conditions in the user database 10.

[0021] The proposal unit 40 includes a vehicle type extraction unit 41, an individual vehicle extraction unit 42, a match rate calculation unit 43, and a display unit 44. The vehicle type extraction unit 41 extracts vehicle types from the vehicle catalog DB 13 that match all or part of the desired conditions that the user has requested for a vehicle they wish to purchase, as acquired by the desired conditions acquisition unit 30. The individual vehicle extraction unit 42 extracts vehicles corresponding to the vehicle types extracted by the vehicle type extraction unit 41 from the distribution vehicle DB 11. The match rate calculation unit 43 quantifies the extent to which the specifications and characteristics of the vehicle types or vehicles extracted by the vehicle type extraction unit 41 or the individual vehicle extraction unit 42 meet the desired conditions acquired by the desired conditions acquisition unit 30. The display unit 44 displays vehicle types or vehicles that meet the user's preferences. The display unit 44 includes a recommended vehicle display unit 441, a match rate display unit 442, a desired conditions tag display unit 443, and a vehicle information comparison display unit 444. The recommended vehicle display unit 441 displays vehicles with a high match rate, as determined by the match rate calculation unit 43, as suggested vehicles. The match rate display unit 442 displays the match rate determined by the match rate calculation unit 43 along with information about the suggested vehicles. The desired condition tag display unit 443 displays the suggested vehicles along with tags indicating conditions associated with the suggested vehicles that match the desired conditions obtained by the keyword acquisition unit 35. The vehicle information comparison display unit 444 displays comparison information between the vehicle owned by the user and the suggested vehicles, or comparison information between the suggested vehicles themselves.

[0022] The operation of the vehicle information providing device 1 will be described below with reference to the drawings from Figure 3 onward. Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the operation flow of the vehicle information providing device 1 in this embodiment. Figures 4 to 13 are diagrams showing examples of the configuration of the database used by the vehicle information providing device 1. Figures 14 to 34 are diagrams showing examples of the display on a terminal when a user uses a smartphone as a terminal to access the services provided by the vehicle information providing device 1. In the following, the vehicle information providing device 1 can provide services either browser-based or application-based on an application installed on the terminal. In the examples of display on the terminal in Figures 14 to 34, the basic display content configuration is the same for both browser-based and application-based displays.

[0023] [Operation Flow of the Vehicle Information Provisioning Device] Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the operation flow of the vehicle information provisioning device 1 of this embodiment. As shown in Figure 3, the general processing flow of the vehicle information provisioning device 1 consists of a process (step S2) in which the owned vehicle information acquisition unit 20 and the desired conditions acquisition unit 30 acquire the desired purchase conditions for the vehicle that the user wishes to purchase by comparing it with the vehicle owned by the user, and a processing flow (step S4) in which the proposal unit 40 presents the proposed vehicle type and the proposed vehicle based on the desired purchase conditions. These steps S2 and S4, including other incidental processing flows, will be described in detail below.

[0024] (Step S1) The vehicle information provider 1 determines whether the user wishes to receive a service recommending new or used vehicles by comparing them with the user's currently owned vehicle. Figure 14 shows an example of what is displayed on the user's terminal on the site where the vehicle information provider 1 provides services. Reference numeral P14a indicates a top page for conventional used car search conditions. Here, a search using conventional used car search conditions means searching for used cars by entering one or more search conditions from search items such as car manufacturer, model, sales region, and price range. In the example in Figure 14, such a search screen also includes a banner, as shown by reference numeral P14b, which leads to a search for used cars by comparing them with the user's owned vehicle. For example, when the user clicks the banner shown by reference numeral P14b, a screen showing the features of the services provided by the vehicle information provider 1, as shown in Figure 15, may be displayed on the user's terminal. For example, the vehicle information provider 1 starts processing from step S2 onwards by detecting a click of the "Start Using" button shown by reference numeral P15 in Figure 15. The vehicle information providing device 1 may also include a conventional used car search function in addition to the vehicle presentation function disclosed in this application. Alternatively, the conventional used car search function may be provided by another server, and the processing process may be transferred to the vehicle information providing device 1 upon detection of a click on the banner shown in Figure 14, for example. In the following description, it is assumed that users of the service have registered as users in order to receive the used car search service and have also logged into the system for receiving the service.

[0025] (Step S21) The vehicle information providing device 1 obtains the user's basic purchase conditions for purchasing a used car. Here, "basic purchase conditions for purchasing a used car" refers to conditions such as the time period and region in which the user is considering purchasing a used car. Figure 16 is an example of the display on the user's terminal for allowing the user to select the purchase period. Figure 17 is an example of the display on the user's terminal for allowing the user to select the purchase region. Also, the symbols P16 and P17 in Figures 16 and 17 are progress bars that show the progress of the questions posed to the user. This bar allows the user to check the progress of the answers to the questions provided by the vehicle information providing device 1. Also, the symbols P16a and P17b indicate buttons to return to the previous screen. Figures 18 to 28 also show examples of screen displays that show progress bars and buttons to return to the previous screen. The vehicle information provision device 1 stores information regarding the purchase time and purchase region selected by the user, linked to an ID that uniquely identifies the user currently using the service, as basic purchase condition information (hereinafter also simply referred to as "basic conditions").

[0026] Figure 4 shows an example of user-specific management information stored in the user database 10. As shown in Figure 4, user management information includes user information 101, basic conditions information 102, owned vehicle information 103, and desired conditions information 104. User information 101 consists of information about the user, such as name and contact information. Basic conditions information 102 consists of information related to search conditions that have traditionally been requested when a user searches for a used car, such as information related to the purchase timing and the region in which the user wishes to purchase. Owned vehicle information 103 consists of information about the vehicle the user currently owns and / or historical information about vehicles previously owned. Desired conditions information 104 consists of information about the desired conditions that the user has for the vehicle they wish to purchase. In comparison to basic conditions information 102 and desired conditions information 104, desired conditions are conditions related to the vehicle (price, specifications, etc.), while basic conditions are other conditions (purchase timing, purchase location, etc.).

[0027] Each piece of information, such as user information 101, basic conditions information 102, owned vehicle information 103, and desired conditions information 104, is managed in conjunction with the user ID. The user ID is an ID that allows the vehicle information provision device 1 to uniquely identify a user who uses the service. This user ID may be a user management number issued by the vehicle information provision device 1, or it may be an ID set by the user during user registration. In the following explanation, the user ID will be described as the user management number issued by the vehicle information provision device 1.

[0028] Figure 6 shows an example of the configuration of basic conditions information 102. In Figure 6, information such as the user's selected purchase time and purchase region is managed in conjunction with the user ID. In Figure 6, the purchase time, purchase region, and other information are shown as numerical data managed in a separate table.

[0029] (Step S22) The vehicle basic information acquisition unit 21 of the owned vehicle information acquisition unit 20 acquires information from the user regarding the type of vehicle currently owned by the user. Figure 18 shows an example of a display screen that is displayed on the user's terminal for the vehicle basic information acquisition unit 21 to acquire information from the user regarding the type of vehicle currently owned by the user. Code P18a indicates an area where the user can sequentially select the manufacturer, type, and grade of the vehicle owned by the user, code P18b indicates an area where the year of manufacture (registration year) of the vehicle can be selected, and code P18c indicates an area where the mileage of the vehicle can be entered. Note that even vehicles of the same type may have different specifications due to equipment, interior and exterior, drive type, etc. "Grade" is a name that identifies the difference in specifications within the same type of vehicle. Code P18d is a button to transition to the next screen. The vehicle basic information acquisition unit 21 controls the transition to the next screen on the condition that at least the type of vehicle owned by the user can be identified.

[0030] Figure 5 shows an example of the configuration of user information 101 and owned vehicle information 103. As shown in Figure 5, user information 101 registers and stores information such as the user's set ID and password, address, name, and contact information such as telephone number and e-mail address, linked to the user ID. Owned vehicle information 103 registers and stores information such as the car manufacturer, model, grade, year, and mileage selected and entered by the user, linked to the user ID. When a user changes the owned vehicle information 103 or user information 101 registered in owned vehicle information 103, some of the information contained in owned vehicle information 103 or user information 101 is not overwritten with the changed information, but rather configured to store historical information including the changes. In particular, owned vehicle information is designed to keep a chronological history of past owned vehicles (what vehicles were owned and from when to when). That is, when a new vehicle is purchased and the information of the currently owned vehicle is updated, the information of the vehicle that was previously registered as the currently owned vehicle is added to the history of past owned vehicle information. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5, the system may be designed to also register the initial registration date and update date of user information 101 and owned vehicle information 103. Note that Figure 5 shows an example in which all registration items are retained along with the registration date and update date, but the system is not limited to this. For example, when user information 101 and owned vehicle information 103 are updated, only the updated items may be retained along with the update date. In addition, if information about a used car purchased by the user is obtained through the use of services provided by the vehicle information provision device 1, the system may register the information about the used car purchased by the user as update information for owned vehicle information 103.

