JP2025141598A - Information processing device, information processing method, and information processing program - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] When major news that becomes a public topic occurs, the excitement surrounding the news on a news site can be intuitively understood by accessing the top page of the news site.
[Solution] The information processing device of the present application is characterized by comprising an event determination unit that refers to a list of topics on a news site and, if there are multiple topics related to the same news, determines that major news that will become a public topic has occurred; a comment input processing unit that, when major news that will become a public topic has occurred, displays a comment input field for the news on the screen of the list of topics on the news site and accepts comments entered by users in the comment input field; and a display control unit that displays the entered comments on the screen of the list of topics on the news site.
[Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

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

Conventionally, user-submitted information servers that allow users to intuitively understand the level of interest in content have been disclosed (see Patent Document 1).

Patent No. 6188987

However, while the above-mentioned conventional technology supports the control of pop-up displays of user-submitted information (comments) on the display screen of individual news content, it does not support the control of pop-up displays of user-submitted information for that news on the display screen of the news aggregation site's homepage, which displays a list of newly arrived news content when major news that becomes a public topic occurs. Therefore, there is room for improvement in terms of making it possible to intuitively understand the excitement surrounding that news on the news site when accessing the homepage of the news site.

This application was made in light of the above, and aims to enable users to intuitively understand the excitement surrounding a news story on a news site when they access the news site's homepage when major news that becomes a public topic occurs.

The information processing device according to the present application is characterized by comprising: an event determination unit that references a list of topics on a news site and, if there are multiple topics related to the same news, determines that major news that will become a public topic has occurred; a comment input processing unit that, when major news that will become a public topic has occurred, displays a comment input field for the news on the screen of the list of topics on the news site and accepts comments entered by users in the comment input field; and a display control unit that displays the entered comments on the screen of the list of topics on the news site.

According to one aspect of the embodiment, when major news that becomes a public topic occurs, users can intuitively understand the excitement surrounding the news on a news site when they access the news site's homepage.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an overview of an information processing system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a terminal device according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a server device according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration.

Below, detailed explanations will be given of the information processing device, information processing method, and information processing program (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments") according to the present application, with reference to the drawings. Note that the information processing device, information processing method, and information processing program according to the present application are not limited to these embodiments. Furthermore, identical components in the following embodiments will be designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations will be omitted.

[1. Overview of the information processing system]
First, an overview of an information processing system according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of an information processing system according to an embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, an information processing system 1 according to an embodiment includes a terminal device 10 and a server device 100. These various devices are connected to each other via a network N in a wired or wireless manner so as to be able to communicate with each other. This allows the terminal device 10 to cooperate with the server device 100. The network N is, for example, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), the Internet, etc.

The terminal device 10 is an information processing device used by a user U. For example, the terminal device 10 may be a smart device such as a smartphone or tablet, a mobile phone such as a feature phone (Gala-ke/Gala-ho), a personal computer (PC), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a game console or AV device with communication functions, an information appliance or digital appliance, a car navigation system, or a wearable device such as a smartwatch, a head-mounted display, or smart glasses. The terminal device 10 may also be a home or building, a car, a home appliance, or an electronic device that is compatible with the Internet of Things (IoT).

In this embodiment, terminal device 10 is a smart device such as a smartphone or tablet used by user U, and is a portable terminal device capable of communicating with any server device via a wireless communication network such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G (4th Generation), or 5G (5th Generation: fifth generation mobile communication system), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or wireless LAN. Terminal device 10 also has a screen such as an LCD display with touch panel functionality, and accepts various operations on displayed data such as content, such as tapping, sliding, and scrolling, performed by user U with a finger or stylus. Note that operations performed on an area of the screen where content is displayed may be considered operations on the content. Terminal device 10 may not only be a smart device, but also an information processing device such as a desktop PC (Personal Computer) or laptop PC.

