JP4001455B2 - Information exchange promotion method and apparatus - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
  The present invention relates to a technique for promoting communication between users on a network. More specifically, the present invention relates to a technique for exchanging awareness information between users.
  In the present invention, the awareness information includes all personal information regarding the user such as text data, image data and voice data representing a user's state and feelings, and a short message.
[0002]
  The buddy list is a list of other users created by the user, so-called buddies. The user describes the other user in the buddy list in order to refer to the awareness information of the user upon agreement with the other user.
[0003]
[Prior art]
  In recent years, social networking has rapidly progressed, and communication systems using data communication paths such as computer networks and telephone lines, news distribution systems, and advertisement distribution systems have become widespread. An awareness system, which is one of communication systems, is expected as a system that facilitates communication between users in remote locations.
[0004]
  The awareness system is a system in which a user makes information about the current state and feelings, connects with other users at all times to exchange such information, and notifies the information. An awareness system is generally configured by connecting a server and a client via a network. The server is provided with 1) an awareness information DB (database) for storing awareness information for each user, and 2) an exchange relationship DB for storing exchange relationships concluded for exchanging awareness information between users. It has been.
[0005]
  On the other hand, buddy lists created by the user are accumulated in the client. The buddy list describes other users with whom users exchange awareness information. Each user individually establishes an exchange relationship of awareness information with other users, and creates a buddy list for each transmission unit of awareness information.
  When a certain user A requests the server to establish / release an awareness information exchange relationship with another user B, the exchange relationship between the user A and the user B is accumulated in the exchange relationship DB. In addition, when the user A requests the server to update its own awareness information or another user's awareness information reference request, the server updates the awareness information DB or obtains necessary information from the awareness information DB. To do.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
  If the users A, B, and C on the awareness system have an awareness information exchange relationship with each other, that is, all of the one-to-one combinations (hereinafter referred to as a shared relationship), Users can share awareness information. However, in the above-described awareness system, the user A does not know what the relationship between the users B and C other than himself / herself is. If user A knows that it is also exchanging awareness information between users B and C, user A can send awareness information based on this assumption.
[0007]
  Depending on the system, a function for creating a shared relationship may be prepared, and the user may generate a batch. On the other hand, a shared relationship may occur by chance due to the exchange relationship between individual users. In a conventional awareness system, individual users cannot know a sharing relationship that has occurred by chance. Therefore, the awareness information exchange relationship is limited to a one-to-one relationship between users, and the opportunity to communicate in groups for the same information content is suppressed, and the opportunity for close multi-person communication is lost. There are disadvantages.
[0008]
  The present invention detects a sharing relationship that occurs by chance from the relationship between users who exchange information individually set on the network, and presents the sharing relationship that occurs by chance to all users in the sharing relationship, The purpose is to promote close communication with user groups.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
  In order to solve the above problems, the first invention of the present application is:Run by an awareness server that stores for each user a buddy list containing a list of user names of buddies who are other users who exchange awareness informationAn information exchange promotion method,
・When a second user is added as a new buddy to any first user's buddy list, it is determined whether or not the first user is stored as a buddy in the second user's buddy list;
When the first user is stored as a buddy in the buddy list of the second user, at least one third user is commonly included as a buddy in each buddy list of the first user and the second user. Determine whether or not
・At least one third user in each buddy list of the first user and the second user. If it is determined that the user is commonly included as a buddy, a group consisting of the first user, the second user, and the third user is generated.,
・For each of the first user, the second user, and the third userIn contrast, the generated group and the users that make up the groupUser nameTo notify,
  Provide information exchange promotion methods.
[0010]
  For example, it is assumed that the user A has an exchange relationship with the user B and the user C separately. Further, it is assumed that user B and user C also have an exchange relationship. In this case, an exchange relationship is established between the three parties in any combination. Hereinafter, this relationship is referred to as a shared relationship. By notifying each user of the establishment of the shared relationship, awareness information can be exchanged based on a common recognition that the users belong to a group that knows each other. The timing for extracting the user group in which the sharing relationship is established is not particularly limited. For example, it may be performed when there is a change in the stored exchange relationship or at regular time intervals.
