JP7525273B2 - Information control device, information control method, and information control program - Google Patents

Description

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

Conventionally, with the advancement of information provision technologies such as the Internet, technologies have been proposed for providing various information to users. One example of such technology is a technology for providing users with various information about pets. For example, a technology is known that detects and stores the behavior of pets kept by each owner, and provides users with the behavior of each pet in the form of a social networking service (SNS).

JP 2011-044787 A

However, the above conventional technologies do not necessarily provide effective support to help users resolve their questions and concerns.

For example, the conventional technology described above merely provides the name and type of pet registered by the user and the detected behavior of the pet in a SNS format. For this reason, the conventional technology described above does not necessarily provide effective support for solving questions and concerns about pets, for example.

This application was made in light of the above, and aims to provide effective support to help users resolve their questions and concerns.

The information control device according to the present application is characterized in that it has a service for providing questions and answers to the questions, an evaluation receiving unit that receives an evaluation for the questions, and a control unit that controls the manner in which the questions are provided based on the evaluation received by the evaluation receiving unit.

According to one aspect of the embodiment, it is possible to effectively support users in resolving their questions and concerns.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall view of information control processing according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a question posting screen according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a Q&A details screen according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a question list screen according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an information control device according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an owner information storage unit according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a pet information storage unit according to the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a question information storage unit according to the embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a response information storage unit according to the embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a point information storage unit according to the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a member information screen according to the embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a pet basic information screen according to the embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an episode information screen according to the embodiment. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a display control process procedure according to the approval rating for each question to be displayed. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a procedure for a point-assigning process for assigning points to a question poster according to an approval rating given to a question by the question poster. FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a procedure for a point-giving process for giving points to an answer poster who has posted an answer to a question that has been given a support rating, among questions asked by a question poster. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration.

The present specification and accompanying drawings make clear at least the following:

In a service that provides questions and answers to the questions, an information control device is characterized by having an evaluation reception unit that receives evaluations on the questions, and a control unit that controls the manner in which the questions are provided based on the evaluations received by the evaluation reception unit.

With this type of information control device, questions that are likely to be desired by the target user can be provided preferentially, based on the idea that questions and concerns shared by many users are likely to also apply to the target user, and as a result, effective support can be provided to help the target user resolve their questions and concerns.

The information control device also accepts, as the evaluation, an approval rating indicating an intention to approve a question, and in the service, provides the questions in an order according to the approval rating for each question to be provided.

According to such an information control device, approval ratings that indicate the intention to approve a question are accepted as an evaluation, and the service provides the questions in order according to the approval ratings for each question to be provided, so that questions that are more likely to be desired by the target user can be provided preferentially, and as a result, it becomes possible to effectively support the target user in resolving their doubts and concerns.

The information control device also provides the questions in an order according to the number of approval ratings for each question.

With this type of information control device, questions are provided in order according to the number of approval ratings for each question, making it easier for the target user to find questions related to their concerns or worries.

In addition, when a rearrangement instruction from a user is accepted, the information control device provides the questions in an order according to the number of approval ratings for each of the questions to be provided.

When such an information control device receives a rearrangement instruction from a user, the questions are provided in an order according to the number of approval ratings for each question, thereby supporting the target user in finding questions related to concerns or worries that suit the user at a time that suits the user.

The information control device also provides the questions to be provided in a manner that arranges them from top to bottom in order of the number of approval ratings of the questions.

According to such an information control device, among the questions to be provided, questions with a higher number of approval ratings are displayed at the top, so that questions that are likely to be desired by the target user can be provided preferentially, and as a result, it becomes possible to effectively support the target user in resolving their doubts and concerns.

The information control device also provides the questions to be provided in a top-down order, with the most recently posted questions and the questions with the most favorable ratings displayed at the top.

According to this type of information control device, among the questions to be provided, questions that were posted more recently and have a greater number of thumbs up ratings are displayed in order from top to bottom, so that questions that are currently most likely to be desired by the user can be provided preferentially.

The information control device also provides, as the questions to be provided, unanswered unresolved questions, with questions with a higher number of approval ratings sorted from the top down.

According to this type of information control device, questions that have not yet been answered are displayed in order from top to bottom in the order of the number of approval ratings, so that questions that users are likely to want resolved quickly can be provided first.

The information control device also provides the questions to be provided in a top-down order, starting with the question with the highest increase rate in the number of approval ratings.

According to this type of information control device, questions with a higher rate of increase in the number of approval ratings are displayed from the top down among the questions to be provided, so that questions that are currently most likely to be desired by the user can be provided preferentially.

The information control device also has an awarding unit that awards points to a specific user depending on the evaluation of the question.

With this type of information control device, points are awarded to specific users depending on the evaluation of the question, which can motivate them to take action related to the question.

The information control device also awards points to the question poster who posted the question depending on the evaluation of the question.

With this type of information control device, points are awarded to the question poster who posted the question depending on the evaluation of the question, which can motivate people to post questions and, as a result, can effectively increase the number of question posters.

The information control device also awards points to question posters who have posted questions that have been given an approval rating that indicates an intention to approve.

According to this type of information control device, points are awarded to question posters who have posted questions that have been given an approval rating that indicates approval, which motivates users to ask questions that will resonate with many users, thereby making it possible to collect and provide high-quality questions.

The information control device also awards points to the question poster according to the number of approval ratings given to the question posted by the question poster.

With this type of information control device, the question poster is given points according to the number of thumbs up ratings given to the question he or she posted, which motivates the poster to ask questions that will resonate with many users, thereby making it possible to collect and provide high-quality questions.

The information control device also awards the points held by the users who gave the question the approval rating to the question poster.

With this type of information control device, the points held by users who have given a favorable rating to a question are awarded to the question poster, so points can be awarded as a reward for providing a good question, which can foster a sense of camaraderie among users who want to share their concerns and ease the mental anxiety caused by such concerns.

The information control device also awards points to the answer poster who posted the answer to the question, depending on the evaluation of the question.

With this type of information control device, points are awarded to the person who posted the answer to the question according to the evaluation of the question, which can motivate more users to answer questions related to common doubts and concerns, and as a result, the number of people answering questions can be effectively increased.

The information control device also awards points to answer posters who post answers to questions that have been given an approval rating, indicating approval, among the questions posted by the question posters.

According to this type of information control device, points are awarded to answer posters who post answers to questions posted by question posters that have been given an approval rating indicating approval, thereby motivating users to answer questions related to common doubts and concerns, thereby increasing the number of reliable (high-quality) answers.

The information control device also awards points to the answer poster according to the number of approval ratings given to the question.

This type of information control device gives points to answer posters according to the number of thumbs up ratings given to a question, which can motivate them to answer questions about common doubts and concerns shared by many users, thereby increasing the number of highly reliable (high-quality) answers.

In addition, the information control device further awards points to the answer poster who posted the answer according to the posting order of the answers to the question posted by the question poster.

With this type of information control device, the answer poster who posted the answer is further awarded points according to the order in which the answers to the question posted by the question poster were posted, which motivates them to answer questions quickly and effectively supports many users in quickly resolving common doubts and concerns.

In addition, the information control device further awards points to answer posters selected by the question poster from among answer posters who have posted answers to the question posted by the question poster.

With this type of information control device, additional points are awarded to answer posters selected by the question poster from among those who have posted answers to the question posted by the question poster, thereby increasing the number of highly reliable (high-quality) answers.

The information control device also awards points to answer posters who post answers to questions posted by question posters that are selected by experts in the field of the question.

With this type of information control device, additional points are awarded to answer posters who post answers to questions posted by the question poster that are selected by experts in the field of the question, thereby increasing the number of highly reliable (high-quality) answers.

The information control device also awards points to users who register attribute information about their pets.

This type of information control device awards points to users who register attribute information about their pets, making it possible to collect more information about pets. As a result, it is possible to perform advanced analysis of the current status of pets and stimulate marketing activities related to pets.

The information control device also awards additional points to users who have registered information about their experiences with pets.

With this type of information control device, more points can be awarded to users who have registered information showing their experiences with pets, making it possible to collect more episode information, thus realizing a service that is rich in information and fun to just look at.

The information control device also awards additional points to users who register information about the care they provide to their pets.

With this type of information control device, more points can be awarded to users who register information about the care they provide to their pets, making it possible to collect more information about how to care for a pet, resulting in a service that is rich in information and fun to look at.

[Embodiment]
An example of a form for implementing an information control device, an information control method, and an information control program (hereinafter, referred to as an "embodiment") will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that the information control device, the information control method, and the information control program are not limited to this embodiment. Also, the same components in the following embodiments are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted.

1. Overview of information control process according to embodiment
First, an overview of the information control process according to the embodiment will be described along with the premise. For example, there is a service that accepts questions and answers to the questions and makes the posted questions and answers available (provides them) to users. Such services are so-called Q&A sites and are used in various fields.

Before posting a question, users of such services may search to see if other users have already asked a question about the same doubt or concern as themselves. In other words, users may search to see if a question has been posted that asks about something they want to know about. However, due to the large number of questions, users may not be able to find a question that asks about something they want to know about. For this reason, it is desirable to effectively support users in resolving their doubts and concerns by making it easier for them to find questions that match the doubts, concerns, and other things they want to know about.

Here, there are cases where many users have questions (or concerns) about the same issues. Taking pet owners as an example, it is not uncommon that the concerns one pet owner has about their pet are in fact concerns that many other pet owners share. For this reason, it can be said that questions and concerns shared by many pet owners are likely to be topics that other pet owners looking to find questions about will also want to know about. For this reason, if questions related to the questions and concerns shared by many pet owners can be identified and provided preferentially, it is believed that pet owners will find it easier to find questions related to their own questions and concerns.

In this embodiment, therefore, the following information control process is performed, focusing on such characteristics of users. Specifically, in this embodiment, in a service that provides questions and answers to the questions, ratings on the questions are accepted. Then, the manner in which the questions are provided is controlled based on the accepted ratings. More specifically, in this embodiment, as such ratings, approval ratings that indicate an intention to approve of the question are accepted. Then, the questions that are to be provided to the user in the above service are provided in an order according to the number of approval ratings for each question.

2. Services According to the Embodiment
The service according to the embodiment is a service that provides questions and answers to the questions. In the present embodiment, as an example of such a service, a service that accepts questions about pets and answers to the questions, and makes the posted questions and answers available (provided) to users, is given as an example.

