JP7545687B2 - Information processing system, information processing method, and computer program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing system, an information processing method, and a computer program.

In recent years, targeted advertising, which narrows down the targets to which advertisements are displayed, has become popular as an advertising method.

One such type of targeted advertising is audience targeting, which displays ads to a group of users (audience) who are presumed to have specific interests, concerns, intent, or user attributes.

Patent document 1 discloses an example of specifying the above audience using information obtained from a social networking service (SNS) or the like.

JP 2010-44303 A

However, there was a problem with conventional technology in that it was difficult to predict with high accuracy a user's willingness to pay using information obtained from the use of free features on social media and other services.

The object of the present disclosure is therefore to provide technical improvements that solve or mitigate at least some of the problems of the prior art discussed above.

One of the more specific objectives of the present disclosure is to provide an information processing system, an information processing method, and a computer program that can identify users with a high willingness to pay with a high degree of accuracy.

The information processing system disclosed herein is characterized by comprising: a storage unit that stores a target amount of funds to be raised and a deadline in association with the first project; a reception unit that receives funding for the first project from a user terminal operated by a user; a determination unit that determines whether the total amount of funds received by the reception unit has reached the target amount when the deadline has passed; a confirmation unit that confirms the settlement of the funds received by the reception unit when the determination unit determines that the total amount of funds has reached the target amount; a condition determination unit that determines whether the first project has satisfied a predetermined condition based on at least one of the target amount and the deadline stored in the storage unit before the deadline has passed; a content identification unit that identifies content related to advertisements; and a transmission unit that transmits the content identified by the content identification unit to the user terminal when the condition determination unit determines that the first project has satisfied the predetermined condition.

The condition determination unit can determine that the first project satisfies a predetermined condition if the period until the deadline stored in association with the first project is equal to or shorter than a predetermined period.

The condition determination unit can determine that the first project satisfies the specified condition when the total amount of funds received by the reception unit is less than a specified amount from the target amount stored in association with the first project.

The content identification unit can identify content that accepts additional funding for the first project as advertising-related content.

The content identification unit can identify content that accepts funding for a second project that is different from the first project as advertising-related content.

The information processing system of the present disclosure may further include an extraction unit that extracts user terminals to which the transmission unit transmits content based on the user information of the funder when the condition determination unit determines that the first project satisfies a predetermined condition.

The extraction unit can extract user terminals to which the transmission unit will transmit content based on information regarding the failure rate of projects that the user has funded in the past as user information.

The extraction unit can extract user terminals to which the transmission unit transmits content based on information regarding the total amount of funds provided by the user in the past as user information.

The extraction unit can extract user terminals to which the transmission unit transmits content based on information regarding charges made by a user within a specified period of time as user information.

The extraction unit can extract user terminals to which the transmission unit will transmit content based on information about the user's subscription period to a paid service as user information.

The content identification unit can identify a second project that is assigned attribute information attached to the first project and is different from the first project as content related to advertising.

The content identification unit can extract, as a second project, a project that is stored in association with the second project and has a remaining period until its expiration date that is equal to or less than a predetermined period, and identify the project as content related to advertising.

The content identification unit can extract, as a second project, a project whose amount to the target amount stored in association with the second project is equal to or less than a predetermined amount, and identify the project as advertising-related content.

The advertisements can be pre-populated advertisements.

The information processing method disclosed herein is characterized by executing a reception step of receiving, from a user terminal operated by a user, a provision of funds for a first project associated with a target amount of funds to be raised and a deadline, a determination step of determining whether the total amount of funds received in the reception step has reached the target amount when the deadline has passed, a confirmation step of confirming the settlement of the funds received in the reception step when it is determined in the determination step that the total amount of funds has reached the target amount, a condition determination step of determining whether the first project has satisfied a predetermined condition based on at least one of the target amount and the deadline before the deadline has passed, a content identification step of identifying content related to advertisements, and a transmission step of transmitting the content identified in the content identification step to the user terminal when it is determined in the condition determination step that the first project has satisfied the predetermined condition.

The computer program of the present disclosure is characterized in that it causes a computer to realize a storage function that associates a target amount of funds to be raised and a deadline with a first project and stores them in a specified storage unit, a reception function that receives funding for the first project from a user terminal operated by a user, a determination function that determines whether the total amount of funds received by the reception function has reached the target amount when the deadline has passed, a confirmation step that confirms the settlement of the funds received by the reception function when the determination function determines that the total amount of funds has reached the target amount, a condition determination function that determines whether the first project has satisfied a specified condition based on at least one of the target amount and the deadline before the deadline has passed, a content identification function that identifies content related to advertising, and a transmission function that transmits the content identified by the content identification function to the user terminal when the condition determination function determines that the first project has satisfied the specified condition.

