JP7653335B2 - Information processing device, information processing method, and information processing program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and an information processing program.

A technology has been disclosed that can recommend other services even if they do not share common information (such as user history).

JP 2012-150561 A

However, the above conventional technology merely correlates the metadata attached to the items handled by each service and presents highly relevant items to the user. Although providing information about areas of interest or related matters to users is commonly used, there is room for improvement in the way information is provided to users. For example, no information is provided based on whether or not the user tends to get bored easily.

This application was made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide information based on an analysis of people who get bored easily.

The information processing device of the present application is characterized by comprising an estimation unit that estimates changes in a user's interests from user information, an identification unit that estimates an average or median period of interest for each area from the estimated results of changes in interests and identifies users who have interests for a period shorter than the estimated average or median as users whose interests are likely to change, and a provision unit that provides information to the identified users.

According to one aspect of the embodiment, information can be provided based on an analysis of people who tend to get bored easily.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of an information processing method according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an information processing system according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a terminal device according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an information providing device according to an embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the user information database. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the history information database. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the boredom information database. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure according to the embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration.

Below, the information processing device, information processing method, and information processing program according to the present application will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the information processing device, information processing method, and information processing program according to the present application are not limited to these embodiments. In addition, the same components in the following embodiments will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted.

[1. Overview of information processing method]
First, an overview of an information processing method performed by an information processing device according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of an information processing method according to an embodiment. Note that Fig. 1 will be described by taking as an example a case where information is provided in response to an analysis of a person who easily gets bored.

As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing system 1 includes a terminal device 10 and an information providing device 100. The terminal device 10 and the information providing device 100 are connected to each other via a network N (see FIG. 2) in a wired or wireless manner so as to be able to communicate with each other. In this embodiment, the terminal device 10 cooperates with the information providing device 100.

The terminal device 10 is a smart device such as a smartphone or tablet used by a user U, and is a mobile terminal device capable of communicating with any server device via a wireless communication network such as 4G (Generation) or LTE (Long Term Evolution). The terminal device 10 has a screen such as a liquid crystal display with touch panel functions, and accepts various operations on displayed data such as content, such as tapping, sliding, scrolling, etc., performed by the user U with a finger or a stylus. An operation performed on an area of the screen where content is displayed may be considered to be an operation on the content. The terminal device 10 may be not only a smart device, but also an information processing device such as a desktop PC (Personal Computer) or a notebook PC.

The information providing device 100 is an information processing device that cooperates with the terminal device 10 of each user U and provides API (Application Programming Interface) services for various applications (hereinafter, apps) and various data to the terminal device 10 of each user U, and is realized by a server device, a cloud system, etc.

The information providing device 100 may also be an information processing device that provides some kind of web service online to the terminal device 10 of each user U. For example, the information providing device 100 may provide services such as Internet connection, search services, SNS (Social Networking Service), electronic commerce (EC), electronic payment, online games, online banking, online trading, accommodation and ticket reservations, video and music distribution, news, maps, route searches, route guidance, line information, operation information, and weather forecasts as web services. In practice, the information providing device 100 may cooperate with various servers that provide the above-mentioned web services and act as an intermediary for the web services or be responsible for processing the web services.

The information providing device 100 can acquire user information about the user U. For example, the information providing device 100 acquires information about the attributes of the user U, such as the gender, age, and residential area of the user U. The information providing device 100 then stores and manages the information about the attributes of the user U together with identification information (such as a user ID) indicating the user U.

The information providing device 100 also acquires various history information (log data) indicating the behavior of the user U from the terminal device 10 of the user U or from various servers based on the user ID, etc. For example, the information providing device 100 acquires a location history, which is a history of the location and date and time of the user U, from the terminal device 10. The information providing device 100 also acquires a search history, which is a history of search queries entered by the user U, from a search server (search engine). The information providing device 100 also acquires a browsing history, which is a history of content viewed by the user U, from a content server. The information providing device 100 also acquires a purchase history (payment history), which is a history of product purchases and payment processing by the user U, from an electronic commerce server or a payment processing server. The information providing device 100 may also acquire a listing history and a sales history, which are a history of listings on the marketplace by the user U, from an electronic commerce server or a payment server. The information providing device 100 also acquires a posting history, which is a history of posts by the user U, from a posting server or an SNS server that provides a word-of-mouth posting service.

The information providing device 100 according to this embodiment provides information based on an analysis of people (users) who get bored easily. For example, some people who get bored easily continue in a certain area (field, subject, matter) while others do not. Also, some people who get bored easily continue in a certain area while others do not. In this embodiment, the information providing device 100 finds an area in which people who get bored easily can become engrossed (addicted).

A person who easily becomes bored is, for example, someone who has an interest or concern in a particular area (field, subject, matter) for a period of time that is below average, but searches for it and spends money on it in that period of time that is above average. In other words, a person who becomes enthusiastic or passionate about a particular area for a period of time, and engages in intensive information gathering and consumption behavior, but does not continue for long.

(User comparison)
The information providing device 100 compares a person who easily gets bored with a person who was easily bored in the past but has become a fan. A person who was easily bored in the past but has become a fan is a person who is originally easily bored, but has become a fan and continues to be interested in something even after the period during which a person who easily gets bored would normally be interested has passed. A fan is a person who takes a certain action (such as checking information or collecting goods) in a specific area deeply and for a long period of time.

