Electronic guide information processing system, information distributing apparatus, portable terminal apparatus, and method for processing electronic guide information

• US 20020083000A1
• Filed: 10/16/2001
• Published: 06/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kawai, Eiji
• Granted Patent: US 7,783,498 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/10 Map spot or coordinate position indicators; Map reading aids optical projection apparatus per se G03B
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/61 for local area broadcast, e.g. instore broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/98 Physical distribution of media, e.g. postcards, CDs or DVDs

Abstract

An electronic guide information processing system includes: an information distributing apparatus 19 for converting the guide information D1 into electronic guide information, and then distributing the resultant data; and a portable terminal apparatus 14 for recording and reproducing the electronic guide information distributed from the information distributing apparatus 19. The electronic guide information D1 is visually displayed or/and audibly output in the portable terminal apparatus 14. Due to this structure, the information user can obtain the guide information about customers attracting facility in the form of electronic guide information D1 , instead of in the form of conventional paper materials such as guidebooks and guide maps. Besides, by employing a system in which the electronic guide information D1 is distributed through broadcasting or communication infrastructure, the information user can easily and timely obtain the guide information about the customers attracting facility before he or she actually visits there.

Claims

1. An electronic guide information processing system for electronically processing guide information about a customers attracting facility, comprising:

an information distributing apparatus for converting the guide information into electronic guide information, and then distributing the resultant electronic guide information; and

a portable terminal apparatus for recording and reproducing the electronic guide information which has been distributed from the information distributing apparatus,

wherein the electronic guide information is visually displayed or/and audibly output in the portable terminal apparatus.

2. The electronic guide information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the electronic guide information is distributed to the portable terminal apparatus by use of an already-existing broadcasting infrastructure or/and a communication infrastructure

3. The electronic guide information processing system according to claim 1, wherein an information recording medium is mounted to the portable terminal apparatus, and

wherein the electronic guide information about the customers attracting facility is recorded in the information recording medium.

4. The electronic guide information processing system according to claim 3, wherein the information recording mediums is provided by use of an already-existing sales infrastructure.

39. The method for processing an electronic guide information according to claim 38, wherein, when the portable terminal apparatus does not have the position measuring means, the position measuring means is lent at the entrance of the customers attracting facility.

5. An electronic guide information processing system for processing electronic guide information about a customers attracting facility which restricts the customers to go in and out only through its entrance and exit, comprising:

an information lending apparatus for lending the electronic guide information;

a portable terminal apparatus for recording and reproducing the electronic guide information which has been lent from the information lending apparatus; and

an information collecting apparatus for collecting the electronic guide information which has been lent to the portable terminal apparatus,

wherein the system performs processings such that the reading of the electronic guide information is permitted at the entrance, while the reading of the electronic guide information is inhibited at the exit.

6. The electronic guide information processing system according to claim 5, wherein, when the electronic guide information about the customers attracting facility is lent from the information lending apparatus to the portable terminal apparatus,

the electronic guide information is encrypted beforehand at the time of being downloaded from the information lending apparatus to the portable terminal apparatus, and the electronic guide information is decrypted at the entrance.

7. The electronic guide information processing system according to claim 5, wherein, when the electronic guide information is collected,

the electronic guide information is erased at the exit, and at the same time, information about use status of the customers attracting facility by the information user and/or advertisement information about the customers attracting facility is written in the portable terminal apparatus.

8. The electronic guide information processing system according to claim 5, wherein specific wireless broadcasting means effective in a target area is provided to the customers attracting facility, and

wherein the electronic guide information is provided to the portable terminal apparatus from the specific wireless broadcasting means.

9. The electronic guide information processing system according to claim 5, wherein the portable terminal apparatus comprises receiving means for receiving a wireless broadcasting signal from the specific wireless broadcasting means.

10. The electronic guide information processing system according to claim 9, wherein, when the portable terminal apparatus does not have the receiving means,

the receiving means is lent at the entrance of the customers attracting facility.

11. The electronic guide information processing system according to claim 9, wherein the electronic guide information received by the receiving means is correlated with electronic guide information which has been already stored in the portable terminal apparatus.

12. The electronic guide information processing system according to claim 5, wherein the portable terminal apparatus comprises position measuring means for measuring latitude, longitude, and height by use of an artificial satellite, so as to specify the position of this portable terminal apparatus itself.

13. The electronic guide information processing system according to claim 12, wherein, when the portable terminal apparatus does not have the position measuring means, the position measuring means is lent at the entrance of the customers attracting facility.

14. The electronic guide information processing system according to claim 12, wherein the measurement information obtained by the position measuring means is correlated with map information about the customers attracting facility which has been already stored in the portable terminal apparatus.

16. The information distributing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the data strings are distributed by use of an already-existing broadcasting infrastructure or a communication infrastructure.

17. The information distributing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the data strings are transmitted in the state where they are multiplexed in a vertical blanking interval of a television broadcasting signal employed in the broadcasting infrastructure .