The present disclosure provides technical improvements that solve or mitigate at least some of the problems of the prior art described above.

Specifically, this disclosure makes it possible to identify users with a high willingness to pay with a high degree of accuracy.

FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on a project page in the present disclosure. 13 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on a support amount selection page in the present disclosure. 1 is a system configuration diagram illustrating an example of an embodiment of an information processing system according to the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of a server device of the information processing system according to the present disclosure. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an information processing system according to the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a data configuration of a project table in the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a data configuration of a return table in the present disclosure. FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram showing another example of the configuration of the information processing system according to the present disclosure. 11 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a data configuration of a group table in the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is a flow diagram showing an example of the flow of an information processing method according to the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a circuit configuration diagram showing an example of a circuit configuration for executing a computer program in the present disclosure.

An embodiment of the information processing system in this disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

As an example, the information processing system disclosed herein provides a platform that connects creators who originate projects with their fans. A website provided by such a platform can function as a crowdfunding site or an EC (electronic commerce) site.

Crowdfunding mainly includes three types of projects: "purchase-type projects," "investment-type projects," and "donation-type projects."

In a "purchase-type project," backers (funders) can receive a gift (return) from the initiator in return for their support. This return can be tangible items such as goods, as well as intangible items such as services and digital content. Digital content is, for example, still images, video, audio, game programs, game media (items, cards, avatars, etc.), and document content. Digital content is not limited to these, as long as it can be provided electronically. Digital content may also be the subject of transactions involving money.

In an "investment project," backers can receive money that is a portion of the revenue earned by the initiator.

In a "donation-based project," supporters do not receive any gifts or money.

Furthermore, the above-mentioned "purchase type project" can be further divided into two types: "execution upon achievement type project" and "execution commitment type project".

In a "time-to-win project," the project is complete if the target amount is reached within the time period set by the initiator, and is not complete if the target amount is not reached within the time period set by the initiator. In the latter case, the project will not be executed, so the payment of the support money (funds) will be automatically canceled (refunded), for example, and the backer will not be able to receive the return.

In a "guaranteed execution project," the execution of the project is guaranteed in advance, regardless of the number of participants or the amount of money raised. Therefore, when you join the project, the payment of the benefit you applied for is also guaranteed. In this case, the payment can be thought of as the purchase price of the product (benefit).

The project in this disclosure will be described below as being the above-mentioned "purchase-type project," but it may be another type of project.

Figure 1 shows an example of a project page display screen displayed on a crowdfunding site. The example shown in Figure 1 shows a portion of a project page aimed at raising funds for the creator (fundraiser) to create a game.

As shown in FIG. 1, the display screen 1 can display a project overview 2, an image related to the project 3, the name of the initiator (creator) 4, the total amount of pledges (amount raised) 5, the target amount 6, the number of backers 7, the number of days remaining 8, the achievement rate 9, a support button 10, a detailed project description 11, and the project name 12. In addition, as shown below the detailed project description 11, buttons that allow the project to be shared on internal or external social media may also be displayed.

As this project is a "purchase-type" case, multiple returns are set. Figures 2(a)-(c) show an example of a display screen that displays multiple pledge amounts to a user considering providing funds and allows the user to select which pledge amount they would like to provide. The pledge amount is also displayed along with the details of the return corresponding to the pledge amount. Note that in the case of the "commitment-type" project described above, such funding means the purchase of a return item.

In the example shown in FIG. 2(a), the rewards for a pledge of 5,000 yen are a created game, a thank-you letter from the creator, and a signed postcard. In the example shown in FIG. 2(b), the rewards for a pledge of 10,000 yen are a created game, a thank-you letter from the creator, a signed postcard, and an in-game card (rare). Similarly, in the example shown in FIG. 2(c), the rewards for a pledge of 30,000 yen are a created game, a thank-you letter from the creator, a signed postcard, and an in-game card (S rare), and your name in the game credits.

The game provided as a return includes not only providing a game stored on a recording medium, but also providing a computer program for playing the game on a specified terminal. Alternatively, the game provided as a return may be a Web game in which a computer program is executed on a server. In this case, the return is the right to play such a Web game.

In this case, the computer program is provided to the user by, for example, downloading it free of charge via a network. The computer program may also be provided to the user for a fee via a physical recording medium. An in-game card is a card that can be used in the game and may have an illustration of a character or the like drawn on it. This card may be given a rarity, with the rarity increasing in the order of NR (normal), R (rare), and SR (S rare), although the type and number of rarities are not particularly limited to these. In addition, listing a name in the game credits means listing a name, etc. as a financial provider in the game's end credits, etc.

Users considering funding this project can provide funding to the creator by selecting the button corresponding to the pledge amount that represents the return they desire from the multiple returns presented as shown in Figures 2(a)-(c). In response, the creator will provide a return set according to the pledge amount to the user who provided funding.