In addition, for this reason, it is assumed that users who use the service according to the embodiment are pet owners. When an owner wishes to use the service according to the embodiment, the owner registers as a member in advance, for example, via a specific screen delivered from the information control device 100. Hereinafter, the service according to the embodiment may be abbreviated as "Service SA." Furthermore, in the following embodiments, the term "question" is assumed to include the concept of "question content" indicating the actual content (details) of the question. Similarly, in the following embodiments, the term "answer" is assumed to include the concept of "answer content" indicating the actual content (details) of the answer.

3. Information control system according to the embodiment
Next, an information control system according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall image of information control processing according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, an information control system 1 according to an embodiment includes a terminal device 10 and an information control device 100. The terminal device 10 and the information control device 100 are connected to each other via a network N (not shown) so as to be able to communicate with each other by wire or wirelessly. Note that the information control system 1 shown in FIG. 1 may include a plurality of terminal devices 10 and a plurality of information control devices 100.

The terminal device 10 is an information processing terminal used by an owner, who is an example of a user. The terminal device 10 is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a notebook PC (Personal Computer), a desktop PC, a mobile phone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), etc. In this embodiment, the terminal device 10 is described as being a smartphone.

In addition, an application (hereinafter, "app AP") corresponding to the service SA is installed in the terminal device 10. This allows the owner to use his/her own terminal device 10 to view posted questions and answers, and to post his/her own questions and answers.

The application AP may be dedicated software installed on the terminal device 10, may be realized by a general-purpose application installed on the terminal device 10, or may be something like a web application that runs on a browser possessed by the terminal device 10. In other words, the service SA is provided by an application, a browser, or the like.

The information control device 100 is an information processing device that executes the information control process according to the embodiment, and is realized by a server device, a cloud system, or the like. In this embodiment, the information control device 100 is a server device. The information control device 100 also provides a service SA to the owner via an app AP.

4. Overview of information control processing according to the embodiment
From here, an overview of the information control process according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. In the example of Fig. 1, when the user, that is, the owner, is not limited to one specific owner, "owner Ux" is used to indicate any owner. On the other hand, when the owner is limited to one specific owner, an arbitrary value is assigned to x to distinguish the owner from other owners. For example, when the owner is limited to one specific owner, "1" may be assigned to x, and the owner may be expressed as "owner U1".

In addition, in Service SA, pet owners can take a variety of actions. For example, pet owners can take actions such as posting questions about their pets, rating posted questions, posting answers to posted questions, and searching for questions about doubts or concerns about their pets.

The information control process corresponding to each action will be described. In the example of FIG. 1, when an owner Ux wants to post a question to the service SA, the owner Ux accesses the information control device 100 via the app AP. In response to the access, the information control device 100 delivers a question posting screen C1 that allows the owner Ux to input a question to be posted (step S11). The owner Ux inputs a question into the question posting screen C1 and transmits the input question to the information control device 100. The information control device 100 then accepts the question from the owner Ux via the question posting screen C1 and posts the accepted question to the service SA so that various owners can view the question (step S12).

Although not shown, for example, the information control device 100 controls the posting of a question by storing in the question information storage unit 123 an "owner ID (identifier)" that identifies the owner Ux who asked the question, a "question ID (identifier)" that identifies the received question, and the "question content" of the question in association with each other. Furthermore, the owner Ux who posted the question in this way can be said to be in the position of a "question poster" at this point.

In addition, in this embodiment, the information control device 100 accepts evaluations of questions posted to the service SA. Specifically, the information control device 100 accepts, as such evaluations, approval evaluations that indicate an intention to approve of the questions posted to the service SA.

For example, when a pet owner is searching for questions about doubts or concerns about their pet, they may come across a question with which they agree, such as "I would have liked to know about the question about my pet that is raised in this question," or "The concerns raised in this question are concerns that apply to my pet." In such cases, the question can be said to be a question with which the pet owner can agree, saying, "That's a good question." In other words, the question can be said to be a question with which the pet owner can sympathize. Therefore, when a question with which the owner can agree is found, the information control device 100 can accept an approval rating that indicates the intention to agree with the question.

Here, questions that receive more approval ratings are questions that reflect the common doubts and concerns of many pet owners. For this reason, by accepting approval ratings, the information control device 100 can identify questions related to common doubts and concerns of many pet owners, and by presenting such questions to other pet owners who are looking for questions, it can effectively support pet owners in resolving their doubts and concerns.

In the example of FIG. 1, when the owner Ux wants to view the details of the question and answer, he/she accesses the information control device 100 via the app AP. In response to the access, the information control device 100 delivers a Q&A details screen C2, which is a screen showing the detailed content of the question and answer (step S21).

Here, it is assumed that the owner Ux feels that he/she agrees with the question displayed on the Q&A details screen C2 (a question about doubts or concerns about pets). As will be described later, the Q&A details screen C2 includes a "I want to know too" button BT21 that allows the owner Ux to express his/her agreement with the question displayed if he/she agrees with it. In this case where the owner Ux agrees with the question and no answer has yet been posted, the owner Ux expresses his/her agreement with the question by pressing the button BT21 using the terminal device 10. The information control device 100 then receives an agreement rating from the owner Ux via the Q&A details screen C2, indicating his/her agreement with the question displayed on the Q&A details screen C2 (step S22).

Also, although not shown, for example, when the information control device 100 receives a support rating, it adds a predetermined value (e.g., "1") to the "number of support ratings" in the question information storage unit 123 that is associated with the "owner ID (identifier)" that identifies the owner Ux who posted the question on the Q&A details screen C2 and the "question ID (identifier)" that identifies the question.

In the example of FIG. 1, when the owner Ux wants to post an answer to a question, he or she also accesses the information control device 100 via the app AP. In response to this access, the information control device 100 delivers a Q&A details screen C2, which is a screen showing the detailed content of the question (step S31). The owner Ux inputs an answer to the Q&A details screen C2 and transmits the input answer to the information control device 100. The information control device 100 then accepts the answer from the owner Ux via the Q&A details screen C2 and posts the accepted answer to the service SA, allowing various owners to view the question (step S32).

Although not shown, for example, the information control device 100 controls the posting of this answer by storing in the answer information storage unit 124 an "owner ID (identifier)" that identifies the answering owner Ux, a "question ID (identifier)" that identifies the question to which the answer is being answered, and an "answer content" in association with each other. Furthermore, the owner Ux who posted the answer in this way can be said to be in the position of an "answer poster" at this point.

As explained above, the service SA provides questions about doubts and concerns about pets and answers to those questions. In the example of FIG. 1, the service SA provides questions about doubts and concerns about pets and answers to those questions via a question list screen C3. In such a case, for example, when an owner Ux wants to search for questions about doubts and concerns about pets and obtain answers to those questions, or wants to view what answers have been given to what questions, he or she accesses the information control device 100 to receive the question list screen C3. The information control device 100 delivers the question list screen C3 in response to such access.

Here, the delivered question list screen C3, for example, displays a list of unresolved questions that have not yet been answered. However, the question that the owner Ux is looking for is often not included in this list of questions. For this reason, the question list screen C3 is provided with a function that allows the owner Ux to specify a category, etc., to narrow down the questions to be displayed (provided) on the question list screen C3. For example, when the information control device 100 receives an instruction to narrow down the questions by specifying a category, it performs display control such that only questions that belong to the specified category are displayed in a list on the question list screen C3.

The question list screen C3 also has a function of having the owner Ux specify sorting conditions, thereby sorting the questions displayed in the list in an order that corresponds to the sorting conditions. For example, when the information control device 100 receives a sorting instruction based on the specification of sorting conditions, it performs display control to sort and display the currently displayed questions in the list in an order that corresponds to the specified sorting conditions.

Examples of sorting conditions include "sorting by newest", "sorting by number of views", and "sorting by number of answers". In addition to these, in the service SA according to the embodiment, there is a sorting condition "order of most wanted to know". Here, "I want to know" corresponds to the "number of approval ratings" described above. The sorting condition "order of most wanted to know" can be interpreted as "order of most wanted to know". For example, when questions are displayed in a list in "order of most approved ratings", the question displayed in the higher position, i.e., the question with the higher number of approval ratings, is the question that has received more sympathy, and it is highly likely that the owner Ux currently looking for a question has similar doubts or concerns, and it is highly likely that the question is the one that the owner Ux wants to find. Therefore, the owner Ux can efficiently find the question he or she wants by specifying the sorting condition "order of most wanted to know".

In the example of FIG. 1, the owner Ux narrows down the questions to be displayed on the question list screen C3 by specifying a category, and then specifies "Most frequently asked questions" for the questions to be displayed after narrowing down the questions. In this case, the information control device 100 accepts a rearrangement instruction under the rearrangement condition "Most frequently asked questions" via the question list screen C3 (step S41). Then, when the information control device 100 accepts the rearrangement instruction, it provides the questions to be displayed in order according to the number of approval ratings for each question (step S42).

Specifically, the information control device 100 controls the terminal device 10 to display the questions currently displayed on the question list screen C3 in order according to the number of approval ratings for each question to be displayed. More specifically, the information control device 100 controls the terminal device 10 to display, among the questions to be displayed, questions with a greater number of approval ratings in order from top to bottom. For example, the information control device 100 refers to the question information storage unit 123 and extracts the "number of approval ratings" corresponding to each "question ID" that identifies the question to be displayed. Then, the information control device 100 controls the terminal device 10 to display, among the questions to be displayed, questions with a greater number of approval ratings in order from top to bottom.

Through this display control, questions with a greater number of approval ratings are displayed in a list from top to bottom on the question list screen C3. In this manner, the information control device 100 according to the embodiment accepts approval ratings indicating an intention to approve questions about pets in the service SA that provides questions about pets and answers to those questions. Then, when the information control device 100 accepts an instruction from the owner Ux to sort in order of "Most of the things I want to know", it controls the display of the questions to be displayed in order of the most approval ratings.

With this information control device 100, questions that are more likely to be desired by the owner Ux can be provided preferentially, based on the idea that questions and concerns shared by many owners are likely to apply to the owner Ux as well. As a result, the information control device 100 can effectively support the owner Ux in resolving his or her questions and concerns.

[5. About the question posting screen]
From here, an example of the question posting screen C1 described in Fig. 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the question posting screen C1 according to the embodiment. The question posting screen C1 shown in Fig. 2 is a screen for accepting questions to be posted to the service SA. Note that the question posting screen C1 shown in Fig. 2 is merely an example, and there is no limitation on the configuration of the screen for accepting questions to be posted.

In the example of FIG. 2, the question posting screen C1 is divided into four areas: area AR11, area AR12, area AR13, and area AR14. In the example of FIG. 2, area AR11 includes a pull-down menu RC111 for selecting the type of pet the question is about from among candidate pet types. Examples of candidate pet types include "dog" and "cat".