(Experience comparison)
The information providing device 100 compares people who easily get bored with those who have become fans with those who have not. People who easily get bored with something are people who, although they tend to get bored easily, have found an area that they can become absorbed in and have become fans.

[1-1. Estimation of users who are easily bored and provision of information]
As shown in Fig. 1, the information providing device 100 collects user information (search query, purchase history, location history, etc.) related to the user U via a network N (see Fig. 2) (step S1). For example, the information providing device 100 directly or indirectly collects location information, attribute information, history information, etc. of the user U via the network N (see Fig. 2). In addition, when the information providing device 100 receives a request for a search, e-commerce, etc. from the terminal device 10 of each user U, it may obtain the search query, purchase information, location information, etc., and accumulate them as history information.

Next, the information providing device 100 estimates the area in which the user has shown interest or concern for each user from the user information (search queries, purchase history, location history, etc.) (step S2). For the estimation, a machine learning estimation model for each area can be used. For example, the information providing device 100 can learn the characteristics of the user information (search queries, purchase history, location history, etc.) of users who are certain to belong to each area, and construct and use a model that estimates whether the user is engrossed in a specific area when the user information is input.

Next, the information providing device 100 estimates the level and duration of the user U's interest or concern in each area based on the user information (step S3). That is, the information providing device 100 estimates for each user, based on the user information, to what level the interest in each area reached and for how long the user was engrossed (addicted) in that area. This can be achieved by using a level estimation model for each area based on machine learning. The level estimation model can be achieved, for example, by the information providing device 100 identifying people at each level (low/medium/high, or a five-point scale, etc.) in advance according to the level and duration of interest, and learning to output the level when the user information of the identified person is input.

Next, the information providing device 100 identifies a user U whose interests are likely to change (a person who easily gets bored) based on the degree and duration that the user U has had an interest or concern in each area (step S4). A person who easily gets bored is, for example, a person whose interest does not last in each area (a person who does not continue a particular hobby). For example, the information providing device 100 identifies a user who frequently shifts interest from one area to another (a user who is interested in a particular area for a shorter period of time than average) as a person who easily gets bored.

At this time, the information providing device 100 may estimate the average (or median) period of interest (period of addiction) for each area, and identify users U whose interest is likely to change (people who get bored easily) who have a shorter period than the estimated average. For example, the information providing device 100 trains a model to learn the characteristics of transitions in the areas that the identified users are interested in. Then, based on the learning results, it estimates areas that the user may be interested in in the future (areas that they are likely to become interested in next).

Next, the information providing device 100 identifies users U whose interests change easily, and whose user information is similar to that of users whose interests do not change easily (people who do not get bored easily) (step S5).

Then, the information providing device 100 generates recommendation information for the identified user U based on the user information of the user U (step S6). For example, the information providing device 100 generates recommendation information that maintains or increases the interest of the user U in an area that currently interests the user U. Alternatively, the information providing device 100 generates recommendation information about an area that the user U may be interested in in the future (an area that the user U is likely to be interested in next) based on the user information of the identified user U.

Note that the user information of an identified user (a user whose interests change easily) and the user information of a user whose interests do not change easily are similar but do not completely match. In other words, there are commonalities and differences between the two similar user information. Therefore, the information providing device 100 may focus on the differences in the user information and generate recommendation information for the identified user based on information (differences) among the user information of the user whose interests do not change easily that is not included in the user information of the identified user, and provide the information to the user.

The information providing device 100 may also analyze the characteristics (order, chronological characteristics) of areas that the easily bored user U is interested in based on the user information. For example, the information providing device 100 performs a Markov process analysis on the Word2vec vector space. Note that Word2vec is merely one example of natural language processing. Trends (the chronological order of buzz words and areas) and the like may also be taken into consideration. The information providing device 100 may then estimate areas that the user U may be interested in in the future and generate recommendation information.

Furthermore, actions that are more specific to fans than to people who get bored easily may be attractions in that area that people who get bored easily have not yet noticed. In this case, the information providing device 100 can generate recommendation information that leads to the discovery of new attractions that will appeal to people who get bored easily by extracting things that fans are interested in but that people who get bored easily are not interested in.

In addition, areas that are more specific to people who get bored easily than fans may contain unexpected combinations that fans have not yet noticed. In this case, the information providing device 100 can create more distant combination suggestions by extracting things that fans are not interested in from among the things that people who get bored easily are interested in.

If necessary, you can also cut off the items based on relevance to remove items that are too similar. You can also compare the characteristics and interests of people who get bored easily with those of their fans, narrowing down the items to those that are specific to people who get bored easily, and use these as ideas for collaborations or product planning.

Then, the information providing device 100 provides information to the terminal device 10 of the identified user U via the network N (see FIG. 2) (step S7). For example, the information providing device 100 provides information that maintains or increases the user U's interest in an area that he or she is currently interested in. Alternatively, the information providing device 100 provides information to the terminal device 10 of the identified user U about an area that the user U is likely to be interested in next.

For example, the information providing device 100 estimates the area in which the user is likely to be interested next based on the trends of similar users, and provides information about that area. At this time, the information providing device 100 may provide information about the area in which the user is likely to be interested next when it detects the timing when the user is losing interest in the previous area (when interest has decreased). For example, when the user's actions in the previous area have decreased (when the frequency or number of times checking new information about a certain area or purchasing a new product has decreased compared to before, or has fallen below a threshold or average), the information providing device 100 may determine that the user is losing interest in the previous area and provide information about the area in which the user is likely to be interested next.