In order to realize the above-mentioned crowdfunding site, the information processing system 100 in this disclosure can be configured with one or more client devices 200 and a server device 300, as shown in FIG. 3. These client devices 200 and server devices 300 can be connected via a predetermined network.

The client device 200 is an information processing device such as a smartphone. In addition to a smartphone, the client device may be a mobile phone, a tablet terminal, a personal computer, an e-book reader, a wearable computer, a game console, or any other type of information processing device. Each client device may include a computer processor, memory, a communication I/F, a display, and storage for storing various information.

<Hardware Configuration>
4, the hardware configuration of the server device 300 will be described. The server device 300 includes a processor 301, a memory 302, a storage 303, an input/output interface (input/output I/F) 304, and a communication interface (communication I/F) 305. The components are connected to each other via a bus B.

The server device 300 can realize the functions and methods described in this embodiment through cooperation between the processor 301, memory 302, storage 303, input/output I/F 304, and communication I/F 305.

The processor 301 executes functions and/or methods realized by codes or instructions included in a program stored in the storage 303. The processor 401 includes, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a micro processing unit (MPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a microprocessor, a processor core, a multiprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc., and may realize each process disclosed in each embodiment by a logic circuit (hardware) or a dedicated circuit formed in an integrated circuit (an integrated circuit (IC) chip, a large scale integration (LSI)), etc.). These circuits may be realized by one or more integrated circuits, and multiple processes shown in each embodiment may be realized by one integrated circuit. In addition, an LSI may be called a VLSI, a super LSI, an ultra LSI, etc. depending on the degree of integration.

Memory 302 temporarily stores programs loaded from storage 303 and provides a working area for processor 301. Memory 302 also temporarily stores various data generated while processor 301 is executing a program. Memory 302 includes, for example, RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), etc.

Storage 303 stores programs. Storage 303 includes, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), flash memory, etc.

The communication I/F 305 is implemented as hardware such as a network adapter, communication software, or a combination of these, and transmits and receives various data via a network. The communication may be performed either wired or wirelessly, and any communication protocol may be used as long as mutual communication can be performed. The communication I/F 305 communicates with other information processing devices via the network. The communication I/F 305 transmits various data to other information processing devices according to instructions from the processor 301. The communication I/F 305 also receives various data transmitted from other information processing devices and transmits it to the processor 301.

The input/output I/F 304 includes an input device for inputting various operations to the server device 300, and an output device for outputting the results of processing by the server device 300. The input/output I/F 304 may be an integrated input device and output device, or may be separate input device and output device.

The input device is realized by any of a variety of devices, or a combination of devices, that can receive input from a user and transmit information related to the input to the processor 301. Examples of input devices include hardware keys such as a touch panel, a touch display, and a keyboard, pointing devices such as a mouse, a camera (operation input via images), and a microphone (operation input via voice).

The output device outputs the results of processing performed by the processor 301. The output device includes, for example, a touch panel, a speaker, etc. The client device 200 can also be configured with the same hardware configuration as that shown in FIG. 4, except where otherwise noted.

<Functional configuration>
As shown in FIG. 5, the information processing system 100 according to this embodiment includes a memory unit 110, a receiving unit 120, a determination unit 130, a confirmation unit 140, a condition determination unit 150, a content identification unit 160, and a transmission unit 170.

In the following description, it is assumed that all of these components are provided in the server device 300. However, it is also possible to assume that some or all of the memory unit 110, the determination unit 130, the condition determination unit 150, and the content identification unit 160 are provided in the client device 200.

The memory unit 110 stores the first project in association with the target amount of funds to be raised and the deadline.

These target amounts and deadlines can be managed in a project table associated with each project.

Figure 6 is an example of the above project table. In addition to the target amount and deadline, this project table can also manage data displayed on each project page on the crowdfunding site, such as the project number, project name, total support amount (total funds provided) as shown in Figure 6, as well as the project outline, initiator (creator) name, number of backers, number of days remaining, achievement rate, etc. as shown in Figure 1.

In addition, the amount of support (support course) that can be provided to a project and the corresponding returns may be managed separately as a return table as shown in Figure 7, or may be included in the above project table.

The total amount of support, number of days remaining, achievement rate, etc. can be updated at specified time intervals or when support is provided.

The above project tables are stored in a specified storage device. The specified storage device may be included in either the client device 200 or the server device 300, may be included in both, or may be provided in a specific device other than the above. In this case, it is preferable that the specific device is included in the information processing system 100.

The reception unit 120 receives funding for the first project from a user terminal operated by a user.

The user terminal here corresponds to the client device 200 described above. Note that the user terminal does not have to be owned by the user.

