Information providing method, information providing system, terminal apparatus, and storage medium storing information providing program

• US 20020038337A1
• Filed: 05/23/2001
• Published: 03/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Inoue, Atsushi, Satomi, Hiroshi, Masukawa, Akihiro, Ito, Kosuke, Matsuura, Kenichiro, Fukunaga, Shinji
• Granted Patent: US 7,231,418 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9554 by using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

An information providing system includes a plurality of first terminal apparatuses installed for public use, a second terminal apparatus owned by the user who is to be provided with information, and an information providing apparatus which can communicate with the first and second terminal apparatuses. The information providing apparatus includes a unit for receiving information provided to the user, and a unit for transferring the received information to, among the first terminal apparatuses, a first terminal apparatus designated in advance by the user provided with the information.

Claims

1. An information providing system including a plurality of first terminal apparatuses installed for public use, a second terminal apparatus owned by a user who is to be provided with information, and an information providing apparatus which can communicate with said first and second terminal apparatuses, wherein

said information providing apparatus comprises

means for receiving information provided to the user, and

means for transferring the received information to, among said first terminal apparatuses, a first terminal apparatus designated in advance by the user provided with the information.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said information providing apparatus comprises means for, when the information is transferred to said designated first terminal apparatus, notifying said second terminal apparatus owned by the user provided with the information that the information has been transferred.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein

said second terminal apparatus comprises means for instructing said information providing apparatus to change said first terminal apparatus designated in advance, and

said information providing apparatus comprises means for transferring the information to said changed first terminal apparatus when the change is instructed.

4. An information providing apparatus which can communicate with a plurality of first terminal apparatuses installed for public use and a second terminal apparatus owned by a user who is to be provided with information, comprising:

means for receiving information which is to be provided to the user; and

means for transferring the received information to, among the first terminal apparatuses, a first terminal apparatus designated in advance by the user provided with the information.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising means for, when the information is transferred to the designated first terminal apparatus, notifying the second terminal apparatus owned by the user provided with the information that the information has been transferred.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising means for receiving an instruction of changing the first terminal apparatus designated in advance.

7. The apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

means for storing installation location information representing a location where each first terminal apparatus is installed; and

means for providing the installation location information to the second terminal apparatus.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the apparatus further comprises

means for searching for a location of the second terminal apparatus, and

means for extracting, from the installation location information, installation location information concerning a first terminal apparatus installed near the searched location of the second terminal apparatus, and

the extracted installation location information is provided to the second terminal apparatus.

9. The apparatus according to claim 6, comprising means for transferring the information to the changed first terminal apparatus when the change is instructed.

10. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the apparatus further comprises

means for storing a code assigned to each user, and

means for, when information which is to be provided to the user is received, attaching a code for specifying the information to a code assigned to the user provided with the information, and generating a new code, and

the information is transferred together with the generated new code.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising means for transmitting the generated new code to the second terminal apparatus owned by the user.

13. The terminal according to claim 12, wherein the terminal includes a portable terminal.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising the step of, after the information is transferred, notifying the user that the information has been transferred.

17. The method according to claim 15, further comprising the steps of:

receiving change of the terminal apparatus designated in advance; and

transferring the information to the changed terminal apparatus.

18. The method according to claim 15, comprising the steps of:

notifying the user of a code for specifying the information; and

outputting the transferred information from the terminal apparatus when the user inputs the code to the terminal apparatus.

12. A terminal which can communicate with an information providing apparatus which can communicate with a plurality of terminal apparatuses installed for public use, the terminal being owned by a user provided with information, comprising:

means for instructing the information providing apparatus to change a first terminal apparatus designated in advance, when the information providing apparatus receives information provided to the user and the user provided with the information transfers the information to the first terminal apparatus designated in advance among the first terminal apparatuses.

14. A terminal apparatus which can communicate with an information providing apparatus which can communicate with a terminal owned by a user who is to be provided with information, the terminal apparatus being installed for public use, comprising:

means for printing out information transmitted from the information providing apparatus.

15. An information providing method of providing information to a predetermined user, comprising the steps of:

receiving information which is to be provided to the user; and

transferring the received information to a terminal apparatus designated in advance by the user provided with the information among terminal apparatuses installed for public use.

