Terminal device, advertisement display method, and computer readable medium storing terminal program

A terminal device acquires a displayable advertisement. The terminal device displays, based on determination that an output mode of a voice of a person on the other end of the line is a first mode in which the voice is output from an output device different from an earpiece, the acquired advertisement on a display within an invitation period during which a called party is being invited to answer an incoming call because of the terminal device transmitting information to make the call. The terminal device prevents, based on determination that the output mode is a second mode in which the voice is output from the earpiece, the advertisement from being displayed on the display within the invitation period.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION

This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-179916 filed Oct. 27, 2020, the entire disclosure of which, including the specification, the scope of claims, drawings, and abstract, is incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a technical field of a method of presenting an advertisement to a user when the user makes a call.

Related Art

Currently, portable terminal devices having a telephonic function, such as mobile phones and smartphones, are widely used. Such a terminal device generally incorporates a display, a speaker, and a microphone. The display is usually incorporated in a touchscreen, and is used for inputting a telephone number and selecting a party whom a user will call. The microphone and the speaker are used to input and output a voice during a call.

Furthermore, such a terminal device can be connected to the Internet via a mobile communication network, a wireless local area network (LAN), or the like. For this reason, Internet advertising for distributing advertisements to terminal devices via the network has also been prospering. As an example of such advertising, a technology has been proposed in which, when a user makes a call, the user is made to hear a sound of the advertisement. For example, JP 2009-213100 A discloses a technology for allowing a calling party to listen to an advertisement using sounds or music simultaneously with ring-back tones heard from a telephone of a called party, when the calling party makes a phone call.

SUMMARY

While an advertisement using sound or music is considered to have a certain effect, a type of advertisements displayed on a screen, such as a banner advertisement or a video, for example, is also considered to have an effect in terms of appealing to the user's vision. Therefore, it is conceivable to display such an advertisement on the screen of the terminal device of the calling party while inviting the called party to answer the incoming call. However, while inviting the called party, a user as the calling party is likely to bring the user's ear close to the terminal device in order to prepare to listen to the other's sound, for example. Therefore, even if an advertisement is displayed on the screen, the user sometimes fails to view the screen. In addition, there is a case where a contract between an advertisement distributor and an advertiser specifies that an advertising rate is charged each time an advertisement is displayed. In consideration of such circumstances, it is inefficient for the advertiser to display an advertisement that the user may not view every time the user makes a phone call.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an example of an object is to provide a terminal device, an advertisement display method, and a computer readable medium storing a terminal program that enables an advertisement to be displayed on a screen of the terminal device such that advertising efficiency at a time of inviting a called party to answer an incoming call in a situation where a user attempts to make the call with the terminal device is increased.

An aspect of the present invention is a terminal device that has a telephonic function, comprising: an earpiece; a display; at least one memory configured to store thereon computer program code; and at least one processor configured to access the at least one memory and operate according to the computer program code, the computer program code comprising: acquisition code configured to cause at least one of the at least one processor to acquires a displayable advertisement; and a control code configured to cause at least one of the at least one processor to display, based on determination that an output mode of a voice of a person on the other end of the line is a first mode in which the voice is output from an output device different from the earpiece, the acquired advertisement on the display within an invitation period during which a called party is being invited to answer an incoming call because of the terminal device transmitting information to make the call, and prevent, based on determination that the output mode is a second mode in which the voice is output from the earpiece, the advertisement from being displayed on the display within the invitation period.

Another aspect of the present invention is an advertisement display method performable by a terminal device including an earpiece and a display, the method comprising: acquiring a displayable advertisement; displaying, based on determination that an output mode of a voice of a person on the other end of the line is a first mode in which the voice is output from an output device different from the earpiece, the acquired advertisement on the display within an invitation period during which a called party is being invited to answer an incoming call because of the terminal device transmitting information to make the call; and preventing, based on determination that the output mode is a second mode in which the voice is output from the earpiece, the advertisement from being displayed on the display within the invitation period.

Yet another aspect of the present invention is a non-transitory computer readable medium storing thereon an advertisement display program, the advertisement display program causing a computer of a terminal device including an earpiece and a display to: acquire a displayable advertisement; display, based on determination that an output mode of a voice of a person on the other end of the line is a first mode in which the voice is output from an output device different from the earpiece, the acquired advertisement on the display within an invitation period during which a called party is being invited to answer an incoming call because of the terminal device transmitting information to make the call; and prevent, based on determination that the output mode is a second mode in which the voice is output from the earpiece, the advertisement from being displayed on the display within the invitation period.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The embodiments described below are embodiments in a case where the present invention is applied to a telephone advertisement system for causing a terminal device of a user to present an advertisement when the user makes a call in an IP phone service.

1. First Embodiment

[1-1. Configuration of Information Communication System]

First, the configuration and the function outline of an information communication system S according to the present embodiment will be described with reference toFIG.1.

FIG.1is a view showing an example of a schematic configuration of the information communication system S according to the present embodiment. As shown inFIG.1, the information communication system S includes a telephone advertisement system SA, an online shopping mall server4, and a plurality of user terminals5. The telephone advertisement system SA includes a call control server1, an advertisement distribution server2, and a data management platform (DMP) server3. The call control server1, the advertisement distribution server2, the DMP server3, the online shopping mall server4, and the user terminals5can be connected to a network NW. The network NW includes, for example, the Internet, a dedicated communication line (e.g., a community antenna television (CATV) line), a mobile communication network (including a base station and the like), and a gateway.

The call control server1is a server device that performs call control using a protocol such as a session initiation protocol (SIP). For example, the call control server1registers location information such as an IP address of each of the user terminals5. Upon receiving a call connection request from any of the user terminals5, the call control server1performs a call connection between the user terminal5on the calling side and the user terminal5on the called side. The user on the calling side is referred to as a caller. The user terminal5on the calling side is referred to as a caller terminal5-1. The user on the called side is referred to as a callee. The user terminal5on the called side is referred to as a callee terminal5-2. The call control server1acquires advertisement content indicating an advertisement from the advertisement distribution server2, and transmits this advertisement content to the caller terminal5-1. As a result, the caller terminal5-1displays the advertisement content within the invitation period during which the callee is being invited to answer an incoming call. The invitation period may be a period of time during which the caller terminal5-1should originally make a ring-back tone. That is, the invitation period may be a period of time from when the invitation for the callee terminal5-2is started to when the callee performs an operation of answering the call on the callee terminal5-2. In the present embodiment, an advertisement content corresponding to the attribute of the caller is displayed. However, predetermined advertisement content or randomly determined advertisement content may be displayed regardless of the attribute of the caller.

The advertisement distribution server2is a server device for distributing an advertisement to each of the user terminals5. For example, the advertisement distribution server2acquires advertisement content from the DMP server3. The advertisement distribution server2may generate new advertisement content based on the advertisement content acquired from the DMP server3. The advertisement distribution server2transmits advertisement content to the call control server1.

The DMP server3is a server device that stores thereon and manages various pieces of information regarding a predetermined online shopping mall. For example, the DMP server3may store information regarding a member of the online shopping mall. The DMP server3may store information regarding an advertisement of a store opened in the online shopping mall. The DMP server3selects the advertisement content to be transmitted to the advertisement distribution server2based on information regarding the member and information regarding the advertisement. The information stored in the DMP server3is not limited to information regarding the online shopping mall. For example, the DMP server3may store information regarding an online shopping site other than the online shopping mall, a flea market site, an electronic book sales site, a hotel reservation site, a beauty salon reservation site, a golf course reservation site, a delivery reservation site, and the like.