The user can provide funds by selecting one of the following payment methods: credit card, mobile phone carrier payment, debit card payment, prepaid card, etc. Alternatively, funds can be provided by virtual currency such as points used in this system 100 or other services. Here, the explanation will be given assuming that funds are provided by credit card payment.

When the information processing system 100 according to this embodiment accepts a procedure for providing funds from a user terminal, it can perform a process of checking the validity of the credit card and securing a credit limit (authorization process). Then, it does not perform a process of confirming sales until the project is established.

When the deadline has passed, the determination unit 130 determines whether the total amount of funds accepted by the acceptance unit 120 has reached the target amount.

Whether the target amount has been reached can be determined before the deadline has passed, but it must be determined at least once the deadline has passed. This determination is made by comparing the total amount of funds with the target amount, and if the total amount of funds is equal to or greater than the target amount, it is determined that the target amount has been reached.

The confirmation unit 140 confirms the settlement of the funds accepted by the acceptance unit 120 when the judgment unit 130 judges that the total amount of funds has reached the target amount.

When the determination unit 130 determines that the total amount of funds has reached the target amount, the project is established. In this case, the confirmation unit 140 performs a process to confirm the credit card sales.

Then, the condition determination unit 150 determines whether the first project has satisfied the specified conditions based on at least one of the target amount and the deadline stored in the memory unit 110 before the deadline passes.

The predetermined condition can be, for example, a condition for defining a state in which the outcome of the first project is likely to be known or a state in which the first project is likely to be successful.

As an example, the specified condition may be that the period until the deadline stored in association with the first project is equal to or shorter than a specified period. Details will be described later.

Alternatively, the specified condition can be that the total amount of funds accepted by the accepting unit 120 is less than or equal to a specified amount from the target amount stored in association with the first project. Details will be described later.

The content identification unit 160 identifies content related to the advertisement.

The content related to the advertisement may be content automatically registered by the information processing system 100 (e.g., other projects that have attribute information in common with the first project), or it may be content registered in advance by an advertiser for a fee or free of charge. The content may include a specified product or service, or the first project or other projects.

As an example, the content may be an advertisement offering to provide additional funding to the first project, as described in more detail below.

As an example, the content may be an advertisement offering to provide funding for a project other than the first project. More details are provided below.

As an example, the content can be an advertisement suggesting the purchase of a particular product or service. The content is not limited to a project on a crowdfunding site, but can be content related to an advertisement on any e-commerce site.

When the condition determination unit 150 determines that the first project satisfies a predetermined condition, the transmission unit 170 transmits the content identified by the content identification unit 160 to the user terminal.

The user terminals to which the transmitting unit 170 transmits the content may be all users who contributed funds to the first project, or may be users selected from among them based on other conditions. Details will be described later.

The content can be transmitted, for example, by displaying link information on the user's terminal, such as a website introducing a particular product or service, a download site for the product or service if it is electronic, or a web page for the second project.

As an example of how these ads are presented, text such as "We have another project we recommend for you. Click here" can be displayed. A thumbnail image showing the content of the ad can also be displayed together with the text.

The above configuration provides a technical improvement that solves or alleviates at least some of the problems of the conventional technology described above.

Specifically, this disclosure makes it possible to identify users with a high willingness to pay with a high degree of accuracy.

In other words, since these users have already indicated their intention to pay a certain amount of money in the form of funding for the project, proposing to these users the purchase of products and services, etc., has a very high advertising effect. Therefore, according to the configuration of the present disclosure, it is also possible to generate data that is very valuable as a target for targeted advertising.

Also, before the deadline passes and before the success or failure of the project is clear, users have hope that the project they supported will be successful. In particular, if the project's deadline is approaching or the project's success is imminent, users' hopes will be higher.

Also, if the completion of a project is already known before the deadline has passed, users will feel a sense of accomplishment for having the project they supported come to fruition.

In this way, when a first project meets a certain condition, a user who is supporting the first project can be said to be eager to make the next payment (including the next donation) because he or she feels the significance of his or her support and is satisfied.

As described above, the condition determination unit 150 can determine that the first project satisfies a specified condition if the period until the deadline stored in association with the first project is equal to or shorter than a specified period.

The period until the deadline being less than a specified period can mean, for example, a state in which the period until the deadline is less than half (or a quarter) of the period between the start date and time and the end date and time, but is not limited to this, and can also be set to a specific value, such as a state in which the period until the deadline is "less than 24 hours." A specific value could be 48 hours or 72 hours.

As described above, the condition determination unit 150 can determine that the first project satisfies the specified condition when the total amount of funds received by the reception unit 120 is less than or equal to a specified amount from the target amount stored in association with the first project.