The information providing device 100 may also identify people whose user information is similar to that of professionals (people who remain addicted to things and have a high level of ability) from among people who get bored easily. A professional is, for example, a person who has a sustained interest in a certain area for a long period of time (a person who continues a particular hobby). Note that a professional may also be referred to as an expert, specialist, or someone who is called a maniac or geek. The information providing device 100 may then identify the differences between the identified user and the professionals, and provide information based on the identified differences.

For example, the information providing device 100 changes the way in which information is provided depending on whether the user U is a person who easily gets bored. Alternatively, the information providing device 100 makes the user U, who is a person who easily gets bored, a professional by suggesting actions like a professional. Furthermore, the information providing device 100 analyzes those who have become professionals and those who have not become professionals among people who easily get bored, and divides them into those who will change the way they provide information and those who will become professionals. At this time, the information providing device 100 analyzes those who have become professionals and those who have not become professionals among people who easily get bored, finds people who were likely to become fans but have become bored, and follows them so that they will become fans.

In this manner, in this embodiment, the information providing device 100 estimates the history of areas in which the user has been interested (changes in interests) from the user information. Next, the information providing device 100 determines whether the user is one whose interests change easily (a user who gets bored easily) based on the estimation result. The information providing device 100 identifies, from among the users whose interests change easily, users whose user information is similar to the user information of users whose interests do not change easily. Then, the information providing device 100 generates recommendation information for the user based on the user information of the identified user, and provides the information to the user.

2. Example of information processing system configuration
Next, a configuration of an information processing system 1 including an information providing device 100 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of the information processing system 1 according to an embodiment. As shown in Fig. 2, the information processing system 1 according to an embodiment includes a terminal device 10 and an information providing device 100. These various devices are connected to each other via a network N so as to be able to communicate with each other by wire or wirelessly. The network N is, for example, a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet.

Furthermore, the number of devices included in the information processing system 1 shown in FIG. 2 is not limited to that shown. For example, in FIG. 2, only one terminal device 10 is shown to simplify the illustration, but this is merely an example and is not limiting, and there may be two or more devices.

The terminal device 10 is an information processing device used by a user U. For example, the terminal device 10 is a smart device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal, a feature phone, a PC (Personal Computer), a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a game console or AV equipment with a communication function, a car navigation system, a wearable device such as a smart watch or a head-mounted display, smart glasses, etc.

In addition, the terminal device 10 can connect to the network N via a wireless communication network such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G (4th Generation), or 5G (5th Generation: 5th generation mobile communication system), or via short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or wireless LAN (Local Area Network), and communicate with the information providing device 100.

The information providing device 100 is, for example, a PC, a server device, a mainframe, a workstation, etc. The information providing device 100 may be realized by cloud computing.

3. Example of terminal device configuration
Next, the configuration of the terminal device 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the terminal device 10. As shown in Fig. 3, the terminal device 10 includes a communication unit 11, a display unit 12, an input unit 13, a positioning unit 14, a sensor unit 20, a control unit 30 (controller), and a storage unit 40.

(Communication unit 11)
The communication unit 11 is connected to a network N (see FIG. 2 ) by wire or wirelessly, and transmits and receives information to and from the information providing device 100 via the network N. For example, the communication unit 11 is realized by a network interface card (NIC), an antenna, or the like.

(Display unit 12)
The display unit 12 is a display device that displays various information such as position information. For example, the display unit 12 is a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organic electro-luminescent display (OLED). The display unit 12 is also a touch panel display, but is not limited to this.

(Input unit 13)
The input unit 13 is an input device that accepts various operations from the user U. For example, the input unit 13 has buttons for inputting characters, numbers, and the like. The input unit 13 may be an input/output port (I/O port) or a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, and the like. In addition, when the display unit 12 is a touch panel display, a part of the display unit 12 functions as the input unit 13. In addition, the input unit 13 may be a microphone that accepts voice input from the user U, and the like. The microphone may be wireless.

(Positioning unit 14)
The positioning unit 14 receives signals (radio waves) transmitted from satellites of a GPS (Global Positioning System), and acquires position information (e.g., latitude and longitude) indicating the current position of the terminal device 10 based on the received signals. That is, the positioning unit 14 measures the position of the terminal device 10. Note that the GPS is merely an example of a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System).

The positioning unit 14 can also measure the position using various methods other than GPS. For example, the positioning unit 14 may measure the position using various communication functions of the terminal device 10 as an auxiliary positioning means for position correction, etc., as described below.

(Wi-Fi positioning)
For example, the positioning unit 14 uses the Wi-Fi (registered trademark) communication function of the terminal device 10 or a communication network provided by each communication company to measure the position of the terminal device 10. Specifically, the positioning unit 14 performs Wi-Fi communication or the like and measures the distance to a nearby base station or access point to measure the position of the terminal device 10.

(Beacon positioning)
Furthermore, the positioning unit 14 may measure the position by using a Bluetooth (registered trademark) function of the terminal device 10. For example, the positioning unit 14 measures the position of the terminal device 10 by connecting to a beacon transmitter connected by the Bluetooth (registered trademark) function.