The online shopping mall server4is a server device that executes processing regarding an online shopping mall in which an advertiser in the telephone advertisement system SA opens a store. For example, the online shopping mall server4transmits a web page in the online shopping mall in response to a request from each of the user terminals5. The online shopping mall server4executes processing regarding the sale of an item for sale in the online shopping mall. The DMP server3may be incorporated in the online shopping mall server4.

Each of the user terminals5is a portable terminal device possessed by a user who is a member of an IP telephone service provided by the call control server1. Each of the user terminals5has a telephone function. Normally, each of the user terminals5includes a microphone and an earpiece. A dedicated application for using the IP telephone service may be installed in each of the user terminals5. Examples of the user terminals5include a portable information terminal such as a smartphone and a tablet computer, a mobile phone, and a personal digital assistant (PDA). Note that the IP telephone service may be available using a stationary terminal device such as a personal computer or a set-top box.

[1-2. Configuration of Each Device]

[1-2-1. Configuration of Call Control Server]

Next, the configuration of the call control server1will be described with reference toFIG.2.FIG.2is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of the call control server1according to an embodiment. As shown inFIG.2, the call control server1includes a system controller11, a system bus12, an input/output interface13, a storage unit14, and a communication unit15. The system controller11and the input/output interface13are connected via the system bus12.

The system controller11includes a central processing unit (CPU)11a, a read only memory (ROM)11b, and random access memory (RAM)11c.

The input/output interface13performs interface processing between the storage unit14and the communication unit15, and the system controller11.

The storage unit14includes, for example, a hard disk drive. The storage unit14stores thereon various programs such as an operating system, a database management system (DBMS), and a call control server program. The call control server program is a program that causes the system controller11to execute processing regarding call control and processing regarding provision of an advertisement. For example, the call control server program may be acquired from another device via the network NW, or may be recorded on a recording medium such as a magnetic tape, an optical disk, or a memory card and read via a drive device.

The communication unit15includes, for example, a network adapter. The communication unit15is connected to the advertisement distribution server2, the user terminals5, and the like via the network NW, and controls a communication state with these devices.

[1-2-2. Configuration of Advertisement Distribution Server]

Next, the configuration of the advertisement distribution server2will be described with reference toFIGS.3and4.FIG.3is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of the advertisement distribution server2according to the present embodiment. As shown inFIG.3, the advertisement distribution server2includes a system controller21, a system bus22, an input/output interface23, a storage unit24, and a communication unit25. The system controller21and the input/output interface23are connected via the system bus22.

The system controller21includes a CPU21a, a ROM21b, and a RAM21c.

The input/output interface23performs interface processing between the storage unit24and the communication unit25, and the system controller21.

The storage unit24includes, for example, a hard disk drive. The storage unit24stores thereon a database such as an identification information DB24a. “DB” is an abbreviation for database.

FIG.4is a view showing an example of information stored in a database in the advertisement distribution server2. The identification information DB24ais a database that indicates information for identifying a user in the IP phone service and information for identifying the user in the online shopping mall in association with each other. For example, the identification information DB24astores thereon a terminal ID and a user ID in association with each other for each user. The terminal ID is identification information for identifying the user terminal5used by the user in the IP telephone service. Examples of the terminals ID include a uniform resource identifier (URI), a telephone number, and a media control access (MAC) address. The user ID is information for identifying a user in the online shopping mall.

The storage unit24further stores thereon a various programs such as an operating system, a DBMS, and an advertisement distribution server program. The advertisement distribution server program is a program that causes the system controller21to execute various processing regarding advertisement distribution. For example, the advertisement distribution server program may be acquired from another device via the network NW, or may be recorded on a recording medium such as a magnetic tape, an optical disk, or a memory card and read via a drive device.

The communication unit25includes, for example, a network adapter. The communication unit25is connected to the call control server1and the DMP server3via the network NW, and controls a communication state with these devices.

[1-2-3. Configuration of DMP Server]

Next, the configuration of the DMP server3will be described with reference toFIGS.5and6.FIG.5is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of the DMP server3according to the present embodiment. As shown inFIG.5, the DMP server3includes a system controller31, a system bus32, an input/output interface33, a storage unit34, and a communication unit35. The system controller31and the input/output interface33are connected via the system bus32.

The system controller31includes a CPU31a, a ROM31b, and a RAM31c.

The input/output interface33performs interface processing between the storage unit34and the communication unit35, and the system controller31.

The storage unit34includes, for example, a hard disk drive. The storage unit34stores thereon a database such as a member attribute DB34aand an advertisement DB34b.

FIG.6is a view showing an example of information stored in a database in the DMP server3. The member attribute DB34astores thereon, for each user, information regarding an attribute of a user who can use the online shopping mall. For example, the member attribute DB34astores a user ID, a telephone number, user attribute information, and the like in association with one another. The telephone number is a telephone number of the user indicated by the user ID. The telephone number may be a telephone number allocated by the IP telephone service provided by the call control server1or may be a telephone number allocated by another telephone service (e.g., another IP telephone service, a public switched network, a mobile communication service, or the like). The user attribute information is information indicating at least one attribute of the user indicated by the user ID. Examples of the attribute of the user include a birth year, a gender, an address, an occupation, a membership rank in an online shopping mall, an interest, and a behavior tendency. For example, the user may register the attribute as the membership information when or after the user becomes a member of the online shopping mall. Furthermore, the user may register the attribute in a form of answering a questionnaire, for example. Alternatively, the DMP server3or the online shopping mall server4may identify the interest or the behavior tendency of the user based on the behavior of the user in the online shopping mall. For example, the DMP server3or the online shopping mall server4stores a history of behavior of each user in the online shopping mall. Examples of the stored history include a sale item purchase history and web page browse history. Based on such a history, it is possible to identify various attributes such as a category of a user's favorite sale item, a user's favorite store, a purchase frequency of an item for sale in a specific category, an item for sale that the user has purchased or an item for sale that the user has not purchased, a use frequency of an online shopping mall, and a tendency of an amount of money used for purchasing an item for sale. For example, the DMP server3may periodically update the user attribute information with reference to the history of the behavior in the online shopping mall. The user attribute information may include information indicating the user's situation. Examples of the user's situation include a current location of the user. For example, if the user terminal5has a positioning function using a global positioning satellite (GPS) or the like, the current location of the user can be acquired. Each of the user terminals5may periodically measure the current location of the user terminal5, and transmit the location information indicating the measured current location to the DMP server3. The DMP server3may include at least the latest location information in the user attribute information for each of the users. In the user attribute information, a value indicating each attribute may be associated with information for identifying an attribute name or an item name (e.g., “gender”, “age”, and the like) corresponding to the attribute.