[0011]
  The second invention of the present application is the first invention, whereinRun by an awareness server that stores for each user a buddy list containing a list of user names of buddies who are other users who exchange awareness informationAn information exchange promotion method,
When the first user is stored as a buddy in the buddy list of the second user, at least one third user is commonly included as a buddy in each buddy list of the first user and the second user. Determine whether or not
・When it is determined that at least one third user is commonly included as a buddy in the buddy list of each of the first user and the second user, the first user, the second user, and the third user are Judge whether the attribute information of each buddy list included is similar,
・If the attribute information of each buddy list is similar, a group consisting of the first user, the second user, and the third user is generated.,
・For each of the first user, the second user, and the third userIn contrast, the generated group and the users that make up the groupUser nameProvide a method for promoting information exchange.
[0012]
  In this method, based on the stored exchange relationship, the exchange relationships between all the users are established, and the users whose set attributes are similar are extracted and grouped. Furthermore, the grouped users are notified of the generated group and the users making up the group.
  The exchange-related attribute is, for example, a buddy list title. In the buddy list of the users belonging to the user group for which the sharing relationship is established, when the titles of the buddy lists for forming the user group are similar to each other, the user is notified of the existence of the user group.
[0013]
  The third invention of the present application provides an awareness information exchange apparatus in which a user individually sets an awareness information exchange relationship with other users. That is, an information exchange facilitating device for accumulating a buddy list including a user name list of buddies who are other users exchanging awareness information for each user,
When a second user is added as a new buddy to the buddy list of any first user, it is determined whether or not the first user is stored as a buddy in the buddy list of the second user.First judging meansWhen,
When the first user is stored as a buddy in the buddy list of the second user, at least one third user is commonly included as a buddy in each buddy list of the first user and the second user. Determine whether or notSecondJudgment means,
When it is determined that at least one third user is commonly included as a buddy in the buddy list of each of the first user and the second user, the first user, the second user, and the third user Generating means for generating a group consisting of:
Provided is an information exchange facilitating device comprising notification means for notifying each of the first user, the second user, and the third user of the generated group and the user name of the user constituting the group. .
[0014]
  The fourth invention of the present application provides an information exchange facilitating device in which a user individually sets an awareness information exchange relationship with other users. That is, an information exchange facilitating device for accumulating a buddy list including a user name list of buddies who are other users exchanging awareness information for each user,
When a second user is added as a new buddy to the buddy list of any first user, it is determined whether or not the first user is stored as a buddy in the buddy list of the second user.First judging meansWhen,
When the first user is stored as a buddy in the buddy list of the second user, at least one third user is commonly included as a buddy in each buddy list of the first user and the second user. Determine whether or notSecondJudgment means,
When it is determined that at least one third user is commonly included as a buddy in the buddy list of each of the first user and the second user, the first user, the second user, and the third user Generating means for generating a group consisting of:
Notification for notifying each of the first user, the second user, and the third user of the generated group, the names of users constituting the group, and a communication means that enables communication of the group And an information exchange facilitating device.
[0015]
  Examples of the predetermined communication means include a chat service such as a mailing list service and IRC (Internet Relay Chat). In the awareness system, only one-to-one information exchange is possible, but information exchange within a group is possible by using other communication means. Although there may be a case where a client side application for using other communication means is not present on the user terminal 2, in that case, a necessary application can be downloaded to the user terminal 2.
[0016]
  The fifth invention of the present application isPromotion of information exchange executed by an awareness server that stores for each user a buddy list including a list of user names of buddies who are other users who exchange awareness informationA recording medium storing a program,
・When a second user is added as a new buddy to any first user's buddy list, a process of determining whether the first user is stored as a buddy in the second user's buddy list;
When the first user is stored as a buddy in the buddy list of the second user, at least one third user is commonly included as a buddy in each buddy list of the first user and the second user. Processing to determine whether or not,
・If it is determined that at least one third user is commonly included as a buddy in the buddy list of each of the first user and the second user, the first user, the second user, and the third user Process to generate a group,
・For each of the first user, the second user, and the third userIn contrast, the generated group and the users that make up the groupUser nameProcessing to notify
  ThePromotion of information exchangeA computer-readable recording medium storing a program is provided.
