Region recommendation device, region recommendation method and recording medium

• US 9,158,432 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2011
• Issued: 10/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Suzuki, Shunsuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Nabi, Reza
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rodriguez, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US13/700,934
• Publication Number:
  US 20130080974A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,642 Days
• Field of Search: 715/811
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A region recommendation device 100 includes a visibility analysis unit 101 which identifies a region where a viewing order satisfies a set criterion as a frequent viewing region, a selection possibility analysis unit 102 which identifies a object which the selection possibility satisfies a set criterion as a frequent selection object, and a recommended-region identification unit 103 which recommends a suitable region from among regions besides the region in which the placed frequent selection object in the frequent viewing region.

Claims

1. A region recommendation device comprising:

a visibility analysis unit implemented by a programmed processor and configured to identify, based on a viewing order of a region on a screen, from among regions other than the region in which a user identified target object is placed, at least one region where the viewing order satisfies a set criterion as a frequent viewing region, wherein the frequent viewing region is identified to have an earlier viewing order than the region in which the target object is placed;

a selection probability analysis unit implemented by a programmed processor and configured to identify, based on a selection probability of each object on the screen, from among objects placed on the frequent viewing region, at least one object of which the selection probability satisfies a set criterion as a frequent selection object, wherein the frequent selection object is identified to have a higher selection probability than the target object; and

a recommended-region identification unit implemented by a programmed processor and configured to identify, based on the viewing order, from among regions other than the region in which the frequent selection object is placed in the frequent viewing region, a suitable region for placing the target object as a recommended-region, wherein the recommended-region is identified to have a viewing order that is earlier than the region in which the frequent selection object is placed.

2. The region recommendation device according to claim 1, wherein

the selection probability of each object on the screen is found by a ratio of a selection frequency of the object to a number of times viewed on the screen.

3. The region recommendation device according to claim 2, further comprising:

a measuring unit implemented by a programmed processor and configured to measure the viewing number of times of the screen and the selection frequency of the object for each object on the screen; and

a selection probability information generation unit implemented by a programmed processor and configured to perform the statistical processing to the viewing number of times of the screen and the selection frequency of the object for each object on the screen that the measuring unit has measured, and generates information for identifying the selection probability of each object on the screen based on a result of the statistical processing, and

wherein the selection probability analysis unit identifies the frequent selection object using the information generated by the selection probability information generation unit.

4. The region recommendation device according to claim 1, wherein

the viewing order of the region on the screen is found by viewing rank, which is detected whenever the screen is viewed, for each of a plurality of parts which compose the screen.

5. The region recommendation device according to claim 4, further comprising:

a viewing rank acquisition unit implemented by a programmed processor and configured to acquire the viewing rank for each of the plurality of parts whenever the screen is viewed; and

viewing order information generation unit implemented by a programmed processor and configured to perform the statistical processing to the viewing rank for each of the plurality of parts acquired by the viewing rank acquisition unit, and generates information for identifying the viewing order of the region on the screen based on a result of the statistical processing, and

wherein the visibility analysis unit identifies the frequent viewing region using the information generated by the viewing order information generation unit, and the recommended-region identification unit identifies the recommended-region using the information generated by the viewing order information generation unit.

6. A region recommendation method comprising:

identifying, based on a viewing order of a region on a screen, from among regions other than the region in which a user identified target object is placed, at least one region where the viewing order satisfies a set criterion as a frequent viewing region, wherein the frequent viewing region is identified to have an earlier viewing order than the region in which the target object is placed;

identifying, based on a selection probability of each object on the screen, from among objects placed on the frequent viewing region, at least one object of which the selection probability satisfies a set criterion as a frequent selection object, wherein the frequent selection object is identified to have a higher selection probability than the target object; and

identifying, based on the viewing order, from among regions other than the region in which the frequent selection object is placed in the frequent viewing region, a suitable region for placing the target object as a recommended-region, wherein the recommended-region is identified to have a viewing order that is earlier than the region in which the frequent selection object is placed.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program for causing a computer to perform:

processing for identifying, based on a viewing order of a region on a screen, from among regions other than the region in which a user identified target object is placed, at least one region where the viewing order satisfies a set criterion as a frequent viewing region, wherein the frequent viewing region is identified to have an earlier viewing order than the region in which the target object is placed;

processing for identifying, based on a selection probability of each object on the screen, from among objects placed on the frequent viewing region, at least one object of which the selection probability satisfies a set criterion as a frequent selection object, wherein the frequent selection object is identified to have a higher selection probability than the target object; and

processing for identifying, based on the viewing order, from among regions other than the region in which the frequent selection object is placed in the frequent viewing region, a suitable region for placing the target object as a recommended-region, wherein the recommended-region is identified to have a viewing order that is earlier than the region in which the frequent selection object is placed.