Area AR11 also includes a pull-down menu RC112 for selecting the category of concern (doubt) the question is about from the candidate categories "concern category 1." Examples of "concern category 1" include "illness," "injury," "discipline," and "caregiving."

Area AR11 also includes a pull-down RC113 for selecting a category of the concern (doubt) the question is about from the candidate category "concern category 2". "Concern category 2" is a subordinate category to "concern category 1", and the item changes depending on the category selected from "concern category 1" using pull-down RC112. For example, if concern category 1 "disease" is selected, "concern category 2" changes to a specific disease item such as "skin disease", "eye disease", "circulatory system", "urinary system", etc. For this reason, "concern category 1" and "concern category 2" are in a hierarchical relationship, and "concern category 2" can be said to be a category that covers a narrower range than "concern category 1".

Area AR11 also includes an input field IF111 that allows the owner to freely set keywords that succinctly indicate what the owner's concern (question) is about. For example, the owner can set keywords by entering keywords that indicate specific illnesses or issues, such as "cataracts," "vomiting," "excessive barking," or "bedsores," in input field IF111. Meanwhile, categories that indicate such specific illnesses or issues may also be set in a pull-down format, for example, as "concern category 3."

Area AR12 also includes a pull-down menu RC121 for inputting the time (date) when the owner began to be concerned about the concern (question) being asked about. Area AR13 also includes an input field IF131 for freely inputting a place of concern (a place where the concern occurs (e.g., the toilet)) regarding the concern (question) being asked about. Area AR14 also includes an input field IF141 for freely inputting details regarding the concern (question) being asked about. Question posting screen C1 also includes a "Post" button BT11 for posting the series of information set in areas AR11 to AR14 to service SA as the content of a question.

In this way, the information control device 100 provides a question posting screen C1 having the functions and structure shown in FIG. 2 in response to access from the owner Ux. Such an information control device 100 allows the format to be easily understood by the viewer, and allows highly specific questions to be easily created, thereby supporting the owner in obtaining an accurate answer.

Although not shown in FIG. 2, the question posting screen C1 may also have a function for further accepting an arbitrary image from the question poster (e.g., a facial image of the question poster).

In addition, some or all of the questions set via the question posting screen C1 may be displayed in a list on the question list screen C3 depending on the timing of posting and various condition settings. In addition, a selected question from the questions displayed in the question list screen C3 is displayed in the Q&A details screen C2 as the detailed content of the question. For this reason, a link to the Q&A details screen C2 is provided so that the question set via the question posting screen C1 can be viewed on the Q&A details screen C2, which is the transition destination corresponding to the question list screen C3. Next, the Q&A details screen C2 corresponding to the question posting screen C1 shown in FIG. 2 will be described.

[6. About the Q&A details screen]
Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a Q&A details screen C2 according to the embodiment. The Q&A details screen C2 shown in Fig. 3 is a screen on which detailed content of a question is displayed. The Q&A details screen C2 is also a screen for accepting posts of answers to the displayed questions. Note that the Q&A details screen C2 shown in Fig. 3 is merely an example, and there is no limitation on the screen configuration for displaying questions and accepting answers to be posted.

In the example of FIG. 3, the Q&A details screen C2 is divided into five areas: area AR21, area AR22, area AR23, area AR24, and area AR25. In the example of FIG. 3, area AR21 displays the keyword entered in input field IF111 of the question posting screen C1, "Problem Category 1" selected in pull-down RC112 of the question posting screen C1, and "Problem Category 2" selected in pull-down RC113 of the question posting screen C1.

Area AR22 also displays text (text showing the question content related to the doubt or concern) consisting of the date selected in pull-down RC121 on question posting screen C1, the content entered in input field IF131, the content entered in input field IF141, etc. Area AR22 also includes a "I want to know too" button BT21 that allows a user to indicate their agreement with a question on Q&A details screen C2 if they agree with the question.

In addition, area AR23 displays owner information (e.g., nickname, pet care history, etc.) that is information about the owner who posted the question on the Q&A details screen C2, and attribute information about the pet that is kept by the question poster and is the subject of the question (the subject of the doubt or concern). For example, the owner information is registered in the information control device 100 via the member information screen C4 shown in FIG. 11. In addition, attribute information about the pet is registered in the information control device 100 via the pet basic information screen C5 shown in FIG. 12.

In addition, area AR24 displays icons of SNS (social networking services) with which the question on the Q&A details screen C2 can be shared. If the owner who posted the question on the Q&A details screen C2 wants to share the question on an SNS, they can select the icon corresponding to the SNS with which they wish to share the question.

Area AR25 also includes an input field IF251 for inputting an answer to the question on the Q&A details screen C2, and an "Answer this question" button BT22 for posting the answer entered in input field IF251.

In this way, the information control device 100 provides a Q&A details screen C2 having the functions and structure shown in FIG. 3 in response to access from the owner Ux. Such an information control device 100 can support the owner Ux who posted the question to obtain an appropriate answer.

[7. About the Question List Screen]
Next, an example of the question list screen C3 described in Fig. 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the question list screen C3 according to the embodiment. The question list screen C3 shown in Fig. 4 is used when searching for questions related to doubts or concerns about pets and trying to get answers to those questions, or when viewing what answers have been given to what questions. For this reason, the question list screen C3 has a function of displaying a list of search conditions for searching for questions and questions that match the search conditions.

In the example of FIG. 4, the question list screen C3 is divided into five areas, namely, area AR31, area AR32, area AR33, area AR34, and area AR35. In the example of FIG. 4, area AR31 displays conditions for specifying which category of doubts or concerns questions should be narrowed down to as questions to be displayed from among the display candidate questions on the question list screen C3.

In the example of FIG. 4, area AR31 shows an example in which the filtering conditions for narrowing down questions about doubts and concerns about the "dog" category and the filtering conditions for narrowing down questions about doubts and concerns about the "cat" category are displayed. Area AR31 also shows an example in which the filtering conditions for narrowing down questions about doubts and concerns about the "illness/injury" category, the filtering conditions for narrowing down questions about doubts and concerns about the "food" category, the filtering conditions for narrowing down questions about doubts and concerns about the "care/training" category, the filtering conditions for narrowing down questions about doubts and concerns about the "going out/play" category, the filtering conditions for narrowing down questions about doubts and concerns about the "longevity/care" category, and the filtering conditions for narrowing down questions about doubts and concerns about the "other" category are displayed.

In addition, area AR32 displays an input field IF321 for inputting a search keyword that specifies the question to be searched for. Area AR33 includes a button BT31 that transitions to a question posting screen C1 on which questions to be posted to service SA are accepted. For this reason, when button BT31 is pressed by the owner Ux, the terminal device 10 transmits a request to distribute the question posting screen C1 to the information control device 100.

Area AR34 also includes a pull-down menu RC341 for selecting sorting conditions for sorting the questions displayed on the question list screen C3. Sorting conditions include, for example, "unresolved questions," "sort by newest," "sort by number of views," and "sort by number of replies," as well as "sort by most "I want to know" (most favored).

In addition, area AR35 displays a list of questions to be displayed from top to bottom. In the example of FIG. 4, area AR35 displays question Q31, a question posted by owner U3, question Q41, a question posted by owner U4, and question Q51, a question posted by owner U5.

As an example, when the sorting condition is "Most popular questions I want to know," a certain number of questions with the most positive ratings among those narrowed down by category conditions or among those that match the search keyword are displayed in a top-down list in area AR35.

In the example of FIG. 4, it is assumed that the default setting is to list "unanswered questions," so that unanswered questions Q31, Q41, and Q51 are displayed in a list in area AR35. In this state, it is assumed that the owner Ux specifies the sorting condition "In order of most frequently asked questions."

In this case, the information control device 100 accepts a rearrangement instruction based on the rearrangement condition "in order of most wanted to know". The information control device 100 then refers to the question information storage unit 123 and extracts a predetermined number of questions with the most favorable ratings from among the questions to be displayed. For example, the information control device 100 extracts a predetermined number of questions with the most favorable ratings from among "unresolved questions" to which answers have not been obtained, as questions to be displayed. Here, it is assumed that the information control device 100 extracts three questions: question Q71 with the most favorable ratings, question Q81 with the second most favorable ratings, and question Q91 with the third most favorable ratings.

Then, the information control device 100 performs display control so that the extracted questions Q71, Q81, and Q91 are displayed in order from top to bottom in place of questions Q31, Q41, and Q51 currently displayed in area AR35, as shown in FIG. 1. For example, the information control device 100 performs display control on the terminal device 10.

In the example of FIG. 4, each question listed in area AR35 is composed of an image that visually identifies the type of pet that the question is asking about, attribute information about the pet (e.g., information about pet types that further subdivide pet types, the pet's age, the pet's sex, the pet's personality, etc.), an introduction to the pet, and some or all of the text (sentence) indicating the content of the question.

As described above, each question listed in area AR35 is provided with link information for transitioning to the Q&A details screen C2, which shows the detailed content of the question. For this reason, when the owner Ux presses the link information, the terminal device 10 transmits a request to deliver the Q&A details screen C2 to the information control device 100.

In this way, the information control device 100 provides a question list screen C3 having the functions and structure shown in FIG. 4 in response to access from the owner Ux. Such an information control device 100 can improve the ease of searching for and viewing questions, thereby realizing a highly convenient service SA. Furthermore, such an information control device 100 can provide priority to questions that are more likely to be desired by the owner Ux, for example, thereby effectively supporting the owner Ux in resolving his or her doubts and worries.

[8. Variations in sorting according to approval rating]
1 shows an example of display control in which the information control device 100 displays questions in an order according to the approval rating for each question to be displayed. Specifically, the information control device 100 displays questions to be provided in order from top to bottom in the area AR35 of the question list screen C3, with questions having a larger number of approval ratings being displayed among the questions to be provided. However, the information control device 100 may display the questions to be displayed in order according to the approval ratings, as in the following various different variations.

[8-1. Sorting according to approval rating (posting date and time)]
For example, the information control device 100 may provide questions to be displayed (provided) in a state in which the questions with the most recent posted date and the highest number of favorable ratings are arranged from the top. For example, the information control device 100 accepts a rearrangement instruction based on the rearrangement condition "Most Want to Know". In this case, the information control device 100 refers to the question information storage unit 123 and extracts a predetermined number of questions with the most recent "posted date" and the highest "number of favorable ratings" from the questions to be displayed. Then, the information control device 100 performs display control so that the extracted questions are displayed in a state in which they are arranged from the top in descending order of the most recent "posted date" and the most favorable number.