(geomagnetic positioning)
In addition, the positioning unit 14 locates the position of the terminal device 10 based on a geomagnetic pattern of a structure that has been measured in advance and a geomagnetic sensor provided in the terminal device 10 .

(RFID positioning)
Furthermore, for example, if the terminal device 10 has a function of an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag equivalent to a contactless IC card used at station ticket gates, stores, etc., or has a function of reading an RFID tag, the location of use is recorded together with information on a payment or the like made by the terminal device 10. The positioning unit 14 may obtain such information to measure the location of the terminal device 10. Furthermore, the location may be measured by an optical sensor, an infrared sensor, or the like provided in the terminal device 10.

If necessary, the positioning unit 14 may use one or a combination of the positioning means described above to determine the position of the terminal device 10.

(Sensor unit 20)
The sensor unit 20 includes various sensors mounted on or connected to the terminal device 10. The connection may be wired or wireless. For example, the sensors may be detection devices other than the terminal device 10, such as wearable devices and wireless devices. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the sensor unit 20 includes an acceleration sensor 21, a gyro sensor 22, an air pressure sensor 23, a temperature sensor 24, a sound sensor 25, a light sensor 26, a magnetic sensor 27, and an image sensor (camera) 28.

The sensors 21 to 28 described above are merely examples and are not limiting. In other words, the sensor unit 20 may be configured to include some of the sensors 21 to 28, or may include other sensors, such as a humidity sensor, in addition to or instead of the sensors 21 to 28.

The acceleration sensor 21 is, for example, a three-axis acceleration sensor, and detects the physical movement of the terminal device 10, such as the direction of movement, speed, and acceleration of the terminal device 10. The gyro sensor 22 detects the physical movement of the terminal device 10, such as the tilt in three axial directions, based on the angular velocity of the terminal device 10. The air pressure sensor 23 detects, for example, the air pressure around the terminal device 10.

Since the terminal device 10 is equipped with the above-mentioned acceleration sensor 21, gyro sensor 22, air pressure sensor 23, etc., it is possible to determine the position of the terminal device 10 using technology such as Pedestrian Dead-Reckoning (PDR) that utilizes these sensors 21 to 23. This makes it possible to obtain indoor position information that is difficult to obtain using positioning systems such as GPS.

For example, the number of steps, walking speed, and distance walked can be calculated using a pedometer that uses the acceleration sensor 21. In addition, the gyro sensor 22 can be used to know the user U's direction of travel, line of sight, and body inclination. In addition, the air pressure detected by the air pressure sensor 23 can be used to know the altitude and floor on which the user U's terminal device 10 is located.

The air temperature sensor 24 detects, for example, the air temperature around the terminal device 10. The sound sensor 25 detects, for example, sound around the terminal device 10. The light sensor 26 detects the illuminance around the terminal device 10. The magnetic sensor 27 detects, for example, the geomagnetism around the terminal device 10. The image sensor 28 captures an image around the terminal device 10.

The above-mentioned air pressure sensor 23, temperature sensor 24, sound sensor 25, light sensor 26, and image sensor 28 can detect the environment and situation around the terminal device 10 by detecting air pressure, temperature, sound, and illuminance, and capturing images of the surroundings. In addition, it becomes possible to improve the accuracy of the location information of the terminal device 10 based on the environment and situation around the terminal device 10.

(Control unit 30)
The control unit 30 includes, for example, a microcomputer having a central processing unit (CPU), a read only memory (ROM), a RAM, an input/output port, and various other circuits. The control unit 30 may also be configured with hardware such as an integrated circuit, for example, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a field programmable gate array (FPGA). The control unit 30 includes a transmission unit 31, a reception unit 32, and a processing unit 33.

(Transmitter 31)
The transmission unit 31 can transmit, for example, various information input by the user U using the input unit 13, various information detected by each sensor 21 to 28 mounted on or connected to the terminal device 10, and location information of the terminal device 10 measured by the positioning unit 14 to the information providing device 100 via the communication unit 11.

(Receiving unit 32)
The receiving unit 32 can receive various information provided by the information providing device 100 and requests for various information from the information providing device 100 via the communication unit 11 .

(Processing Unit 33)
The processing unit 33 controls the entire terminal device 10, including the display unit 12, etc. For example, the processing unit 33 can output various information transmitted by the transmission unit 31 and various information from the information providing device 100 received by the reception unit 32 to the display unit 12 for display.

(Memory unit 40)
The storage unit 40 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory element such as a random access memory (RAM) or a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), an optical disk, etc. Various programs and various data are stored in the storage unit 40.

4. Example of the configuration of the information providing device
Next, a configuration of the information providing device 100 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information providing device 100 according to the embodiment. As shown in Fig. 4, the information providing device 100 includes a communication unit 110, a storage unit 120, and a control unit 130.

(Communication unit 110)
The communication unit 110 is realized by, for example, a network interface card (NIC), etc. The communication unit 110 is also connected to a network N (see FIG. 2) in a wired or wireless manner.

(Memory unit 120)
The storage unit 120 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory element such as a random access memory (RAM) or a flash memory, or a storage device such as a HDD, an SSD, an optical disk, etc. As shown in FIG. 4, the storage unit 120 has a user information database 121, a history information database 122, and a boredom information database 123.

(User Information Database 121)
The user information database 121 stores user information related to the user U. For example, the user information database 121 stores various information such as attributes of the user U. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the user information database 121. In the example shown in Fig. 5, the user information database 121 has items such as "User ID (Identifier)", "Age", "Gender", "Home", "Workplace", and "Interests".