The server device 100 is, for example, a computer such as a PC or a blade server, or a mainframe or workstation. The server device 100 may also be implemented using cloud computing.

In this embodiment, the server device 100 is an information processing device that works in conjunction with the terminal device 10 of each user U and provides API (Application Programming Interface) services for various applications (hereinafter referred to as apps) and various data to each user U's terminal device 10, and is realized by a computer, cloud system, etc.

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

The server device 100 can acquire user information about the user U. For example, the server device 100 acquires information (attribute information) about the attributes of the user U, such as the gender, age, and area of residence of the user U. The server device 100 can also acquire information about the attributes of the user U, such as demographic attributes, psychographic attributes, geographic attributes, and behavioral attributes. The server device 100 may also acquire, as user information, the segment or persona (personality) to which the user U belongs in the marketing field. The server device 100 then stores and manages the information about the attributes of the user U (attribute information) along with identification information (user ID, etc.) that identifies the user U.

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

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

[2. Creating excitement through topical comments]
The server device 100 works in conjunction with the terminal device 10 of the user U via the network N, and when major news (a major event) occurs that becomes a public topic, the server device 100 pops up comments about the news in any location on the topic list screen of the news site (or news app) along with the headline (topic) of the news, so as not to completely obstruct the display of the headline, thereby creating excitement about the news on the news site.

[2-1. Basic Processing]
For example, as shown in Figure 1, when a news site (or news app) is accessed from user U's terminal device 10 via network N, the server device 100 displays a list of topics from the news site on the screen of user U's terminal device 10 (step S1).

Next, the server device 100 references the list of topics on the news site and determines whether any major news has occurred that will become a public topic of conversation (step S2).

For example, if there are multiple headlines (topics) related to the same news item in a list of topics on a news site (or if there are a predetermined number or more (e.g., three or more)), the server device 100 determines (or presumes) that major news that will become a public topic has occurred. At this time, the server device 100 may use trained AI (artificial intelligence) to determine whether the headlines are related to the same news item. If necessary, the server device 100 may refer not only to the headlines but also to the linked article content (article text, images, etc.) to determine whether the headlines are related to the same news item. The AI may also be a GPT (generative pre-trained transformer).

Note that if there is no major news that will become a public topic, or if there is major news that will become a public topic but the news is negative, such as war, conflict, disaster, tragic incident, or accident, the server device 100 may not perform the subsequent processing as this embodiment does not apply, and may continue to display only the list of topics on the news site as usual. For example, when major news that will become a public topic occurs, the server device 100 may use a model, rule base, or AI to determine whether the news is dark news that will cause the public to mourn (news with negative content) or bright news that will bring celebration to the world and create a celebratory mood (news with positive content), and may not perform the subsequent processing if the news is dark, but may perform the subsequent processing only if the news is bright.

Next, when major news that becomes a public topic occurs, the server device 100 displays a comment input field on the topics list screen for entering comments about the news (step S3).

In practice, the server device 100 may display a comment input field on the topics list screen from the beginning (always) for entering comments about the news whose headline is being displayed. In practice, the server device 100 may also display a post button for posting a comment along with the comment input field.

Next, the server device 100 determines whether the comment entered by user U in the comment input field is appropriate (suitable) as a comment regarding the news (step S4).

At this time, the server device 100 determines whether the comment entered by user U in the comment input field satisfies (or does not violate) predetermined conditions. For example, if the comment entered by user U in the comment input field is related to the news and has positive content, the server device 100 determines that the entered comment is appropriate as a comment related to the news. In practice, the server device 100 may use a model or rule base to calculate the relevance of the entered comment to the news and the positivity of the content of the entered comment, and determine that the entered comment is appropriate as a comment related to the news if the relevance and positivity are above a threshold, respectively.

The server device 100 may also use natural language processing (NLP) to convert the text of the comment entered in the comment input field and the text of the news headline into vectors, and determine whether the comment and the news are related based on the cosine similarity of the respective vectors.