[0017]
  Here, examples of the recording medium include a computer readable / writable floppy disk, hard disk, semiconductor memory, CD-ROM, DVD, magneto-optical disk (MO), and others.
[0018]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
  <Outline of the invention>
  The present invention informs the user group in which the sharing relationship of the awareness information is naturally generated from the chain of exchange relationships set between the one-to-one users, and notifies the existence of the sharing relationship between the user groups in the sharing relationship. Support information exchange. Here, the shared relationship refers to a relationship in which an awareness information exchange relationship is established among all users included in the user group. Hereinafter, a user group having a sharing relationship is simply referred to as a sharing group.
[0019]
  FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a sharing relationship. FIG. 1A shows a case where the sharing relationship is established between users, and FIG. 1B shows a case where the sharing relationship is not established. In FIG. 1A, for example, all other users B, C, and D are described in the buddy list La of the user A. The same applies to the buddy lists Lb, Lc, and Ld of other users B, C, and D. In this case, a sharing relationship is established for the users A, B, C, and D. In FIG. 1B, a shared relationship is established for users A, B, and C, but a shared relationship is not established for users A, B, C, and D.
[0020]
  The present invention determines whether or not a shared relationship is established each time a predetermined timing, for example, an awareness information exchange relationship is updated. If the sharing relationship is established, the user is notified of this, and a communication means is provided so that communication can be performed within the user group having the sharing relationship.
  Further, not only the sharing relationship but also the existence of a user group exchanging similar information or a user group having similar behavior is notified to the user, and a communication means within the user group is provided.
[0021]
  <First embodiment>
  (1) Configuration
  FIG. 2 is an overall configuration diagram of the information exchange promotion system according to the first embodiment. This system is configured by connecting an awareness server 1 and a plurality of user terminals 2 via a network 3. Although only one user terminal 2 is shown in the figure, a plurality of user terminals 2 are usually connected to the network 3.
[0022]
  The user terminal 2 includes an awareness information management module 21 and an exchange relationship management module 22. The awareness information management module 21 accepts the setting or change of the user's awareness state and transmits it to the awareness server 1, or receives the awareness information of other users from the awareness server 1 and notifies the user. The exchange relationship management module 22 accepts the creation or change of the buddy list and notifies the server of the contents. These modules have the same functions as those of the user terminal 2 in a normal awareness system.
[0023]
  The awareness server 1 includes an awareness information DB 11, an exchange relation DB 12, an awareness service module 13, and an information exchange promotion module 14. FIG. 3 is a conceptual explanatory diagram of information stored in the awareness information DB 11. The awareness information DB 11 stores user awareness information for each user and each buddy list.
[0024]
  FIG. 4 is a conceptual explanatory diagram of information stored in the exchange relation DB 12. The exchange relationship DB 12 stores buddy list attributes and a list of buddies for each user. In this example, the buddy list title is used as the buddy list attribute.
  The awareness service module 13 provides a service that provides the user with the awareness information of other users based on the exchange relationship stored in the exchange relationship DB 12. The functions of the awareness information DB 11, the exchange relation DB 12, and the awareness service module 13 are the same as the functions of the normal awareness server 1.
[0025]
  The information exchange promotion module 14 has a role of promoting a shared relationship between users and promoting information exchange within the shared group. Specifically, the information exchange promotion module 14 includes an action DB 141, a sharing relationship module 142, a similar information module 143, a similar attribute module 144, a similar action module 145, a display control module 146, and an additional service module 147.
[0026]
  FIG. 5 is a conceptual explanatory diagram of information accumulated in the behavior DB 141. In the action DB 141, a predetermined action of the user and a time when the action is caused are accumulated for each user. In this example, when a user accesses a URL, the URL and access time are accumulated in the action DB 141.
  Details of the functions of the sharing relationship module 142, the similar information module 143, the similar attribute module 144, and the similar behavior module 145 will be described later. The display control module 146 displays the group relationship generated by each module on the user terminal 2. The supplementary service module 147 promotes the start of communication using another communication system other than the present system within the user group notified of the presence.