19. A storage medium storing a program which causes a computer to function as

means for communicating with a plurality of first terminal apparatuses installed for public use and a second terminal apparatus owned by a user who is to be provided with information;

means for receiving information which is to be provided to the user; and

means for transferring the received information to, among the first terminal apparatuses, a first terminal apparatus designated in advance by the user provided with the information.

20. A storage medium storing a program which causes a computer to function as

means for communicating with an information providing apparatus which can communicate with a plurality of terminal apparatuses installed for public use;

and

means for instructing the information providing apparatus to change a first terminal apparatus designated in advance, when the information providing apparatus receives information provided to the user and the user provided with the information transfers the information to the first terminal apparatus designated in advance among the first terminal apparatuses.

21. A storage medium storing a program which causes a computer installed for public use to function as

means for communicating with an information providing apparatus which can communicate with a terminal owned by a user who is to be provided with information;

and

means for printing out information transmitted from the information providing apparatus.

22. A program which causes a computer to function as

means for communicating with a plurality of first terminal apparatuses installed for public use and a second terminal apparatus owned by a user provided with information;

means for receiving information which is to be provided to the user; and

means for transferring the received information to, among the first terminal apparatuses, a first terminal apparatus designated in advance by the user provided with the information.

26. The system according to claim 25, wherein

said second terminal apparatus comprises means for designating a transfer destination of the notified information among said first terminal apparatuses, and

said information providing apparatus comprises

means for receiving designation of the transfer destination of the information by the user who has received the notification, and

means for transferring the received information to said designated first terminal apparatus.

27. The system according to claim 25, wherein said first terminal apparatus comprises

means for inputting information which is to be provided to the user, and

means for transmitting the input information to said information providing apparatus.

28. The system according to claim 27, wherein the information is input together with a code assigned to each user.

29. The system according to claim 26, wherein said first terminal apparatus comprises means for printing out information transferred from said information providing apparatus.

30. The system according to claim 29, wherein said first terminal apparatus comprises means for determining whether the user has printed out within a predetermined period the information transferred from said information providing apparatus.

35. The apparatus according to claim 30, comprising means for, when the received information is transferred to the designated first terminal apparatus, notifying said second terminal apparatus owned by the user provided with the information that the information has been transferred.

36. The apparatus according to claim 30, further comprising:

means for determining whether the user has acquired the provided information within a predetermined period; and

means for, when the user is determined not to have acquired the provided information, outputting a notification which prompts the second terminal apparatus owned by the user provided with information to acquire the information.

23. A program which causes a computer to function as

means for communicating with an information providing apparatus which can communicate with a plurality of terminal apparatuses installed for public use;

and

means for instructing the information providing apparatus to change a first terminal apparatus designated in advance, when the information providing apparatus receives information provided to the user and the user provided with the information transfers the information to the first terminal apparatus designated in advance among the first terminal apparatuses.

24. A program which causes a computer installed for public use to function as

means for communicating with an information providing apparatus which can communicate with a terminal owned by a user who is to be provided with information;

and

means for printing out information transmitted from the information providing apparatus.

25. An information providing system including a plurality of first terminal apparatuses installed for public use, a second terminal apparatus owned by a user who is to be provided with information, and an information providing apparatus which can communicate with said first and second terminal apparatuses, wherein

said information providing apparatus comprises

means for receiving information provided to the user, and

means for, when the information is received, notifying said second terminal apparatus owned by the user provided with the information that the information has been provided.

31. An information providing apparatus which can communicate with a plurality of first terminal apparatuses installed for public use and a second terminal apparatus owned by a user who is to be provided with information, comprising:

means for receiving information which is to be provided to the user; and

means for, when the information is received, notifying the second terminal apparatus owned by the user provided with the information that the information has been provided.

32. The apparatus according to claim 31, further comprising:

means for receiving designation of a transfer destination of the information desired by the user who has received the notification among the first terminal apparatuses; and

means for transferring the received information to the designated first terminal apparatus.

33. The apparatus according to claim 31, further comprising:

means for storing installation location information representing a location where each first terminal apparatus is installed; and

means for providing the installation location information to the second terminal apparatus.