In the advertisement DB34b, information regarding the advertisement distributed in the information communication system S is stored for each item for sale to be advertised, for example. For example, information such as an advertiser ID, an advertisement ID, advertisement content, an advertisement cost, a linked URL, and target condition information is stored in the advertisement DB34bin association with one another. The advertiser ID is identification information for identifying a store that is an advertiser. The advertisement ID is identification information for identifying an advertisement. The advertisement content is data indicating an advertisement. The advertisement content can be displayed. For example, the advertisement content may be video data, still image data, or text data. Examples of video data formats include MPEG2-TS, MP4, and Flash Video (FLV). The video data may include or may not include sounds. Examples of still image data formats include Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) and Graphics Interchange Format (GIF). Alternatively, the advertisement content may be a combination of at least two of video data, still image data, and text data. For example, the advertiser may be able to select, as the advertisement content, any of the contents registered in the online shopping mall by the advertiser. For example, the advertisement content may be the same as the image data of the thumbnail displayed on the web page listing the items for sale of the online shopping mall. Alternatively, the advertisement content may be the same as data of a video or a still image appears in a sale item page, which is a web page displaying details of item for sale to be advertised. The advertisement content may include the linked URL. The advertisement cost is an advertising rate paid by the advertiser based on distribution of an advertisement. Examples of the advertisement cost include cost per mille (CPM) and cost per click (CPC). The linked URL is a URL of a sale item page of an item for sale to be advertised. The target condition information indicates a target condition of a user to whom the advertisement is presented. That is, the target condition information indicates what condition is satisfied by users to whom the advertisement is to be presented. Specifically, the target condition information indicates an attribute of the user to whom it is presented. For example, the same type of attribute as the type of attribute that can be indicated by the user attribute information stored in the member attribute DB34amay be designated as the target condition. The advertisement content, the advertisement cost, the linked URL, and the target condition information can be designated by the advertiser.

The storage unit34further stores various programs such as an operating system, a DBMS, and a DMP server program. The DMP server program is a program that causes the system controller31to execute various processing regarding management of the user attribute and the like and advertisement selection. For example, the DMP server program may be acquired from another device via the network NW, or may be recorded on a recording medium such as a magnetic tape, an optical disk, or a memory card and read via a drive device.

The communication unit35includes, for example, a network adapter. The communication unit35is connected to the advertisement distribution server2and the online shopping mall server4via the network NW, and controls a communication state with these devices.

[1-2-4. Configuration of User Terminal]

Next, the configuration of the user terminal5will be described with reference toFIG.7.FIG.7is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of the user terminal5according to the present embodiment. As shown inFIG.7, the user terminal5includes a system controller51, a system bus52, an input/output interface53, a storage unit54, a communication unit55, a near-field wireless communication unit56, a display unit57, an input unit58, a microphone59, an earpiece60, a speaker61, and a connector62. The system controller51and the input/output interface53are connected via the system bus52.

The system controller51includes a CPU55a, a ROM55b, and a RAM55c.

The input/output interface53performs interface processing between the storage unit54, the communication unit55, the near-field wireless communication unit56, the display unit57, the input unit58, the microphone59, the earpiece60, the speaker61, and the earphone jack61, and the system controller51.

The storage unit54includes, for example, a flash memory or a hard disk drive. The storage unit54stores various programs such as an operating system, a web browser, and a dedicated application for IP phone. The dedicated application is a program that causes the system controller51to execute processing regarding an IP phone and processing regarding presentation of an advertisement. For example, the dedicated application may be acquired from another device via the network NW, or may be recorded in a recording medium such as a memory card and read via a drive device.

The communication unit55is connected to the network NW via a mobile communication network, a wireless local area network (LAN), or the like. The communication unit55includes, for example, a network adapter and an antenna. The communication unit55is connected to the call control server1, the online shopping mall server4, and the like via the network NW, and controls a communication state with these devices.

The near-field wireless communication unit56has a near-field wireless communication function for performing wireless communication with another device within a relatively short distance from the user terminal5. The near-field wireless communication unit56includes, for example, a network adapter and an antenna. The standard of the near-field wireless communication may be, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark) or the like.

The display unit57displays information such as an image and character based on control by the system controller51. Examples of the display unit57include a liquid crystal display and an organic EL display.

The input unit58receives an operation by the user and outputs a signal corresponding to the operation content to the system controller21. Examples of the input unit58include a button, a switch, and a touchscreen.

The microphone59converts a sound such as a user's sound into a sound signal. The microphone59outputs this sound signal to, for example, the system controller51. The microphone59is generally disposed below the screen of the display unit57on the user terminal5.

The earpiece60is a speaker for outputting mainly voices of a person on the other end of the line with whom the user of the user terminal5speaks on the phone. The earpiece60is generally disposed above the screen of the display unit57on the user terminal5.

The speaker61is a speaker for outputting mainly a sound (e.g., music, sound of a video, a ringtone, and the like) other than the voice of the person on the other end of the line. The speaker61is generally disposed below the screen of the display unit57on the user terminal5.

The connector62is a terminal to which a plug of an earphone6is connected. Examples of the connector62include an earphone jack and a universal serial bus (USB) connector.

Telephone voice output modes indicating a mode of outputting the voice of the person on the other end of the line during a phone call include a normal mode, an earphone mode, and a speaker mode. The normal mode is a mode in which the voice of the person on the other end of the line is output from the earpiece60.

The earphone mode is a mode in which the voice of the person on the other end of the line is output from the earphone6. The earphone6is a device that converts an electric signal into a sound wave by sound output parts such as a speaker inserted into an ear, applied to the ear, or brought close to the ear, for example. Examples of the earphone6include a headphone, a headset, and an earset in addition to the earphone itself. The earphone6may be a wired earphone or a wireless earphone. When the earphone6is connected to the user terminal5, the telephone voice output mode becomes the earphone mode. For example, if the earphone6is a wired earphone, the earphone6and the user terminal5may be connected by connecting the plug of the earphone6to the connector62. The user terminal5transmits a sound signal to the earphone6via the connector62. Alternatively, if the earphone6is a wireless earphone, the earphone6and the user terminal5may be connected by establishing wireless connection between the earphone6and the near-field wireless communication unit56. The user terminal5transmits a sound signal from the near-field wireless communication unit56to the earphone6. Note that the user terminal5may include only one of the near-field wireless communication unit56and the connector62.

The speaker mode is a mode in which the voice of the person on the other end of the line is output from the speaker61. The maximum volume that can be set by the user when the voice of the person on the other end of the line is output from the speaker61in the speaker mode is larger than the maximum volume that can be set by the user when the voice of the person on the other end of the line is output from the earpiece60in the normal mode. That is, the maximum value of the amplification degree of the sound in the speaker mode is larger than the maximum value of the amplification degree of the sound in the normal mode. Therefore, when in the speaker mode, even if the user holds the user terminal5at a position relatively away from the user's ear, the user can hear the voice of the person on the other end of the line. The user can change the volume of the voice of the person on the other end of the line during the call. The maximum value of the changeable volume varies depending on the telephone voice output mode. In the speaker mode, the user terminal5may output sounds from both the earpiece60and the speaker61.

It is conceivable that not the earphone6but an external speaker is connected to the user terminal5. That is, a plug of the external speaker is connected to the connector62, or an external wireless speaker is wirelessly connected to the near-field wireless communication unit56. In this case, the user terminal5may determine the telephone voice output mode to be any of the earphone mode and the speaker mode.