With this information control device 100, it is possible to provide priority to questions that the owner Ux is more likely to want at the current time. As a result, the information control device 100 can effectively support the owner Ux in solving his or her doubts and worries.

[8-2. Sorting according to approval rating (increase rate)]
Furthermore, the information control device 100 may provide questions to be displayed (provided) in a state where the questions with the higher increase rate in the number of approval ratings are sorted from top to bottom. For example, the information control device 100 receives a rearrangement instruction based on the rearrangement condition "In order of most frequently asked questions". In this case, the information control device 100 refers to the question information storage unit 123 and calculates the increase rate of the "number of approval ratings" for the questions to be displayed based on the "evaluation history" of each question to be displayed. Here, the "evaluation history" is information indicating "when and who gave the approval rating".

Then, based on the increase rate of the "number of ratings of support" calculated for each question to be displayed, the information control device 100 extracts a top predetermined number of questions with the highest increase rate of the "number of ratings of support" from among the questions to be displayed (provided). Then, the information control device 100 controls the display so that the extracted questions are displayed in order from top to bottom in descending order of the increase rate of the "number of ratings of support".

With this information control device 100, it is possible to identify questions and concerns that many pet owners have recently begun to worry about (for example, that are becoming a trend among pet owners), and as a result, it is possible to provide preferentially questions that the pet owner Ux is more likely to want at the current time. As a result, the information control device 100 can effectively support the pet owner Ux in resolving his or her questions and concerns.

[8-3. Fields of application]
In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the information control device 100 receives a support rating for a question about a pet in a service SA that provides questions about pets and answers to the questions about pets, and controls the provision mode of the question about a pet based on the received support rating. That is, an example was shown in which the application field to which the information control process according to the embodiment is applied is a service field that provides Q&A about pets. However, the field in which the information control process according to the embodiment can be applied is not limited to the service field that provides Q&A about pets. For example, the information control process according to the embodiment can be applied to any service field that provides Q&A. For example, the information control process according to the embodiment can be applied to a service field that provides Q&A comprehensively on "entertainment,""life,""health,""humanrelationships," etc.

[9. Configuration of information control device]
Next, the information control device 100 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the information control device 100 according to the embodiment. As shown in Fig. 5, the information control device 100 has a communication unit 110, a storage unit 120, and a control unit 130.

(Regarding communication unit 110)
The communication unit 110 is realized by, for example, a network interface card (NIC) etc. The communication unit 110 is connected to the network N by wire or wirelessly, and transmits and receives information to and from the terminal device 10, for example.

(Regarding the storage unit 120)
The storage unit 120 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory element such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk, an optical disk, etc. The storage unit 120 has an owner information storage unit 121, a pet information storage unit 122, a question information storage unit 123, an answer information storage unit 124, and a point information storage unit 125.

(Regarding the owner information storage unit 121)
The owner information storage unit 121 stores various information related to the owner. Here, an example of the owner information storage unit 121 according to the embodiment is shown in Fig. 6. In the example of Fig. 6, the owner information storage unit 121 has items such as "Owner ID (Identifier)", "Owner Information", and "Owner Attribute Information". Furthermore, "Owner Information" is personal information related to the owner, and in the example of Fig. 6, it includes items such as "Name", "Area of Residence", and "Date of Birth". "Owner Attribute Information" is information related to pets in relation to the owner, and in the example of Fig. 6, it includes items such as "Number of Pets", "Total Number of Pets", and "Questions/Concerns".

"Owner ID" is identification information that identifies the owner. "Name" is information related to the name of the owner associated with the "Owner ID". For example, "Name" is the real name or nickname of the owner associated with the "Owner ID". "Residence area" is information related to the residence area of the owner associated with the "Owner ID". "Date of birth" is information related to the date of birth of the owner associated with the "Owner ID".

In other words, in the example of FIG. 6, owner U1, who is identified by owner ID "U1", has a name "Name #1", a residential area "Residential Area #1", and a date of birth "Date of Birth #1". Note that in the example of FIG. 6, the name and the like are expressed with abstract codes such as "Name #1", but what is expressed with abstract codes may actually be a concrete file format, etc. Also, each item included in the "Owner Information" is registered as a member or edited by the owner via the membership information screen C4, which will be described later.

"Number of pets" is information about the number of pets currently kept by the owner associated with the "Owner ID." "Total number of pets" is information about the number of pets that the owner associated with the "Owner ID" has ever kept. "Questions/concerns" is information indicating questions or concerns that the owner associated with the "Owner ID" has about their pets.

In other words, in the example of Figure 6, owner U1, who is identified by owner ID "U1", currently has "1" pet, the total number of pets is "3rd", and the question/concern is "Question #1". Note that in the example of Figure 6, the question/concern is expressed with an abstract code such as "Question #1", but in reality it may be in a concrete file format or the like. Also, each item included in the "owner attribute information" is registered as a member or edited by the owner via the member information screen C4 described below.

(Regarding the pet information storage unit 122)
The pet information storage unit 122 stores various information related to the pets kept by the owner. Here, FIG. 7 shows an example of the pet information storage unit 122 according to the embodiment. In the example of FIG. 7, the pet information storage unit 122 has items such as "Owner ID (Identifier)", "Pet ID (Identifier)", "Name", "Pet Attribute Information", "Episode Information", and "How to Keep Information". The "Pet Attribute Information" is attribute information related to the pet, and in the example of FIG. 7, it includes items such as "Type", "Detailed Type", "Age", "Sex", "Physical Information", and "Character". The "Episode Information" is information related to episodes (experiences) between the owner and the pet, and in the example of FIG. 7, it includes items such as "Troublesome" and "Useful". The "How to Keep Information" is information related to how the owner keeps and cares for the pet, and in the example of FIG. 7, it includes items such as "How to Keep", "Daily Care", and "Lifestyle".

"Owner ID" is identification information that identifies the owner. "Pet ID" is identification information that identifies the pet kept by the owner associated with the "Owner ID." "Name" is information regarding the name of the pet associated with the "Pet ID."

"Type" is information about the type of pet associated with "Pet ID". For example, "Type" can be "Dog" or "Cat". "Detailed Type" is information about a further subdivision of the pet type associated with "Pet ID". For example, in the case of the type "Dog", detailed types can be "Shiba Inu", "Chihuahua", "Poodle", etc.

"Age" is information about the age of the pet associated with the "Pet ID". "Gender" is information about the age of the pet associated with the "Pet ID". "Physical information" is information about the pet's body associated with the "Pet ID". For example, "physical information" is the pet's weight and coat color. "Personality" is information about the pet's personality associated with the "Pet ID".

7 shows an example in which an owner U1, identified by an owner ID "U1", has a pet named "Lucky", identified by a pet ID "PT1". Also, in the example in FIG. 7, an example is shown in which a pet PT1, identified by a pet ID "PT1", has a type of "dog", a detailed type of "Labrador", an age of "3 years", a sex of "male", and a personality of "Personality #1". Note that in the example in FIG. 7, physical information and the like are expressed by abstract symbols such as "physical information #1", but what is expressed by an abstract symbol may actually be a concrete file format, etc. Also, each item included in the "pet attribute information" is registered or edited by the owner via a pet basic information screen C5, which will be described later.

"Difficult" refers to episodes between an owner and a pet identified by a pair of a corresponding "owner ID" and "pet ID" and is information about episodes in which difficulties arose. "Helpful" refers to episodes between an owner and a pet identified by a pair of a corresponding "owner ID" and "pet ID" and is information about episodes in which helpfulness arose.

In other words, in the example of FIG. 7, between owner U1 and pet PT1, there is "episode #11" as an episode of the troublesome type, and "episode #12" as an episode of the helpful type. Note that in the example of FIG. 7, the troublesome type is expressed with an abstract code such as "episode #11", but what is expressed with an abstract code may actually be in a concrete file format, etc. Also, each item included in the "episode information" is registered or edited by the owner via the episode information screen C6, which will be described later.

"How to care" is information about how the owner associated with the "Pet ID" cares for the pet. For example, "How to care" is information that indicates how much affection the owner has for the pet, information about where the pet is kept, information about where the pet sleeps, information about when to give the pet treats, etc.

"Daily care" is information about the care that an owner associated with an "Owner ID" provides daily to a pet associated with a "Pet ID." For example, "Daily care" is information indicating how often the pet is shampooed, how often the face is cared for, how often the mouth and teeth are cared for, how often the paws are cared for, etc.

"Lifestyle" is information related to the owner's lifestyle associated with the "Owner ID." For example, "Lifestyle" is information indicating the type of residential building in which the owner lives, information regarding the area in which the owner lives, information indicating how the owner spends their days off with their pet, etc.

In other words, in the example of FIG. 7, an owner U1, identified by an owner ID "U1", keeps a pet PT1, identified by a pet ID "PT1", in a "keeping style #1" manner, and also cares for the pet PT1 in a "care style #1" manner. In the example of FIG. 7, an example is shown in which the lifestyle of the owner U1 is "lifestyle #1". Note that in the example of FIG. 7, the keeping style is expressed by an abstract code such as "keeping style #1", but what is expressed by the abstract code may actually be a concrete file format, etc. Also, each item included in the "keeping style information" is registered or edited by the owner via the pet basic information screen C5 or the member information screen C4, which will be described later.

(Regarding the question information storage unit 123)
The question information storage unit 123 stores information related to questions and points. An example of the question information storage unit 123 according to the embodiment is shown in Fig. 8. In the example of Fig. 8, the question information storage unit 123 has items such as "Owner ID (Identifier)", "Question Information", and "Point Granting Settings".

"Question information" is information about the question, and in the example of Figure 8, includes items such as "Question ID (Identifier)," "Posting date," "Question attribute information," "Question content," "Rating history," "Number of approval ratings," "Target designation," and "Designated respondent." "Point allocation settings" is information about point settings, and in the example of Figure 8, includes items such as "Best answerer," "Target designated respondent," and "Designated respondent."

"Owner ID (Identifier)" indicates identification information that identifies the owner who posted the question (entered the question they want to post). "Question ID" indicates identification information that identifies the question posted by the owner associated with the "Owner ID". "Posting date" indicates information related to the date and time when the owner associated with the "Owner ID" posted the question associated with the "Question ID". "Question attribute information" is information that indicates what the question associated with the "Question ID" is about, and what category of doubt or concern it is. For example, "question attribute information" is information that indicates the item (pet type, concern category) selected in pull-down RC111, pull-down RC112, or pull-down RC113 on the question posting screen C1.

"Question content" is information about the content of the question associated with "Question ID." For example, "Question content" is text information indicating the content of the question. "Evaluation history" is information indicating the history of "when and who gave a favorable rating" for the question associated with "Question ID." "Number of favorable ratings" is information indicating the number of favorable ratings given for the question associated with "Question ID."