[0031] The vehicle information providing device 1 may also include a function to output historical information about the user's owned vehicles to the user's terminal upon the user's request. Furthermore, the vehicle information providing device 1 may also include a function to output and provide historical information about the user's owned vehicles and user information history for data analysis and reference, upon request from the administrator of the vehicle information providing device 1 or from another device.

[0032] The vehicle information acquisition unit 20's specification information acquisition unit 22 acquires specification information of the user's owned vehicles based on the vehicle type, grade, year of manufacture, and other information obtained from the user. The vehicle specification information is stored in the vehicle catalog database 13. The vehicle information acquisition unit 20 is configured to acquire the specification information of the user's owned vehicles by performing a search using the vehicle type, grade information, year of manufacture, etc. as search keys. In addition, the vehicle catalog database 13 also stores image data of each vehicle type as part of the vehicle specification information. The specification information acquisition unit 22 also acquires image data of the user's owned vehicles from the vehicle catalog database 13.

[0033] The vehicle information acquisition unit 20 uses the purchase price estimation unit 25 to acquire the purchase price of the vehicle owned by the user based on information such as the vehicle type, grade, year of manufacture, and mileage acquired from the user. The purchase price estimation unit 25 acquires the purchase price of the vehicle owned by the user by providing information about the vehicle owned by the user to the appraisal server 4. The purchase price estimation unit 25 may also be configured to acquire the latest purchase price from the appraisal server 4 each time the user logs into the service of this invention and automatically update the information about the purchase price. In this case, the latest appraisal result may be designed to be displayed in a place that is easily visible to the user, such as the top screen of the service of this invention. The vehicle information providing device 1 stores the acquired purchase price in DB 10, linked to the user's vehicle information, as information to be used in step S4, which is performed after step S2 in Figure 3.

[0034] The vehicle information acquisition unit 20 processes the display of the vehicle's specifications, along with an image of the vehicle owned by the user and its purchase price, on the user's terminal. Figure 19 shows an example of the screen displayed on the user's terminal as a result of this process. Code P19a is an example of displaying an image of the vehicle owned by the user, code P19b is an example of displaying the purchase price range of that vehicle, and code P19c is an example of displaying information including the vehicle's specifications. Figure 20 shows another display example when displaying an image of the vehicle owned by the user and its specifications, along with information on the trend of the purchase price range, on the user's terminal. In Figure 20, along with the latest purchase price range of the vehicle owned by the user, the trend of the average purchase price over a predetermined period going back from the present, as shown by code P20a, is displayed. The vehicle information acquisition unit 20 acquires the trend of the average purchase price from the appraisal server 4 using the purchase price estimation unit 25. By displaying this information together with the trend of the average purchase price of the vehicle, the user can also determine the timing of selling their vehicle, taking into account the trend of the average purchase price.

[0035] When the vehicle ownership information acquisition unit 20 detects a click of the button indicated by reference numeral P19d in Figure 19, or a click of the button indicated by reference numeral P20b in Figure 20, it stores information about the vehicle owned by the user as vehicle ownership information 103 in the user database 10, linking it to the user's ID.

[0036] (Step S23) The desired conditions acquisition unit 30 acquires the desired conditions for the vehicle the user wants to purchase, mainly by comparing it with vehicles the user already owns. The desired conditions acquisition unit 30 acquires the purchase budget, vehicle size, usage scenario, vehicle appearance, and "key points of focus" (keywords) when purchasing the vehicle as the desired conditions for the vehicle the user wants to purchase. The process of acquiring the desired conditions for the vehicle the user wants to purchase will be explained below.

[0037] (Step S23: Purchase Budget) The purchase budget acquisition unit 31 of the desired conditions acquisition unit 30 acquires the purchase budget from the user when purchasing a used car. At this time, the purchase budget acquisition unit 31 displays on the same screen of the user's terminal a selection / input area for the purchase budget of the vehicle the user intends to purchase and the estimated purchase price of the vehicle the user owns, which has been estimated by the purchase price estimation unit 25 and stored in the user DB 10. The unit then acquires the purchase budget by allowing the user to select and input the purchase budget while referring to the estimated purchase price of the vehicle they currently own. "Purchase budget" refers to the amount of money the user can spend on the vehicle they are newly purchasing. If the user is planning to sell their currently owned vehicle, it is also possible to add the estimated purchase price to the purchase budget. By displaying the estimated purchase price when selecting the purchase budget, it is expected that the range of purchase budget options will be broadened.

[0038] Figure 21 shows an example of the display screen on the user's terminal after processing by the purchase budget acquisition unit 31. On the display screen, the code P21a indicates the basic information of the vehicle owned by the user, the code P21b indicates the purchase price range of that vehicle, and the code P21c indicates multiple button areas that allow the user to select a purchase budget. The basic information of the vehicle owned by the user shown in code P21a includes an image of the vehicle owned by the user, manufacturer name, model name, grade, year of manufacture, and mileage. In code P21a, "XXX / YYY / ZZZ" indicates the manufacturer name, model name, and grade, respectively. The purchase budget acquisition unit 31 acquires the basic information of the vehicle owned by the user from the owned vehicle information 103 and performs display processing in the area shown in code P21a.

[0039] For processing by the purchase budget acquisition unit 31, the definition information DB 12 is associated with a number indicating the budget price range as budget definition information 121, as shown in Figure 8. In Figure 21, for example, if the user clicks the button "~1.5 million yen", the purchase budget acquisition unit 31 saves and manages the number "2" associated with "~1.5 million yen" as the budget price range selected by the user. In addition, in response to the user clicking the budget price range button, the purchase budget acquisition unit 31 performs a process to transition to the next screen to acquire other desired conditions.

[0040] Furthermore, the purchase budget acquisition unit 31 does not necessarily have to display the purchase price of the user's vehicle, which was estimated by the purchase price estimation unit 25 in step S22, on the user's terminal. For example, if there is a time gap between the registration of the user's vehicle and the acquisition of a budget for purchasing a used car by the desired conditions acquisition unit 30, the purchase budget acquisition unit 31 may use the purchase price estimation unit 25 and the owned vehicle information 103 to acquire the latest purchase price of the user's vehicle and display it on the user's terminal in order to display the latest purchase price.

[0041] In this way, by displaying the estimated trade-in value of the user's vehicle on the user's terminal screen, the user can determine their purchase budget while also considering the trade-in price. By encouraging users to effectively utilize vehicle trade-in, the budget limit may increase, potentially broadening the range of used cars suggested by the vehicle information provision device 1 and increasing the matching rate. Therefore, it may be possible to create a cycle in which users can successfully trade in their vehicles.

[0042] (Step S23: Vehicle Size) The size acquisition unit 32 of the desired conditions acquisition unit 30 performs a process to acquire the user's desired conditions regarding vehicle size as a relative size based on the size of the vehicle owned by the user. In this process, the size identification unit 321 of the size acquisition unit 32 identifies the type of vehicle owned by the user by referring to the owned vehicle information 103. Furthermore, the size identification unit 321 performs a process to identify the specific size of the type of vehicle by referring to the vehicle catalog DB 13 from the identified type of vehicle owned by the user. Figure 22 shows an example of the display on the user's terminal by the size acquisition unit 32. As shown in Figure 22, on the display screen, the code P22a indicates the basic information of the vehicle owned by the user, the code P22b indicates the size of the vehicle owned by the user, and the code P22c indicates the relative size options based on the size of the vehicle owned by the user. The code P22b indicates the overall length, overall width, and overall height of the vehicle owned by the user.

[0043] FIG. 22 is an example of presenting options regarding the desired relative vehicle body size based on the size of the vehicle owned by the user in words and allowing the user to make a selection. As another example, as shown by reference numeral P23a in FIG. 23, the relative size based on the size of the owned vehicle may be presented in a stepwise manner for the user to make a selection.

