Patent ID: 8904297
Filing Date: 2014-12-02
Classification: A63F,G06F,Y10S

Abstract:
1. An area guide device comprising: a storage unit that stores a plurality of display information items each associated with a position in a virtual space defined by a collection of data items, a plurality of keywords, a plurality of position information items associated with the keywords, and a plurality of weight information items, each of the plurality of position information items being based on a predetermined coordinate system that defines positions on the virtual space, each of the plurality of display information items being associated with one of the plurality of keywords and one of the plurality of position information items, and each of the weight information items indicating weights to be applied respectively to each of the plurality of display information items; an obtaining unit that obtains a search word; an extraction unit that extracts any of the plurality of position information items associated with a keyword relevant to the search word obtained by the obtaining unit, from among the plurality of position information items stored in the storage unit; a first specifying unit that specifies a first area of the virtual space in which an avatar moves where a number of position information items extracted by the extraction unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, wherein the predetermined number is greater than one; a calculation unit that calculates a degree of relevance between the first area of the virtual space and the search word, on the basis of a summation of each of the weight information items stored respectively for each of the number of position information items extracted by the extraction unit; a second specifying unit that specifies a second area of the virtual space where the degree of relevance calculated by the calculation unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined level; and an output unit that outputs a guide information item indicating the second area of the virtual space; wherein the calculation unit calculates the degree of relevance between the first area of the virtual space and the search word on the basis of a formulation expressed by wherein A