"Target designation" is information indicating what kind of target a question associated with a "question ID" is designated as when it is designated as a specific target. For example, the information control device 100 may designate an unanswered question as a target such as a "question requiring an answer". In such a case, for example, "question requiring an answer" is registered in the "target designation" corresponding to the "question ID" that identifies the question designated as a "question requiring an answer" target, as shown in FIG. 8. In another example, the information control device 100 may designate a question that requires an immediate answer as a target such as an "urgent case". In such a case, for example, "urgent case" (not shown) is registered in the "target designation" corresponding to the "question ID" that identifies the question designated as an "urgent case" target.

The "target designation" may be set by the owner associated with the "owner ID," for example, on the question posting screen C1. For example, if the owner wants their question answered first (if they want a quick answer), they can set the priority on the question posting screen C1.

A "designated respondent" is information (e.g., an owner ID) about an owner who has been designated as the respondent to answer the question associated with the "question ID." A "designated respondent" may be designated, for example, on the question posting screen C1 by the owner associated with the "owner ID." For example, if there is another owner that the owner would like to answer their question, the owner can designate such an owner on the question posting screen C1.

That is, in the example of FIG. 8, the posting date of the question Q11, which is a question identified by the question ID "Q11", posted by the owner U1 identified by the owner ID "U1" is "Posting date #1". Also, in the example of FIG. 8, the question Q11 is a question in a category such as "question attribute information #1", has a content such as "question content #1", has been given a support rating such as "rating history #1", has a number of support ratings of "6", is designated as a "question to be answered", and the owner "U10" is set as a designated respondent. Note that in the example of FIG. 8, the posting date and the like are expressed by abstract codes such as "Posting date #11", but what is expressed by an abstract code may actually be a concrete file format, etc.

"Best Answerer" is information that specifies how many points the owner identified by the "Owner ID" associated with the "Question ID" will be awarded to an owner who posts an answer that is judged to be the best answer (e.g., the most helpful answer) among the answers to a question associated with the "Question ID". The example in Figure 8 shows an example in which it is specified that the owner (best answerer) who posts an answer that is judged to be the best answer (e.g., the most helpful answer) among the answers to question Q11 posted by owner U1 will be awarded "50 pts" of the points owned by owner U1.

In the example of FIG. 8, the information control device 100 will award the points designated by the owner who posted the question to the owner who becomes the best answerer, from among the points held by the owner who posted the question, in accordance with the point awarding settings made by the owner who posted the question. On the other hand, the awarding unit 136, which will be described later, may not accept point awarding settings from the owner who posted the question, but may dynamically award a predetermined number of points to the owner who becomes the best answerer. Also, "awarding points" includes the concept of "adding points to the target owner in the point information storage unit 125."

The "target-designated answerer" is information that specifies how many points are to be given to owners who have posted answers to questions designated for a specific target (for example, "questions requiring an answer" or "urgent cases"). In the example of FIG. 8, it is specified that the first owner who posted an answer to question Q11 posted by owner U1 is to be given "50 pt" of the points owned by owner U1, the second owner is to be given "30 pt" of the points owned by owner U1, and the third owner is to be given "10 pt" of the points owned by owner U1. In addition, the granting unit 136 monitors the answering status for each question posted, and grants points to the first owner who posted an answer to question Q11, the second owner who posted an answer, and the third owner who posted an answer according to the relevant regulations. Such an information control device 100 can encourage pet owners who post questions to receive a response to their questions more quickly.

"Designated Respondent" is information that specifies how many points will be awarded to an owner designated to answer a question associated with a "Question ID" if the owner satisfies certain conditions when answering the question. The example in FIG. 8 shows an example in which it is specified that if an owner (owner U10 in the example in FIG. 8) designated to answer question Q11 posted by owner U1 answers within one week of the posting date, "25 points" of the points owned by owner U1 will be awarded. In addition, the awarding unit 136 monitors the answering status for each question posted, and awards points in accordance with the relevant regulations if the designated respondent posts an answer to question Q11 within one week of the posting date.

(Regarding the answer information storage unit 124)
The answer information storage unit 124 stores information related to answers. An example of the answer information storage unit 124 according to the embodiment is shown in Fig. 9. In the example of Fig. 9, the answer information storage unit 124 has items such as "Owner ID (Identifier)", "Question ID (Identifier)", "Answer Date", "Answer Content", "Best Answer Target", "Expert Selection Target", and "Number of Approval Evaluations".

"Owner ID" indicates identification information that identifies the owner who posted (input) the answer. "Question ID" indicates identification information that identifies the question answered by the owner associated with the "Owner ID". "Answer content" is information regarding the content of the answer to the question associated with the "Question ID". For example, "Answer content" is text information that indicates the content of the answer.

"Best answer target" is information indicating whether or not the owner posted the answer that was selected as the best answer (e.g., the most helpful answer). For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the best answer "selected" is associated with identification information that identifies the owner who posted the answer that was determined to be the best answer. Note that the decision as to which answer to a question will be the best answer is made by the owner who posted the question.

"Expert selection target" is information indicating whether the pet owner posted an answer selected by an expert. The expert here is an expert in the pet field (e.g., a veterinarian). For example, an expert designated by the business operator managing the information control device 100 selects a "good answer" from among the answers by assessing the merits and demerits of each posted answer using his or her own evaluation criteria. For this reason, for example, the expert selection target "selection" is associated with identification information that identifies the pet owner who posted an answer selected by an expert as being a "good answer," as shown in FIG. 8.

In other words, the example in FIG. 9 shows an example in which owner U4, an owner identified by owner ID "U4", posted an answer with content "Answer content #1" on date and time "Posting date #1" as an answer to question Q11, a question identified by question ID "Q11". The example in FIG. 9 also shows an example in which an answer posted by owner U4 to question Q11 has been selected as the best answer. The example in FIG. 9 also shows an example in which an answer posted by owner U9 to question Q21 has been selected by an expert as an "excellent answer".

(Regarding the point information storage unit 125)
The point information storage unit 125 stores information related to points owned by the owner. An example of the point information storage unit 125 according to the embodiment is shown in Fig. 10. In the example of Fig. 10, the point information storage unit 125 has items such as "Owner ID (Identifier)", "Point History", and "Total Points".

"Point history" is history information that consists of a set of information showing details of the addition or subtraction of points and date and time information showing the date and time when the points were added or subtracted. "Total points" is information (number of points) about the current points held by the owner associated with the "Owner ID."

For example, in the example of FIG. 8, owner U1 specifies that an owner who posts an answer to question Q11 that is selected as the best answer will be awarded "50 pts" of his/her points. Also, in this state, in the example of FIG. 9, an answer to question Q11 posted by owner U4 is selected as the best answer. In this example, the granting unit 136 accesses the point information storage unit 125. Then, the granting unit 136 subtracts "50 pts" from the "total points" corresponding to owner ID "U1" and adds the subtracted "50 pts" to the "total points" corresponding to owner ID "U4".

The granting unit 136 also registers "XX month, XX day, grant the subtracted 50 pts to owner U4" as the point history corresponding to owner ID "U1". On the other hand, the granting unit 136 registers "XX month, XX day, add 50 pts provided by owner U1" as the point history corresponding to owner ID "U4".

(Regarding the control unit 130)
5, the control unit 130 is realized by a central processing unit (CPU), a micro processing unit (MPU), or the like executing various programs stored in a storage device inside the information control device 100 using a RAM as a working area. The control unit 130 is also realized by an integrated circuit such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

As shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 130 has a registration reception unit 131, a question reception unit 132, an answer reception unit 133, an evaluation reception unit 134, a display control unit 135, and an assignment unit 136, and realizes or executes the functions and actions of the information processing described below. Note that the internal configuration of the control unit 130 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 5, and may be other configurations as long as they perform the information processing described below. Also, the connection relationships between the processing units of the control unit 130 are not limited to the connection relationships shown in FIG. 5, and may be other connection relationships.

(Regarding the registration reception unit 131)
The registration acceptance unit 131 accepts various registrations. For example, in response to an access from a user, the registration acceptance unit 131 delivers a screen corresponding to the access. Then, the registration acceptance unit 131 accepts various registrations via the delivered screen.

(Regarding the member information screen)
For example, the registration reception unit 131 accepts registration of information about the owner. For example, an owner who wants to use the service SA uses the terminal device 10 in which the application AP is installed to transmit a request for delivery of a member information screen C4 to the information control device 100. When the registration reception unit 131 accepts the request for delivery of the member information screen C4, it delivers the member information screen C4 controlled for new registration. Also, an owner who has already registered as a member and wants to edit the registered details uses the terminal device 10 in which the application AP is installed to transmit a request for delivery of the member information screen C4 to the information control device 100. When the registration reception unit 131 accepts the request for delivery of the member information screen C4, it delivers the member information screen C4 for editing, which shows the details registered by the requesting owner.

The registration reception unit 131 also completes the information registration (information editing) by the owner by storing the information received via the member information screen C4 in the owner information storage unit 121 and the pet information storage unit 122.

Here, an example of the member information screen C4 controlled for new registration will be described with reference to FIG. 11. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the member information screen C4 according to an embodiment. Note that the configuration of the member information screen C4 for editing is substantially the same as the member information screen C4 for new registration, so a description thereof will be omitted.

In the example of FIG. 11, the member information screen C4 is divided into four areas: area AR41, area AR42, area AR43, and area AR44. In the example of FIG. 11, area AR11 includes an input field IF411 for inputting information about the name (e.g., real name and nickname).

Area AR41 also includes pull-down menus RC411 and RC412 for selecting the area where the owner actually lives (information about the residential area) from candidate areas in two stages. Area AR41 also includes pull-down menu RC413 for selecting the owner's gender from candidate genders. Area AR41 also includes pull-down menu RC414 for inputting the owner's date of birth.

In addition, the information entered using input field IF411 and pull-down menus RC411 to RC414 corresponds to the "owner information" in the owner information storage unit 121.

Area AR42 also includes check items that allow the owner to check any questions or concerns about their pet that apply to them. Examples of check items include "illness/injury," "diet," "care/training," "going out/play," and "longevity/care." The check items that have been checked correspond to "owner attribute information" (questions/concerns) in the owner information storage unit 121.

Area AR43 also includes a pull-down menu RC431 for selecting an appropriate pet care style from candidate pet care styles. Examples of candidate pet care styles include "Kept in the same residence and mainly cared for by the owner", "Kept in the same residence but mainly cared for by another person", "Kept in the same residence but little involvement", etc.