As a result, the server device 100 eliminates comments that are inappropriate as comments related to the news. For example, the server device 100 eliminates comments with negative content, even if they are related to the news. The server device 100 also eliminates so-called troll comments, comments with inappropriate content, comments unrelated to the news, etc.

Next, if the comment entered by user U in the comment input field is appropriate as a comment about the news, the server device 100 displays the comment entered by user U in the comment input field together with the headline of the news on the screen listing topics on the news site (step S5).

In practice, the server device 100 may select comments in descending order of relevance to the news or positivity, and display the selected comments on the topics list screen along with the headline of the news.

At this time, the server device 100 may display the comments entered by the user U in the comment input field scattered across the topic list screen. For example, the server device 100 may display the comments by randomly arranging them in any location on the topic list screen. The server device 100 may also display the comments by arranging them around or near the headline of the news. The server device 100 may also display the comments in the form of a pop-up or speech bubble on the topic list screen.

The server device 100 may also display comments entered by user U in the comment input field one after another on the topic list screen, like fireworks at a fireworks festival. For example, the server device 100 may randomly arrange and display comments in any location on the topic list screen in the order they were entered in the comment input field, and when the number of comments displayed on the screen exceeds a predetermined number (e.g., five), the oldest comment is deleted and a new comment is displayed. If there is an excessive number of comments being entered (posted) and it is not possible to display all of them at once, the server device 100 may automatically delete a comment from the screen a predetermined time (e.g., 10 seconds) after it has been displayed on the topic list screen, and display the next comment.

In this way, the server device 100 creates excitement about the news on the news site. New users (viewers, etc.) who visit the news site can visually see and feel the excitement about the news on the news site through the active comments displayed on the news site's topic list screen.

[2-2. Supplementary Information]
In addition, when accepting comments entered by user U into the comment input field, the server device 100 may accept only comments related to the news in question and that have positive content, and may not accept any other comments.

Furthermore, in order to create a celebratory mood about the news on the news site, the server device 100 may select users who are likely to input (post) exciting comments based on each user's attribute information, history information, etc., or using AI, etc., and request the selected users to input comments related to the news. Furthermore, when the server device 100 predicts in advance the occurrence of major news that will become a public topic, it may select users who are likely to input (post) exciting comments in advance and request the selected users to be on standby so that they can input comments as soon as the news occurs. In this case, the server device 100 may provide incentives to the selected users to encourage them to input comments, or may pay rewards to users who input exciting comments.

In addition, instead of displaying a comment input field on the screen of a news site's topic list and displaying the comments entered in the comment input field, the server device 100 may pick out comments posted in response to news articles linked to each headline included in the news site's topic list and display the picked comments on the screen of the news site's topic list. The server device 100 may also display comments entered in the comment input field on the topic list screen and the picked comments (comments posted in response to the linked news articles) on the screen of the news site's topic list. In other words, the server device 100 may mix the comments entered in the comment input field and the picked comments on the screen of the news site's topic list. The server device 100 may also control the transition to the page of the linked news article from which the comment originated when a user who is a viewer taps on the picked comment.

Furthermore, when a user U viewing a news site topic list screen finds the display of a comment distracting, the server device 100 may perform control to delete (or hide) the comment in response to the user U's operation. For example, the server device 100 may display a comment hide button or delete button on the news site topic list screen. Alternatively, when the user U taps on a displayed comment, the server device 100 may perform control to confirm whether or not to delete (or hide) the comment.

Furthermore, when major news that has become a public topic has subsided (ended), the server device 100 will stop displaying comments on the news site's topic list screen and erase (or hide) all comments on the screen. For example, when the server device 100 references the news site's topic list and finds that multiple topics related to the same news item have disappeared from the topic list, it will determine that the major news item that has become a public topic has subsided (ended).