[0027]
  (2) Process flow
  Next, the flow of processing performed by the information exchange promotion module 14 will be specifically described.
  (2-1) Sharing relationship generation processing
  [Process flow]
  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of the shared relationship generation process performed by the shared relationship module 142. The sharing relationship module 142 finds the sharing relationship from the information stored in the exchange relationship DB 12 and notifies the user. Now, assume that user D has added user B to buddy list Ld, so that the exchange relationship among users A, B, C, and D is in the state shown in FIG.
[0028]
  Step S1: When the user D adds the user B to the buddy list Ld, the sharing relationship module 142 checks whether the user D is also registered in the buddy list Lb. In other words, it is determined whether or not an exchange relationship is established between the users B and D. If "Yes" is determined, the process proceeds to step S2. If "No" is determined, the next buddy list change is waited. In this example, the following processing is performed when there is a change in any user's buddy list, but the following processing may be performed according to other events such as at regular intervals.
[0029]
  Step S2: The sharing relationship module 142 determines whether or not an exchange relationship is established between the other users A and C of the buddy list Lb and the user D. In this example, an exchange relationship is established between users D and C. However, no exchange relationship is established between users D and A. If there is at least one other user in the buddy list Lb that has an exchange relationship with the user D, the process proceeds to step S3. If no exchange relationship is established, the process returns to step S1 to wait for the next buddy list change.
[0030]
  Step S3: The sharing relationship module 142 extracts an arbitrary pair of the user group that establishes the exchange relationship with the user D and establishes the exchange relationship. For example, in this example, it is determined whether or not the exchange relationship is established for a pair of B and C in which the exchange relationship with D is established, and if established, this pair is extracted. In this example, a pair of B and C is extracted. If even one exchange relationship is established, the process proceeds to step S4. If no exchange relationship is established, the process returns to step S1 and waits for the next buddy list change.
[0031]
  Step S4: The sharing relationship module 142 determines a sharing group in which the sharing relationship is established. That is, the user group including the user and the user D included in the extracted pair is determined as a shared group. In this case, a user group consisting of B, C, and D is determined.
  Step S5: The sharing relationship module 142 causes the display control module 146 to display the determined sharing group on the user terminal 2. Further, the additional service module 147 may start communication within the group using another communication means. For example, a new conversation space for the shared group is set up on the network 3 or a mailing list for the shared group is generated so that only users in the shared group can participate. In addition, options of communication means are displayed on the user terminal 2. Thereby, users in the group can perform communication within the group, such as chatting between user groups and transmission of mail using a mailing list.
[0032]
  In addition, when the application for performing another communication means is not installed on the user terminal 2, you may download an application to the user terminal 2 by another service module.
  [Screen example]
  FIG. 7 shows a display example of a sharing relationship displayed on the user terminal 2 and a start screen example of another service when a sharing group is determined in the above-described sharing relationship generation process. FIG. 7A shows a display example of a buddy list. FIG. 5B is a display example of the shared group in this buddy list. Shared group 1 is shown by surrounding the user with a dotted line.
[0033]
  FIG. 5C is an example of a communication means selection screen displayed by the additional service module 147 in order to activate communication within the shared group 1. Users in group 1 can communicate within the group by group chat or broadcast mail. FIG. 4D shows a screen example when the number of shared groups increases.
[0034]
  (2-2) Similar Information Sharing Relationship Generation Processing
  [Process flow]
  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of similar information sharing relationship generation processing performed by the similar information module 143. When the users in the sharing group share similar information, the similar information module 143 determines a user group sharing similar information (hereinafter simply referred to as a similar information group) and notifies the user.
[0035]
  Prior to the processing flow, sharing of similar information will be described. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing sharing of similar information. In this figure, users A, B, and C form a shared group. In addition, each of the three makes remarks about the car. In this case, the users A, B, and C share similar information about the car and form a similar information group.
[0036]
  Next, processing for determining a similar information group will be described with reference to FIG.
