Information providing system and method therefor

• US 20020023146A1
• Filed: 06/13/2001
• Published: 02/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Hiroki, Masaaki
• Granted Patent: US 7,496,502 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access

Abstract

Upon attempting to display information consisting of large amounts of data on a display portion of a portable terminal, there existed a problem that long durations of time were required for completion of the display, and display capacities were insufficient. A search signal is sent from a portable information equipment to a server, and the server conducts a search on a database based on the search signal and sends information of the search to a display device such as a television or projector mounted at a place where an unspecified number of the general public are present such as a large-sized monitor in a hotel lobby, in a train station meeting room, or out on the street.

Claims

1. An information providing system comprising:

a server;

a portable information equipment capable of two-way communication with the server; and

a display device for receiving information sent by the server,

wherein the server comprises;

a database;

means for receiving a search signal sent from the portable information equipment;

means for receiving a signal relating to entity identification of the portable information equipment and of the display device;

means for conducting searches on the database based on the search signal;

means for sending information obtained by the search to the display device; and

means for charging an information provision fee to the portable information equipment.

2. An information providing system comprising:

a server;

a portable information equipment capable of two-way communication with the server; and

a display device for receiving information sent by the server,

wherein the display device has means for generating a sound signal capable of identifying the entity,

wherein the portable information equipment has means for hearing the sound signal and sending the sound signal to the server, and

wherein the server has means for identifying the display device through the sound signal sent from the portable information equipment.

3. An information providing system comprising:

a server;

a portable information equipment capable of two-way communication with the server; and

a display device for receiving information sent by the server,

wherein the display device has means for storing the information sent from the server.

4. An information providing system comprising:

a server;

a portable information equipment capable of two-way communication with the server; and

a display device for receiving information sent from the server,

wherein the display device has means for sensing a search signal and electromagnetic waves other than the search signal, which are sent by the portable information equipment.

5. An information providing system comprising:

a server having a database;

a portable information equipment capable of two-way communication with the server; and

a display device for receiving information sent by the server,

wherein the portable information equipment sends a search signal to the server,

wherein the server conducts a search on the database based on the search signal and sends information obtained by the search to the display device, and

wherein the display device displays the information thereon.

6. An information providing system comprising:

a first server for obtaining information from a database managed by a second server;

a portable information equipment capable of two-way communication with the first server; and

a display device for receiving information from the first server,

wherein the portable information equipment sends a search signal to the first server,

wherein the first server has means for communicating with the second server;

sends the search signal to the second server and searches the database managed by the second server based on the search signal;

receives information obtained by the search; and

sends the information to the display device, and

wherein the display device displays the information thereon.

7. An information providing method comprising the steps of:

sending, by a portable information equipment, entity identification information of a display device and the portable information equipment itself to a server;

verifying, by the server, the entity identification information of the display device and the portable information equipment;

conducting, by the server, a search on a database and sends information obtained by the search to the display device;

displaying, by the display device, the information sent from the server thereon; and

verifying, by the server, that the information is displayed on the display device and charging to the portable information equipment.

8. A method according to claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

adjusting search signals and conducting searches on the database upon receiving the search signals from the plurality of portable information equipment;

sequentially sending, by the server, a plurality of information obtained by the search to the display device; and

displaying, by the display device, the plurality of different information on the display portion which is divided into a plurality of regions, or displaying the plurality of different information on the display portion while overlapping with each other.

9. A method according to claim 7, wherein the display device is disposed at a place that can be seen by an unspecified number of the general public.

10. A method according to claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

communicating, by the portable information equipment and the display device, a signal capable of identifying the entity; and

sending, by the portable information equipment, the entity identification information of the display device and the portable information equipment itself to the server or the first server.

11. A method according to claim 7, further comprising a step of:

receiving, by the display device, the information sent from the server or the first server through a line.

12. A method according to claim 7, further comprising a step of:

receiving, by the display device, information sent from the server or the first server via a satellite.

13. A method according to claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

sending, by the server or the first server, numeric or letter or character information to the display device;

displaying, by the display device, the information thereon;

sending, by the portable information equipment, the numeral or the letter or character displayed on the display device to the server or the first server; and

verifying, by the server or the first server, that the portable information equipment is disposed at a visible position.

14. A method according to claim 7, further comprising a step of:

displaying, by the display device, information selected from information delivered by a news agency, a newspaper publishing company or a broadcasting station.

15. A method according to claim 14, further comprising a step of:

displaying, by the display device, on the same screen the delivered information and the information obtained by the search on the database, for a programmed period of time or at a time when the server performs an operation.