Furthermore, while this embodiment has been described using a list of news topics on a news site as an example, in reality, the present invention is not limited to a list of news topics. For example, the server device 100 can display a comment input field in a ranking list of content (videos, music, manga, novels, illustrations, etc.) in the same way as in a list of news topics on a news site, and can display comments on top-ranked or trending content on the ranking list screen. In other words, the server device 100 accepts input of comments on content on the list display screen of selected content, and displays the comments on the content list display screen.

From another perspective, the server device 100 determines whether the content of multiple pieces of content (news, etc.) displayed in a list of thumbnails (or headlines, etc.) meets certain conditions (for example, whether the content is the same/common, whether the content is positive, etc.). If the certain conditions are met, the server device 100 accepts input of comments regarding the content of the multiple pieces of content. The server device 100 then displays the accepted comments together with the thumbnails of the multiple pieces of content.

3. Example of terminal device configuration
Next, the configuration of the terminal device 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the terminal device 10 according to the embodiment. As shown in Fig. 2, the terminal device 10 includes a communication unit 11, a display unit 12, an input unit 13, a positioning unit 14, a sensor unit 20, a control unit 30 (controller), and a storage unit 40.

(Communication unit 11)
The communication unit 11 is connected to the network N via a wired or wireless connection, and transmits and receives information to and from the server device 100 via the network N. For example, the communication unit 11 is realized by a network interface card (NIC), an antenna, or the like.

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

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

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

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

(Wi-Fi positioning)
For example, the positioning unit 14 uses the Wi-Fi (registered trademark) communication function of the terminal device 10 or the communication networks of each communication company to determine the position of the terminal device 10. Specifically, the positioning unit 14 performs Wi-Fi communication or the like to determine the distance to a nearby base station or access point, thereby determining the position of the terminal device 10.

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

(geomagnetic positioning)
The positioning unit 14 also measures the position of the terminal device 10 based on the geomagnetic pattern of the structure measured in advance and a geomagnetic sensor included in the terminal device 10 .

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

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

(Sensor unit 20)
The sensor unit 20 includes various sensors mounted on or connected to the terminal device 10. The connection may be wired or wireless. For example, the sensors may be detection devices other than the terminal device 10, such as wearable devices or wireless devices. In the example shown in FIG. 2 , the sensor unit 20 includes an acceleration sensor 21, a gyro sensor 22, a barometric pressure sensor 23, a temperature sensor 24, a sound sensor 25, a light sensor 26, a magnetic sensor 27, and an image sensor (camera) 28.

Note that the sensors 21-28 described above are merely examples and are not intended to be limiting. That is, the sensor unit 20 may be configured to include some of the sensors 21-28, or may include other sensors, such as a humidity sensor, in addition to or instead of the sensors 21-28.

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

The terminal device 10 is equipped with the acceleration sensor 21, gyro sensor 22, barometric pressure sensor 23, etc. described above, and is therefore able to determine the position of the terminal device 10 using techniques such as pedestrian dead-reckoning (PDR) that utilize these sensors 21-23. This makes it possible to obtain indoor position information that is difficult to obtain using positioning systems such as GPS.

For example, a pedometer using the acceleration sensor 21 can calculate the number of steps, walking speed, and distance walked. Furthermore, the gyro sensor 22 can be used to determine the user U's direction of travel, line of sight, and body tilt. Furthermore, the atmospheric pressure detected by the atmospheric pressure sensor 23 can be used to determine the altitude and floor on which the user U's terminal device 10 is located.

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

The above-mentioned air pressure sensor 23, temperature sensor 24, sound sensor 25, light sensor 26, and image sensor 28 can detect the environment and situation surrounding the terminal device 10 by detecting air pressure, temperature, sound, and illuminance, and capturing images of the surroundings. Furthermore, the accuracy of the location information of the terminal device 10 can be improved based on the environment and situation surrounding the terminal device 10.

(Control unit 30)
The control unit 30 includes, for example, a microcomputer having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM, input/output ports, and various other circuits. The control unit 30 may also be configured with hardware such as an integrated circuit, for example, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The control unit 30 includes a transmitting unit 31, a receiving unit 32, and a processing unit 33.