The total amount of funds being within a certain amount of the target amount can be, for example, a state where the achievement rate is 90% (or 95%) or more, but is not limited to this, and can also be set to a specific numerical value, such as a state where the specified amount is approaching "100,000 yen" or less. A specific numerical value can be 200,000 yen, 500,000 yen, 1 million yen, or 5 million yen.

As described above, the content identification unit 160 can identify content that accepts additional funding for the first project as advertising-related content.

This configuration is particularly effective when the total amount of funds is approaching the target amount.

As described above, the content identification unit 160 can identify content that accepts funding for a second project that is different from a first project as advertising-related content.

This structure is particularly effective when the project is already known to be viable.

In addition, the content identification unit 160 can identify a second project that is assigned the attribute information assigned to the first project and is different from the first project as content related to advertising. Details will be described later.

The content identification unit 160 can also extract, as a second project, a project whose remaining period until the deadline is less than or equal to a predetermined period, and identify it as content related to advertising. Details will be described later.

The content identification unit 160 can also extract, as a second project, a project whose amount to the target amount stored in association with the second project is equal to or less than a predetermined amount, and extract it as advertising-related content. Details will be described later.

As described above, the information processing system 100 according to this embodiment may further include an extraction unit 180, as shown in FIG. 8. The extraction unit 180 is included in the server device 300.

When the condition determination unit 150 determines that the first project satisfies a predetermined condition, the extraction unit 180 extracts user terminals to which the transmission unit 170 transmits content based on the user information of the funder.

The above extraction can be performed based on user information such as the user's age and gender that is stored in association with the user ID. The user information may also include information on projects that the user has currently or previously supported, and extraction may be performed based on such project information. The user information is stored, for example, in the storage unit 110.

The extraction unit 180 can also extract user terminals to which the transmission unit 170 transmits content based on information about the failure rate of projects to which the user has provided funding in the past as user information.

The project failure rate refers to the rate at which projects funded by a user do not succeed. Users extracted based on such information can be treated as users with high expectations for the success of projects they are supporting, and are suitable candidates for proposing further support for projects they are supporting.

The extraction unit 180 can extract user terminals to which the transmission unit 170 transmits content based on information regarding the total amount of funds provided by the user in the past as user information.

Users extracted based on such information are likely to be highly willing to pay for any content (or specific content), and would be ideal candidates for proposals to purchase products or services, or to support new or additional projects.

The extraction unit 180 can extract user terminals to which the transmission unit 170 transmits content based on information regarding charges made by the user within a specified period of time as user information.

The "predetermined period" can be set appropriately, such as several months before the time when funds are provided to the first project. The "predetermined period" here is set to three months, for example, but may also be set to six months, two months, or one month. Information related to charges can include information such as the amount charged, the number of charges, the subject of charges, and the frequency of charges. In addition to the provision of funds to the project, charges here also include charges for a monthly service that automatically provides a fixed amount of support each month, as described below.

The extraction unit 180 can extract user terminals to which the transmission unit 170 transmits content based on information regarding the subscription period of the user to the paid service as user information.

In the information processing system 100 of the present disclosure, a paid service can be, for example, a monthly billing service that automatically provides a fixed amount of support to a specific creator every month.

In particular, since users tend to be more willing to pay the longer the subscription period, it is preferable to extract user terminals of users whose subscription period is a predetermined period or longer as user terminals to which content can be transmitted.

The extraction unit 180 can also extract user terminals to which the transmission unit 170 can transmit content based on user information such as the number of invitations to the system from other users and the number of new member registrations from other invited users.

The information processing system 100 in this disclosure may further include an association unit (not shown).

The association unit further groups one or more users associated with the first project, associates at least one attribute information with the group, and stores the group in the storage unit 110.

Each project will be assigned attribute information. Attribute information assigned to projects may include information indicating the genre (such as game, anime, manga, etc.), as well as information indicating the author based on the author's name, career, etc.

Then, at least one of these pieces of attribute information is stored in association with the one or more users.

In the example shown in FIG. 9, the first group (group ID: 1001) is assigned the attribute information "Manga," "Author A," and "For Teens," and is associated with users with user IDs 2001, 2002, and 2003.

Then, as described above, the content identification unit 160 can extract, as the second project, a project that is assigned at least one of the attribute information associated with the user group.

Which attribute information among the attribute information associated with the first user group is used to extract the second project may be determined based on a priority previously assigned to the attribute information, or the user may be asked to specify the attribute information when the extraction is performed.

The second projects extracted in this way are projects that are likely to interest users belonging to the first user group.

The content identification unit 160 can also extract, as the second project, a project whose remaining time until the deadline stored in association with the second project is less than or equal to a predetermined period.

The second project, extracted as a project with a remaining period less than a specified period, urges users to make a decision to support it quickly, and has a strong appeal to users.

On the other hand, the second project, which is extracted as a project with a remaining period equal to or longer than a predetermined period, gives the user ample time to make a support decision.