[0044] For this process, the size specifying unit 321 utilizes the size definition information 122 included in the definition information DB 12. FIG. 9 shows an example of the size definition information 122. The example in FIG. 9 is the definition information when allowing the user to select numerical values regarding the relative size based on the size of the owned vehicle shown in FIG. 23. As shown in FIG. 9, the size definition information includes information indicating how much smaller or larger the overall length is with respect to the numerical value selected by the user. The example in FIG. 9 is an example of the definition information for the overall length, but similar definition information may be provided for the overall width and the overall height as well. In the display example shown in FIG. 22, when the user selects a relative size in words, the vehicle information providing apparatus 1 can identify the number corresponding to the selected words by referring to the size definition information 122, and can also identify the range of the relative size with respect to the vehicle owned by the user.

[0045] In the case of FIG. 22, for example, when the user clicks the button "about the same", the number corresponding to "about the same" in the size definition information 122 is saved and managed as the desired size of the vehicle selected by the user. Also, in the case of FIG. 23, for example, when the user clicks the button "3", the size acquisition unit 32 saves and manages the number "3" as the desired size of the vehicle selected by the user. In this way, the size acquisition unit 32 obtains the desired conditions of the user by performing a stepwise evaluation that divides the vehicle size into a plurality of steps with the size of the user's owned vehicle as the median value.

[0046] In response to detecting a click on the "Next" button, indicated by reference numeral P22d in FIG. 22 or reference numeral P23b in FIG. 23, the size acquisition unit 32 performs a process of transitioning to the next screen for obtaining other desired conditions.

[0047] Through this process, the "size" of the current vehicle owned by the user is specifically determined from the vehicle type of the current vehicle. Also, for this process, the vehicle information providing device 1 includes size definition information 122. As a result, the user can utilize the size of the currently owned vehicle as a reference axis to make a relatively concrete determination of the size of the vehicle that the user "sensibly" desires by judging "large / small" centered on the size of the owned vehicle. Also, by including the size definition information 122, the "sensation" of the user can be more specifically quantified, and the vehicle information providing device 1 can provide more accurate recommendations. Furthermore, not only the binary determination of "large / small", but as shown in FIG. 23, by allowing the user to select the desired size through a hierarchical evaluation (in the case of FIG. 23, a five-level evaluation), the "degree" of the size of the vehicle desired by the user can be grasped, so it becomes possible to propose a vehicle with conditions closer to the user's desires.

[0048] (Step S23: Usage scenario) The usage scenario acquisition unit 33 of the desired condition acquisition unit 30 performs a process of acquiring from the user the usage scenario of the vehicle desired by the user. Also, the usage scenario acquisition unit 33 includes a usage scenario exemplification unit 331. The usage scenario exemplification unit 331 performs a process of exemplifying several typical usage scenarios so that it is easy to set what kind of usage scenarios the user mainly assumes for the vehicle to be purchased. At this time, when the vehicle owned by the user is registered as the owned vehicle information 103, the usage scenario exemplification unit 331 may perform a process of displaying on the user's terminal the usage scenario associated with the vehicle type of the currently owned vehicle together with the options of the usage scenario.

[0049] FIG. 24 shows an example of the usage scenario exemplified by the usage scenario exemplification unit 331 on the user's terminal. As shown in FIG. 24, on the display screen, reference numeral P24a indicates the basic information of the vehicle owned by the user, reference numeral P24b indicates the information regarding the usage scenario associated with the vehicle type of the user's currently owned vehicle, and reference numeral P24c indicates the options regarding the usage scenarios that the user can select. Note that FIG. 24 is an example showing a state in which the "usage scenario" associated with the vehicle type of the user's currently owned vehicle is selected from the options.

[0050] The usage scenario example unit 331 uses the usage scenario definition information from the definition information DB 12 for this processing. Figure 10 shows an example of the usage scenario definition information 123. In the usage scenario definition information 123, each number is associated with a usage scenario and a vehicle type classification. In Figure 10, for example, the usage scenario "commuting to work / school" is associated with the number "1," and further associated with the vehicle type classification information "kei car, compact car." In addition, the vehicle catalog DB 13 associates classification information such as "kei car," "compact car," "SUV," and "fuel-efficient" with each vehicle type. One or more vehicle type classifications may be associated with a usage scenario. Furthermore, the same vehicle type classification may be associated with multiple usage scenarios.

[0051] The usage scenario example unit 331 identifies the vehicle type of the user's vehicle from the vehicle information 103 if the user's vehicle is registered as vehicle information 103. Furthermore, the usage scenario example unit 331 may identify usage scenarios associated with the identified vehicle type of the user's vehicle by referring to the usage scenario definition information 123. In addition, if the identified vehicle type of the user's vehicle is associated with multiple usage scenarios, the usage scenario example unit 331 may select the usage scenario with the lowest number in the usage scenario definition information, or select the usage scenario that includes the most common vehicle type classification among the multiple usage scenarios. By selecting the usage scenario that includes the most common vehicle type classification, the chances of missing the user's desired vehicle type can be reduced. The usage scenario example unit 331 displays the usage scenario identified based on the user's vehicle type as shown in Figure 24, code P24b. Furthermore, the usage scenario acquisition unit 33 identifies the vehicle type classification corresponding to the usage scenario identified based on the user's vehicle type by referring to the usage scenario definition information 123. Furthermore, the usage scenario example unit 331 may perform a process to display information about a vehicle that represents the classification of the acquired vehicle in any area of ​​the screen shown in Figure 24. Here, the vehicle information providing device 1 also stores information about a vehicle that represents the classification of the acquired vehicle in the definition information DB 12.

[0052] Furthermore, when a user selects a usage scenario different from the usage scenario specified for a vehicle owned by the user, the usage scenario example unit 331 refers to the usage scenario definition information 123 to identify the vehicle classification corresponding to the selected usage scenario. The usage scenario acquisition unit 33 may then update and display information about the vehicle classification that represents the acquired vehicle classification in any area of ​​the screen shown in Figure 24.

[0053] Information regarding representative vehicle types within a vehicle classification may vary depending on the selected usage scenario. For example, for the usage scenario "commuting to work or school," an image of a representative car and fuel efficiency information may be displayed, while for the usage scenario "outdoor activities," an image of a representative car, vehicle classification, and size information may be displayed.

[0054] In addition, the usage scenario example unit 331 may allow the user to select multiple usage scenarios from among the multiple selectable usage scenarios. In this case, the usage scenario example unit 331 may perform a process to update and display information about vehicle types that represent the common classification of the multiple selected usage scenarios in the display area of ​​the screen shown in Figure 24.

[0055] Furthermore, the usage scenario example section 331 may display a free-form text field on the user's terminal screen so that the user can add desired conditions related to the usage scenario. The information entered in the free-form text field may be used by the vehicle information provider 1 to narrow down the vehicle selection by using the degree of agreement with so-called word-of-mouth information from an unspecified number of users regarding that vehicle. The word-of-mouth refers to comments written in a free-form format about the vehicle owned by the user on a used car sales website provided by the vehicle information provider 1 or another device. The vehicle information provider 1 shall have a function to refer to these word-of-mouth comments.

[0056] The usage scene acquisition unit 33, in response to the detection of a click of the "Next" button (not shown in Figure 24), stores and saves information about the usage scene selected and entered by the user. If the user selects multiple usage scenes, the unit stores and saves information about all of them. Furthermore, upon detection of a "Next" button click, the usage scene acquisition unit 33 performs a process to transition to the next screen in order to acquire other desired conditions.

[0057] This process allows users to select the conditions for the usage scenario of the vehicle they wish to purchase, while comparing it to the usage scenarios of the vehicle they currently own. Furthermore, even users who are not familiar with cars can simply select their "usage scenario," and the system will suggest suitable vehicle models.

[0058] (Step S23: Appearance of the car) The exterior image acquisition unit 34 acquires the user's desired conditions regarding the appearance of the car they wish to purchase. Furthermore, the exterior image acquisition unit 34 includes an exterior image example unit 341. Based on the acquired desired conditions regarding the appearance, the exterior image example unit 341 processes images of cars with different appearances to display as examples on the user's terminal.

[0059] Figure 25 shows an example of displaying an exterior image to a user terminal through processing by the exterior image example unit 341. As shown in Figure 25, on the display screen, reference numeral P25a indicates basic information of the vehicle owned by the user, reference numeral P25b indicates the display of an exterior image of the car determined based on the type of vehicle owned by the user, and reference numeral 25c indicates the user's choice of exterior image of the car.