[1-3. Function Outline of System Controller]

Next, a functional outline of the system controller11of the call control server1will be described with reference toFIG.8.FIG.8is a view showing an example of the functional block of the system controller11of the call control server1according to the present embodiment. By the CPU11areading and executing various program codes included in the call control server program, the system controller11functions as a terminal ID acquisition unit111, an advertisement content acquisition unit112, an advertisement content transmission unit113, and the like as shown inFIG.8.

A terminal ID acquisition unit111acquires a terminal ID indicating a caller in response to receiving, from a caller terminal5-1of the caller, a telephone talk request from the caller to the callee. For example, the caller terminal5-1may transmit a telephone talk request including the terminal ID of the caller to the call control server1. Alternatively, the call control server1may acquire the terminal ID of the caller by transmitting the IP address of the caller terminal5-1to a predetermined location server that stores the IP address of each user terminal5and the terminal ID in association with each other.

Based on the terminal ID acquired by the terminal ID acquisition unit111, the advertisement content acquisition unit112acquires advertisement content associated with the target condition corresponding to the attribute of the caller among the plurality of pieces of the advertisement content associated with target conditions of a person to whom the advertisement is presented. For example, the advertisement content acquisition unit112transmits the terminal ID acquired by the terminal ID acquisition unit111to the advertisement distribution server2. The advertisement content acquisition unit112acquires the advertisement content transmitted from the advertisement distribution server2accordingly.

The advertisement content transmission unit113transmits the advertisement content acquired by the advertisement content acquisition unit112to the caller terminal5-1to cause the caller terminal5-1to display the advertisement content within an invitation period during which the callee is being invited to answer an incoming call.

Next, a functional outline of the system controller21of the advertisement distribution server2will be described with reference toFIG.9.FIG.9is a view showing an example of a functional block of the system controller21of the advertisement distribution server2according to the present embodiment. By the CPU21areading and executing various program codes included in the advertisement distribution server program, the system controller21functions as a user ID acquisition unit211, an advertisement content acquisition unit212, an advertisement content transmission unit213, and the like as shown inFIG.9.

The user ID acquisition unit211acquires a user ID indicating a caller in response to transmission, from the caller terminal5-1, of the telephone talk request from the caller to the callee. For example, the user ID acquisition unit211acquires the terminal ID of the caller transmitted from the call control server1. The user ID acquisition unit211acquires the user ID stored in the identification information DB24ain association with the acquired terminal ID.

Based on the user ID acquired by the user ID acquisition unit211, the advertisement content acquisition unit212acquires the advertisement content associated with the target condition corresponding to the attribute of the caller among the plurality of pieces of the advertisement content associated with the target conditions of a person to whom the advertisement is presented. For example, the advertisement content acquisition unit212transmits the acquired user ID to the DMP server3. The advertisement content acquisition unit212acquires the advertisement content transmitted from the DMP server3accordingly.

The advertisement content transmission unit213transmits, to the call control server1, the advertisement content acquired by the advertisement content acquisition unit212.

Next, a functional outline of the system controller31of the DMP server3will be described with reference toFIG.10.FIG.10is a view showing an example of a functional block of the system controller31of the DMP server3according to the present embodiment. By the CPU31areading and executing various program codes included in the DMP server program, the system controller31functions as a user ID acquisition unit311, an advertisement content selection unit312, an advertisement content transmission unit313, and the like as shown inFIG.10.

The user ID acquisition unit311acquires the user ID of a caller transmitted from the advertisement distribution server2in response to transmission, from the caller terminal5-1, of a telephone talk request from the caller to the callee.

The advertisement content selection unit312selects advertisement content associated with a target condition corresponding to the attribute of the caller indicated by the user ID acquired by the user ID acquisition unit311from among a plurality of pieces of advertisement content stored in the advertisement DB34b. The correspondence between the attribute of the caller and the target condition may mean that the attribute of the caller and the attribute of the user to whom the advertisement is presented are the same or similar to each other. The attribute of the user to whom the advertisement is presented is indicated by the target condition. For example, the target condition corresponding to the attribute of the caller may be a target condition in which a similarity degree between the attribute of the caller and the attribute of the user to whom the advertisement is presented is the highest, a target condition in which the similarity degree is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, or a target condition in which the similarity degree is relatively high. The similarity degree may be a ratio of attributes that are the same or similar between the caller and the user to whom the advertisement is presented, among attributes of the caller and attributes of the user to whom the advertisement is presented. The advertisement content selection unit312may calculate the similarity degree of the attributes for each advertisement content based on the user attribute information stored in the member attribute DB34ain association with the acquired user ID and the target condition information of the respective advertisement stored in the advertisement DB34b. The advertisement content selection unit312may select the advertisement content having the highest similarity degree of the attributes. The advertisement content selection unit312may select the advertisement content based on the similarity degree of the attributes and the advertisement cost. For example, the advertisement content selection unit312may calculate the score by using a calculation formula with the similarity degree of the attributes and the advertisement cost as variables. At this time, the higher the similarity degree of the attributes is, the higher the score may be calculated by the advertisement content selection unit312. The higher the advertisement cost, the higher the score may be calculated by the advertisement content selection unit312. Then, the advertisement content selection unit312may select the advertisement content for which the highest score is calculated. Alternatively, the advertisement content selection unit312may first extract the advertisement content having the similarity degree of the attribute that is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. Next, the advertisement content selection unit312may select the advertisement content having the highest advertisement cost from the extracted advertisement contents.

The advertisement content transmission unit313transmits the advertisement content selected by the advertisement content selection unit312to the advertisement distribution server2.

Next, a functional outline of the system controller51of the user terminal5will be described with reference toFIG.11.FIG.11is a view showing an example of a functional block of the system controller51of the user terminal5according to the present embodiment. By the CPU51areading and executing various program codes included in the dedicated application, the system controller51functions as an advertisement content acquisition unit511, an advertisement content presentation control unit512, and the like as shown inFIG.11.

The advertisement content acquisition unit511acquires the displayable advertisement content transmitted from the call control server1in response to transmitting the telephone talk request to the call control server1based on a user operation.

The advertisement content presentation control unit512displays an advertisement content on a display unit57within an invitation period during which the called party is being invited to answer an incoming call in a case where the telephone voice output mode is a mode in which the voice of the person on the other end of the line is output from an output device different from the earpiece60, and prevents the advertisement content from being displayed on the display unit57within the invitation period in a case where the telephone voice output mode is a normal mode in which the voice of the person on the other end of the line is output from the earpiece60. The output device different from the earpiece60may be, for example, an earphone6or a speaker61. Therefore, the telephone voice output mode recognized as the mode of outputting the voice of the person on the other end of the line from the output device different from the earpiece60may be only the earphone mode or only the speaker mode. Alternatively, the telephone voice output mode recognized as the mode of outputting the voice of the person on the other end of the line from the output device different from the earpiece60may be both the earphone mode and the speaker mode.