Area AR44 also includes a pull-down menu RC441 for selecting the type of residential building in which the owner lives from among possible types of residential building. Potential types of residential building include "apartment," "condominium," "detached house," etc.

Area AR44 also includes a pull-down menu RC442 for selecting the surrounding environment of the area where the owner lives from among candidate surrounding environments. Examples of candidate surrounding environments include "urban area," "suburban area," and "extreme suburban area."

Area AR44 also includes a pull-down menu RC443 that allows the owner to select an appropriate way of spending time with their pet on a holiday from among possible ways of spending time with the pet. Examples of possible ways of spending time with a pet on a holiday include "spending the whole day at home together," "spending the whole day outside together," and "going for a walk."

In addition, the information entered using pull-down menus RC441 to RC443 corresponds to the "care information" (lifestyle) in the pet information storage unit 122.

The member information screen C4 also includes a "Register" button BT41 for registering the information set in areas AR41 to AR44.

In this way, the information control device 100 accepts registration of various information related to pet owners via the member information screen C4. Such an information control device 100 can award points according to the registration status, allowing more pet owner information to be registered effectively. As a result, the information control device 100 can collect more information about pet owners, allowing for advanced analysis of the current status of pet owners and stimulating marketing activities.

(About the pet basic information screen)
The registration reception unit 131 can also accept registration of information related to pets. For example, a pet owner who wishes to register the attributes and care of his/her pet uses the terminal device 10 in which the application AP is installed to transmit a delivery request for a pet basic information screen C5 to the information control device 100. When the registration reception unit 131 accepts the delivery request for the pet basic information screen C5, it delivers the pet basic information screen C5 to the requesting pet owner.

The registration reception unit 131 also completes the owner's information registration by storing the information received via the pet basic information screen C5 in the pet information storage unit 122.

Here, an example of the pet basic information screen C5 will be described with reference to FIG. 12. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the pet basic information screen C5 according to an embodiment.

In the example of FIG. 12, the pet basic information screen C5 is divided into four areas: area AR51, area AR52, area AR53, and area AR54. In the example of FIG. 12, area AR51 includes a pull-down RC511 for selecting the type of pet, a pull-down RC512 for selecting a detailed type of pet, a pull-down RC513 for selecting the age of the pet, a pull-down RC514 for selecting the gender of the pet, a pull-down RC515 for selecting the weight of the pet, and a pull-down RC516 for selecting the coat color of the pet.

Area AR52 also includes a pull-down RC521 for selecting a personality that applies to the owner's pet from candidate pet personality types. Examples of candidate pet personality types include "super active", "active", "average", "quiet", and "very docile". Area AR52 also includes a pull-down RC522 for selecting a sickness predisposition that applies to the owner's pet from candidate sickness predispositions. Examples of candidate sickness predispositions include "hardly gets sick", "doesn't get sick very often", "average", "slightly sickly", and "sickly".

In addition, the information entered using pull-downs RC511 to RC516 and pull-downs RC521 to RC522 corresponds to the "pet attribute information" in the pet information storage unit 122.

Area AR53 also includes a pull-down menu RC531 for allowing the user to select from a list of candidate items the level of affection the user has for their pet. Examples of candidate items include "doting," "slightly doting," "average," "slightly indifferent," and "uninterested."

Area AR53 also includes a pull-down menu RC532 that allows the owner to select an appropriate pet-keeping location from potential pet-keeping locations. Examples of potential pet-keeping locations include "outdoors" and "indoors."

Area AR53 also includes a pull-down menu RC533 that allows the owner to select a sleeping place that is appropriate for the pet from among possible sleeping places for pets. Examples of possible sleeping places for pets include "same bed as humans," "dog bed (inside cage)," "dog bed (outside cage)," "doghouse," etc.

Area AR53 also includes a pull-down menu RC534 that allows the owner to select an appropriate timing for giving treats to their pet from candidate timings. Examples of candidate timings for giving treats include "regularly," "as a reward," and "when the pet wants one."

In addition, the information entered using pull-down menus RC531 to RC534 corresponds to the "care information" (care method) in the pet information storage unit 122.

Area AR54 also includes a pull-down menu RC541 that allows the owner to select a shampooing frequency that applies to the pet from among candidate shampooing frequencies. Examples of candidate shampooing frequencies include "daily shampooing" and "not shampooing."

Area AR54 also includes a pull-down RC542 that allows the owner to select a frequency of facial care that applies to the pet from among candidates for the frequency of facial care. Area AR54 also includes a pull-down RC543 that allows the owner to select a frequency of oral and dental care that applies to the pet from among candidates for the frequency of oral and dental care. Area AR54 also includes a pull-down RC544 that allows the owner to select a frequency of paw care that applies to the pet from among candidates for the frequency of paw care.

In addition, the information entered using the pull-down menus RC541 to RC544 corresponds to the "care information" (daily care) in the pet information storage unit 122.

The pet basic information screen C5 also includes a "Register" button BT51 for registering the information set in areas AR51 to AR54.

In this way, the information control device 100 accepts registration of various information related to pet attributes and care via the pet basic information screen C5. Such an information control device 100 can award points according to the registration status, allowing more pet information to be registered effectively. As a result, the information control device 100 can collect more information about pets, allowing for advanced analysis of the current status of pets and stimulating marketing activities.

(About the episode information screen)
The registration acceptance unit 131 can also accept registration of information regarding episodes with pets. For example, a pet owner who wants to register an episode with a pet uses the terminal device 10 in which the application AP is installed to transmit a delivery request for an episode information screen C6 to the information control device 100. When the registration acceptance unit 131 accepts the delivery request for the episode information screen C6, it delivers the episode information screen C6 to the requesting pet owner.

Here, an example of the episode information screen C6 will be described with reference to FIG. 13. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the episode information screen C6 according to the embodiment.

In the example of FIG. 13, the episode information screen C6 is divided into two areas, area AR61 and area AR62. Also, in the example of FIG. 13, area AR61 corresponds to an area where input related to difficult episodes is made, and area AR62 corresponds to an area where input related to helpful episodes is made.

In the example of FIG. 13, area AR61 includes a pull-down RC611 for selecting the year and month when the troublesome episode occurred. Area AR61 also includes a pull-down RC612 for selecting the genre that best suits the owner from among the candidate genres of the episode's content. Examples of candidate genres of episode content include "illness/injury," "discipline," "habits," "home alone," and "out and about."

Area AR61 also includes an input field IF611 for freely entering specific details such as "When," "For what," "How was the problem solved?", and "How was it resolved?".

In addition, the information entered using the pull-down menus RC611-RC612 and the input field IF611 corresponds to the "episode information" (problems) in the pet information storage unit 122.

Area AR62 also includes a pull-down RC621 for selecting the year and month in which a helpful episode occurred. Area AR62 also includes a pull-down RC622 for selecting a genre that applies to the owner from among candidate genres of the episode's content. Examples of candidate genres of episode content include "illness/injury," "training," "habits," "home alone," and "out and about."

Area AR62 also includes an input field IF621 for freely entering specific details, such as "When," "For what," "How was the problem solved?", and "How was it resolved?".

In addition, the information entered using the pull-down menus RC621-RC622 and the input field IF621 corresponds to the "episode information" (useful) in the pet information storage unit 122.

In this way, the information control device 100 accepts the registration of various information related to episodes with pets via the episode information screen C6. With this type of information control device 100, points can be awarded according to the registration status, so more episode information can be effectively registered.

(Regarding the question receiving unit 132)
The question receiving unit 132 receives questions from users. For example, the question receiving unit 132 receives questions to be posted to the service SA from pet owners who are users of the service SA.

For example, the question reception unit 132 determines whether or not a request for delivery of a question posting screen C1, which allows the user to input a question to be posted, has been received, and if it determines that the request for delivery has been received, the question posting screen C1 is delivered to the terminal device 10 of the owner who made the delivery request. The question reception unit 132 then accepts input of the question to be posted via the question posting screen C1. The question reception unit 132 then stores question information related to the received question in the question information storage unit 123 so that the received question is posted to the service SA. For example, the question reception unit 132 stores in the question information storage unit 123 an "owner ID" that identifies the owner who input the question, a "question ID" that identifies the question, and "question content" in association with each other.

(Regarding the answer receiving unit 133)
The answer receiving unit 133 receives answers from users. For example, the answer receiving unit 133 receives answers to questions posted to the service SA from owners who are users of the service SA (owners different from the owner who posted the question). For example, the answer receiving unit 133 receives answers to questions posted to the service SA from owners.

For example, the answer receiving unit 133 determines whether or not a request for delivery of a Q&A details screen C2 that allows the user to input an answer to a question has been received, and if it determines that the request for delivery has been received, delivers the Q&A details screen C2 to the terminal device 10 of the owner who made the delivery request. The answer receiving unit 133 then receives an input of an answer to the question shown on the Q&A details screen C2 via the Q&A details screen C2. The answer receiving unit 133 then stores answer information related to the received answer in the answer information storage unit 124 so that the received answer is posted to the service SA as an answer to the question shown on the Q&A details screen C2. For example, the answer receiving unit 133 stores in the answer information storage unit 124 an "owner ID" that identifies the owner who input the answer to the question, a "question ID" that identifies the question, and "answer content" in association with each other.

(Regarding the evaluation receiving unit 134)
The evaluation receiving unit 134 receives evaluations for questions in a service that provides questions and answers to the questions. For example, the evaluation receiving unit 134 receives evaluations for questions about pets in the service SA. For example, the evaluation receiving unit 134 receives, as such evaluations, approval evaluations that indicate approval of the question.

For example, the evaluation receiving unit 134 receives a support evaluation via the Q&A details screen C2. For example, if there is a question about which the owner wishes to check the details among the questions displayed in the question list screen C3, the owner presses the link information associated with that question. In this case, the terminal device 10 transmits a delivery request for the Q&A details screen C2 to the information control device 100, and in response, the response receiving unit 133 delivers the Q&A details screen C2.

In this situation, if the owner, having checked the details of the question, can empathize with the question (for example, if the owner has the same doubt or concern and can empathize by thinking, "Now that you mention it, I wish I knew the answer"), they will press the "I want to know too" button BT21 included in the Q&A details screen C2.

When button BT21 is pressed, the terminal device 10 transmits to the information control device 100 a question ID that identifies the question displayed on the Q&A details screen C2, and evaluation information indicating a support rating. Furthermore, when the evaluation receiving unit 134 is able to acquire evaluation information from the terminal device 10, it accepts a support rating from the owner who transmitted the evaluation information. The evaluation receiving unit 134 then accesses the question information storage unit 123, and updates the "question history" and "number of support ratings" associated with the acquired "question ID." For example, the evaluation receiving unit 134 adds "1" to the current "number of support ratings" associated with the acquired "question ID."