"User ID" indicates identification information for identifying user U. Note that "user ID" may be contact information for user U (telephone number, email address, etc.) or may be identification information for identifying user U's terminal device 10.

Furthermore, "age" indicates the age of user U identified by the user ID. Note that "age" may be information indicating the specific age of user U (e.g., 35 years old) or information indicating the generation of user U (e.g., 30s). Alternatively, "age" may be information indicating user U's date of birth or information indicating user U's generation (e.g., born in the 1980s). Furthermore, "gender" indicates the gender of user U identified by the user ID.

"Home" indicates the location information of the home of user U, which is identified by the user ID. In the example shown in FIG. 5, "Home" is illustrated as an abstract code such as "LC11," but it may also be latitude and longitude information, etc. For example, "Home" may also be the name of a region or an address.

"Workplace" indicates the location information of the workplace (school in the case of a student) of user U identified by the user ID. In the example shown in FIG. 5, "workplace" is illustrated as an abstract code such as "LC12," but it may also be latitude and longitude information, etc. For example, "workplace" may also be the name of a region or an address.

Furthermore, "interests" indicate the interests of user U identified by the user ID. In other words, "interests" indicate subjects in which user U identified by the user ID is highly interested. For example, "interests" may be search queries (keywords) entered by user U into a search engine. Note that, although one "interest" is illustrated for each user U in the example shown in FIG. 5, there may be multiple "interests."

For example, in the example shown in FIG. 5, the age of user U identified by user ID "U1" is "20s" and the gender is "male." Furthermore, for example, the user U identified by user ID "U1" indicates that his/her home address is "LC11." Furthermore, for example, the user U identified by user ID "U1" indicates that his/her workplace is "LC12." Furthermore, for example, the user U identified by user ID "U1" indicates that he/she is interested in "sports."

In the example shown in FIG. 5, abstract values such as "U1", "LC11", and "LC12" are used to illustrate the data, but it is assumed that concrete information such as character strings and numerical values is stored in "U1", "LC11", and "LC12". In the following figures relating to other information, abstract values may also be illustrated.

The user information database 121 may store various information according to the purpose, not limited to the above. For example, the user information database 121 may store various information related to the terminal device 10 of the user U. The user information database 121 may also store information related to the attributes of the user U, such as demographic attributes, psychographic attributes, geographic attributes, and behavioral attributes. For example, the user information database 121 may store information such as name, family structure, place of origin (hometown), occupation, position, income, qualifications, type of residence (detached house, apartment, etc.), whether or not the user has a car, commuting time, commuting route, commuter pass section (station, line, etc.), frequently used station (other than the nearest station to home or workplace), extracurricular activities (location, time period, etc.), hobbies, interests, and lifestyle.

(History information database 122)
The history information database 122 stores various information related to history information (log data) indicating the behavior of the user U. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the history information database 122. In the example shown in Fig. 6, the history information database 122 has items such as "user ID", "location history", "search history", "browsing history", "purchase history", and "posting history".

"User ID" refers to identification information for identifying user U. "Location history" refers to location history, which is a history of user U's location and movements. "Search history" refers to search history, which is a history of search queries entered by user U. "Browse history" refers to browse history, which is a history of content viewed by user U. "Purchase history" refers to purchase history, which is a history of purchases made by user U. "Post history" refers to posting history, which is a history of posts made by user U. "Post history" may include questions about user U's possessions.

For example, in the example shown in FIG. 6, user U identified by user ID "U1" moves as shown in "location history #1," searches as shown in "search history #1," views content as shown in "browsing history #1," purchases specific products at specific stores as shown in "purchase history #1," and posts as shown in "posting history."

In the example shown in FIG. 6, abstract values such as "U1", "Location History #1", "Search History #1", "Browse History #1", "Purchase History #1", and "Post History #1" are used for illustration, but it is assumed that specific information such as character strings and numerical values is stored in "U1", "Location History #1", "Search History #1", "Browse History #1", "Purchase History #1", and "Post History #1".

The history information database 122 may store various information depending on the purpose, not limited to the above. For example, the history information database 122 may store the usage history of a specific service by the user U. The history information database 122 may also store the history of the user U's visit to a physical store or the history of the user U's visit to a facility. The history information database 122 may also store the payment history of payments (electronic payments) made using the user U's terminal device 10.

(Boredom Information Database 123)
The boredom information database 123 stores various information regarding whether the user U is a person who easily gets bored. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the boredom information database 123. In the example shown in Fig. 7, the boredom information database 123 has items such as "user ID", "area", "category", "interest level", "interest period", and "boredom".

"User ID" indicates identification information for identifying user U. "Area" indicates the area in which user U was interested. "Category" indicates the category (classification, genre) of the area in which user U was interested. "Level of interest" indicates the degree of interest user U had in the area. "Interest period" indicates the period during which user U was interested in the area. "Tiredness" indicates whether user U is a person who easily gets bored (◯) or not (X) based on the above items. Note that in reality, "tiringness" may be expressed as a level of boredom expressed as a number (1, 2, 3, ...) or a magnitude (large, medium, small, high, medium, low, etc.).