[0060] The exterior image example unit 341 uses the image definition information from the definition information DB 12 for this process. Figure 11 shows an example of the image definition information 124. As shown in Figure 11, the image definition information 124 consists of a number related to the definition of the car image, a word for the exterior image associated with that number, and a car model associated with the word for the exterior image. The exterior image example unit 341 identifies the car model owned by the user from the user's owned vehicle information 103, and uses the image definition information 124 to determine a word that represents the exterior image of that car model. The exterior image example unit 341 displays the determined word as shown by the reference numeral P25b in Figure 25. Furthermore, by referring to the image definition information 124, the exterior image example unit 341 displays the options related to the car exterior image desired by the user, as shown by the reference numeral 25c in Figure 25. The user may be allowed to select multiple options related to the exterior image shown by the reference numeral 25c. The example of reference numeral 25b in Figure 25 shows a display example when the vehicle type owned by the user is associated with "simple" and "cute" in the image definition information 124.

[0061] Figure 26 shows another example of display on the user's terminal as processed by the exterior image example unit 341. In Figure 26, the code P26a is an area that displays one or more image images of vehicle types associated with the exterior image of a vehicle owned by the user, based on the image definition information 124. The code P26b indicates a button for the user to request a different exterior image. When the exterior image example unit 341 detects a click of the button indicated by code P26b by the user, it may display an image image of a vehicle type with a different exterior image from the one currently displayed in the area indicated by code P26a. For example, if the car exterior images displayed in the area indicated by code P26a are "simple" and "cute," in response to a click of the button indicated by code P26b, the exterior image example unit 341 may refer to the image definition information 124 and display, for example, an image image of a vehicle type associated with "cool" in the area indicated by code P26a.

[0062] In Figure 26, the exterior image example unit 341 may display car images in the area indicated by reference numeral 26a, categorized into multiple exterior groups based on the design trends of the car's exterior image, for the user to select an exterior image. Alternatively, the exterior image example unit 341 may display car images for each vehicle model, or images for each model year, as car images in the area indicated by reference numeral P26a, for the user to select an exterior image. Furthermore, when selecting a vehicle model to associate with an image, the exterior image example unit 341 may select the vehicle to display based on the user's purchase budget range obtained by the purchase budget acquisition unit 31. For example, when displaying images of vehicle models related to "cool," the exterior image example unit 341 may display one or more images of vehicle models whose average used car sales price for each vehicle model associated with "cool" is close to the upper limit of the purchase budget range.

[0063] Figure 27 shows yet another display example on the user's terminal processed by the exterior image example unit 341. In Figure 27, reference numeral 27a indicates an image of a vehicle, and reference numeral 27b indicates a selection of vehicle exterior images desired by the user. In Figure 27, the exterior image example unit 341, as the default screen, assumes that a word representing the exterior image of a vehicle owned by the user has been selected, and displays the exterior image of the vehicle associated with that word in the area indicated by reference numeral 27a. For example, if the user selects an exterior image of another word shown by reference numeral 27b, the exterior image example unit 341 refers to the image definition information 124 and displays one or more exterior images of vehicle associated with the selected word in the area indicated by reference numeral 27b. That is, if the displayed vehicle image does not match the user's preference, the exterior image example unit 341 replaces it with an image of another vehicle based on the desired conditions. Furthermore, when replacing with a different exterior image, if the user selects the same word again, the image definition information 124 may be referenced again, excluding the previously displayed exterior image, and the exterior image of a different vehicle may be replaced and displayed in the area indicated by reference numeral 27b. When the exterior image example unit 341 detects the user's selection of words indicating multiple exterior images, it may refer to the image definition information 124 and display one or more exterior images of vehicle models commonly associated with those multiple words in the area indicated by reference numeral 27b. As described above, the exterior image example unit 341 performs a process to update the car image displayed in the area indicated by reference numeral 27b with an image of another car in response to the user's action on the screen.

[0064] The exterior image acquisition unit 34, in response to the detection of a click of the "Next" button shown in Figures 25 to 27, stores and saves information regarding the car's exterior image selected and entered by the user. Here, the information regarding the exterior image selected by the user is stored and saved as a number indicating that exterior image, based on the image definition information 124. Furthermore, upon detection of a click of the "Next" button, the exterior image acquisition unit 34 performs a process to transition to the next screen in order to acquire other desired conditions.

[0065] Furthermore, the vehicle catalog DB-13 is assumed to have labels indicating the image of the exterior of each vehicle model. Based on the labeling results of the exterior image for each vehicle model, the image definition information 124 will be updated as needed. This labeling may be done by a person such as the administrator of the vehicle information provision device 1, or it may be done automatically. As an automatic labeling method, for example, keywords related to the exterior may be detected from user reviews for each vehicle model, and if a certain number of keywords are detected for a particular vehicle model, those keywords may be used as the label for the exterior of that vehicle model.

[0066] Through the above process, images of car models with appearances similar to the user's current vehicle are displayed as examples, allowing the user to select the appearance of the vehicle they wish to purchase while checking if it matches their preferences. Furthermore, the user can select their preferred vehicle appearance by reviewing images of car models grouped by words that describe the car's appearance. Therefore, even if the user is not familiar with car models, they will be able to select a vehicle appearance they like.

[0067] (Step S23: Key Points) The keyword acquisition unit 35 acquires the points that the user considers important when considering a vehicle to purchase, expressed in concise words (keywords) as "key points." In this case, the key points may be points that are important in comparison to the vehicle currently owned. Specifically, examples include "better fuel efficiency than my current car" and "can carry more luggage than my current car." The keyword acquisition unit 35 displays the main conditions that the user seeks in a vehicle as "tags" on the user's terminal screen and acquires information by having the user select the conditions they consider important from among them. The keyword acquisition unit 35 also acquires and saves the results of the tag selection by the user as key points that the user seeks in a vehicle they wish to purchase.

[0068] Figure 28 shows an example of the display on the user's terminal after processing by the keyword acquisition unit 35. As shown in Figure 28, on the display screen, code P28a is a tag for selecting points of preference (compared to the vehicle owned by the user), and code P25b is a free-text field for points of preference regarding the car. Figure 28 shows, for example, an example of tags where "fuel efficiency," "taxes," and "maintenance costs" are points of preference for "car costs." The free-text field is a field where the user can input the conditions they require for a car in a free-text format. The keyword acquisition unit 35 refers to the preference definition information stored in the definition information DB 12 in order to display the tag shown by code P28a. Figures 12 and 13 show examples of preference definition information. Figure 12 shows an example of preference definition information (1) 125a related to "car costs." Figure 13 shows an example of preference definition information (1) 125b related to "ease of driving and sense of safety of the car." As shown in Figures 12 and 13, the user's desired conditions regarding points of preference are classified by category. When displaying the information in the area indicated by reference numeral 28a in Figure 28, the keyword acquisition unit 35 groups the tags that will be selected for each category according to the preference definition information and displays them on the user's terminal.

[0069] In Figure 12, the detailed definition information (1) 125a for the "Car Expenses" category is linked to tags such as "Fuel Efficiency," "Taxes," and "Maintenance Costs," along with numbers that identify these tags. Furthermore, information indicating a comparison standard with the user's owned vehicle is linked to each tag. For example, for the "Fuel Efficiency" tag, a standard is set that the vehicle model proposed by the vehicle information provider 1 should be 1.05 times or less the WLTC fuel efficiency, which is an international fuel efficiency measurement method for the user's owned vehicle.

[0070] Similarly, in the "Ease of Driving and Safety" category of Figure 13, the detailed definition information (2) 125b is linked to tags such as "tight turning radius," "accident prevention function," and "driving support function," along with numbers that identify these tag items. Furthermore, information regarding comparison criteria with the user's owned vehicle is linked to each tag item. For example, for the "tight turning radius" tag, a criterion is set that the vehicle model proposed by the vehicle information provider 1 must be 1.05 times or less the turning radius of the user's owned vehicle. Also, for the "accident prevention function" tag, information defining what an accident prevention function is is linked. Based on the definition information of what an accident prevention function is, the vehicle information provider 1 uses this as a criterion when selecting a vehicle model to propose to the user, such as selecting a vehicle model with the same or more listed accident prevention functions compared to the user's owned vehicle.

[0071] In the example display on the terminal shown in Figure 28, multiple tags indicating points of preference can be selected. Although Figure 28 shows an example where up to five tags can be selected, this number is not the limit. However, it is preferable to set some limit on the number of tags that can be selected. This is because, for example, if all tags are selected, it becomes impossible to understand what points the user truly wants to focus on, and if many tags are selected, a large number of vehicle models will be suggested in relation to the selected tags. In this case, vehicles that do not actually meet the user's preferences will be suggested, and the advantages of this service will not be realized.