The advertisement content presentation control unit512may determine whether or not the telephone voice output mode is the earphone mode based on, for example, whether or not the plug of the earphone6is connected to a connector62. For example, the connector62may include a switch for detecting connection of the plug of the earphone6. When the plug is connected to the connector62, the switch is turned on. When the plug is not connected to the connector62, the switch is turned off. The advertisement content presentation control unit512may determine whether or not the plug of the earphone6is connected to the connector62by monitoring the state of the switch. Alternatively, the voltage applied to a predetermined signal line among the signal lines connected to the connector62may change depending on the connection state of the plug of the earphone6. For example, when the plug of the earphone6is connected to the connector62, the voltage of the predetermined signal line becomes a predetermined voltage higher than 0. When the plug of the earphone6is not connected to the connector62, the voltage of the predetermined signal line becomes 0. The advertisement content presentation control unit512may determine whether or not the plug of the earphone6is connected to the connector62by monitoring this voltage. Furthermore, the advertisement content presentation control unit512may determine whether or not the telephone voice output mode is the earphone mode based on whether or not the earphone6and a near-field wireless communication unit56are wirelessly connected. For example, the earphone6and the near-field wireless communication unit56perform communication according to a predetermined protocol or profile for sound transmission (for example, advanced sound distribution profile (A2DP)). Therefore, the advertisement content presentation control unit512may determine whether or not the device is the earphone6by determining whether or not any device and the near-field wireless communication unit56are wirelessly connected and determining whether or not the device and the near-field wireless communication unit56are connected by a predetermined protocol or profile. Furthermore, the advertisement content presentation control unit512may determine whether or not the telephone voice output mode is the speaker mode based on whether or not a button for setting the speaker mode displayed on the screen of the user terminal5is pressed by the caller.

When the caller makes a call, it is probable that the caller puts his/her ear close to the caller terminal5-1during the invitation period in order to check whether or not the callee has answered the call with a ring-back tone or to prepare to listen to a voice of the callee. Therefore, even if advertisement content is displayed on the screen of the caller terminal5-1in this situation, there is a probability that the user does not view the advertisement content. If the advertisement content is displayed every time even though the user does not view the advertisement content, the effect and efficiency of the advertisement are low. In addition, for example, in a case where an advertising rate is paid by CPM, the cost effectiveness of the advertisement is reduced for the advertiser.

In contrast, under the control of the advertisement content presentation control unit512, the advertisement content is displayed only when the telephone voice output mode is the earphone mode or the speaker mode. In the earphone mode, the ring-back tone and the voice of the person on the other end of the line are output from the earphone. In the speaker mode, the ring-back tone and the voice of the person on the other end of the line are output from the speaker61. Therefore, the caller can hear the ring-back tone and the voice of the person on the other end of the line without bringing his/her ear close to the caller terminal5-1. Therefore, during invitation period, the caller may be able to view the advertisement displayed on the screen of the caller terminal5-1. On the other hand, in the normal mode, the advertisement content is not displayed. Therefore, advertisement efficiency can be enhanced.

When the advertisement content includes advertisement video content with sound, the advertisement content presentation control unit512may cause the sound included in the video to be output from the earphone6or the speaker61according to the telephone voice output mode. At this time, the voice of the advertisement may be output instead of or together with the ring-back tone. When the advertisement content is advertisement video content without sound, the advertisement content presentation control unit512may display the advertisement content and output a ring-back tone.

[1-4. Operation of Information Communication System]

Next, the operation of the information communication system S will be described with reference toFIG.12.

FIG.12is a sequence diagram showing an operation example of the information communication system S. The caller operates the caller terminal5-1to activate the dedicated application. The caller then enters the telephone number of the callee or selects the callee. In response to this, as shown inFIG.12, the caller terminal5-1transmits an INVITE message including the telephone number of the callee to the call control server1as a telephone talk request (step S1). The terminal ID acquisition unit111of the call control server1acquires the terminal ID indicating the caller in response to receiving the INVITE message from the caller terminal5-1. The advertisement content acquisition unit112transmits the terminal ID of the caller to the advertisement distribution server2(step S2). The call control server1transmits an INVITE message to the callee terminal5-2(step S3). In response to this, the callee terminal5-2transmits a Ringing message to the call control server1(step S4), and causes the speaker61to output the ringtone or generates vibration indicating an incoming call.

The user ID acquisition unit211of the advertisement distribution server2having received the terminal ID of the caller from the call control server1acquires the user ID stored in the identification information DB24ain association with the terminal ID of the caller. Then, the advertisement content acquisition unit212transmits the acquired user ID to the DMP server3(step S5).

The advertisement content selection unit312of the DMP server3having received the user ID from the advertisement distribution server2selects the advertisement content based on the user ID (step S6). For example, the advertisement content selection unit312acquires the user attribute information stored in the member attribute DB34ain association with the user ID. Based on the user attribute information and the target condition information stored in the advertisement DB34b, the advertisement content selection unit312calculates, for each advertisement content, a similarity degree between the attribute of the caller and the attribute of the user to whom the advertisement is presented. The advertisement distribution server2selects advertisement content from the advertisement DB34bbased on the calculated similarity degree (step S6). The advertisement content transmission unit313transmits the selected advertisement content to the advertisement distribution server2(step S7).

The advertisement content transmission unit213of the advertisement distribution server2having received the advertisement content from the DMP server3transmits the advertisement content to the call control server1(step S8). The advertisement content transmission unit113of the call control server1having received the advertisement content from the advertisement distribution server2transmits the advertisement content to the caller terminal5-1(step S9).

The advertisement content presentation control unit512of the caller terminal5-1having received the advertisement sound content from the call control server1determines whether or not the telephone voice output mode is the earphone mode or the speaker mode (step S10). If the telephone voice output mode is neither the earphone mode nor the speaker mode (step S10: NO), the advertisement content presentation control unit512does not play the advertisement content and outputs a ring-back tone. On the other hand, if the telephone voice output mode is either the earphone mode or the speaker mode (step S10: YES), the advertisement content presentation control unit512displays the advertisement content on the display unit57(step S11).

When the caller selects an advertisement content displayed on the screen, the advertisement content presentation control unit512may start the web browser. Then, the advertisement content presentation control unit512may acquire a sale item page of the advertised item for sale from an online shopping mall server4according to the linked URL embedded in the advertisement content, and cause the display unit57to display the sale item page.

When the callee performs, with the callee terminal5-2, an operation of answering the phone from the caller, the callee terminal5-2transmits an OK message to the call control server1(step S12). The call control server1having received the OK message transmits an OK message to the caller terminal5-1(step S13). The advertisement content presentation control unit512of the caller terminal5-1having received the OK message stops display of the advertisement content and transmits an ACK message to the callee terminal5-2(step S14). Then, the caller terminal5-1and the callee terminal5-2are connected for a call (step S15).

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the user terminal5acquires a displayable advertisement. If the telephone voice output mode is a mode in which a voice is output from an output device different from the earpiece60, the user terminal5displays the acquired advertisement on the display unit57within an invitation period during which the called party is being invited to answer an incoming call because of the user terminal5transmitting information to make the call. If the telephone voice output mode is a mode in which the voice is output from the earpiece60, the user terminal5prevents the advertisement from being displayed on the display unit57within the invitation period.

Therefore, in the mode in which the voice of the person on the other end of the line is output from the output device different from the earpiece60, the advertisement is displayed within the invitation period. On the other hand, in the mode in which the voice of the person on the other end of the line is output from the earpiece60, the advertisement is not displayed within the invitation period. Since the voice of the person on the other end of the line is output from the output device different from the earpiece60, the user does not need to bring his/her ear close to the earpiece60of the user terminal5. This increases the possibility that the user can view the advertisement displayed on the screen. Therefore, it enables an advertisement to be displayed on a screen of the user terminal5such that advertising efficiency at a time of inviting a called party to answer an incoming call in a situation where a user attempts to make the call with the user terminal5is increased.

