Information retrieval system

• US 20020013818A1
• Filed: 07/27/2001
• Published: 01/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Victor Company of Japan Limited (JVC Kenwood Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamaga, Yoko
• Granted Patent: US 7,050,790 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

A server transmits audio and/or visual information in a limited space. A hand-held device communicates with the server by two-way communication while the hand-held device is located in the space that is a communications area covered by the server. The server transmits relevant information on the audio and/or visual information to the hand-held device on request made by the hand-held device. An information providing apparatus may transmit audio and/or visual information in the space. A server communicates with the information providing apparatus by two-way communication to provide the relevant information on request made by the information providing apparatus. The relevant information provided to the information providing apparatus is output in the space in synchronism with the audio and/or visual information.

Claims

1. An information retrieval system comprising:

a server to transmit audio and/or visual information in a limited space; and

a hand-held device capable of two-way communication with the server while the hand-held device is located in the limited space that is a communications area covered by the server, the server transmitting relevant information on the audio and/or visual information to the hand-held device in response to a request made by the hand-held device.

2. The information retrieval system according to claim 1 further comprising:

first communications means via which the hand-held device and the server communicate with each other; and

second communications means via which further relevant information on the audio and/or visual information is accessed based on the relevant information retrieved to the hand-held device.

3. The information retrieval system according to claim 1, wherein the relevant information includes URL (Uniform Resource Locator) for accessing Web pages.

4. The information retrieval system according to claim 1, wherein the communications between the hand-held device and the server is made under Bluetooth.

5. The information retrieval system according to claim 1, wherein the server further transmits a part of the audio and/or visual information to the hand-held device.

6. An information retrieval system comprising:

an information providing apparatus to transmit audio and/or visual information in a limited space; and

an information providing server capable of two-way communication with the information providing apparatus, to provide the information providing apparatus with relevant information on the audio and/or visual information in response to at least a request made by the information providing apparatus, the relevant information provided to the information providing apparatus from the server being output in the limited space in synchronism with the audio and/or visual information.

7. The information retrieval system according to claim 6, wherein the audio and/or visual information carries a code peculiar to the information, the information being identified by using the peculiar code.

8. The information retrieval system according to claim 6 further comprising a hand-held device capable of two-way communication with the information providing apparatus in the limited space, the relevant information being transmitted to the hand-held device from the server in response to a request made by the hand-held device.

9. The information retrieval system according to claim 8 further comprising:

first communications means via which the hand-held device and the information providing server communicate with each other; and

second communications means via which further relevant information on the audio and/or visual information is accessed based on the relevant information retrieved to the hand-held device.

10. The information retrieval system according to claim 6, wherein the relevant information includes URL (Uniform Resource Locator) for accessing Web pages.

11. The information retrieval system according to claim 6, wherein the communications between the hand-held device and the information providing server is made under Bluetooth.

12. The information retrieval system according to claim 6, wherein the information providing server transmits an error code to the information providing apparatus when the requested relevant information does not exist.

13. The information retrieval system according to claim 6, wherein the information providing server terminates provision of the relevant information when transmission of the audio and/or visual information in the space is over.

14. The information retrieval system according to claim 6 wherein the audio and/or visual information include at least first information and second information, relevant information either on the first information or the second information being selected while the second information is being transmitted after the first information.