For example, in the example shown in Figure 7, user U, identified by user ID "U1", has had an interest in "area #1A-#1E", that area belongs to "category #1A-#1E", the level of interest is "interest level #1A-#1E", and the period during which he was interested is "interest period #1A-#1E", which indicates that he is presumed to be "a person who easily gets bored".

In the example shown in FIG. 7, abstract values such as "U1", "Area #1A-#1E", "Category #1A-#1E", "Interest Level #1A-#1E", and "Interest Period #1A-#1E" are used for illustration, but specific information such as character strings and numerical values is stored in "U1", "Area #1A-#1E", "Category #1A-#1E", "Interest Level #1A-#1E", and "Interest Period #1A-#1E".

The boredom information database 123 may store various information according to the purpose, not limited to the above. For example, the boredom information database 123 may store an estimation model used for estimation. The boredom information database 123 may also store information regarding similarities or differences between user U and user information of a user whose interests are similar to those of user U and whose interests do not change easily (a person who is not prone to boredom).

(Control unit 130)
Returning to Fig. 4, the description will be continued. The control unit 130 is a controller, and is realized by, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a micro processing unit (MPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or the like, executing various programs (corresponding to an example of an information processing program) stored in a storage device inside the information providing device 100 using a storage area such as a RAM as a working area. In the example shown in Fig. 4, the control unit 130 has a collection unit 131, an estimation unit 132, an identification unit 133, a generation unit 134, and a provision unit 135.

(Collection Unit 131)
The collection unit 131 acquires a search query input by the user U. For example, when the user U inputs a search query into a search engine or the like to perform a keyword search, the collection unit 131 acquires the search query via the communication unit 110. That is, the collection unit 131 acquires, via the communication unit 110, keywords input by the user U into a search box of a search engine, a site, or an app.

The collection unit 131 also acquires user information about user U via the communication unit 110. For example, the collection unit 131 acquires identification information (such as a user ID) indicating user U, location information of user U, attribute information of user U, etc. from the terminal device 10 of user U. The collection unit 131 may also acquire identification information indicating user U, attribute information of user U, etc. when user U is registered. Then, the collection unit 131 registers the user information in the user information database 121 of the storage unit 120.

The collection unit 131 also acquires various types of history information (log data) indicating the behavior of the user U via the communication unit 110. For example, the collection unit 131 acquires various types of history information indicating the behavior of the user U from the terminal device 10 of the user U, or from various servers based on the user ID, etc. Then, the collection unit 131 registers the various types of history information in the history information database 122 of the storage unit 120.

In this way, the collection unit 131 collects user information (search queries, purchase history, location history, etc.) for each user via the communication unit 110.

(Estimation unit 132)
The estimation unit 132 estimates the areas in which the user has shown interest or concern from the user information (search queries, purchase history, location history, etc.) for each user. At this time, the estimation unit 132 estimates the level of interest in each area for each user based on the user information. Furthermore, the estimation unit 132 estimates how long the user was engrossed in each area based on the user information for each user. In other words, the estimation unit 132 estimates the level and period in which the user U has shown interest or concern in each area based on the user information. Furthermore, the estimation unit 132 estimates the history of areas in which the user has shown interest (changes in interest) from the user information.

(Identification unit 133)
The identification unit 133 identifies a user whose interests are likely to change (a person who easily gets bored) based on the degree and period of interest and the estimated result of the change in interest. Furthermore, the identification unit 133 identifies, among the users whose interests are likely to change, a user whose user information is similar to that of a user whose interests are unlikely to change.

Furthermore, the identification unit 133 identifies users whose interests are likely to change and whose user information is similar to that of users (fans, professionals) who are deeply interested in a particular field. Furthermore, the identification unit 133 identifies the difference between the identified users and users who are deeply interested in a particular field.

(Generation unit 134)
The generating unit 134 generates recommendation information for the specified user based on the user information of the specified user. The generating unit 134 also generates recommendation information for the specified user based on the user information of a user whose similar interests are unlikely to change. The providing unit 135 also generates recommendation information for the specified user based on the specified difference.

For example, the user information of an identified user (a user whose interests change easily) and the user information of a user whose interests do not change easily are similar but not completely identical. In other words, there are commonalities and differences between the two similar user information. Therefore, focusing on the differences in the user information, the generation unit 134 may generate recommendation information for the identified user based on information (differences) that is not included in the user information of the identified user, among the user information of the user whose interests do not change easily.

(Providing Unit 135)
The providing unit 135 provides information to the specified user based on the generated recommendation information. For example, the providing unit 135 provides the specified user with information that maintains or improves the user's interest in the area in which the user is currently interested. The providing unit 135 also provides the specified user with information on the area in which the user is likely to be interested next. At this time, the providing unit 135 may provide the specified user with information on the area in which the user is likely to be interested next at a timing when the user's interest in the area in which the user is currently interested decreases.

5. Processing Procedure
Next, a processing procedure performed by the information providing device 100 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure according to the embodiment. Note that the processing procedure shown below is repeatedly executed by the control unit 130 of the information providing device 100.

As shown in FIG. 8, the collection unit 131 of the information providing device 100 collects user information (search queries, purchase history, location history, etc.) for each user via the communication unit 110 (step S101).

Next, the estimation unit 132 of the information providing device 100 estimates, for each user, areas in which the user has shown interest or concern from user information (search queries, purchase history, location history, etc.) (step S102).