  Step S21: The similarity information module 143 starts the following process when the awareness information of any user is updated. Here, it is assumed that the user A registered in the buddy list Lb shown in FIG.
[0037]
  Step S22: The similar information module 143 determines a shared group including the user A. This determination method is the same as the above-described processing flow. Next, the similar information module 143 identifies any shared group and performs the following processing.
  Step S23: The similarity information module 143 obtains the awareness information notified in the specified sharing group from the awareness information DB 11, and calculates the degree of similarity for all arbitrary pairs of the awareness information.
[0038]
  Steps S24 and S25: The similarity information module 143 determines whether there is a group of awareness information such that any pair of similarities of the awareness information exceeds a threshold value (S24). In some cases, it is determined that a sharing relationship of similar information by the sender of similar information is generated, and a similar information group formed by the sender of similar information is determined (S25).
[0039]
  Further, the similar information module 143 displays the determined sharing group of similar information on the user terminal 2 or starts communication by another communication means. If none of the calculated similarities exceeds the threshold value, the process proceeds to step S26.
  Step S26: The similar information module 143 determines whether or not the processes of Steps S22 to S25 have been performed for all shared groups including the user A. If "Yes" is determined, the process returns to step S21 and waits for an awareness information update notification. If “No” is determined, the process returns to step S22 to repeat the above-described processing.
[0040]
  [Screen example]
  FIG. 10 is a notification example of a similar information group. FIG. 4A shows a buddy list, and FIG. 4B shows a screen example showing a similar information group. In this figure, the system displays the similar information group with an appropriate title “car group”. The title preferably includes a keyword of similar information. FIG. 6C shows an example of a communication means selection screen displayed to users in the similar information group. In this example, the group chat can be performed in the “car group”.
[0041]
  (2-3) Similar attribute sharing relationship generation processing
  [Process flow]
  FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of similar attribute sharing relationship generation processing performed by the similar attribute module 144. The similar attribute module 144 notifies the user when a user group (hereinafter referred to as a similar attribute group) having similar exchange-related attributes is established in the shared group.
[0042]
  Prior to the description of processing, the similar attribute group will be described. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of a similar attribute group. Here, the title of the buddy list that defines the shared group composed of users A, B, and C is “user drinking”, user “B” drinking friend, and user “Karaoke”. In such a case, a similar attribute group consisting of users A and B is generated in this shared group.
[0043]
  Next, the flow of processing will be described with reference to FIG.
  Steps S31 and S32: When the title of the buddy list of any user is newly set or changed (S31), the similar attribute module 144 specifies a shared group including the user (S32). In this example, the change of any user's buddy list is used as a process start event. However, for example, the following process may be performed at predetermined time intervals.
[0044]
  Steps S33, S34, S35: The similarity attribute module 144 calculates the similarity of titles for each user's buddy list that defines the specified shared group. Similarity is calculated for all arbitrary pairs of titles. In this example, a title is used as an exchange-related attribute, but the present invention is not limited to this.
  The similar attribute module 144 searches for a group of titles where any pair exceeds the threshold, and determines a similar attribute group formed by the owner of the buddy list for that title. In the same manner as described above, the user of the determined similar attribute group starts display of the similar attribute group or communication by another communication means (S35). If none of the title similarities exceeds the threshold value, the process proceeds to step S36.
[0045]
  Step S36: The similarity attribute module 144 determines whether or not the processing of steps S32 to S35 has been performed for all of the shared groups including the user whose title of the buddy list has been changed. In order to perform processing for the group, the process returns to step S32. If “Yes” is determined, the process returns to step S31 to wait for any user to set or change the title of the buddy list.
[0046]
  [Screen example]
  FIG. 13 is a notification example of a similar attribute group. FIGS. 9A to 9A are buddy lists that define a shared group including four users “Natsumi Tsukizaki”, “Kiyuko Fukada”, “Ami Hamasaki”, and “Mayumi Kuraki”. (B1) to (b3) in the figure are screen examples showing similar attribute groups. In this figure, an appropriate title “Liquor group” is displayed on the similar attribute group on the system side. The title preferably represents the content common to the titles of the buddy lists in the drawings (a1) to (a3). FIG. 11C1 is an example of a communication means selection screen displayed to users in the similar attribute group.