[0072] When a user enters information in the free-text field indicated by reference numeral P28b in Figure 28, the tag generation unit 351 of the keyword acquisition unit 35 adds the conditions entered in the free-text field as a "tag" selected by the user if they are not included in the tags indicated in the field indicated by reference numeral P28a. For example, the tag generation unit 351 may select words that have been mentioned a predetermined number of times in the total number of reviews for a vehicle as tag candidates, and if a tag that is not included in the preference definition information 125 matches a word in the conditions entered in the free-text field, it may add it as a "tag" selected by the user. The keyword acquisition unit 35 acquires the tags generated by the tag generation unit 351 as preference points for the vehicle the user wishes to purchase. The tags generated by the tag generation unit 351 may also be used as tags in new preference definition information. Furthermore, the tags generated by the tag generation unit 351 may be used to narrow down the proposed vehicle models when the vehicle information providing device 1 selects a vehicle, for example, by comparing words included in the reviews for that vehicle model.

[0073] The keyword acquisition unit 35, in response to the detection of a click of the "Next" button shown in Figure 28, stores and saves information about tags related to the user's preferences, obtained from the user's selection or free-form text. Here, the keyword acquisition unit 35 stores and saves information about the user's selected tags, including the tag number and / or additional "tags," based on the preference definition information 125, etc. Furthermore, upon detection of a click of the "Next" button, the keyword acquisition unit 35 performs a process to transition to the screen shown in Figure 29.

[0074] Through the above process, it is possible to clarify what points of emphasis the user values, such as price, vehicle type, or condition. Furthermore, by using the vehicle type owned by the user as a basis for determining these points of emphasis, the criteria for those points will not become too subjective.

[0075] Figure 7 shows an example of desired conditions information 104 obtained from the user in step S23. The desired conditions information 104 is managed in association with the user ID. Furthermore, each item of the desired conditions information 104 is configured to be identifiable from the definition information shown in Figures 8 to 13.

[0076] (Step S24) If, at the time the screen shown in Figure 29 is displayed on the user's terminal, user information 101 is not registered or the user is not logged in, the vehicle information providing device 1 performs a process to transition to a screen for acquiring user information or a login screen before the screen display process in Figure 29. Then, the vehicle information providing device 1 performs a process for registering user information, etc. This is because the user DB 10 stores information linked to a user ID for each user, so in order to save the desired conditions etc. entered up to this point, it is first necessary to acquire the user ID and secure storage space in the user DB 10. After user registration is complete, the vehicle information providing device 1 performs a process to transition to the screen shown in Figure 29.

[0077] (Step S3) In the screen shown in Figure 29, when the vehicle information providing device 1 detects a click of the button indicated by reference numeral P29, it proceeds to the processing steps S41 to S44 shown in step S4 for selecting a vehicle type and vehicle based on the user's desired conditions.

[0078] (Step S41) The vehicle extraction unit 41 performs a process to extract vehicles to suggest (recommend) based on the user's desired conditions. For example, the vehicle extraction unit 41 selects vehicles that meet one or more of the following conditions: 1) Vehicles that match the budget desired by the user 2) Vehicles that match the size desired by the user 3) Vehicles that match the usage scenario desired by the user 4) Vehicles that match the appearance image desired by the user 5) Vehicles that match the specific features desired by the user.

[0079] The vehicle selection unit 41, under condition 1), refers to the desired conditions information 104 and the budget definition information 121, and selects a vehicle by comparing it with the average used car selling price for that vehicle type. At this time, it does not select only those that perfectly match the user's desired conditions, but also selects those that are "close" to the desired conditions. For those that are close to the desired conditions, as described later, a penalty is applied when calculating the match rate, etc., to adjust for those that perfectly match the desired conditions. With this setting, it is possible to propose vehicles that match the user's wishes without unnecessarily narrowing them down too much.

[0080] In condition 2), the system refers to the desired conditions information 104 and the size definition information 112 to select a vehicle that matches the size conditions selected by the user. For example, if the user selects "4" in the size definition information in Figure 9, the system will select a vehicle with a total length of +200 [mm] to +700 [mm] relative to the total length of the user's vehicle. The size information for each vehicle can be obtained by referring to the vehicle catalog DB 13. In this case, instead of selecting only vehicles that perfectly match the user's desired conditions, the system will also select vehicles that are "close" to the desired conditions. In this example, not only vehicles with a total length of +200 [mm] to +700 [mm] will be selected, but also vehicles in the range of -200 mm to +200 mm and vehicles in the range of +700 mm and above will be selected. For vehicles that perfectly match the desired conditions, vehicles that are close to the desired conditions will be adjusted by applying a penalty when calculating the match rate, etc., as will be described later. With this setting, it is possible to propose vehicles that match the user's wishes without unnecessarily narrowing down the options too much. The same design will apply to conditions 3) to 5) below.

[0081] In condition 3), the system refers to the desired conditions information 104 and the usage scene definition information 123 to select a type of vehicle that falls under the usage scene selected by the user, for example, a vehicle classified as a USV or minivan. If the user has selected multiple usage scenes, the system selects a vehicle that is commonly classified and associated with those usage scenes, or a vehicle that is most frequently associated with those usage scenes. The classification of each vehicle can be obtained by referring to the vehicle catalog DB 13.

[0082] In condition 4), the system refers to the desired conditions information 104 and the image definition information 124 to select a car model associated with the car exterior image selected by the user. If the user has selected multiple car exterior images, the system selects the car model that is common to all of those images, or the car model that is most frequently associated with all of those images.

[0083] In condition 5), the system refers to the desired conditions information 104 and the preference definition information 125 to select a car model that matches the specifications, tax amount, functions, etc., of the car selected by the user as a preference point. The specifications, tax amount, functions, etc., of each car model can be obtained by referring to the vehicle catalog DB 13.

[0084] When the vehicle type extraction unit 41 selects a vehicle type by considering some or all of the conditions shown in 1) to 5), it selects a vehicle type that is selected multiple times based on those conditions, or a vehicle type that has N or more of the most frequently selected conditions (where "N" is any positive integer).

[0085] The matching rate calculation unit 43 calculates a score and a matching rate for each of the selected vehicle models, based on the matching rate calculation rules, indicating how well each vehicle model matches the user's desired conditions, based on the information about the selected vehicle model. An example of the matching rate calculation rules is shown below.

[0086] In condition 1), the budget definition information 121 is referred to, and the user's desired budget rank is compared with the average used car sales price of the target vehicle. If it matches the user's desired budget rank, N points are awarded, and for each rank difference, N points are subtracted from α points. For example, in the budget definition information in Figure 8, if the user's purchase budget is "2" (1 million to 1.5 million yen), the score would be "N points" if the average used car sales price of the target vehicle is 1.3 million yen, and "(N-2 × α) points" if it is 4.5 million yen.

[0087] In condition 2), the size definition information 112 is referenced, and the rank of the size condition selected by the user is compared with the rank of the target vehicle. If they match, N points are awarded, and for each rank difference, N points are subtracted from N points. The method for determining these points is the same as in condition 1).

[0088] In condition 3), refer to the usage scene definition information 123. If the user has selected one or more usage scenes, the vehicle will receive N points if it is a type that fits into all of the usage scenes selected by the user; if the vehicle is not a type that fits into all of the usage scenes selected by the user, it will receive minus α points for each mismatched scene; and if the vehicle is a type that does not fall into any of the usage scenes selected by the user, it will receive 0 points.

[0089] In condition 4), the image definition information 124 is referenced. If the user has selected one or more exterior images, the vehicle is scored N points if it is classified under all of the exterior images selected by the user; if the vehicle is not classified under all of the exterior images selected by the user, minus α points are awarded for each mismatched exterior image; and if the vehicle is not included in any of the exterior images selected by the user, the vehicle is scored 0 points.

[0090] In condition 5), refer to the preference definition information 125 and add +M points for each match with the condition information of the tag selected by the user as a preference point.

[0091] Next, the match rate calculation unit 43 calculates the match rate, which indicates how well the target vehicle matches the user's desired conditions. In the example above, if the user has selected three tags as points of preference, the maximum score will be (N points × 4 + M points × 3). The match rate calculation unit 43 calculates the match rate based on the ratio of the score obtained for each vehicle to the maximum score. Note that the above-mentioned method for calculating the score and match rate for each extracted vehicle is just an example, and the target vehicle may be scored and the match rate calculated using any method. Furthermore, the vehicle may be scored and the match rate calculated using only the conditions other than the condition for selecting the vehicle from conditions 1) to 5) above.