Here, the user terminal5may display the acquired advertisement on the display unit57within the invitation period in a case where the user terminal5and the earphone are connected, and may prevent the advertisement from being displayed on the display unit57within the invitation period in a case where the user terminal5and the earphone are not connected.

In this case, if the user terminal5and the earphone are connected, the advertisement is displayed. On the other hand, if the user terminal5and the earphone are not connected, the advertisement is not displayed. When the user terminal5and the earphone are connected, the voice of the person on the other end of the line is output from the earphone, and hence the user does not need to bring his/her ear close to the user terminal5. This increases the possibility that the user can view the advertisement displayed on the screen. Therefore, it enables an advertisement to be displayed on a screen of the user terminal5such that advertising efficiency at a time of inviting a called party to answer an incoming call in a situation where a user attempts to make the call with the user terminal5is increased.

Furthermore, the output device may include the speaker61for which the maximum volume that can be set when outputting the voice of the person on the other end of the line from it is larger than the maximum volume that can be set when outputting the voice from the earpiece60.

In this case, the advertisement is displayed when the voice of the person on the other end of the line is output from the speaker for which the maximum volume that can be set when outputting the voice of the person on the other end of the line from it is larger than the maximum volume that can be set when outputting the voice of the person on the other end of the line from the earpiece60. In this case, even if the user separates his/her ear from the user terminal5to some extent, the user can listen to the voice of the person on the other end of the line. Therefore, it enables an advertisement to be displayed on a screen of the user terminal5such that advertising efficiency at a time of inviting a called party to answer an incoming call in a situation where a user attempts to make the call with the user terminal5is increased.

In addition, the user terminal5may acquire an advertisement corresponding to the attribute of the caller.

Furthermore, the user terminal5may acquire a video with sound as the advertisement. In a case where the telephone voice output mode is a mode in which the voice of the person on the other end of the line is output by the output device, the user terminal5may display acquired video on the display unit57within the invitation period and cause the output device to output the sound included in the video.

In this case, when the video of the advertisement is displayed, it is possible to cause the caller to hear the sound included in the video instead of or together with the ring-back tone.

2. Second Embodiment

Next, the second embodiment will be described with reference toFIG.13. The second embodiment may be the same as the first embodiment except for the points described below. In the present embodiment, advertisement content corresponding to the attribute of the callee is presented.

Specifically, the terminal ID acquisition unit111of the call control server1acquires a terminal ID indicating a callee in response to receiving, from the caller terminal5-1of the caller, the telephone talk request from the caller to the callee. For example, the terminal ID acquisition unit111acquires a terminal ID associated with the phone number of the callee transmitted from the caller terminal5-1. For example, the terminal ID acquisition unit111may acquire the URI of the callee as the terminal ID by transmitting the telephone number of the callee to a predetermined domain name system (DNS) that stores the telephone number and the terminal ID of the user terminal5in association with each other for each user.

The callee is not necessarily a member of the telephone service provided by the call control server1. For example, there is a case where the phone number of the callee input by the caller is a phone number assigned by a phone service (for example, another IP telephone service, a public switched network, a mobile communication service, or the like) different from the phone service provided by the call control server1. In this case, the terminal ID acquisition unit111may acquire, as the terminal ID, the phone number of the callee transmitted from the caller terminal5-1. Note that, in a case where the callee is not a member of the telephone service provided by the call control server1, call connection between the caller terminal5-1and the terminal device of the callee is performed via a predetermined gateway server, for example.

A user ID acquisition unit211of the advertisement distribution server2acquires a user ID indicating the callee in response to transmission, from the caller terminal5-1, of the telephone talk request from the caller to the callee. For example, the user ID acquisition unit211acquires the terminal ID of the callee transmitted from the call control server1. The user ID acquisition unit211acquires the user ID stored in the identification information DB24ain association with the acquired terminal ID.

When the callee is not a member of the telephone service provided by the call control server1, the telephone number of the callee is transmitted from the call control server1. At this time, the user ID of the callee cannot be acquired. In this case, the advertisement content acquisition unit212transmits the phone number of the callee to the DMP server3.

A user ID acquisition unit311of the DMP server3acquires the user ID of the callee transmitted from the advertisement distribution server2in response to the transmission, from the caller terminal5-1, of the telephone talk request from the caller to the callee.

The advertisement content selection unit312selects advertisement content associated with a target condition corresponding to the attribute of the callee indicated by the user ID acquired by the user ID acquisition unit311from among a plurality of pieces of advertisement content stored in the advertisement DB34b. The method for selecting the advertisement content may be the same as that in the first embodiment except that the target user is a callee.

If the callee is not a member of the telephone service provided by the call control server1, the telephone number of the callee is transmitted from the advertisement distribution server2. In this case, the advertisement content selection unit312searches a member attribute DB34afor the phone number matching the phone number of the callee. If there is a phone number that matches the phone number of the callee, the advertisement content selection unit312uses the user attribute information associated with the phone number. Among users who are not members of the telephone service provided by the call control server1, users who are members of the online shopping mall exist. By using the telephone number, it is possible to identify the attribute of the user who is not a member of the telephone service provided by the call control server1.

In this way, the content acquisition unit511of the user terminal5acquires the advertisement content corresponding to the attribute of the callee, who is the called party. Therefore, an advertisement corresponding to the attribute of the callee is presented to the caller. It is presumed that the caller and the callee are in a relationship in which they talk together. Thus, there may be some commonality between the caller and the callee. For example, the caller and the callee possibly have a common preference or interest. There is a possibility that such a common attribute has not been able to be identified from the past behavior by the caller or the situation of the caller in the websites such as online shopping malls. The attribute that has not been able to be identified from the behavior or situation may be an attribute that the caller himself/herself has not noticed. By presenting such an advertisement corresponding to the attribute of the caller that has not been able to be identified so far, it is possible to make the caller feel surprised and notice the potential attribute of the caller. Therefore, it is considered that the effect of the advertisement is enhanced.

FIG.13is a sequence diagram showing an operation example of the information communication system S. InFIG.13, the same steps as those inFIG.12are denoted by the same reference numerals. As shown inFIG.13, the terminal ID acquisition unit111of the call control server1acquires the terminal ID of the callee in response to receiving the INVITE message from the caller terminal5-1. Then, the advertisement content acquisition unit112transmits the terminal ID of the callee to the advertisement distribution server2(step S101). Steps S3and S4are executed between the call control server1and a callee terminal5-2.

The user ID acquisition unit211of the advertisement distribution server2having received the terminal ID from the call control server1acquires the user ID of the callee from the identification information DB24a. Then, the advertisement content acquisition unit212transmits the user ID of the callee to the DMP server3(Step S102).

The advertisement content selection unit312of the DMP server3having received the user ID from the advertisement distribution server2acquires the user attribute information of the callee from the member attribute DB34a. Then, the advertisement content selection unit312acquires, from the advertisement DB34b, the advertisement content associated with the target condition corresponding to the attribute of the callee based on the acquired user attribute information (step S103). Thereafter, similarly toFIG.12, steps S7to S15are executed.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the user terminal5acquires an advertisement corresponding to the attribute of the callee, who is a user as the called party.