[0047]
  Note that the title of the buddy list “Kuraki” in FIG. 4A4 is not similar to the titles in FIG. Therefore, it is determined that the user “Kuraki” is not included in the similar attribute group “sake lover group”.
  (2-4) Similar Behavior Sharing Relationship Generation Processing
  [Process flow]
  FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a flow of similar behavior sharing relationship generation processing performed by the similar behavior module 145. In this process, the similar behavior module 145 determines a group (hereinafter referred to as a similar behavior group) formed from users whose behavior is similar among the users in the shared group, and notifies the user.
[0048]
  Prior to the description of the processing, the similar action group will be described. FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of a similar action group. In this figure, users A, B, and C form a shared group. User A accesses a URL related to the step wagon, B accesses a URL related to Honda's new car information, and User C accesses a URL related to fishing. In this case, the users A and B both took a similar action of accessing the URL related to the car, and thus formed a similar action group.
[0049]
  Next, the flow of processing will be described with reference to FIG.
  Step S41: The similar behavior module 145 waits for occurrence of a predetermined behavior of the user. In this example, the predetermined action is access to the web page specified by the URL, but is not limited to this. When an action occurs, the similar action module 145 updates the action DB 141 and proceeds to step S42.
[0050]
  Step S42: The similar behavior module 145 determines whether there is a user who belongs to the same shared group among users who have performed a predetermined behavior within a certain period. For example, the similar behavior module 145 determines whether there is a user who belongs to the same shared group among the users who have accessed the URL within the past 24 hours. If "Yes" is determined, the process proceeds to step S43. If "No" is determined, the process returns to step S41 again to wait for the next action of the user.
[0051]
  Steps S43 and S44: The similar behavior module 145 determines whether or not there is a similar relationship regarding the user behavior in the shared group (S43). This determination may be made, for example, based on whether the categories to which the accessed URLs belong are the same or similar. The URL category may be acquired using an existing DB, or a DB newly categorized URL may be constructed. When there is a user with similar behavior, a similar behavior group is determined and notified to the user, or communication by another communication means is provided.
[0052]
  [Screen example]
  FIG. 16 is a notification example of a similar action group. FIGS. 9A to 9A are buddy lists that define a shared group including three users “Natsumi Tsukizaki”, “Yoshiko Fukada”, and “Ami Hamasaki”. (B1) to (b3) in the figure are examples of web pages accessed by these users. The user “Rusaki” refers to tennis equipment, “Fukada” refers to Wimbledon's schedule, and “Hamazaki” refers to the list of Kobe tennis clubs on the web page. Each user's action is common in the point which referred the tennis-related web page.
[0053]
  (C1) to (c3) in the figure are screen examples showing similar action groups. In this figure, an appropriate title “tennis group” is displayed on the similar action group on the system side. The title preferably represents content common to the actions of the three users “Natsumi Tsukazaki”, “Keiko Fukada”, and “Ami Hamasaki”. Although not shown, as in the case of FIG. 13 (c1), the selection screen for the communication means is displayed to the users of the similar action group.
[0054]
  <Another embodiment>
  (A) A recording medium on which a program for executing the above-described method of the present invention is recorded is included in the present invention. Examples of the recording medium include a computer readable / writable floppy disk, hard disk, semiconductor memory, CD-ROM, DVD, magneto-optical disk (MO), and others.
[0055]
  <Appendix>
  (Appendix 1) Claim 1
  An information exchange facilitating method used in an awareness information exchange system in which a user sets an awareness information exchange relationship with other users individually,
  Stores the exchange relationship of awareness information set between users,
  Based on the stored exchange relationship, extract and group users who have established an exchange relationship between all users,
  Notify the grouped users of the generated group and the users that make up the group.
Information exchange relationship promotion method.