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

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

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

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

4. Example of Server Device Configuration
Next, the configuration of the server device 100 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the server device 100 according to the embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, the server device 100 includes a communication unit 110, a storage unit 120, and a control unit 130.

(Communication unit 110)
The communication unit 110 is realized by, for example, a network interface card (NIC), etc. The communication unit 110 is connected to a network N by wire or wirelessly.

(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 an HDD, an SSD, an optical disk, etc. The storage unit 120 may store attribute information and history information (log data) of the user U together with identification information (such as a user ID) indicating the user U.

(Control unit 130)
The control unit 130 is a controller, and is realized by, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a micro processing unit (MPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or the like, by executing various programs (corresponding to examples of information processing programs) stored in a storage device inside the server device 100 using a storage area such as a RAM as a working area. In the example shown in FIG. 3 , the control unit 130 includes an acquisition unit 131, an event determination unit 132, a content determination unit 133, a comment input processing unit 134, a comment request unit 135, a comment determination unit 136, and a display control unit 137.

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

The acquisition unit 131 also acquires user information about user U via the communication unit 110. For example, the acquisition unit 131 acquires identification information (such as a user ID) indicating user U, location information about user U, attribute information about user U, etc. from user U's terminal device 10. The acquisition unit 131 may also acquire identification information indicating user U, attribute information about user U, etc. when user U is registered. The acquisition unit 131 then stores the user information in the storage unit 120.

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

The acquisition unit 131 may also acquire information on a list of topics from a news site or information on individual topics via the communication unit 110.

(Event Determination Unit 132)
The event determination unit 132 refers to the list of topics on the news site, and if there are multiple topics related to the same news, determines that major news that will become a public topic has occurred.

The event determination unit 132 also references the list of topics on the news site, and if multiple topics related to the same news item have disappeared from the list of topics (or if only one item remains), it determines that a major news item that has become a public topic has converged (ended).

(Content determination unit 133)
When major news that becomes a hot topic occurs, the content determination unit 133 determines whether the news is positive or not.

(Comment input processing unit 134)
When major news that becomes a hot topic occurs, the comment input processing unit 134 displays a comment input field for the news on the screen of a list of topics on the news site and accepts comments entered by users into the comment input field.

At this time, if the news is not upbeat, the comment input processing unit 134 does not display a comment input field for the news; if the news is upbeat, the comment input processing unit 134 displays a comment input field for the news on the news site's topics list screen and accepts comments entered by the user in the comment input field.

(Comment request unit 135)
When major news that becomes a public topic occurs, the comment request unit 135 selects users who are likely to enter exciting comments based on the user's attribute information or history information (or using AI), and requests the selected users to enter comments related to the news.

(Comment Determination Unit 136)
The comment determination unit 136 determines whether or not a comment entered in the comment entry field is appropriate as a comment on the news.

For example, the comment determination unit 136 calculates the degree of relevance between the input comment and the content of the news. At this time, if the degree of relevance is equal to or greater than a threshold, the comment determination unit 136 may determine that the input comment is appropriate as a comment related to the news.

The comment determination unit 136 also calculates the positivity of the content of the input comment. At this time, if the positivity is equal to or greater than a threshold, the comment determination unit 136 determines that the input comment is appropriate as a comment about the news.

(Display control unit 137)
The display control unit 137 displays the input comment on the screen of the list of topics of the news site.

At this time, the display control unit 137 displays, on the screen of the news site's topic list, those of the entered comments that are appropriate as comments related to the news.

For example, the display control unit 137 displays comments related to the news on a screen listing topics on a news site in descending order of relevance. Furthermore, the display control unit 137 displays comments related to the news on a screen listing topics on a news site in descending order of positivity.