[0092] The match rate calculation unit 43 may perform additional point processing. The match rate calculation unit 43 may score based on tags newly added from the content written in the free-form field when obtaining desired visual image conditions, and / or from the content written when obtaining desired preference points. For example, the match rate calculation unit 43 may add β points as additional points for each matching word based on the degree of agreement between the words in the content written in the free-form field when obtaining desired visual image conditions and the words in the reviews for that car model. The match rate calculation unit 43 may also add γ points as additional points for each matching word based on the degree of agreement between the tags newly added from the content written when obtaining desired preference points and the words in the reviews for that car model. The match rate calculation unit 43 may also calculate the match rate by adding the maximum points L awarded for each car model to the maximum points P points calculated based on the user's desired conditions (P + L) as the new maximum score.

[0093] Furthermore, the match rate calculation unit 43 may adjust the score for each vehicle. The match rate calculation unit 43 adjusts the points for the vehicle proposed to the extracted user using user reviews for that vehicle. For example, if the user's desired usage scenario is related to "outdoors," the match rate calculation unit 43 adds θ points if the user reviews for that vehicle contain words related to "outdoors." It is assumed that words related to "outdoors" are prepared separately. Similarly, a list of related words is provided for each item of each condition in the desired conditions information 104, and the score is adjusted depending on whether or not there are words in the user reviews that match the conditions desired by the user. Here, among the vehicle proposed to the extracted user, the maximum score added by the match rate calculation unit 43 is set to Q. In this case, the match rate calculation unit 43 may calculate the match rate by adding the maximum score Q calculated by the match rate calculation unit 43 to the maximum score P calculated based on the user's desired conditions, resulting in (P + Q) points as the maximum score.

[0094] The match rate calculation unit 43 may also be configured to correct the scores for each vehicle model and calculate the match rate based on the new maximum score.

[0095] Furthermore, the vehicle type extraction unit 41 may treat vehicles of the same make and model as different models if their production period differs. In this case, the vehicle type extraction unit 41 may calculate the matching rate for each model and year of manufacture of the vehicle to be proposed to the user.

[0096] When the vehicle type extraction unit 41 selects a vehicle type considering the multiple conditions shown in 1) to 5), it selects a vehicle type that is selected for multiple conditions, or a vehicle type for which the number of conditions selected for multiple conditions is N or more (where "N" is a predetermined positive integer).

[0097] The vehicle selection by the vehicle selection unit 41 involves selecting vehicle models to propose to the user using one of the conditions 1) to 5), and then calculating the match rate of the selected vehicle models to propose to the user, but it is not limited to this. For example, the vehicle selection unit 41 could calculate the match rate with each vehicle model from the beginning, and the top N vehicle models with the highest match rates (where "N" is a predetermined positive integer) could be proposed to the user.

[0098] (Step S42) The recommended vehicle display unit 441 of the display unit 44 performs a process to display the vehicle that the vehicle extraction unit 41 has extracted and suggested to the user on the user's terminal. Figure 30 shows an example of a screen that displays the vehicle that is suggested to the user based on the user's desired conditions information 104, etc.

[0099] In the example screen shown in Figure 30, the symbol P30A indicates the area displaying the vehicle with the best match rate, and the symbol P30B indicates the area displaying the vehicle with the second-best match rate. These areas P30A, P30B, ... constitute the vehicle recommendation screen for the user. In this embodiment, the user can view the second and subsequent vehicle recommendations with the best match rates by scrolling the screen downwards. However, viewing the second and subsequent vehicle recommendations may be done by other methods, such as swiping left or right.

[0100] The information provided for the suggested vehicle consists of the following: basic information about the suggested vehicle (P30a), the vehicle's match rate (P30b), information on tags selected by the user as "key features" that match the suggested vehicle (P30c), the vehicle's selling points (P30d(1)), an image of the vehicle (P30d(2)), a comparison table (30d(3)) between the user's owned vehicle and the suggested vehicle, and a selection button (P30e) for the user to view individual vehicles if they are interested in the vehicle. The display configuration for subsequent suggested vehicle models with good match rates is the same as that for the vehicle with the best match rate.

[0101] The basic information P30a of the suggested car model includes the recommendation number of the suggested car model, the car manufacturer name, the car model name, the production period of that model, the average used car price of that model, and the points from user reviews for that model. The match rate P30b is the match rate calculated by the match rate calculation unit 43 for that car model. The display unit 44 includes a match rate display unit 442, which processes the display of the match rate. The information of the matched tags P30c is, in the example of Figure 30, a tag from the user's "preference points" that matches the car model's "good fuel efficiency," "easy to maneuver," "with driving support functions," and "can seat 5 or more people." Note that even if the same car model is used, if the model or production period is different, it may be treated as a different car model. In such cases, the information of the matched tags P30c may be displayed differently depending on the model and year of manufacture, even for the same car model.

[0102] Image P30d (2) is configured to allow users to view images of the vehicle from different angles using an image slider. Comparison table 30d (3) is a comparison table of average price, size, and fuel efficiency between the first and second vehicle models, with the user's currently owned vehicle as the first vehicle model information and the vehicle models proposed by the vehicle information provider 1 as the second vehicle model information. Comparison table 30f is a comparison table of vehicle models proposed by the vehicle information provider 1 to the user. For example, in comparison tables for the second and subsequent vehicle models, the first vehicle model information is the first proposed vehicle model, and the second vehicle model information is the Nth proposed vehicle model to be displayed. This can be a comparison table between different proposed vehicle models, such as a comparison table between the first and second vehicle models. Furthermore, the comparison table is not limited to average price, size, and fuel efficiency. For example, it may include information related to tags selected by the user in the desired conditions "こだわりポイント" (こだわりポイント - points of preference), or information related to other conditions of the desired conditions. Moreover, the comparison table may be a table in which information related to any of the desired conditions is added to the comparison table shown in Figure 30.

[0103] Furthermore, the recommended vehicle display unit 441 may include vehicles that are suggested regardless of the user's preferences, such as vehicles that the system wants to promote sales of, as vehicles to be displayed on the user's terminal. In this case as well, the recommended vehicle display unit 441 will display the matching rate for those vehicles.

[0104] (Step S43) In Figure 30, as an example, an upper limit is set on the number of vehicle models that can be selected, allowing the user to choose up to three vehicle models of interest. When the display unit 44 detects that the user has selected three vehicle models, or when it detects that the user has selected at least one vehicle model and clicked the "Next" button (not shown), it transitions to a screen for presenting vehicles. Note that in the example screen in Figure 30, the user can choose up to three vehicle models of interest, but this is not the only option.

[0105] (Step S44) The individual vehicle extraction unit 42 extracts information on vehicles corresponding to the vehicle type extracted by the vehicle type extraction unit 41 based on user selection, etc., from the distribution vehicle DB 11 which stores information on vehicles distributed in the market. When the individual vehicle extraction unit 42 extracts vehicles for each vehicle type, it may also select up to the top M vehicles (where "M" is a predetermined positive integer) with a match rate calculated by the match rate calculation unit 43. Alternatively, it may select vehicles whose match rate calculated by the match rate calculation unit 43 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

[0106] After the individual vehicle extraction unit 42 extracts vehicles, the display unit 44 processes the process of displaying information on vehicles that are for sale and have been extracted by the individual vehicle extraction unit 42 based on vehicle type on the user's terminal. At this time, the display unit 44 processes the process of displaying the target vehicle information extracted by the individual vehicle extraction unit 42 and the user's currently owned vehicle information on the same screen. The display unit 44 also processes the process of displaying the estimated purchase price of the vehicle currently owned by the user, as well as the market price of the proposed vehicle. At this time, the proposal unit 40 may also display the difference between the estimated purchase price of the vehicle owned by the user and the market price of the proposed vehicle. Whether or not to display the difference between the estimated price and the market price of the proposed vehicle may depend on the user's display settings for the vehicle information provision device 1. The display unit 44 uses the appraisal result (estimated purchase price) stored in the user DB 10 as the estimated purchase price of the vehicle currently owned by the user. Alternatively, the display unit 44 may use the purchase price estimation unit 25 to obtain the purchase price range of the vehicle currently owned by the user from the appraisal server 4 again in order to estimate the latest purchase price.

[0107] Figure 31 shows an example of the display when the display unit 44 displays vehicles suggested to the user's terminal. The display example shown in Figure 31 consists of display areas P31a, which is information about the user's owned vehicles; P31b, which is a tab for switching the display of vehicles suggested for each vehicle type selected by the user; P31c, which is vehicle type information for the currently selected tab; P31d, P31e, etc., which is the area of ​​the first sales vehicle information for individual vehicles that correspond to the vehicle type shown in P31c and are registered in the distribution vehicle DB 11 and have characteristics that match or are similar to the user's set desired conditions. As described above, the display unit 44 displays the target vehicle information extracted by the individual vehicle extraction unit 42 and the owned vehicle information, which is information about the user's owned vehicles, on the same screen.