[0056]
  (Appendix 2) Claim 2
  An information exchange facilitating method used in an awareness information exchange system in which a user sets an awareness information exchange relationship with other users individually,
  Storing awareness information exchange relation set between users and attribute information of the exchange relation;
  Based on the stored exchange relationship, the exchange relationship between all users is established, and the users with similar set attributes are extracted and grouped,
  Notify the grouped users of the generated group and the users that make up the group.
Information exchange promotion method.
[0057]
  (Appendix 3) Claim 3
  An awareness information exchange system in which a user individually sets an awareness information exchange relationship with other users,
  Means for storing the exchange relationship of awareness information set between users;
  Based on the stored exchange relationship, a means for extracting and grouping users who have an exchange relationship for all combinations of users, and
  Means for presenting the generated group and the users making up the group to the grouped users;
An information exchange system.
[0058]
  (Appendix 4) Claim 4
  An awareness information exchange system in which a user individually sets an awareness information exchange relationship with other users,
  Means for storing information exchange relations set between users;
  Based on the stored information exchange relationship, means for extracting and grouping users who have mutual exchange relationships for all user combinations;
  A means for presenting the generated group and the users constituting the group to the grouped users, and a communication means that enables communication of the group;
An information exchange system.
[0059]
  (Appendix 5) Claim 5
  A recording medium storing a program for executing an information exchange promotion method used in an awareness information exchange system in which a user sets an awareness information exchange relationship with another user individually,
  A process for storing the exchange relationship of awareness information set between users;
  Based on the stored exchange relationship, a process of extracting and grouping users who have established an exchange relationship between all users;
  A process of notifying the grouped users to the generated group and the users making up the group;
A computer-readable recording medium including:
[0060]
  (Appendix 6)
  An information exchange facilitating method used in an awareness information exchange system in which a user sets an awareness information exchange relationship with other users individually,
  Store the awareness information exchange relationship set between users and the awareness information exchanged between each user,
  Based on the stored exchange relationship, the exchange relationship between all users is established, and the users with similar contents of the exchanged awareness information are extracted and grouped,
  Notify the grouped users of the generated group and the users that make up the group.
Information exchange relationship promotion method.
[0061]
  In addition to the establishment of the sharing relationship, user groups exchanging information similar to each other are extracted and notified to users in the group. For example, it is assumed that there is a shared group composed of users A, B, C, and D. In this case, it is assumed that vehicle-related information is exchanged on a one-to-one basis among users A, B, and C. In this case, a sharing relationship of vehicle-related information is established for the users A, B, and C. If this is notified to users A, B, and C, these users can exchange vehicle-related information between groups.
[0062]
  (Appendix 7)
  An information exchange facilitating method used in an awareness information exchange system in which a user sets an awareness information exchange relationship with other users individually,
  Stores the exchange relationship of awareness information set between users,
  In addition, memorize the actions taken by each user,
  Based on the stored exchange relationship, the exchange relationship between all users is established, and the users whose stored user actions are similar are extracted and grouped,
  Notify the grouped users of the generated group and the users that make up the group.
Information exchange relationship promotion method.
[0063]
  For example, when the users A, C, and B included in the first user group in which the sharing relationship is established are similar to each other in URL (Uniform Resource Locator) accessed on a certain day, the users A, B, and C are included. The presence of the second user group is notified to the user. Whether the URLs are similar can be determined by, for example, whether the categories to which the URLs belong are the same or similar.
[0064]
【The invention's effect】
  By using the present invention, it is possible to promote close communication in a user group by using a shared relationship that occurs by chance from a relationship between users exchanging information on a network.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1A is an explanatory diagram showing establishment of a sharing relationship.
(B) Explanatory drawing which shows the establishment of some share relationships, and the failure of share relationships.
FIG. 2 is an overall configuration diagram of an information exchange promotion system according to a first embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a conceptual explanatory diagram of an awareness information DB.
FIG. 4 is a conceptual explanatory diagram of an exchange relation DB.
FIG. 5 is a conceptual explanatory diagram of an action DB.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of shared relationship generation processing.
FIG. 7 shows an example of a shared group notification screen.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of similar information sharing relationship generation processing;
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a similar information group.