Therefore, the advertisement corresponding to the attribute of the callee is presented corresponds to the attribute of the callee is presented to the caller within the invitation period during which the callee is being invited to answer an incoming call. Since the caller is attempting to make a call for the callee, it is presumed that the caller and the callee are in a relationship in which they talk together. Therefore, there may be some common attribute between the caller and the callee. The common attribute may be an attribute that has not been able to be identified from the behavior of the caller himself/herself or the situation surrounding the caller. Therefore, it is expected that the effect of the advertisement is enhanced by presenting the advertisement corresponding to the attribute of the callee to the caller. Therefore, it is possible to display an advertisement corresponding to an attribute of a user, which has been difficult to identify so far, at the time of inviting when the user attempts to make a call.

Next, the third embodiment will be described with reference toFIGS.14and15. The third embodiment may be the same as the first embodiment or the second embodiment except for the points described below. In the present embodiment, an advertisement content based on both the attribute of the callee and the attribute of the caller is presented.

Specifically, the terminal ID acquisition unit111of the call control server1acquires a terminal ID indicating a callee and a terminal ID indicating a caller.

The advertisement content acquisition unit112transmits, to the advertisement distribution server2, the terminal ID of each of the callee and the caller acquired by the terminal ID acquisition unit111.

The user ID acquisition unit211of the advertisement distribution server2acquires the user ID associated with the terminal ID indicating the callee acquired from the call control server1, and acquires the user ID associated with the terminal ID indicating the caller acquired from the call control server1.

The advertisement content acquisition unit212transmits the user ID of each of the callee and the caller to the DMP server3.

The user ID acquisition unit311of the DMP server3acquires the user ID of each of the callee and the caller transmitted from the advertisement distribution server2.

The advertisement content selection unit312selects advertisement content associated with a target condition corresponding to an attribute not having an exclusive relationship with the attribute of the caller indicated by the user ID acquired by the user ID acquisition unit311among the attributes of the callee indicated by the user ID acquired by the user ID acquisition unit311. The attributes in an exclusive relationship refers to a relationship between a first attribute and another second attribute in which the same person cannot have the first attribute and the second attribute at the same time. The attributes not in an exclusive relationship refers to a relationship between a first attribute and another second attribute in which the same person can have the first attribute and the second attribute at the same time.FIG.14is a view showing an example of determining an attribute to be used for selecting advertisement contents. As shown inFIG.14, it is assumed that the callee has attributes of female, in her twenties, soccer fan, pet lover, and membership rank5. Here, the soccer fan may mean, for example, purchasing soccer gears at a frequency equal to or more than a predetermined frequency in an online shopping mall. On the other hand, it is assumed that the caller has attributes of male, in his thirties, baseball fan, pet lover, and membership rank5. Normally, there cannot be a state in which the same person is female and male. There cannot be a state in which the same person is in his/her twenties and thirties. Therefore, the attribute of female and the attribute of male are in an exclusive relationship, and the attribute of twenties and the attribute of thirties are also in an exclusive relationship. There can be a state in which the same person likes soccer and likes baseball. Therefore, these attributes are not in an exclusive relationship. The attributes of pet lover and membership rank5are common between the callee and the caller. Therefore, there is no attribute in an exclusive relationship for each of pet lover and the membership rank5. As a result, the advertisement content selection unit312selects advertisement content associated with the target condition corresponding to the attributes of soccer fan, pet lover, and membership rank5. Thus, the advertisement content acquisition unit212of the advertisement distribution server2and the advertisement content acquisition unit112of the call control server1acquire the advertisement content associated with the target condition corresponding to the attribute not in an exclusive relationship with the attribute of the caller among the attributes of the callee. Note that advertisement content selection unit312may select advertisement content associated with a target condition corresponding to, among the attributes of the callee, an attribute that is not in an exclusive relationship with the attribute of the caller and is not common between the callee and the caller. That is, the advertisement content may be selected based on only the attribute that has not been able to be identified from the previous behavior of the caller or the situation of the caller. With the attributes shown inFIG.14described as an example, advertisement content associated with the target condition corresponding to the attribute of soccer fan is acquired.

FIG.15is a sequence diagram showing an operation example of the information communication system S. InFIG.15, the same steps as those inFIG.12are denoted by the same reference numerals. As shown inFIG.15, the terminal ID acquisition unit111of the call control server1acquires the terminal ID of the callee and the terminal ID of the caller in response to receiving the INVITE message from the caller terminal5-1. Then, the advertisement content acquisition unit112transmits the terminal ID of the callee and the terminal ID of the caller to the advertisement distribution server2(step S201). Steps S3and S4are executed between the call control server1and a callee terminal5-2.

The user ID acquisition unit211of the advertisement distribution server2having received the terminal IDs from the call control server1acquires the user ID of the callee and the user ID of the caller from the identification information DB24a. Then, the advertisement content acquisition unit212transmits the user ID of the callee and the user ID of the caller to the DMP server3(step S202).

The advertisement content selection unit312of the DMP server3having received the user IDs from the advertisement distribution server2acquires the user attribute information of the callee and the user attribute information of the caller from the member attribute DB34a. Then, based on the acquired user attribute information, the advertisement content selection unit312acquires, from the advertisement DB34b, advertisement content associated with a target condition corresponding to an attribute not having an exclusive relationship with the attribute of the caller among the attributes of the callee (step S203). Thereafter, similarly toFIG.12, steps S7to S15are executed.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the user terminal5acquires an advertisement corresponding to an attribute not in an exclusive relationship with the attribute of the caller from among the attributes of the callee.

Therefore, the advertisement corresponding to the attribute of the callee is acquired with excluding the attribute that the caller cannot have. Therefore, it is possible to display an advertisement more suitable for the caller.

Next, the fourth embodiment will be described with reference toFIG.16. The fourth embodiment may be the same as the third embodiment except for the points described below. In the present embodiment, advertisement content according to an attribute common to the callee and the caller is presented. In the present embodiment, advertisement content according to an attribute common to the callee and the caller is presented.

Specifically, the advertisement content selection unit312of the DMP server3selects the advertisement content associated with the target condition corresponding to a part common to the attributes of the callee indicated by the user ID acquired by user ID acquisition unit311and the attributes of the caller indicated by the user ID acquired by user ID acquisition unit311.FIG.16is a view showing an example of determining an attribute to be used for selecting advertisement contents. The attribute of the callee and the attribute of the caller are the same betweenFIGS.16and15. Therefore, the part common to the attribute of the callee and the attribute of the caller is pet lover and membership rank5. Therefore, as shown inFIG.16, the advertisement content selection unit312selects advertisement content associated with the target condition corresponding to the attributes of pet lover and membership rank5. Thus, the advertisement content acquisition unit212of the advertisement distribution server2and the advertisement content acquisition unit112of the call control server1acquire the advertisement content associated with the target condition corresponding to the attribute common to the callee and the caller.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the user terminal5acquires an advertisement corresponding to the attribute common to the callee and the caller.

Therefore, it is possible to display an advertisement more suitable for the caller.

Next, the fifth embodiment will be described with reference toFIGS.17and18. The fifth embodiment may be the same as any of the embodiments described so far except for the points described below. In the present embodiment, the advertisement content is video data. Therefore, the advertiser registers video data as the advertisement content. In addition, the caller terminal5-1acquires an advertisement video content having a length corresponding to the tendency of the time until the callee answers the phone.