Next, the estimation unit 132 of the information providing device 100 estimates the history of areas in which the user has been interested (changes in interests) from the user information (step S103).

Next, the estimation unit 132 of the information providing device 100 estimates the level of interest each user had in each area based on the user information (step S104).

Next, the estimation unit 132 of the information providing device 100 estimates the period during which each user was interested in each area based on the user information (step S105).

Next, the identification unit 133 of the information providing device 100 identifies users whose interests are likely to change (people who get bored easily) based on the estimated results of the level and duration of interest, and changes in interest (step S106).

Next, the identification unit 133 of the information providing device 100 identifies the difference between the identified users and users who have a deep interest in the specific area (step S107).

Next, the generation unit 134 of the information providing device 100 generates recommendation information for the identified user (step S108). For example, the provision unit 135 generates recommendation information for the identified user based on the identified difference.

Next, the providing unit 135 of the information providing device 100 provides information to the identified user based on the generated recommendation information (step S109).

6. Modifications
The terminal device 10 and the information providing device 100 described above may be implemented in various different forms other than the above embodiment. Therefore, modifications of the embodiment will be described below.

In the above embodiment, some or all of the processing performed by the information providing device 100 may actually be performed by the terminal device 10. For example, the processing may be completed in a stand-alone manner (by the terminal device 10 alone). In this case, the terminal device 10 is assumed to have the functions of the information providing device 100 in the above embodiment. Also, in the above embodiment, since the terminal device 10 is linked to the information providing device 100, from the perspective of the user U, it appears that the processing of the information providing device 100 is also being performed by the terminal device 10. In other words, from another perspective, it can also be said that the terminal device 10 is equipped with the information providing device 100.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the areas that user U is interested in may be famous people, works (literature, art, entertainment, etc.), sports, games, food and drink, stores, facilities, vehicles, countries and regions, etc.

In the above embodiment, the area of interest of user U is not limited to hobbies, but may be work, subjects, lessons, etc. It may also be a company, school, cram school, etc.

In the above embodiment, the areas that the user U is interested in may be matters related to beauty, health, and diet. They may also be matters related to illness, medicine, hospitals, etc.

7. Effects
As described above, the information processing device (terminal device 10 and information providing device 100) according to the present application includes an estimation unit 132 that estimates changes in a user's interests from user information, an identification unit 133 that identifies users whose interests are likely to change based on the estimation result of the changes in interests, and a provision unit 135 that provides information to the identified users.

The identification unit 133 also identifies, among users whose interests are likely to change, users whose user information is similar to that of users whose interests are unlikely to change. The provision unit 135 provides information to the identified users.

The estimation unit 132 also estimates, for each user, the level of interest in each area based on the user information.

In addition, the estimation unit 132 estimates, for each user, how long the user was engrossed in each area based on the user information.

In addition, the identification unit 133 identifies users whose interests are likely to change and whose user information is similar to that of users who are deeply interested in a particular area.

The identification unit 133 also identifies the difference between the identified user and a user who has a deep interest in a specific area. The provision unit 135 provides the identified user with information based on the identified difference.

In addition, the providing unit 135 provides the identified user with information that will maintain or increase the user's interest in the area in which the user is currently interested.

In addition, the providing unit 135 provides the identified user with information about areas that the user is likely to be interested in next.

For example, when interest in an area that the identified user is currently interested in wanes, the providing unit 135 provides the identified user with information about an area that the user is likely to be interested in next.

By using any one or a combination of the above-mentioned processes, the information processing device according to the present application can provide information according to an analysis of people who tend to get bored easily.

8. Hardware Configuration
Moreover, the terminal device 10 and the information providing device 100 according to the above-described embodiment are realized by a computer 1000 having a configuration as shown in Fig. 9, for example. The information providing device 100 will be described below as an example. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration. The computer 1000 is connected to an output device 1010 and an input device 1020, and has a configuration in which a calculation device 1030, a primary storage device 1040, a secondary storage device 1050, an output I/F (Interface) 1060, an input I/F 1070, and a network I/F 1080 are connected by a bus 1090.

The arithmetic device 1030 operates based on programs stored in the primary storage device 1040 and the secondary storage device 1050, programs read from the input device 1020, and the like, and executes various processes. The arithmetic device 1030 is realized, for example, by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or the like.

The primary storage device 1040 is a memory device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) that primarily stores data used by the arithmetic device 1030 for various calculations. The secondary storage device 1050 is a storage device in which data used by the arithmetic device 1030 for various calculations and various databases are registered, and is realized by a ROM (Read Only Memory), a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a SSD (Solid State Drive), a flash memory, or the like. The secondary storage device 1050 may be an internal storage device or an external storage device. The secondary storage device 1050 may be a removable storage medium such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory or a SD (Secure Digital) memory card. The secondary storage device 1050 may be a cloud storage device (online storage device), a NAS (Network Attached Storage), a file server, or the like.

The output I/F 1060 is an interface for transmitting information to be output to an output device 1010 that outputs various types of information, such as a display, projector, printer, etc., and is realized by a connector conforming to a standard such as USB (Universal Serial Bus), DVI (Digital Visual Interface), or HDMI (registered trademark) (High Definition Multimedia Interface). The input I/F 1070 is an interface for receiving information from various input devices 1020, such as a mouse, keyboard, keypad, button, scanner, etc., and is realized by a USB, etc.

