Information processing apparatus and method that receives identification and interaction information via near-field communication link

• US 10,430,896 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2017
• Issued: 10/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Horie, Kazuyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Roberts, Shaun
• Application Number:
  US15/662,520
• Publication Number:
  US 20180040076A1
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• Field of Search: 704246
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/583 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/00 Pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/35 communicating wirelessly
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/172 Classification, e.g. identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information

Abstract

There is provided an information processing server including a specification unit configured to specify an individual registered in a predetermined database on the basis of identification information sent from a near-field communication device and collected voice information.

Claims

1. An information processing server comprising:

processing circuitry configured to receive identification information of a second user from a first near-field communication device of the first user that receives the identification information of the second user from a second near-field communication device of the second user via a near-field communication link;

the processing circuitry is further configured to perform as a specification unit that specifies the second user as an individual registered in a predetermined database on the basis of the identification information received by the first near-field communication device of the first user from the second near-field communication device of the second user via the near-field communication link and collected voice information;

the processing circuitry is further configured to perform as an interaction information generation unit that receives interaction information concerning the second user including posture information indicating a posture of the second user from the first near-field communication device of the first user that receives the posture information indicating the posture of the second user from the second near-field communication device of the second user via the near-field communication link; and

after the specification unit specifies the second user as the individual registered in the predetermined database, the processing circuitry performing as the interaction information generation unit is further configured to inform the first user of the posture of the second user received from the second near-field communication device of the second user via the near-field communication link.

2. The information processing server according to claim 1,

wherein, on the basis of the voice information, the specification unit specifies the individual registered in the database among a plurality of individuals around a user, each of the plurality of individuals having the near-field communication device.

3. The information processing server according to claim 2,

wherein the specification unit specifies the individual by analyzing the voice information and checking the analysis result against voiceprint information of the individual.

4. The information processing server according to claim 2,

wherein the interaction information generation unit is further configured to generate the interaction information that further indicates an interaction between the first user and the individual.

5. The information processing server according to claim 4,

wherein the interaction information includes information on a history of interaction between the first user and the individual.

6. The information processing server according to claim 4,

wherein the interaction information includes evaluation information indicating evaluation of the individual made by the first user.

7. The information processing server according to claim 4,

wherein the interaction information includes the voice information, and further includes information on a direction in which voice has been detected when the voice information has been collected.

8. The information processing server according to claim 4,

wherein the interaction information includes information on distance between the first user and the second near-field communication device of the second user that has been calculated on the basis of radio field strength of a signal including the identification information.

9. The information processing server according to claim 1,

wherein the identification information and the voice information are acquired by a wearable device worn by at least one of the first user and the second user.

10. An information processing device comprising:

processing circuitry configured to perform as a notification generation unit that generates interaction notification information that presents a first user with interaction information indicating interaction with a second user who is identified as an individual registered in a predetermined database on the basis of identification information received by a first near-field communication device of the first user that receives the identification information of the second user from a second near-field communication device of the second user via a near-field communication link and further on the basis of collected voice information; and

after presenting the first user with the interaction information, the processing circuitry is further configured to inform the first user of posture information indicating a posture of the second user, the posture information being received from the first near-field communication device of the first user that receives the posture information of the second user from the second near-field communication device of the second user via the near-field communication link.

11. The information processing device according to claim 10, wherein

the interaction information includes the voice information, and

the voice information is playable in response to input from the first user.

12. The information processing device according to claim 10, wherein

the interaction information includes information on a history of interaction with the individual, and

the history of the interaction is changeable in response to input from the first user.

13. The information processing device according to claim 10,

wherein evaluation information indicating evaluation of the individual is attached to the interaction information in response to input from the first user.

14. The information processing device according to claim 10,

wherein the interaction notification is image display in which the interaction information is spatially arranged in accordance with a position of the individual in a real space.

15. The information processing device according to claim 14,

wherein, in the image display, the interaction information is displayed as an image according to the posture of the individual acquired via the near-field communication link.

16. The information processing device according to claim 10, further comprising

a sensor unit configured to detect information on an external environment,

wherein the notification generation unit generates alert notification to the first user on the basis of the information detected by the sensor unit.

17. An information processing system comprising:

processing circuitry configured to receive identification information of a second user from a first near-field communication device of the first user that receives the identification information of the second user from a second near-field communication device of the second user via a near-field communication link;

the processing circuitry is further configured to perform as a specification unit that specifies the second user as an individual registered in a predetermined database on the basis of the identification information received by the first near-field communication device of the first user from the second near-field communication device of the second user via the near-field communication link and collected voice information;

processing circuitry configured to perform as a notification generation unit that generates interaction notification information that presents the first user with interaction information indicating interaction with the second user who is identified as the individual specified by the specification unit; and

after presenting the first user with the interaction information, the processing circuitry is further configured to inform the first user of posture information indicating a posture of the second user, the posture information being received from the first near-field communication device of the first user that receives the posture information of the second user from the second near-field communication device of the second user via the near-field communication link.

18. An information processing method comprising:

receiving, by a first near-field communication device of a first user, identification information of a second user from a second near-field communication device of the second user via a near-field communication link;

specifying, by processing circuitry, the second user as an individual registered in a predetermined database on the basis of the identification information received by the first near-field communication device of the first user from the second near-field communication device of the second user and collected voice information;

receiving, by the first near-field communication device of the first user, interaction information concerning the second user including posture information indicating a posture of the second user from the second near-field communication device of the second user via the near-field communication link; and

after the specifying, informing the first user of the posture information indicating the posture of the second user received by the first near-field communication device of the first user from the second near-field communication device of the second user via the near-field communication link.

19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a program causing a computer to perform the method according to claim 18.