FIG. 10 is a notification screen example of a similar information group.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a flow of similar attribute sharing relationship generation processing;
FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of a similar attribute group.
FIG. 13 is a notification screen example of a similar attribute group.
FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a flow of similar behavior sharing relationship generation processing;
FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of a similar action group.
FIG. 16 is a notification screen example of a similar action group.
[Explanation of symbols]
  1: Awareness server
  2: User terminal
  3; Network
11; Awareness information DB
12; Exchange relation DB
13; Awareness service module
14; Information exchange promotion module

Claims (5)

An information exchange promotion method executed by an awareness server that stores a buddy list including a user name list of buddies who are other users who exchange awareness information,
When a second user is added as a new buddy to any first user's buddy list, it is determined whether or not the first user is stored as a buddy in the second user's buddy list;
When the first user is stored as a buddy in the buddy list of the second user, is at least one third user commonly included as a buddy in the buddy list of each of the first user and the second user? Determine whether or not
If it is determined that at least one third user is commonly included as a buddy in the buddy list of each of the first user and the second user, the first user, the second user, and the third user Generate a group
Notifying each of the first user, the second user, and the third user of the generated group and the user name of the user constituting the group,
Information exchange promotion method. An information exchange promotion method executed by an awareness server that stores a buddy list including a user name list of buddies who are other users who exchange awareness information,
When the first user is stored as a buddy in the buddy list of the second user, is at least one third user commonly included as a buddy in the buddy list of each of the first user and the second user? Determine whether or not
When it is determined that at least one third user is commonly included as a buddy in the buddy list of each of the first user and the second user, the first user, the second user, and the third user are Judge whether the attribute information of each buddy list included is similar,
If the attribute information of each buddy list is similar, generate a group consisting of the first user, the second user, and the third user;
Notifying each of the first user, the second user, and the third user of the generated group and the user name of the user constituting the group,
Information exchange promotion method. An information exchange facilitating apparatus for accumulating a buddy list including a user name list of buddies who are other users exchanging awareness information for each user,
First determination means for determining whether or not the first user is stored as a buddy in the buddy list of the second user when the second user is added as a new buddy to the buddy list of any first user When,
When the first user is stored as a buddy in the buddy list of the second user, is at least one third user commonly included as a buddy in the buddy list of each of the first user and the second user? Second determination means for determining whether or not,
If it is determined that at least one third user is commonly included as a buddy in the buddy list of each of the first user and the second user, the first user, the second user, and the third user Generating means for generating a group of
Notifying means for notifying the first user, the second user, and the third user of the generated group and the user name of the user constituting the group,
An information exchange promoting device. An information exchange facilitating apparatus for accumulating a buddy list including a user name list of buddies who are other users exchanging awareness information for each user,
First determination means for determining whether or not the first user is stored as a buddy in the buddy list of the second user when the second user is added as a new buddy to the buddy list of any first user When,
When the first user is stored as a buddy in the buddy list of the second user, is at least one third user commonly included as a buddy in the buddy list of each of the first user and the second user? Second determination means for determining whether or not,
If it is determined that at least one third user is commonly included as a buddy in the buddy list of each of the first user and the second user, the first user, the second user, and the third user Generating means for generating a group of
Notification means for notifying each of the first user, the second user, and the third user of the generated group, the user names of the users constituting the group, and a communication means that enables communication of the group When,
An information exchange facilitating device. A recording medium storing an information exchange promotion program executed by an awareness server that stores for each user a buddy list including a user name list of buddies who are other users who exchange awareness information,
When a second user is added as a new buddy to any first user's buddy list, a process of determining whether the first user is stored as a buddy in the second user's buddy list;
When the first user is stored as a buddy in the buddy list of the second user, is at least one third user commonly included as a buddy in the buddy list of each of the first user and the second user? Processing to determine whether or not,
If it is determined that at least one third user is commonly included as a buddy in the buddy list of each of the first user and the second user, the first user, the second user, and the third user A process of generating a group
A process of notifying each of the first user, the second user, and the third user of the generated group and the user name of the user constituting the group;
A computer-readable recording medium in which an information exchange promotion program for executing is stored.

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