(Regarding the display control unit 135)
The display control unit 135 controls the manner in which questions are presented, based on the evaluations received by the evaluation receiving unit 134. For example, the display control unit 135 controls the manner in which questions are presented in the service SA, based on the approval evaluations received by the evaluation receiving unit 134. For example, the display control unit 135 controls the manner in which questions are presented on the question list screen C3, based on the approval evaluations received by the evaluation receiving unit 134.

For example, in the service SA, the display control unit 135 provides the questions in an order according to the approval rating for each question to be provided. In other words, in the service SA, the display control unit 135 displays the questions in an order according to the approval rating for each question to be displayed.

For example, the display control unit 135 displays the questions to be displayed in order according to the number of approval ratings for each question. For example, when a rearrangement instruction is received from an owner who is a user of the service SA, the display control unit 135 displays the questions to be displayed in order according to the number of approval ratings for each question. For example, the display control unit 135 displays the questions to be displayed in order according to the number of approval ratings for each question from the top.

The display control unit 135 may also display, among the questions to be displayed, questions that have been posted more recently and have a greater number of favorable ratings in a top-down order. The display control unit 135 may also provide, as the questions to be displayed, unanswered unresolved questions that have a greater number of favorable ratings in a top-down order. The display control unit 135 may also display, among the questions to be displayed, questions that have a greater rate of increase in the number of favorable ratings in a top-down order.

(Regarding the assignment unit 136)
The granting unit 136 grants points to users. For example, the granting unit 136 grants points to an owner who is a user of the service SA. For example, the granting unit 136 grants points according to the owner's behavior in the service SA. For example, the granting unit 136 grants points to an owner who performs an action in the service SA that satisfies a predetermined condition.

For example, an owner who posts a question about a pet may set point allocation conditions such as "how many points will be allocated to which owner", "how many points will be allocated to owners who take what action in relation to the answer", or "how many points will be allocated to specific owners designated in advance who take what action". In such cases, the allocation unit 136 monitors the answer status for each question posted, and when it is able to identify an owner who meets the conditions set in the point allocation settings, it will allocate the number of points according to the conditions to that owner.

Specifically, the granting unit 136 accesses the point information storage unit 125, subtracts the number of points according to the conditions from the current number of points of the owner who has posted the question, while adding the subtracted number of points to the current number of points of the owner who has satisfied the conditions. The granting unit 136 also updates the "point history" corresponding to the owner who has posted the question and the "point history" corresponding to the owner who has posted the answer, using such point fluctuations as point history.

On the other hand, the granting unit 136 may dynamically grant a predetermined number of points to an owner who satisfies a condition, regardless of the point granting settings made by the owner who posted the question. For example, the granting unit 136 may grant a predetermined number of points from the points held by the information control device 100 to an owner who answers a question in a way that satisfies a certain condition, rather than granting the points of the owner who posted the question. Also, for example, the granting unit 136 may grant points to a specified user according to the evaluation of the question about the pet.

(Points are awarded to question posters according to their approval rating)
The granting unit 136 grants points to the question poster who posted the question regarding a pet according to the evaluation of the question. For example, the granting unit 136 grants points to the owner who posted the question that has been given an approval evaluation indicating an intention of approval, among the owners (question posters) who have posted the question. For example, the granting unit 136 grants points according to the number of approval evaluations given to the question to the owner who posted the question. For example, the granting unit 136 grants points held by other owners who have given an approval evaluation to the question to the owner who posted the question.

According to such an information control device 100, owners who use the service SA can be motivated to post questions, which effectively increases the number of question posters and, as a result, activates the service SA. In addition, the information control device 100 can motivate owners to ask questions that will resonate with many owners, which makes it possible to provide high-quality questions, which ultimately improves the quality (reputation) of the service SA itself.

(Points are awarded to answerers according to their approval rating)
The granting unit 136 may also grant points to an owner (answer poster) who posted an answer to a question about a pet, depending on the evaluation of the question. For example, the granting unit 136 grants points to an owner (answer poster) who posted an answer to a question that has been given an approval evaluation indicating an intention to approve, among the posted questions.

For example, the granting unit 136 grants points to the owner who posted the answer to the question according to the number of approval ratings given to the question.

With this information control device 100, owners can be motivated to answer questions about doubts and concerns that many owners have in common (answers that many owners can improve on), which can increase the number of owners who answer such questions. As a result, the information control device 100 can effectively support owners in solving their doubts and concerns about their pets. Furthermore, the information control device 100 can increase the number of highly reliable (high-quality) answers by awarding points to owners who post answers.

The granting unit 136 may further grant points to the owners who posted answers to the posted questions according to the order in which the answers were posted. For example, the granting unit 136 grants points to each of the owners who posted answers to the posted questions, according to their ranking, from the owner who posted the answer first, the owner who posted the answer second, and the owner who posted the answer third. For example, the granting unit 136 grants higher points to the owners who post the answers first, second, and third in order of ranking.

With this type of information control device 100, owners can be motivated to answer questions as quickly as possible, effectively supporting them in quickly resolving doubts and concerns about their pets.

(Other points awarded (1))
The granting unit 136 may further grant points to an owner selected by the owner who posted a question among the owners who posted an answer to the question. For example, the granting unit 136 grants points to an owner (best answerer) who posted an answer that is determined to be the best answer among the answers to the question. According to this information control device 100, it is possible to increase the number of highly reliable (high quality) answers.

The granting unit 136 also grants points to pet owners who post answers to posted questions that have been selected by an expert in the field of the question. For example, the granting unit 136 grants points to pet owners who post answers to posted questions that have been selected by a pet expert (e.g., a veterinarian). Such an information control device 100 can increase the number of highly reliable (high-quality) answers.

In addition, if the granting unit 136 determines that an owner who answered a "target designated" (Figure 8) question answered in a manner that satisfies the conditions set by the owner who posted the question, the granting unit 136 grants points according to the conditions to the owner who posted the answer. In addition, if the granting unit 136 determines that an owner who is a "designated respondent" (Figure 8) to a question answered in a manner that satisfies the conditions set by the owner who posted the question, the granting unit 136 grants points according to the conditions to the designated respondent.

(Other points awarded (2))
The granting unit 136 may also grant points to owners who have registered attribute information about their pets. For example, the granting unit 136 grants points to owners who have registered pet attribute information, such as the pet's "type,""detailedtype,""age,""gender,""weight," and "coat color," via the pet basic information screen C5. According to such an information control device 100, it is possible to collect more information about pets, and therefore it is possible to perform advanced analysis of the current state of pets and stimulate marketing activities related to pets.

The granting unit 136 may also grant points to owners who have registered information indicating experiences with their pets (troublesome episodes or helpful episodes) among the users, i.e., pet owners. For example, the granting unit 136 grants points to owners who have registered episodes with their pets via the episode information screen C6. For example, some owners find the task of inputting episodes with their pets troublesome. For such owners, the information control device 100 can motivate them to input episodes, and thus can collect episode information from more owners. In addition, in the service SA, episodes by each pet owner are made public, and the information control device 100 can collect episode information from more owners, thereby realizing a service that is enjoyable even just to look at, with a large amount of information.

The granting unit 136 may also grant points to owners who are users and have registered information about how to care for their pets. For example, the granting unit 136 grants points to owners who are users and have registered information about the care they provide for their pets. For example, the granting unit 136 grants points to owners who are users and have registered information about how to care for their pets or information about the care they provide on a daily basis for their pets. For example, the granting unit 136 grants points to owners who have registered information about the care they provide for their pets via the pet basic information screen C5.

For example, some pet owners find it troublesome to input information about how to raise and care for their pets. For such pet owners, the information control device 100 can motivate them to input information about how to raise and care for their pets, making it possible to collect information about how to raise pets from more pet owners. In addition, in service SA, the pet care and maintenance methods of each pet owner are made public, so the information control device 100 can collect information about how to raise pets from more pet owners, thereby realizing a service that is enjoyable even just to look at a large amount of information.

10. Processing Procedure
Next, the procedure of the information control process according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 14 to 16. Fig. 14 describes the procedure of the display control process according to the information control process according to the embodiment, which is in accordance with the approval rating for each question to be displayed. Fig. 15 describes the procedure of the point assignment process of the information control process according to the embodiment, which assigns points to a question poster according to the approval rating given to a question by the question poster. Fig. 16 describes the procedure of the point assignment process of the information control process according to the embodiment, which assigns points to an answer poster who has posted an answer to a question to which an approval rating has been given, among questions by the question poster.

[10-1. Processing procedure (1)]
First, the procedure of the display control process will be described with reference to Fig. 14. Fig. 14 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the display control process according to the approval rating for each question to be displayed.

The display control unit 135 determines whether or not an instruction to sort in order according to the number of approval ratings has been received (step S101). For example, the display control unit 135 determines whether or not an instruction to sort in order according to the number of approval ratings has been received based on whether or not it has been detected that the sorting condition "Most Want to Know" (Most Approval Ratings) has been selected by operating the pull-down RC341 included in the question list screen C3.

While the display control unit 135 cannot detect that the sorting condition "In order of most things I want to know" has been selected and determines that an instruction to sort in order according to the number of approval ratings has not been received (step vS101; No), it waits until it can determine that an instruction to sort in order according to the number of approval ratings has been received.

On the other hand, when the display control unit 135 detects that the sorting condition "In order of most "I want to know" has been selected and determines that an instruction to sort in order according to the number of approval ratings has been received (step S101; Yes), it refers to the question information storage unit 123 and identifies a top predetermined number of questions with the highest "number of approval ratings" from among the questions to be displayed (step S102).

Then, the display control unit 135 displays the questions identified in step S102 in order according to the number of approval ratings for each question (step S103). Specifically, the display control unit 135 controls the display of the terminal device 10 to display the identified questions in order from top to bottom according to the number of approval ratings.

[10-2. Processing procedure (2)]
Next, the procedure of the point assignment process will be described with reference to Fig. 15. Fig. 15 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the point assignment process for assigning points to a question poster according to an approval rating given to a question by the question poster.

The granting unit 136 determines whether it is time to grant points to the owner who posted the question (question poster) (step S201). For example, the granting unit 136 determines that it is time to grant points each time a support rating is given to the question.

As explained above, when button BT21 is pressed, the terminal device 10 transmits to the information control device 100 a question ID that identifies the question displayed on the Q&A details screen C2, an owner ID associated with this question, and evaluation information indicating a support evaluation. Therefore, when the evaluation receiving unit 134 is able to acquire this information from the terminal device 10, it determines that it is time to award points to the owner who posted the question identified by the question ID.