The display control unit 137 also displays the entered comments in a random arrangement on the screen of the news site's topic list. The display control unit 137 also displays the entered comments in the order they were entered on the screen of the news site's topic list, and when the number of displayed comments exceeds a predetermined number, deletes the oldest comments first.

In addition, when major news that has become a public topic of conversation has subsided (concluded), the display control unit 137 will terminate the display of comments (and the display of the comment input field) on the news site's topic list screen, and will erase (or hide) all comments on the screen.

5. Processing Procedure
Next, a processing procedure performed by the server device 100 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure according to the embodiment. Note that the processing procedure shown below is repeatedly executed by the control unit 130 of the server device 100.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the event determination unit 132 of the server device 100 refers to a list of topics on a news site, and if there are multiple topics related to the same news, determines that major news that will become a public topic has occurred (step S101).

Next, when major news that becomes a public topic occurs, the content determination unit 133 of the server device 100 determines whether the news is positive (step S102).

At this time, if the news is not positive (step S102; No), the comment input processing unit 134 of the server device 100 does not display a comment input field for the news, and continues to display only the list of topics on the news site as usual (step S103).

On the other hand, if the news is upbeat (step S102; Yes), the comment input processing unit 134 of the server device 100 displays a comment input field for the news on the news site's topic list screen and accepts comments entered by the user in the comment input field (step S104).

Next, when major news that becomes a hot topic occurs, the comment request unit 135 of the server device 100 selects users who are likely to enter exciting comments based on the user's attribute information or history information, and requests the selected users to enter comments related to the news (step S105).

Next, the comment determination unit 136 of the server device 100 determines whether the comment entered in the comment input field is appropriate as a comment about the news (step S106).

At this time, if the comments are appropriate (step S106; Yes), the display control unit 137 of the server device 100 displays appropriate comments in a random arrangement in the order they were entered on the screen listing topics on the news site, and if the number of displayed comments exceeds a predetermined number, deletes the oldest comments first (step S107).

If the comment is inappropriate (step S106; No), the display control unit 137 of the server device 100 will not display the inappropriate comment on the news site topic list screen.

Next, the event determination unit 132 of the server device 100 refers to the list of topics on the news site, and if multiple topics related to the same news item that previously existed disappear from the list of topics, it determines that the major news item that has become a public topic has converged (ended) (step S108).

Next, when the major news that has become a public topic of conversation has subsided (concluded), the display control unit 137 of the server device 100 terminates the display of comments (and the display of the comment input field) on the news site's topic list screen, and erases (or hides) all comments on the screen (step S109).

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

In the above embodiment, some or all of the processing performed by the server device 100 may actually be performed by the terminal device 10 (or an app running on the terminal device 10). For example, processing may be completed standalone (by the terminal device 10 alone). In this case, the terminal device 10 is assumed to have the functions of the server device 100 in the above embodiment. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the terminal device 10 is linked to the server device 100, so from the perspective of the user U, it appears that the processing of the server device 100 is also being performed by the terminal device 10. In other words, from another perspective, the terminal device 10 can also be said to be equipped with the server device 100.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, when displaying comments on the screen listing topics on a news site, the server device 100 may control the display of comments by accepting input and displaying the comments not only on the list of main (or general) news topics on the news site's homepage, but also on the screen listing news topics by category (domestic, international, economics, entertainment, sports, IT, science, life, local, etc.).

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the server device 100 may perform control to accept input of comments and display the comments on the screen of the topics list of the news site, even if the major news that becomes a public topic is dark news (news with negative content). For example, the server device 100 may perform control to accept input of condolence comments in response to news such as the death of a celebrity and display the comments. Alternatively, the server device 100 may perform control to accept input of comments such as congratulations or praise for the achievements of a famous athlete or actor in response to news such as the retirement of a famous athlete or actor, and display the comments. In this case, the server device 100 may perform control to exclude (not display) inappropriate comments.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, even if the news is major and likely to become a public topic, if it is news that may cause conflict of opinion, such as news about politics, religion, or specific ideologies or beliefs, the server device 100 may not accept comments and control the display of those comments, but may continue to display only the list of topics on the news site as usual.