17. A method according to claim 16, further comprising the steps of:

adjusting search signals and conducting searches on the database upon receiving the search signals from the plurality of portable information equipment;

sequentially sending, by the server, a plurality of information obtained by the search to the display device; and

displaying, by the display device, the plurality of different information on the display portion which is divided into a plurality of regions, or displaying the plurality of different information on the display portion while overlapping with each other.

18. A method according to claim 16, wherein the display device is disposed at a place that can be seen by an unspecified number of the general public.

19. A method according to claim 16, further comprising the steps of:

communicating, by the portable information equipment and the display device, a signal capable of identifying the entity; and

sending, by the portable information equipment, the entity identification information of the display device and the portable information equipment itself to the server or the first server.

20. A method according to claim 16, further comprising a step of:

receiving, by the display device, the information sent from the server or the first server through a line.

21. A method according to claim 16, further comprising a step of:

receiving, by the display device, information sent from the server or the first server via a satellite.

22. A method according to claim 16, further comprising the steps of:

sending, by the server or the first server, numeric or letter or character information to the display device;

displaying, by the display device, the information thereon;

sending, by the portable information equipment, the numeral or the letter or character displayed on the display device to the server or the first server; and

verifying, by the server or the first server, that the portable information equipment is disposed at a visible position.

23. A method according to claim 16, further comprising a step of:

displaying, by the display device, information selected from information delivered by a news agency, a newspaper publishing company or a broadcasting station.

24. A method according to claim 23, further comprising a step of:

displaying, by the display device, on the same screen the delivered information and the information obtained by the search on the database, for a programmed period of time or at a time when the server performs an operation.

26. A method according to claim 25, wherein the display device is disposed at a place that can be seen by an unspecified number of the general public.

27. A method according to claim 25, further comprising the steps of:

communicating, by the portable information equipment and the display device, a signal capable of identifying the entity; and

sending, by the portable information equipment, the entity identification information of the display device and the portable information equipment itself to the server or the first server.

28. A method according to claim 25, further comprising a step of:

receiving, by the display device, the information sent from the server or the first server through a line.

29. A method according to claim 25, further comprising a step of:

receiving, by the display device, information sent from the server or the first server via a satellite.

30. A method according to claim 25, further comprising the steps of:

sending, by the server or the first server, numeric or letter or character information to the display device;

displaying, by the display device, the information thereon;

sending, by the portable information equipment, the numeral or the letter or character displayed on the display device to the server or the first server; and

verifying, by the server or the first server, that the portable information equipment is disposed at a visible position.

31. A method according to claim 25, further comprising a step of:

displaying, by the display device, information selected from information is delivered by a news agency, a newspaper publishing company or a broadcasting station.

32. A method according to claim 31, further comprising a step of:

displaying, by the display device, on the same screen the delivered information and the information obtained by the search on the database, for a programmed period of time or at a time when the server performs an operation.

16. An information providing method comprising the steps of:

sending, by a portable information equipment, an identification signal of a display device and the portable information equipment itself to a server;

verifying, by the server, the entity identification information of the display device and the portable information equipment;

sending, by the server, information for displaying a menu screen for conducting a search to the display device;

sending, by the portable information equipment, a search signal;

conducting, by the server, a search on a database based on the search signal;

sending, by the server, information obtained by the search to the display device; and

verifying, by the server, that the information was displayed on the display device, and requesting a communication line manager an accounting to the portable information equipment.

25. An information providing method, comprising the steps of:

sending, by a portable information equipment, an identification signal of a display device and the portable information equipment itself to a server;

verifying, by the server, the entity identification information of the display device and the portable information equipment;

sending, by the portable information equipment, a search signal to a first server;

communicating, by the first server, with a second server, sending the search signal to the second server, and conducting a search on a database managed by the second server based on the search signal, receiving information obtained by the search, and sending the information to the display device; and

displaying, by the display device, the information thereon.

33. An information providing method comprising the step of:

sending, by a server, a commercial advertisement or a public service announcement stored in a database to a display device as information and displaying it thereon when the server does not receive a search signal from the portable information equipment.

34. An information providing method comprising a step of:

storing, by a server, information for advertisement from a sponsor in a database;

sending the information to a display device, for providing as information the advertisement to an unspecified number of the general public; and

charging to the sponsor for using the information providing method as an advertising medium.

35. An information providing method comprising a step of:

sending, by a portable information equipment, a search signal to a server;

conducting, by the server, a search on a database based on the search signal;

sending information obtained by the search to a display device; and

displaying, by the display device, the information thereon,

wherein the portable information equipment is capable of two-way communication with the server.