[0108] Here, the information P31a regarding the vehicle owned by the user includes the manufacturer / model / grade information, registration year, mileage, and estimated sales price (purchase price) of the vehicle owned by the user, based on the vehicle ownership information 103. The information P31a regarding the vehicle owned by the user may also display the manufacturer / model / grade information, registration year, mileage, and other specifications of the vehicle owned by the user, based on the vehicle ownership information 103, in the upper section, and the estimated purchase price of the vehicle owned by the user in the lower section.

[0109] The display unit 44 displays the manufacturer name and model of the vehicle selected by the user as tabs P31b. The display unit 44 also displays the tabs of vehicle models with high match rates from left to right as tabs P31b. Alternatively, the display unit 44 may display the tabs of vehicle models with a large number of individual vehicle information entries from left to right as tabs to be displayed. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 31, the initial screen for displaying suggested vehicles is set by default to display the tab of the vehicle model identified in the leftmost tab open. The display unit 44 may also display the match rate of the vehicle in the area of ​​tab P31b or vehicle information P31c using the match rate display unit 442.

[0110] The example in Figure 31 shows a case where the user has selected three car models on the screen shown in Figure 30 (by pressing the "Interested" button P30e for three different types of car models). The car model information P31c displays the manufacturer name / model, image of the car model, new car sales price, customer review rating, match rate against the user's desired conditions, and tags that match the desired conditions "こだわりポイント" (こだわりポイント - points of interest). In the example in Figure 31, the car model information P31c is the same information as the symbols P30a, P30c, and P30d(2) in Figure 30.

[0111] The sales vehicle information P31d, P31e, ... for the selected tab P31b includes conventional vehicle information, such as manufacturer name / model / grade information, the vehicle's selling points and features, vehicle image, year of manufacture, mileage, validity period of vehicle inspection, repair history, and information on the vehicle's sales company, as well as the total payment amount and vehicle price P31A. Furthermore, the sales vehicle information P31d, P31e, ... also includes the match rate P31B against the user's desired conditions for that vehicle, and the display P31C of tags that match the desired conditions "points of focus". The match rate for each vehicle's conditions is calculated by the match rate calculation unit 43. The display unit 44 displays the current total payment amount and vehicle price P31A for each vehicle. Alternatively, the display unit 44 may display the current total payment amount and vehicle price P31A minus the median estimated buyback price of the user's vehicle. Furthermore, it is preferable to display whether the total payment amount and base price P31A for each vehicle are the amount after deducting the estimated buyback price of the vehicle owned by the user. Alternatively, the user may select whether to display the total payment amount and base price P31A for each vehicle minus the estimated buyback price through the display settings of the vehicle information providing device 1. Note that the sales vehicle information P31d, P31e... are examples of vehicle information display screens for individual vehicles, including a display of the match rate. In response to the user's selection (click) of any vehicle, the display unit 44 processes a display screen on the terminal that includes more detailed information about that vehicle than the information shown in the sales vehicle information P31d, P31e..., such as more detailed specifications and safety equipment information for that vehicle. Even in the vehicle information display screen, which displays more detailed information about that vehicle, the display unit 44 uses the match rate display unit 442 to display the match rate for the selected vehicle on the vehicle information display screen. Note that the vehicle information display screen may be a list screen of vehicles displayed after the user has performed a normal search.

[0112] Furthermore, information on vehicles for sale that is not displayed initially can be viewed by the user by scrolling on the screen. In this case, the areas shown as P31a and P31b in Figure 31 may be fixed areas that do not move even when the user scrolls. This fixed area is not limited to the above, and any area displayed in the upper part of the initial vehicle display screen that is considered useful to the user when comparing and considering vehicles may be designated as a fixed area. For example, P31a, which contains information about the vehicle owned by the user, may be designated as a fixed area.

[0113] The display unit 44 allows users to select a vehicle from the recommended vehicles of the same make and model, while comparing it to the condition of their own car. By comparing it to the vehicle the user owns, they can also select a vehicle for sale with an estimated trade-in value when considering the price.

[0114] Figure 32 shows an example of the display screen on the user's device when the user selects a second suggested vehicle by tapping a tab. Figure 32 shows an example where sales information for the suggested vehicle related to the second tab is displayed.

[0115] Figure 33 shows an example of how the display appears on the user's terminal when the number of vehicle models selected by the user is less than the maximum limit. In the example in Figure 33, the maximum number of selectable vehicle models is three, and the user has selected two vehicle models. In the example in Figure 33, when the number of vehicle models selected by the user is less than the maximum limit, additional suggested vehicle models are displayed as tabs. The additional vehicle models may be, for example, one or more vehicle models that were not selected by the user, in order of highest match rate. Alternatively, they may be one or more vehicle models that include vehicles currently being promoted for sale. The display unit 44 then displays tabs including an indication P33a that identifies the vehicle models not selected by the user. Note that when the number of vehicle models selected by the user is less than the maximum limit, instead of adding suggested vehicle models, the number of tabs displayed may be changed to match the number of vehicle models selected by the user.

[0116] Figure 34 shows another example of how the display appears on the user's terminal when the number of vehicle models selected by the user is less than the upper limit. Similar to the example in Figure 33, the example in Figure 34 also assumes that the upper limit for selectable vehicle models is three, and the user has selected two vehicle models. The difference from Figure 33 is that the vehicle models selected by the user are displayed as tabs in the preceding area P34b, while the vehicle models not selected by the user, and which are independently selected by the vehicle extraction unit 41, are displayed in the succeeding area P34a. Here, "preceding area" refers to the tabs displayed in the area close to the area P34c where vehicle information is displayed, within a multi-stage tab system. On the other hand, "successing area" refers to the tabs displayed in an area further from the area P34c where vehicle information is displayed than the tabs in the "preceding area".

[0117] In this way, by switching tabs, suggested vehicles are displayed for each vehicle type, and the results for the vehicles extracted for each vehicle type are displayed in an organized manner. Therefore, it becomes easier for the user to compare and consider the recommended vehicles. Also, as illustrated in Figures 31 to 34, the vehicle type can be changed simply by switching tabs, making it easier to compare and consider vehicles by type.

[0118] As shown in Figure 5, the information of each user included in the user DB 10 becomes historical information showing the history of changes to the user's owned vehicle information 103 and user information 101. The vehicle information providing device 1 may also suggest vehicle types and vehicles using the history of each user's user information 101 and / or the history of the user's owned vehicle information 103. The replacement timing prediction unit 50 of the vehicle information providing device 1 predicts the replacement timing of owned vehicles based on the history of each user information 101 and owned vehicle information 103. Specifically, the replacement timing prediction unit 50 predicts the replacement timing of vehicles from the update cycle of owned vehicle information, or predicts a replacement timing that can be assumed from the vehicle inspection timing obtained from owned vehicle information, for example, predicting a replacement timing of three months before the vehicle inspection timing. Alternatively, the replacement timing prediction unit 50 predicts the replacement timing of vehicles based on the timing of address changes in user information 101. In addition, for example, the replacement timing may be predicted from the year of manufacture and mileage of the user's currently owned vehicle. Furthermore, machine learning using AI may be utilized in the prediction process. The suggestion unit 40 then performs a process to suggest a suitable vehicle when the replacement period predicted by the replacement period prediction unit 50 falls below a specified number of days. In this case, the suggestion unit 40 contacts the user using user information 101 to make a suggestion, for example, by sending a short message to the phone number or by sending an email notification to guide the user to the internet service site provided by the vehicle information provision device 1. Alternatively, the suggestion unit 40 guides the user to the service provided by the vehicle information provision device 1 through a pop-up notification in an application installed on the user's terminal. After guiding the user to the service site or application, the suggestion unit 40 performs a process to suggest vehicle types and vehicles to the user using the user's already registered desired conditions information 104, or by newly acquiring desired conditions information 104 from the user. The process of suggesting vehicle types and vehicles to the user is the same as in step S4 of Figure 3.

[0119] In this way, by storing historical information including the user's vehicle ownership information and changes to user information, a "medical record" for that user's vehicle is created, and this "medical record" can be used to efficiently approach the user afterward.