7. Effects
As described above, the information processing device (terminal device 10 and server device 100) according to the present application comprises an event determination unit 132 that refers to the list of topics on a news site and, if there are multiple topics related to the same news, determines that major news that will become a public topic has occurred; a comment input processing unit 134 that, when major news that will become a public topic has occurred, displays a comment input field for the news on the screen of the list of topics on the news site and accepts comments entered by users in the comment input field; and a display control unit 137 that displays the entered comments on the screen of the list of topics on the news site.

The information processing device according to the present application also includes a content determination unit 133 that, when major news that becomes a public topic occurs, determines whether the news is upbeat. If the news is not upbeat, the comment input processing unit 134 does not display a comment input field for the news, but if the news is upbeat, it displays a comment input field for the news on the screen listing topics on the news site and accepts comments entered by users in the comment input field.

The information processing device according to the present application further includes a comment determination unit 136 that determines whether a comment entered in the comment input field is appropriate as a comment related to the news. A display control unit 137 displays, from among the entered comments, those that are appropriate as comments related to the news on a screen displaying a list of topics on the news site.

The comment determination unit 136 calculates the degree of relevance between the input comment and the content of the news, and if the degree of relevance is equal to or greater than a threshold, determines that the input comment is appropriate as a comment related to the news.

The comment determination unit 136 calculates the degree of relevance between the input comment and the content of the news. The display control unit 137 displays comments related to the news on the news site's topic list screen in descending order of relevance.

The comment determination unit 136 calculates the positivity of the content of the input comment, and if the positivity is equal to or greater than a threshold, determines that the input comment is appropriate as a comment about the news.

The comment determination unit 136 calculates the positivity level of the content of the input comment. The display control unit 137 displays comments related to the news in descending order of positivity on the screen listing topics on the news site.

The display control unit 137 randomly arranges and displays the entered comments on the screen listing topics on the news site.

The display control unit 137 displays the entered comments in the order they were entered on the news site's topic list screen, and when the number of displayed comments exceeds a predetermined number, deletes the oldest comments first.

The information processing device according to the present application also includes a comment request unit 135 that, when major news that becomes a public topic occurs, selects users who are likely to enter exciting comments based on the user's attribute information or history information, and requests the selected users to enter comments related to the news.

By using any one or a combination of the above processes, the information processing device of the present application can, when major news that becomes a hot topic in the public occurs, allow users to intuitively understand the excitement surrounding the news on a news site when they access the news site's homepage.

8. Hardware Configuration
The terminal device 10 and the server device 100 according to the above-described embodiments are realized by a computer 1000 having a configuration as shown in Fig. 5, for example. The following description will be given taking the server device 100 as an example. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration. The computer 1000 is connected to an output device 1010 and an input device 1020, and has a configuration in which a calculation device 1030, a primary storage device 1040, a secondary storage device 1050, an output I/F (Interface) 1060, an input I/F 1070, and a network I/F 1080 are connected via a bus 1090.

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

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

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

Furthermore, the output I/F 1060 and the input I/F 1070 may be wirelessly connected to the output device 1010 and the input device 1020, respectively. In other words, the output device 1010 and the input device 1020 may be wireless devices.

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

The input device 1020 may be a device that reads information from, for example, optical recording media such as CDs (Compact Discs), DVDs (Digital Versatile Discs), and PDs (Phase Change Rewritable Disks), magneto-optical recording media such as MOs (Magneto-Optical Disks), tape media, magnetic recording media, or semiconductor memories.