In this state, while the allocation unit 136 determines that it is not time to award points to the owner who posted the question (step S201; No), it waits until it determines that it is time to award points.

On the other hand, when the awarding unit 136 determines that it is time to award points to the owner who posted the question (step S201; Yes), it awards points to the owner who posted the question according to the number of approval ratings given to the question for which points are to be awarded (the question identified by the question ID) (step S202). For example, the evaluation receiving unit 134 accesses the point information storage unit 125 using the "owner ID" associated with the acquired "question ID". Then, the evaluation receiving unit 134 awards points by adding the number of points for one approval rating to the number of points indicated by the "total points" corresponding to the "owner ID".

In addition, the assigning unit 136 accesses the question information storage unit 123 and updates the "question history" and "number of approval ratings" associated with the acquired "question ID." For example, the assigning unit 136 adds "1" to the numerical value indicated by the "number of approval ratings" corresponding to the acquired "question ID."

The granting unit 136 may determine that it is time to grant points each time a specified date (e.g., a specific time on each day) arrives. In this case, the granting unit 136 accesses the question information storage unit 123 when the specified date arrives, and identifies the increase in the "number of approval ratings" for each owner since the previous timing. The granting unit 136 then accesses the point information storage unit 125 using the "owner ID" and "increase" of the owner whose "number of approval ratings" has increased since the previous timing. The granting unit 136 then grants the number of points corresponding to the "increase" of the owner, for each owner identified by the "owner ID".

[10-3. Processing procedure (3)]
Next, the procedure of the point assignment process will be described with reference to Fig. 16. Fig. 16 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the point assignment process for assigning points to an answer poster who has posted an answer to a question that has been given a support rating, among questions asked by a question poster.

The assignment unit 136 determines, for each posted question, whether or not an answer has been posted to that question (step S301). While the assignment unit 136 determines that an answer has not been posted (step S301; No), it waits until it can determine that an answer has been posted.

On the other hand, when the assignment unit 136 determines that an answer has been posted (step S301; Yes), it determines whether the owner who posted the answer to the question to be processed satisfies the condition set by the owner who posted the question to be processed, with the question to be processed being the question to be processed being the question to be processed (step S302). For example, the assignment unit 136 accesses the question information storage unit 123 using a "question ID" that identifies the question to be processed, and determines whether the condition set by the "target designated answerer" or "designated answerer" corresponding to the "question ID" is satisfied.

Next, if the granting unit 136 determines that the owner who posted the answer to the question being processed satisfies the condition set by the owner who posted the question being processed (step S302; Yes), it grants the points determined to be awarded when this condition is satisfied (the number of points determined in advance by the owner who posted the question being processed) to the owner who posted the question (step S303).

Next, the granting unit 136 grants points to the owner who posted the answer to the question being processed according to the number of approval ratings given to the question being processed (step S304). Here, the granting unit 136 grants points to the owner who posted the answer to the question being processed and who is determined to satisfy the conditions in step S302.

On the other hand, if the granting unit 136 determines that the owner who posted the answer to the question being processed does not satisfy the conditions of the owner who posted the question being processed (step S302; No), it performs processing of step S304. Here, the granting unit 136 grants points according to the number of approval ratings given to the question being processed to the owner who posted the answer to the question being processed and who is determined not to satisfy the conditions in step S302.

Step S304 will be described in more detail. For example, the assignment unit 136 accesses the question information storage unit 123 using a "question ID" that identifies the question being processed, and identifies the value (the number of approval ratings) indicated by the "number of approval ratings" corresponding to this "question ID." Next, the assignment unit 136 accesses the point information storage unit 125 using the "owner ID" of the owner who posted the answer to the question being processed, and adds a value according to the identified number of approval ratings to the numerical value indicated by the "total points" corresponding to this "owner ID."

11. Other
Among the above-mentioned processes, all or part of the processes described as being performed automatically may be performed manually. Also, all or part of the processes described as being performed manually may be performed automatically by a known method. In addition, the information including the processing procedures, specific names, various data and parameters shown in the above documents and drawings may be changed arbitrarily unless otherwise specified. For example, the various information shown in each drawing is not limited to the illustrated information.

The components of each device shown in the figure are conceptual and functional, and do 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. Furthermore, each component may be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit, in whole or in part, depending on various loads and usage conditions. Furthermore, each of the processes described above may be executed in appropriate combinations as long as there are no contradictions.

12. Hardware Configuration
The information control device 100 according to the embodiment described above is realized by a computer 1000 having a configuration as shown in Fig. 17, for example. Fig. 17 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 a calculation device 1030, a cache 1040, a memory 1050, an output IF (Interface) 1060, an input IF 1070, and a network IF 1080 are connected by a bus 1090.

The arithmetic device 1030 operates based on programs stored in the cache 1040 or memory 1050, or programs read from the input device 1020, and executes various processes. The cache 1040 is a cache such as a RAM that temporarily stores data used by the arithmetic device 1030 for various calculations. The memory 1050 is a storage device in which data used by the arithmetic device 1030 for various calculations and various databases are registered, and is a memory realized by a ROM (Read Only Memory), HDD (Hard Disk Drive), flash memory, etc.

The output IF 1060 is an interface for transmitting information to be output to an output device 1010 such as a monitor or printer, which outputs various types of information, and may be realized, for example, 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). On the other hand, the input IF 1070 is an interface for receiving information from various input devices 1020 such as a mouse, keyboard, scanner, etc., and may be realized, for example, by a USB.

For example, the input device 1020 may be realized by a device that reads information from 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 input device 1020 may also be realized by an external storage medium such as a USB memory.

The network IF 1080 has the function of receiving data from other devices via the network N and sending it to the computing device 1030, and also transmitting data generated by the computing device 1030 to other devices via the network N.

Here, the arithmetic device 1030 controls the output device 1010 and the input device 1020 via the output IF 1060 and the input IF 1070. For example, the arithmetic device 1030 loads a program from the input device 1020 or the memory 1050 onto the cache 1040 and executes the loaded program. For example, when the computer 1000 functions as the information control device 100, the arithmetic device 1030 of the computer 1000 realizes the functions of the control unit 130 by executing the program loaded onto the cache 1040.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Information control system 10 Terminal device 100 Information control device 120 Storage unit 121 Owner information storage unit 122 Pet information storage unit 123 Question information storage unit 124 Answer information storage unit 125 Point information storage unit 130 Control unit 131 Registration reception unit 132 Question reception unit 133 Answer reception unit 134 Evaluation reception unit 135 Display control unit 136 Assignment unit

Claims (22)

a rating receiving unit that receives, as a rating for a question posted via a service for sharing questions and answers , a rating indicating an intention to support the question from a terminal device of a viewer of the question ;
and a control unit that, when a request for a list screen displaying a list of the questions is received from a user's terminal device via the service, controls the display mode of the list screen displaying the questions in a list on the user's terminal device based on the evaluations received by the evaluation receiving unit , so that the questions are displayed in a list in an order according to the number of approval ratings for each question . The information control device according to claim 1, characterized in that, when a user instructs the questions to be sorted according to the number of approval ratings , the control unit controls the questions to be displayed in a list in order according to the number of approval ratings for each question. The information control device according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the control unit performs control such that the question having a larger number of approval ratings is displayed in a more prominent order on the list screen. The information control device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the control unit controls the display of the question on the list screen in a more prominent order in relation to the more recently posted date and time and the greater the number of approval ratings. The information control device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the control unit controls the display of unresolved questions on the list screen in a manner that the higher the number of approval ratings of the questions that have not yet been answered, the higher the priority of the questions displayed on the list screen. The information control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit performs control such that the question having a higher rate of increase in the number of approval ratings is displayed in a more prominent order on the list screen . 7. The information control device according to claim 1 , further comprising an awarding unit that awards points to a predetermined user according to an evaluation of the question. The information control device according to claim 7 , wherein the assigning unit assigns points to a question poster who posted the question in accordance with an evaluation of the question. The information control device according to claim 8 , wherein the assigning unit assigns points to a question poster who has posted a question that has been given an approval rating indicating an intention of approval. The information control device according to claim 9 , wherein the assigning unit assigns points to the question poster according to the number of approval ratings given to the question posted by the question poster. The information control device according to claim 9 or 10 , wherein the assigning unit assigns to the question poster points owned by users who have given the approval rating to the question , among users who use the service . The information control device according to any one of claims 7 to 11, characterized in that the granting unit grants points to an answer poster who posted an answer to the question, depending on an evaluation of the question. The information control device according to claim 12 , wherein the assigning unit assigns points to an answer poster who has posted an answer to a question that has been given an approval rating indicating an intention of approval, among questions posted by the question poster. The information control device according to claim 13 , wherein the assigning unit assigns points to the answer poster according to the number of approval ratings given to the question. The information control device according to claim 13 or 14 , wherein the granting unit grants points to answer posters who have posted answers according to the order in which the answers to the questions posted by the question posters were posted. The information control device according to any one of claims 13 to 15, characterized in that the granting unit grants points to an answer poster selected by the question poster from among answer posters who have posted answers to the question posted by the question poster. The information control device of any one of claims 13 to 16, characterized in that the awarding unit awards points to answer posters who have posted answers to questions posted by the question poster and who have posted answers selected by experts in the field of the question. The information control device according to claim 11 , wherein the granting unit grants points to users who have registered attribute information relating to a pet among users who use the service . The information control device according to claim 18 , wherein the granting unit further grants points to a user who has registered information indicating an experience with a pet, among the users. The information control device according to claim 18 or 19 , wherein the granting unit further grants points to a user who has registered information about the care being given to a pet among the users. An information control method executed by an information control device,
an evaluation receiving step of receiving, as an evaluation of a question posted via a service for sharing questions and answers , an approval evaluation indicating an intention to approve the question from a terminal device of a viewer of the question ;
and a control process for executing a process for controlling, when a request for a list screen displaying a list of the questions is received from a user's terminal device via the service, a display mode of the list screen displaying the questions on the user's terminal device based on the evaluations received in the evaluation receiving process , so that the questions are displayed in a list in an order according to the number of support evaluations for each question . a rating acceptance step of accepting , from a terminal device of a viewer of a question posted via a service for sharing questions and answers , a rating of approval indicating an intention to approve the question;
and a control procedure for executing a process to control, when a request for a list screen displaying a list of the questions is received from a user's terminal device via the service, a display mode of the list screen displaying the questions on the user's terminal device based on the evaluations received by the evaluation reception procedure, so that the questions are displayed in a list in order according to the number of approval ratings for each question .

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