FIG.17is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of the call control server1according to an embodiment. InFIG.17, the same elements as those inFIG.2are denoted by the same reference numerals. As shown inFIG.17, a storage unit14of the call control server1stores an invitation time history DB14aand an invitation time tendency DB14b.

FIG.18is a view showing an example of information stored in a database in the call control server1. The invitation time history DB14astores a history of invitation times. The invitation time may be a length of an invitation period. That is, the invitation time may be a time elapsed from when the invitation for the callee terminal5-2is started until the callee performs an operation of answering the phone on the callee terminal5-2. In the invitation time history DB14a, a log of elapsed time may be stored every time a call is made. Specifically, the invitation time history DB14amay store, as a log, information such as a callee terminal ID, an incoming call date and time, and an invitation time in association with each other. The callee terminal ID is a terminal ID of the callee terminal5-2. That is, the callee terminal ID is a terminal ID of the user terminal5of the callee, who is the user to whom the call is made. The incoming call date and time is a date and time when the callee terminal5-2receives an incoming call.

The invitation time tendency DB14bstores, for each user, a tendency of an invitation time at a time when the user is called. For example, the invitation time tendency DB14bstores the callee terminal ID and the invitation time tendency information in association with each other. The time tendency information indicates how long the invitation time is likely, when the user indicated by the callee terminal ID receives the phone call. For example, the call control server1may calculate the tendency of the invitation time for each user based on the history stored in the invitation time history DB14a. For example, the call control server1may calculate a representative value of the invitation time as the tendency of the invitation time. Examples of the representative value include a mean value, a median value, and a predetermined percentile. The call control server1may update the time tendency information regarding the callee every time the callee is called or may periodically update the time tendency information regarding each user.

Based on the terminal ID of the callee acquired by the terminal ID acquisition unit111, the advertisement content acquisition unit112of the call control server1acquires invitation time tendency information indicating the tendency of an invitation time at a time when the callee was called. Specifically, the advertisement content acquisition unit112acquires the invitation time tendency information stored in the invitation time tendency DB14bin association with the terminal ID of the callee. The advertisement content acquisition unit112transmits the invitation time tendency information to the advertisement distribution server2.

The advertisement content acquisition unit212of the advertisement distribution server2transmits, to the DMP server3, the invitation time tendency information acquired from the call control server1.

The advertisement content selection unit312of the DMP server3selects an advertisement content having the length of the time corresponding to the tendency of the invitation time of the callee based on the invitation time tendency information acquired from the advertisement distribution server2. For example, the advertisement content selection unit312may extract an advertisement content having the length equal to or less than an invitation time indicated by the invitation time tendency information. Alternatively, the advertisement content selection unit312may extract an advertisement content in which the difference between the invitation time indicated by the invitation time tendency information and the length of the advertisement content is less than a predetermined value. The advertisement content selection unit312may select any of the extracted pieces of advertisement content as the advertisement content to be transmitted to the advertisement distribution server2.

As in the first to fourth embodiments, in a case where the attribute of at least one of the callee and the caller is used, the advertisement content selection unit312may calculate the similarity degree between the attribute and the attribute indicated by the target condition, in consideration of the difference between the invitation time of the callee indicated as the tendency and the length of the advertisement content. For example, the shorter the difference between the invitation time and the length of the advertisement content is, the higher similarity degree the advertisement content selection unit312may calculate. Therefore, the tendency of the invitation time is treated as one of the attributes of the callee. Alternatively, the advertisement content selection unit312may first extract a plurality of pieces of advertisement content having a length of time corresponding to a tendency of the invitation time, calculate the similarity degree of attributes for each extracted advertisement content, and select the advertisement content having the highest similarity degree.

FIG.19is a sequence diagram showing an operation example of the information communication system S. InFIG.19, the same steps as those inFIG.12are denoted by the same reference numerals. As shown inFIG.19, the terminal ID acquisition unit111of the control server1acquires the terminal ID of the caller and the terminal ID of the callee in response to receiving the INVITE message from the caller terminal5-1(step S1). The advertisement content acquisition unit212acquires the invitation time tendency information stored in the invitation time tendency DB14bin association with the acquired terminal ID of the callee. Then, the advertisement content acquisition unit212transmits the terminal ID of the caller and the invitation time tendency information to the advertisement distribution server2(step S301). Steps S3and S4are executed between the call control server1and a callee terminal5-2. The advertisement content acquisition unit212of the advertisement distribution server2having received the terminal ID of the caller and the invitation time tendency information from the call control server1acquires the user ID of the caller from the identification information DB24a. The advertisement content acquisition unit212transmits the user ID of the caller and the invitation time tendency information to the DMP server3(Step S302). The advertisement content selection unit312of the DMP server3having received the user ID and the invitation time tendency information from the advertisement distribution server2acquires the user attribute information of the caller from the member attribute DB34a. Then, based on the user attribute information and the invitation time tendency information, the advertisement content selection unit312selects, from the advertisement DB34b, an advertisement content having a length of time corresponding to the tendency of the invitation time of the callee from among the advertisement contents associated with the target condition corresponding to the attribute of the caller (step S303). Thereafter, steps S7to S15are executed similarly toFIG.12.

After step S15, the system controller11of the call control server1calculates, as an invitation time, for example, a time from a time point at which the INVITE message is transmitted from the call control server1to the callee terminal5-2to a time point at which the OK message is transmitted from the callee terminal5-2to the call control server1. The system controller11stores the calculated invitation time in the invitation time history DB14ain association with the terminal ID of the callee. The system controller11acquires all the invitation times stored in the invitation time history DB14ain association with the terminal ID of the callee. The system controller11generates invitation time tendency information by calculating a representative value of the acquired invitation time. The system controller11updates the invitation time tendency information stored in the invitation time tendency DB14bin association with the terminal ID of the callee with the generated invitation time tendency information (step S303).

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the user terminal5acquires an advertisement including a video having a length of time corresponding to a tendency of an invitation time at a time when the callee was called.

Therefore, it is possible to increase the possibility that the entire video included in an advertisement can be viewed by the caller during the invitation period.

Next, the sixth embodiment will be described. The sixth embodiment may be the same as any of the embodiments described so far except for the points described below. The information communication system S may include a demand-side platform (DSP) and at least one supply-side platform (SSP). The information communication system S may or may not include the online shopping mall server4. The DMP server3may also serve as a DSP. The storage unit34of the DMP server3may not store the advertisement DB34b. Each SSP stores advertisement content registered by various advertisers and target condition information in association with each other. The advertiser is not limited to a store opening an online shopping mall. For example, a business operator who provides an item for sale or a service on a website run by the business operator itself may become an advertiser.

Upon acquiring the user ID of the caller from the advertisement distribution server2, the DMP server3transmits the user attribute information of the caller to the DSP. The DSP transmits the user attribute information to each SSP. Each SSP determines, based on the user attribute information, one or a plurality of advertisement contents associated with the target condition corresponding to the attribute of the caller. The DSP determines which advertisement content among the pieces of advertisement content determined by SSP to distribute, by executing real-time bidding, for example. The DSP causes the determined advertisement content to be transmitted from SSP storing the advertisement content to the DMP server3. The DMP server3transmits the advertisement content acquired from SSP to the advertisement distribution server2.