When presenting the extracted second project, the remaining time can also be displayed to further pique the user's interest.

The content identification unit 160 can extract, as the second project, a project whose amount to the target amount stored in association with the second project is equal to or less than a predetermined amount.

The second project, which is extracted as a project whose target amount is less than a specified amount, is likely to be successful with the support of users and has strong appeal to users.

When presenting the extracted second project, the amount up to the target amount can also be presented to further pique the user's interest.

In addition, the information processing system 100 according to this embodiment may further include a bonus granting unit (not shown).

The reward provision unit provides a specific reward to users who have paid for the content.

The specified benefit may be points that can be used as virtual currency in the information processing system 100, or an additional fund when supporting another project.

The advertising content mentioned above can be content that has been registered in advance by the advertiser, either for a fee or free of charge. The content may include specific products or services, or other projects, such as those listed as examples of other uses above.

Attribute information is attached to such content, and the content identification unit 190 can identify the content by using the attribute information associated with the group as described above.

The advertiser can specify which attribute information associated with the group to use.

Specifically, the server device 300 accepts a process in which the advertiser registers the advertisement content, and the registration content is stored in the memory unit 110 of the server device 300. When the determination unit 130 determines that the first project satisfies a predetermined condition, the memory unit 110 is referenced and the advertisement content is read out. When the advertisement content is registered, a payment of money (or points may be required), or it may be free of charge and determined on a first-come, first-served basis. The advertiser may be the initiator of the crowdfunding.

As another embodiment of the information processing system 100 of the present disclosure, the determination process by the determination unit 130 may be performed by the client terminal. In this case, it is determined whether the total amount of funds has reached the target amount based on the target amount stored in the client terminal. The result of the determination is then transmitted to the server device.

In another embodiment of the information processing system 100 of the present disclosure, the condition determination unit 150 may perform the determination process on a client terminal. In this case, it is determined whether or not the first project satisfies a predetermined condition based on at least one of the target amount and the end deadline stored in the client terminal. The result of the determination is then transmitted to the server device.

In another embodiment of the information processing system 100 of the present disclosure, the identification process by the content identification unit 160 may be performed by a client terminal. In this case, the client terminal identifies the content and presents the identified content to the user (displays it on the screen of the client terminal). In this case, the information processing system does not need to include a transmission unit 170, and the extraction unit 180 can also be included in the client terminal.

Next, an embodiment of the information processing method according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

The information processing method according to the present disclosure includes a receiving step S110, a determining step S120, a finalizing step S130, a condition determining step S140, a content specifying step S150, and a transmitting step S160.

The reception step S110 receives, from a user terminal operated by a user, a provision of funds for a first project associated with a target amount of funds to be raised and a deadline. Such reception step S110 can be executed by the reception unit 120 described above.

The determination step S120 determines whether the total amount of funds received in the receiving step reaches the target amount when the deadline has passed , or before the deadline has passed as shown in Fig. 10. Such a determination step S120 can be executed by the determination unit 130 described above.

In the confirmation step S130, when it is determined in the determination step that the total amount of funds has reached the target amount, the settlement of the funds accepted in the acceptance step is confirmed. Such confirmation step S130 can be executed by the confirmation unit 140 described above.

The condition determination step S140 determines whether or not the first project satisfies a predetermined condition based on at least one of the target amount and the end deadline before the end deadline passes. Such condition determination step S140 can be executed by the condition determination unit 150 described above.

The content identification step S150 identifies content related to the advertisement. Such content identification step S150 can be executed by the content identification unit 160 described above.

The content identification step S150 may be performed between the reception step S110 and the determination step S120, or may be performed before the reception step S110.

In the transmission step S160, if it is determined in the condition determination step that the first project satisfies a predetermined condition, the content identified in the content identification step is transmitted to the user terminal. Such transmission step S160 can be executed by the transmission unit 170 described above.

The above configuration provides a technical improvement that solves or alleviates at least some of the problems of the conventional technology described above.

Specifically, this disclosure makes it possible to identify users with a high willingness to pay with a high degree of accuracy.

Finally, an embodiment of the computer program of this disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

The computer program of the present disclosure is characterized in that the computer has a storage function, a reception function, a determination function, a confirmation function, a condition determination function, a content identification function, and a transmission function.

The storage function associates the first project with the target amount of funds to be raised and the deadline, and stores the associated information in a specified storage unit.

The reception function accepts funding for the first project from a user terminal operated by a user.

The determination function determines whether the total amount of funds received by the reception function has reached the target amount when the deadline has passed.

The confirmation function confirms the settlement of the funds accepted by the acceptance function when the determination function determines that the total amount of funds has reached the target amount.