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

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

For example, when the computer 1000 functions as the server device 100, the arithmetic unit 1030 of the computer 1000 realizes the functions of the control unit 130 by executing a program loaded onto the primary storage device 1040. The arithmetic unit 1030 of the computer 1000 may also load a program acquired from another device via the network I/F 1080 onto the primary storage device 1040 and execute the loaded program. The arithmetic unit 1030 of the computer 1000 may also cooperate with other devices via the network I/F 1080 and call and use program functions, data, etc. from other programs on the other devices.

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

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

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

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

Furthermore, the above-described embodiments and variations can be combined as appropriate to the extent that the processing content is not contradictory.

Furthermore, the "section, module, unit" mentioned above can be read as "means" or "circuit." For example, an acquisition unit can be read as an acquisition means or an acquisition circuit.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Information processing system 10 Terminal device 100 Server device 110 Communication unit 120 Storage unit 130 Control unit 131 Acquisition unit 132 Event determination unit 133 Content determination unit 134 Comment input processing unit 135 Comment request unit 136 Comment determination unit 137 Display control unit

Claims (12)

an event determination unit that refers to a list of topics on a news site and, if there are multiple topics related to the same news, determines that major news that will become a public topic has occurred;
a comment input processing unit that, when major news that becomes a public topic occurs, displays a comment input field for the news on a screen listing topics on the news site and accepts comments entered by users into the comment input field;
a display control unit that displays the input comments on a screen of a list of topics on the news site;
An information processing device comprising: The information processing device further includes a content determination unit that, when major news that becomes a public topic occurs, determines whether the news is positive or not;
The information processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the comment input processing unit does not display a comment input field for the news if the news is not positive news, and displays a comment input field for the news on a screen listing topics on the news site if the news is positive news, and accepts comments entered by users into the comment input field. a comment determination unit that determines whether a comment entered in the comment entry field is appropriate as a comment on the news;
The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the display control unit displays, on a screen of a list of topics on the news site, comments that are appropriate as comments relating to the news among the input comments. The information processing device according to claim 3, characterized in that the comment determination unit calculates the degree of relevance between the input comment and the content of the news, and if the degree of relevance is equal to or greater than a threshold, determines that the input comment is appropriate as a comment related to the news. the comment determination unit calculates a degree of relevance between the input comment and the content of the news;
The information processing device according to claim 3 , wherein the display control unit displays, on a screen of a list of topics on the news site, comments relating to the news in descending order of relevance. The information processing device according to claim 3, wherein the comment determination unit calculates a positivity level of the content of an input comment, and if the positivity level is equal to or greater than a threshold, determines that the input comment is appropriate as a comment related to the news. the comment determination unit calculates a positivity level of the content of the input comment,
The information processing device according to claim 3 , wherein the display control unit displays, on a screen of a list of topics on the news site, comments relating to the news in descending order of positivity. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the display control unit displays the input comments in a random arrangement on a screen of a list of topics on the news site. The information processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the display control unit displays the entered comments in the order of entry on a screen listing topics on the news site, and when the number of displayed comments exceeds a predetermined number, deletes the oldest comments first. a comment requesting unit that, when major news that becomes a public topic occurs, selects users who are likely to enter exciting comments based on user attribute information or history information, and requests the selected users to enter comments related to the news;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising: An information processing method executed by an information processing device,
an event determination step of referring to a list of topics on a news site and determining, if there are multiple topics related to the same news, that major news that will become a public topic has occurred;
a comment input processing step of, when major news that becomes a public topic occurs, displaying a comment input field for the news on a screen listing topics on the news site and accepting comments from users in the comment input field;
a display control step of displaying the input comments on a screen of a list of topics on the news site;
An information processing method comprising: An event determination procedure that refers to a list of topics on a news site and, if there are multiple topics related to the same news, determines that major news that will become a public topic has occurred;
a comment input processing procedure for, when major news that becomes a public topic occurs, displaying a comment input field for the news on a screen listing topics on the news site and accepting comments from users in the comment input field;
a display control procedure for displaying the input comments on a screen of a list of topics on the news site;
An information processing program characterized by causing a computer to execute the above.