19. The portable terminal apparatus according to claim 18, comprising:

a manipulating section manipulated in order to input manipulation information about the electronic guide information;

a receiving section for receiving the electronic guide information;

a nonvolatile storing apparatus for storing the electronic guide information received by the receiving section; and

a controlling apparatus for reading the electronic guide information from the storing apparatus in accordance with the manipulation information from the manipulating section, as well as information processing the electronic guide information to control an image display.

20. The portable terminal apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the controlling apparatus processes the electronic guide information to control a display of an image of a customers attracting facility made of a three-dimensional image.

21. The portable terminal apparatus according to claim 19, wherein a communication modem is connected to the controlling apparatus, so as to receive the electronic guide information distributed by use of an already-existing communication infrastructure.

22. The portable terminal apparatus according to claim 19, wherein, when the electronic guide information about the customers attracting facility is lent, the controlling apparatus decrypts the electronic guide information which has been encrypted beforehand at the time of being downloaded.

23. The portable terminal apparatus according to claim 19, wherein, when the electronic guide information about the customers attracting facility is collected, the controlling apparatus erases the electronic guide information, as well as writes information about use status of the customers attracting facility by the information user and/or advertisement information about the customers attracting facility in the storing apparatus.

24. The portable terminal apparatus according to claim 19, wherein, when specific wireless broadcasting means effective only in a target area is provided to the customers attracting facility, the controlling apparatus receives the electronic guide information from the specific wireless broadcasting means by the receiving section.

25. The portable terminal apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the electronic guide information received by the receiving section is correlated with electronic guide information which has already been stored in the storing apparatus.

26. The portable terminal apparatus according to claim 19, wherein position measuring means is connected to the controlling apparatus, and the position of the portable terminal apparatus itself is specified by measuring latitude, longitude, and height by use of an artificial satellite.

27. The portable terminal apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the measurement information obtained by the position measuring means is correlated with map information about the customers attracting facility which has been already stored in the storing apparatus.

29. The method for processing electronic guide information according to claim 28, wherein the electronic guide information is distributed to the portable terminal apparatus by use of an already-existing broadcasting infrastructure or/and a communication infrastructure.

30. The method for processing electronic guide information according to claim 28, wherein the electronic guide information about the customers attracting facility is recorded in an information recording medium and is provided to an information user, and

wherein, at the time of using the information recording medium, the information user mounts the information recording medium to the portable terminal apparatus.

31. The method for processing electronic guide information according to claim 30, wherein the information recording medium is provided by use of an already-existing sales infrastructure.

15. An information distributing apparatus for distributing guide information about a customers attracting facility to an information user, comprising:

a data inserting section for constructing electronic information contents about the guide information into a group of data strings, and then inserting the resultant group of data strings into a signal for transmission; and

a transmitting section for transmitting the signal for transmission into which the constructed data strings has been inserted by the data inserting section to the portable terminal apparatus carried by the information user.

18. A portable terminal apparatus for obtaining and processing electronic guide information about a customer s attracting facility,

wherein the electronic guide information is received and stored, and the electronic guide information is read in an asynchronous manner in accordance with information manipulation by an information user, and wherein the electronic guide information is visually displayed or/and audibly output.

28. A method for processing electronic guide information which electronically processes guide information about a customers attracting facility, comprising the steps of:

producing electronic guide information at an information provider side based on the guide information, and distributing the electronic guide information to a portable terminal apparatus carried by an information user;

obtaining the distributed electronic guide information at the information user side; and

visually displaying or/and audibly outputting the obtained electronic guide information.

32. A method for processing electronic guide information which processes electronic guide information about a customers attracting facility which restricts the customers to go in and out only through its entrance and exit, comprising the steps of:

lending the electronic guide information at the entrance to a portable terminal apparatus carried by an information user; and

collecting the lent electronic guide information at the exit from the portable terminal apparatus.

33. The method for processing electronic guide information according to claim 32, wherein, when the electronic guide information about the customers attracting facility is lent, the electronic guide information is encrypted beforehand at the time of being downloaded, and the electronic guide information is decrypted at the entrance.

34. The method for processing electronic guide information according to claim 32, wherein, when the electronic guide information about the customers attracting facility is collected,

the electronic guide information is erased at the exit, and at the same time, information about use status of the customers attracting facility by the information user and/or advertisement information about the customers attracting facility is written in the portable terminal apparatus.

35. The method for processing electronic guide information according to claim 32, wherein specific wireless broadcasting means effective only in a target area is provided to the customers attracting facility, and

wherein the electronic guide information is provided to the portable terminal apparatus carried by information user from the specific wireless broadcasting means.

36. The method for processing electronic guide information according to claim 32, wherein, when the portable terminal apparatus does not have the receiving means,

the receiving means is lent at the entrance of the customers attracting facility.

37. The method for processing an electronic guide information according to claim 36, wherein the electronic guide information received by the receiving means is correlated with electronic guide information which has been already stored in the portable terminal apparatus.

38. The method for processing an electronic guide information according to claim 32, wherein the portable terminal apparatus comprises position measuring means for measuring latitude, longitude, and height by use of an artificial satellite, so as to specify the position of this portable terminal apparatus itself.

40. The method for processing an electronic guide information according to claim 38, wherein the measurement information obtained by the position measuring means is correlated with map information about the customers attracting facility which has been already stored in the portable terminal apparatus.