The condition determination function determines whether the first project meets a specified condition based on at least one of the target amount and the deadline before the deadline passes.

The content identification function identifies content related to the advertisement.

The transmission function transmits the content identified by the content identification function to the user terminal when the condition determination function determines that the first project satisfies a predetermined condition.

The above functions can be realized by the memory circuit 1110, reception circuit 1120, judgment circuit 1130, determination circuit 1140, condition judgment circuit 1150, content identification circuit 1160, and transmission circuit 1170 shown in FIG. 11. The reception circuit 1120, judgment circuit 1130, determination circuit 1140, condition judgment circuit 1150, content identification circuit 1160, and transmission circuit 1170 are realized by the reception unit 120, judgment unit 130, determination unit 140, condition judgment unit 150, content identification unit 160, and transmission unit 170 described above, respectively. Details of each unit are as described above.

The above configuration provides a technical improvement that solves or alleviates at least some of the problems of the conventional technology described above.

Specifically, this disclosure makes it possible to identify users with a high willingness to pay with a high degree of accuracy.

In addition, an information processing device such as a computer or a mobile phone can be suitably used to function as the server device or terminal device according to the above-mentioned embodiment. Such an information processing device can be realized by storing a program describing the processing contents for realizing each function of the server device or terminal device according to the embodiment in a memory unit of the information processing device, and reading and executing the program by the CPU of the information processing device.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims.

The method described in the embodiment can be stored as a program that can be executed by a calculator (computer) on a recording medium such as a magnetic disk (floppy disk, hard disk, etc.), optical disk (CD-ROM, DVD, MO, etc.), semiconductor memory (ROM, RAM, flash memory, etc.), and can also be distributed by transmitting it via a communication medium. The program stored on the medium also includes a setting program that configures the software means (including not only execution programs but also tables and data structures) that the calculator executes. The computer that realizes this device reads the program recorded on the recording medium, and in some cases, configures the software means using the setting program, and executes the above-mentioned processing by controlling the operation of the software means. Note that the recording medium referred to in this specification is not limited to a storage medium for distribution, but also includes a storage medium such as a magnetic disk or semiconductor memory provided inside the computer or in a device connected via a network. The storage unit may function as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory.

The problem of participants' willingness to pay the participation fee going to waste can also occur in online auctions. For example, even though a first bidder has specified a bid price for a desired product, a second bidder may make a bid at a higher price. In this case, if for some reason the auction ends without the first bidder being able to make a new bid, the first bidder's willingness to pay may go to waste.

The first bidder's willingness to pay can be significantly wasted, especially when the first bidder is unaware that the bid has been updated, or when the bid is updated so close to the end of the auction period that there is no time left to rebid, resulting in the first bidder being willing to rebid but losing the opportunity to do so.

If a page where an auction for a similar product is being held is proposed to such a first bidder, the first bidder is likely to start a new bid, and a high advertising effect can be expected. In particular, when the auction period for a similar product is about to end, the first bidder will be more motivated to bid, and a high advertising effect can be expected.

An information processing system applied to an online auction may include the components of the information processing system described above as appropriate. An information processing system applied to an online auction may include, for example, a storage unit, a reception unit, a determination unit, a confirmation unit, a permission unit, an identification unit, an association unit, and a transmission unit.

The storage unit may store seller identification information that identifies the seller, product information that identifies the product being auctioned, the auction deadline, the highest bid amount, and bidder information that identifies the bidder in association with one another.

The reception unit accepts (receives) product identification information, bidder information, product identification information, and amount information indicating a specified amount from a terminal operated by a bidder. Note that the reception unit only accepts amount information indicating an amount that exceeds the highest bid amount stored in the memory unit. The amount information accepted by the reception unit is stored (updated) in the memory unit as the highest bid amount, and the bidder information accepted by the reception unit is also stored (updated) in the memory unit.

The determination unit determines whether the auction deadline stored in the memory unit has passed.

The confirmation unit confirms the payment of the highest bid amount stored in the memory unit when the determination unit determines that the auction deadline has passed. At this time, the bidder information corresponding to the highest bid amount stored in the memory unit corresponds to information indicating the successful bidder. The confirmation unit proceeds with the payment process for the credit card corresponding to the successful bidder.

When the determination unit determines that the auction deadline has passed, the permission unit permits the sending and receiving of information regarding the delivery of the item between the terminal operated by the seller and the terminal operated by the successful bidder.

When the determination unit determines that the auction deadline has passed, the identification unit refers to the memory unit to identify bidder information indicating bidders other than the successful bidder from among the bidder information accepted by the acceptance unit.

The associating unit associates the terminal of the bidder corresponding to the bidder information identified by the identifying unit with URL information where a product similar to the above product is being auctioned (or will be auctioned in the future).

The transmission unit transmits the URL information to the terminal of the bidder associated by the association unit.