34. The apparatus according to claim 33, wherein

the apparatus further comprises

means for searching for a location of the second terminal apparatus, and

means for extracting, from the installation location information, installation location information concerning a first terminal apparatus installed near the searched location of the second terminal apparatus, and

the extracted installation location information is provided to the second terminal apparatus.

37. The apparatus according to claim 31, comprising:

means for storing a code assigned to each user;

means for, when information which is to be provided to the user is received, attaching a code for specifying the information to a code assigned to the user provided with the information, and generating a new code; and

means for storing the information in association with the generated new code.

38. The apparatus according to claim 37, further comprising means for transmitting the generated new code to the second terminal apparatus owned by the user.

40. The terminal according to claim 39, further comprising means for designating a transfer destination of the information among the first terminal apparatuses to the information providing apparatus.

41. The terminal according to claim 39, wherein the terminal includes a portable terminal.

39. A terminal which can communicate with an information providing apparatus which can communicate with a plurality of terminal apparatuses installed for public use, the terminal being owned by a user who is to be provided with information, comprising:

means for, when the information providing apparatus receives information provided to the user, receiving a notification representing that the information has been provided by the information providing apparatus.

42. A terminal apparatus which can communicate with an information providing apparatus which can communicate with a terminal owned by a user provided with information, the terminal apparatus being installed for public use, comprising:

means for inputting information which is to be provided to the user; and

means for transmitting the input information to the information providing apparatus.

43. The apparatus according to claim 42, wherein the information is input together with a code assigned to each user.

44. The apparatus according to claim 42, further comprising means for printing out information transmitted from the information providing apparatus.

45. The apparatus according to claim 44, further comprising means for determining whether the user provided with the information has printed out within a predetermined period the information transmitted from the information providing apparatus.

47. The method according to claim 46, further comprising the steps of:

receiving designation of a transfer destination of the information desired by the user who has received the notification among terminal apparatuses installed for public use; and

transferring the received information to the designated terminal apparatus.

48. The method according to claim 47, further comprising the steps of:

notifying the user of a code for specifying the information; and

outputting the transferred information from the terminal apparatus when the user inputs the code to the terminal apparatus.

46. An information providing method of providing information to a predetermined user, comprising the steps of:

receiving information which is to be provided to the user; and

when the information is received, notifying a terminal owned by the user provided with the information that the information has been provided.

49. A storage medium storing a program which causes a computer to function as

means for communicating with a plurality of first terminal apparatuses installed for public use and a second terminal apparatus owned by a user who is to be provided with information;

means for receiving information which is to be provided to the user; and

means for, when the information is received, notifying the second terminal apparatus owned by the user who is to be provided with the information that the information has been provided.

50. A storage medium storing a program which causes, for a user provided with information, a computer to function as

means for communicating with an information providing apparatus which can communicate with a plurality of terminal apparatuses installed for public use;

and

means for, when the information providing apparatus receives information provided to the user, receiving a notification representing that the information has been provided by the information providing apparatus.

51. A storage medium storing a program which causes a computer installed for public use to function as

means for communicating with an information providing apparatus which can communicate with a terminal owned by a user who is to be provided with information;

means for inputting information which is to be provided to the user; and

means for transmitting the input information to the information providing apparatus.

52. A program which causes a computer to function as

means for communicating with a plurality of first terminal apparatuses installed for public use and a second terminal apparatus owned by a user who is to be provided with information;

means for receiving information which is to be provided to the user; and

means for, when the information is received, notifying the second terminal apparatus owned by the user provided with the information that the information has been provided.

53. A program which causes, for a user who is to be provided with information, a computer to function as

means for communicating with an information providing apparatus which can communicate with a plurality of terminal apparatuses installed for public use;

and

means for, when the information providing apparatus receives information provided to the user, receiving a notification representing that the information has been provided by the information providing apparatus.

54. A program which causes a computer installed for public use to function as

means for communicating with an information providing apparatus which can communicate with a terminal owned by a user who is to be provided with information;

means for inputting information which is to be provided to the user; and

means for transmitting the input information to the information providing apparatus.