In addition, the output I/F 1060 and the input I/F 1070 may be wirelessly connected to the output device 1010 and the input device 1020, respectively. That is, the output device 1010 and the input device 1020 may be wireless devices.

The output device 1010 and the input device 1020 may be integrated together, such as a touch panel. In this case, the output I/F 1060 and the input I/F 1070 may also be integrated together as an input/output I/F.

The input device 1020 may be a device that reads information from, for example, an optical recording medium such as a CD (Compact Disc), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), or a PD (Phase change rewritable Disk), a magneto-optical recording medium such as an MO (Magneto-Optical disk), a tape medium, a magnetic recording medium, or a semiconductor memory.

The network I/F 1080 receives data from other devices via the network N and sends it to the computing device 1030, and also transmits data generated by the computing device 1030 to other devices via the network N.

The arithmetic unit 1030 controls the output device 1010 and the input device 1020 via the output I/F 1060 and the input I/F 1070. For example, the arithmetic unit 1030 loads a program from the input device 1020 or the secondary storage device 1050 onto the primary storage device 1040 and executes the loaded program.

For example, when the computer 1000 functions as the information providing device 100, the arithmetic unit 1030 of the computer 1000 executes a program loaded onto the primary storage device 1040 to realize the functions of the control unit 130. The arithmetic unit 1030 of the computer 1000 may also load a program acquired from another device via the network I/F 1080 onto the primary storage device 1040 and execute the loaded program. The arithmetic unit 1030 of the computer 1000 may also cooperate with other devices via the network I/F 1080 and use the functions and data of a program by calling them from other programs of the other devices.

[9. Other]
Although the embodiments of the present application have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the contents of these embodiments. The above-described components include those that can be easily imagined by a person skilled in the art, those that are substantially the same, and those that are within the so-called equivalent range. Furthermore, the above-described components can be appropriately combined. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, or modifications of the components can be made without departing from the spirit of the above-described embodiments.

Furthermore, among the processes described in the above embodiments, all or part of the processes described as being performed automatically can be performed manually, or all or part of the processes described as being performed manually can be performed automatically using known methods. In addition, the information including the processing procedures, specific names, various data, and parameters shown in the above documents and drawings can be changed as desired unless otherwise specified. For example, the various information shown in each drawing is not limited to the information shown in the drawings.

In addition, each component of each device shown in the figure is a functional concept, and does not necessarily have to be physically configured as shown in the figure. In other words, the specific form of distribution and integration of each device is not limited to that shown in the figure, and all or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit depending on various loads, usage conditions, etc.

For example, the information providing device 100 described above may be realized by multiple server computers, and depending on the functions, the configuration can be flexibly changed, such as by calling an external platform using an API (Application Programming Interface) or network computing.

The above-described embodiments and variations can be combined as appropriate to the extent that they do not cause inconsistencies in the processing content.

In addition, the above-mentioned "section, module, unit" can be read as "means" or "circuit." For example, the collection unit can be read as collection means or collection circuit.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Information processing system 10 Terminal device 100 Information providing device 110 Communication unit 120 Storage unit 121 User information database 122 History information database 123 Boredom information database 130 Control unit 131 Collection unit 132 Estimation unit 133 Identification unit 134 Generation unit 135 Provision unit

Claims (11)

an estimation unit that estimates a transition of a user's interests from the user information;
an identification unit that estimates an average or median value of a period during which the user has an interest in each area from the estimated result of the change in interest, and identifies a user who has an interest in each area for a period shorter than the estimated average or median value as a user whose interests are likely to change;
a providing unit that provides information to the identified user;
An information processing device comprising: The identification unit identifies a user whose user information is similar to that of a user whose interests are unlikely to change, among the users whose interests are likely to change;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the providing unit provides information to the identified user. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the estimation unit estimates, for each user, a level of interest in each area based on user information. 4. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the estimation unit estimates, for each user, how long the user was engrossed in each area based on the user information. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the identification unit identifies users whose interests are likely to change and whose user information is similar to that of users whose interests in a particular area have continued for a long period of time above the average or median. The identification unit identifies a difference between the identified user and a user whose interest in a specific area has continued for a long period of time equal to or greater than an average value or a median value ,
The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the provision unit provides information based on the identified difference so that the identified user will become a user whose interest in the specific area continues for a long period of time above the average or median . 7. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the providing unit provides the identified user with information that will maintain or increase the user's interest in an area in which the user is currently interested. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the provision unit provides the identified user with information regarding an area in which the identified user is likely to be interested next, based on user information of the identified user. The information processing device according to claim 8 , wherein the providing unit provides the identified user with information on an area that is likely to be of interest next at a timing when interest in an area that the identified user is currently interested in decreases. An information processing method executed by an information processing device,
an estimation step of estimating a transition of a user's interests from the user information;
an identifying step of estimating an average or median value of a period during which each area is interested from the estimated result of the change in interest, and identifying a user who has an interest for a period shorter than the estimated average or median value as a user whose interest is likely to change;
a providing step of providing information to the identified user;
13. An information processing method comprising: an estimation procedure for estimating a transition of a user's interests from user information;
an identification step of estimating an average or median value of a period during which the user has an interest in each area from the estimated result of the change in the interests, and identifying a user who has an interest in each area for a period shorter than the estimated average or median value as a user whose interests are likely to change;
A procedure for providing information to the identified user;
An information processing program for causing a computer to execute the above.

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