In addition, such an information processing system may not include a confirmation unit, and instead, in the case of sending and receiving information permitted by the permission unit, the successful bidder may confirm payment by another means (for example, by bank transfer, etc.).

In addition, instead of determining whether the auction deadline has passed, the determination unit may determine whether the period until the auction deadline falls below a predetermined period. If it is determined that the period falls below the predetermined period, the identification unit, association unit, and transmission unit may perform the functions described above.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 Information processing system 110 Storage unit 120 Reception unit 130 Determination unit 140 Confirmation unit 150 Condition determination unit 160 Content identification unit 170 Transmission unit 180 Extraction unit 200 Client device 300 Server device

Claims (19)

a storage unit that stores a target amount of funds to be raised and a deadline for the first project in association with the first project;
a condition determination unit that determines whether or not the first project satisfies a predetermined condition based on at least one of the target amount and the end date stored in the storage unit before the end date passes;
a content identification unit that identifies content related to an advertisement;
and a transmission unit that transmits the content identified by the content identification unit to a user terminal that provided funds to the first project when the condition determination unit determines that the first project satisfies the specified condition. The information processing system according to claim 1, characterized in that the condition determination unit determines that the first project satisfies the predetermined condition when the period until the end date stored in association with the first project is equal to or shorter than a predetermined period. The information processing system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the condition determination unit determines that the first project satisfies the predetermined condition when the total amount of funds is less than a predetermined amount from the target amount stored in association with the first project. The information processing system according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the content identification unit identifies content that accepts additional funding for the first project as the content related to the advertisement. The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the content identification unit identifies content that accepts funding for a second project different from the first project as the content related to the advertisement. The information processing system further comprises:
An information processing system as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it further comprises an extraction unit that, when the condition determination unit determines that the first project satisfies the specified condition, extracts the user terminal to which the transmission unit transmits the content based on user information of the funder. The information processing system according to claim 6, characterized in that the extraction unit extracts the user terminal to which the transmission unit transmits the content based on information regarding the failure rate of projects that the funder has funded in the past as the user information. The information processing system described in claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the extraction unit extracts the user terminal to which the transmission unit transmits the content based on information regarding the total amount of funds provided by the fund provider in the past as the user information. The information processing system described in claim 6, 7 or 8, characterized in that the extraction unit extracts the user terminal to which the transmission unit transmits the content based on information regarding charges by the funder within a specified period as the user information. The information processing system described in claim 6, 7 or 8, characterized in that the extraction unit extracts the user terminal to which the transmission unit transmits the content based on information regarding the subscription period of the funder to a paid service as the user information. The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the content identification unit identifies a second project that is assigned attribute information assigned to the first project and is different from the first project as content related to the advertisement. The information processing system according to claim 11, characterized in that the content identification unit extracts, as the second project, a project that is stored in association with the second project and has a remaining period until its end date that is less than a predetermined period, and identifies the project as content related to the advertisement. The information processing system according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that the content identification unit extracts, as the second project, a project whose amount to the target amount stored in association with the second project is less than a predetermined amount, and identifies the project as content related to the advertisement. The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the advertisement is a preset advertisement. The information processing system further comprises:
a receiving unit that receives the provision of funds to the first project from the user terminal operated by a user who is a funder ;
2. The information processing system according to claim 1, further comprising a determination unit that determines whether or not the total amount of the funds accepted by the acceptance unit has reached the target amount when the deadline has passed. The information processing system further comprises:
a receiving unit that receives the provision of funds to the first project from the user terminal operated by a user who is a funder ;
2. The information processing system according to claim 1, further comprising a determination unit that determines whether or not the total amount of the funds accepted by the acceptance unit reaches the target amount before the deadline passes. The information processing system further comprises:
An information processing system as described in claim 15 or 16, characterized in that it further comprises a confirmation unit that confirms the settlement of the funds accepted by the acceptance unit when the judgment unit determines that the total amount of the funds has reached the target amount. a condition determination step of determining whether or not the first project satisfies a predetermined condition based on at least one of a target amount of funds to be raised in the first project and the deadline before the deadline of the first project;
a content identification step of identifying content related to an advertisement;
and a transmission step of transmitting the content identified in the content identification step to a user terminal that provided funds to the first project when it is determined in the condition determination step that the first project satisfies the specified condition. On the computer,
a storage function for storing a target amount of funds to be raised and a deadline for the first project in association with the first project in a predetermined storage unit;
a condition determination function that determines whether or not the first project satisfies a predetermined condition based on at least one of the target amount and the end date before the end date;
A content identification function that identifies content related to advertisements;
and a transmission function of transmitting the content identified by the content identification function to a user terminal that provided funds to the first project when the condition determination function determines that the first project satisfies the specified condition.

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