[0120] As described above, the vehicle information providing device 1 according to this embodiment can suggest the type of vehicle the user desires by comparing it with the vehicle the user owns. Furthermore, the comparison based on the user's own vehicle can be based on subjective conditions such as "expensive," "spacious," and "easy to use," and the user's own vehicle can be set as the "objective median" for these subjective conditions. Therefore, even if the conditions are subjective, the user's desires can be grasped with a certain degree of accuracy. In other words, even with abstract desire conditions, setting "currently owned vehicle" as a comparison axis makes the desire conditions more concrete and makes it easier to suggest a vehicle that matches the user's desires.

[0121] Traditional used car search websites made it difficult to find vehicles that met desired conditions unless users had a certain level of understanding of car information, such as the car manufacturer and model. In other words, specifying search conditions itself was difficult. If the search conditions were not set properly, users tended to only be able to extract information on a very small fraction of the vehicles that potentially matched their preferences, even though many such vehicles existed. This was due not only to the difficulty in setting search conditions, but also to the nature of the "search method itself," which excluded vehicles that deviated even slightly from the search conditions from the search results. While the traditional search method was useful for users who were already familiar with vehicle information or who had a fairly clear idea of ​​the desired vehicle they wanted to buy, it was difficult for other users to obtain satisfactory search results. On the other hand, the vehicle information provision device 1 allows users who have not yet determined specific desired conditions or who are unfamiliar with vehicle information to easily access information on their desired vehicle without abandoning the search operation midway, thus making it possible to maintain or increase their motivation to purchase a vehicle.

[0122] The vehicle information provider 1 extracts vehicle types and models to suggest to the user based on the matching rate with the user's desired conditions. Therefore, even if the vehicle type and model selection results do not perfectly match the user's desired conditions, the system can still present vehicle types and models to the user. Thus, since there is no "search results of 0 (zero)," the user's interest can be maintained.

[0123] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and modifications can be made as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. The configurations described in the embodiments above may also be combined.

[0124] Furthermore, each component of the device in the above embodiment may be implemented by dedicated hardware, or it may be implemented by memory and a microprocessor.

[0125] Furthermore, each component of each device may consist of memory and a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and its functions may be realized by loading a program into memory and executing it to realize the functions of each component of each device.

[0126] Alternatively, programs for realizing the functions of each part of each device may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the programs recorded on this recording medium may be loaded into a computer system and executed to perform processing by the parts of the control unit. The term "computer system" here includes hardware such as the operating system and peripheral devices.

[0127] Furthermore, "computer system" shall also include the homepage provisioning environment (or display environment) if the WWW system is being used.

[0128] Furthermore, "computer-readable recording media" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs, and CD-ROMs, as well as storage devices such as hard disks built into computer systems. Moreover, "computer-readable recording media" also includes those that dynamically hold programs for a short period of time, such as communication lines used when transmitting programs over networks such as the Internet or communication lines such as telephone lines, and those that hold programs for a certain period of time, such as volatile memory inside computer systems that act as servers or clients in such cases. In addition, the above-mentioned programs may be for the purpose of realizing some of the functions described above, and may also be able to realize the above-mentioned functions in combination with programs already recorded in the computer system.

[0129] 1. Vehicle Information Provisioning Device 2,3. Terminal 4. Appraisal Server 5. Appraisal Target Products 10. User DB 11. Distribution Vehicle DB 12. Definition Information DB 13. Vehicle Catalog DB 20. Owned Vehicle Information Acquisition Unit 21. Vehicle Basic Information Acquisition Unit 22. Specification Information Acquisition Unit 25. Purchase Price Estimation Unit 30. Desired Conditions Acquisition Unit 31. Purchase Budget Acquisition Unit 32. Size Acquisition Unit 33. Usage Scenario Acquisition Unit 34. Exterior Image Acquisition Unit 35. Keyword Acquisition Unit 40. Proposal Unit 41. Vehicle Type Extraction Unit 42. Individual Vehicle Extraction Unit 43. Match Rate Calculation Unit 44. Display Unit 50. Replacement Timing Prediction Unit 321. Size Identification Unit 331. Usage Scenario Example Unit 341. Exterior Image Example Unit 351. Tag Generation Unit 441. Recommended Vehicle Display Unit 442. Match Rate Display Unit 443. Desired Conditions Tag Display Unit 444 Vehicle Information Comparison Display Section

Claims

1. A vehicle information providing device comprising: a history information storage means for storing user information, including information about the user's owned vehicles, along with a change history; a vehicle basic information acquisition means for acquiring vehicle basic information, including vehicle type information, for the user's owned vehicles from the user information stored in the history information storage means; a specification information acquisition means for acquiring specification information of the vehicle type indicated by the vehicle basic information acquisition means from the vehicle basic information acquired by the vehicle basic information acquisition means; a preference condition acquisition means for acquiring the user's preference conditions regarding vehicles based on the specification information acquired by the specification information acquisition means; an extraction means for extracting vehicle types or vehicles that match all or part of the preference conditions acquired by the preference condition acquisition means; and a suggestion means for suggesting the vehicle types or vehicles extracted by the extraction means to the user.

2. A vehicle information providing device comprising: a means for acquiring owned vehicle information, which is information about a user's owned vehicles; a means for estimating the purchase price of the owned vehicle by referring to a distribution vehicle database that stores information about vehicles currently circulating in the market, based on the owned vehicle information acquired by the owned vehicle information acquisition means; a means for acquiring desired conditions, which is based on the owned vehicle information acquired by the owned vehicle information acquisition means, based on the user's desired conditions regarding the vehicle; an extraction means for extracting vehicle types or vehicles that match all or part of the desired conditions acquired by the desired conditions acquisition means; and a proposal means for proposing to the user the vehicle types or vehicles extracted by the extraction means, along with the amount obtained by subtracting the purchase price estimated by the purchase price estimation means from the sales price of the vehicle types or vehicles.

3. The vehicle information providing device according to claim 1, wherein the specification information acquisition means acquires the specification information of owned vehicles by referring to a vehicle catalog database in which information on the specifications of various vehicles is collected and recorded, based on the vehicle type information included in the owned vehicle information.

4. The vehicle information providing device according to claim 2, wherein the purchase price estimation means extracts at least information on vehicle type and mileage from the owned vehicle information acquired by the owned vehicle information acquisition means, extracts information on vehicles from among the vehicles recorded in the distribution vehicle database whose information on vehicle type and mileage is similar to that of the owned vehicle, and estimates the purchase price of the owned vehicle based on the price of the extracted vehicle.

5. The vehicle information providing device according to claim 2, wherein the purchase price estimation means extracts at least information regarding the vehicle type and mileage from the vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition means, extracts information on vehicles from among the vehicles recorded in the distribution vehicle database whose information regarding the vehicle type and year is similar to that of the vehicle in question, and estimates the purchase price of the vehicle in question based on the prices of the extracted vehicles.

6. The vehicle information providing device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a vehicle information comparison display means that displays the information of the owned vehicles and the information of the vehicles proposed by the proposed means in a comparable manner.

7. The vehicle information providing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the means for obtaining desired conditions obtains desired conditions by having the user select one that matches the desired conditions from among multiple options.

8. The vehicle information providing device according to claim 7, wherein the desired conditions acquisition means includes an appearance image display means that displays images of a plurality of vehicles based on the owned vehicle information when acquiring the desired conditions relating to the appearance of a vehicle.

9. The vehicle information providing device according to claim 8, wherein if the displayed image of a vehicle differs from the user's preference, the display means replaces it with an image of another vehicle based on the user's preferred conditions and redisplays it.

10. The vehicle information providing device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the suggestion means includes a match rate display means that displays a match rate indicating how well the suggested vehicle type or vehicle extracted by the extraction means matches the desired conditions, along with the suggested vehicle type or vehicle.

11. A method for providing vehicle information, comprising: storing user information, including information about the user's owned vehicles, along with a change history; obtaining basic vehicle information, including vehicle type information, for the user's owned vehicles from the stored user information; obtaining specification information for the vehicle type indicated by the vehicle type information from the obtained basic vehicle information; obtaining the user's desired conditions regarding the vehicle based on the obtained specification information; extracting vehicle types or vehicles that match all or part of the obtained desired conditions; and proposing the extracted vehicle types or vehicles to the user.

12. A method for providing vehicle information, comprising: acquiring vehicle information, which is information about a user's owned vehicles; estimating the purchase price of the owned vehicles by referring to a distribution vehicle database that stores information about vehicles currently circulating in the market, based on the acquired vehicle information; acquiring the user's desired conditions regarding vehicles, based on the acquired vehicle information; extracting vehicle types or vehicles that match all or part of the acquired desired conditions; and proposing the extracted vehicle types or vehicles to the user along with the amount obtained by subtracting the estimated purchase price from the sales price of the vehicle type or vehicle.

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