Contents distributing server, contents distribution control method, program, and recording medium

• US 20030018775A1
• Filed: 06/24/2002
• Published: 01/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Katsuhiko, Shimizu, Yukihiko, Nagatsuka, Takayuki, Shiba, Rikio
• Granted Patent: US 7,386,603 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

Contents are distributed on the basis of information of a hobby and an address of the user and the like. The distribution of the contents is controlled also on the basis of a result of comparison of a reception intensity regarding contents of 3 or more levels set on the user side and a distribution intensity set as attributes into the contents on a distributing side.

Claims

1. A contents distributing server for distributing contents which are extracted from a contents database to which attributes have been added to an information processing apparatus which is used by the user, wherein said contents include information of a desired distribution intensity,

said server comprising:

managing means for receiving and managing, by said information processing apparatus, reception intensity information showing a reception intensity of three levels or more which were set via a user interface for setting the reception intensity to receive the contents displayed in a display unit of said information processing apparatus;

comparing means for comparing distribution intensity information included in the attributes of the contents stored in said contents database with the reception intensity information of said three levels or more; and

distribution control means for controlling the distribution of said contents in accordance with a result of the comparison of said comparing means.

2. A server according to claim 1, wherein said distribution control means transmits the contents including the distribution intensity information of the reception intensity or more which was notified by said information processing apparatus to a notification destination which has previously been registered.

3. A server according to claim 2, wherein a setting function for setting said reception intensity every kind of contents is included in said user interface, and said managing means manages the reception intensity set every kind of said contents.

4. A server according to claim 1, further comprising discriminating means for discriminating whether a collecting base point is included in a desired distributing range or not and/or whether a distribution base point is included in a desired collecting range or not in accordance with information of the distribution base point corresponding to the contents and the desired distributing range and information of the collecting base point and the desired collecting range of the contents which were set via said user interface,

and wherein said distribution control means distributes said contents in accordance with a result of the discrimination of said discriminating means.

5. A server according to claim 4, wherein application information is allowed to be concerned with said collecting base point, application information is further included in the attributes of said contents, and said distribution control means distributes said contents in accordance with adaptation of the application information included in the attributes of said contents and the application information concerned with said collecting base point.

6. A server according to claim 1, wherein information of a color priority is included in said contents,

said managing means receives and manages information of desired color degrees of at least two or more levels set through the user interface for setting the information of the desired color degree in the reception of the contents displayed in the display unit of said information processing apparatus, and

said distribution control means controls the distribution of said contents in accordance with a result of the comparison of the information of the desired color degree included in the attributes of the contents stored in said contents database and the information of the desired color degrees of said two or more levels.

7. A server according to claim 1, wherein original contents codes for specifying the contents are included in the attributes of said contents, and

wherein said server further comprises:

correspondence means for allowing a custom contents code to correspond to each of the original contents codes of the contents distributed to a predetermined user by said distribution control means; and

specifying means for specifying the original contents code in accordance with information which is inputted from an external apparatus and used for specifying the user and the custom contents codes;

wherein said distribution control means controls the distribution of the contents corresponding to the original contents code specified by said specifying means.

8. A server according to claim 1, wherein first contents and second contents indicative of advertisement contents are included in said contents, and

wherein said server further comprises:

presuming means for presuming an amount of toner, ink, or others of consumables which were consumed for output of said advertisement contents; and

calculating means for calculating an amount of money according to the amount of consumables which was presumed by said presuming means.

9. A server according to claim 8, wherein in said means for presuming the amount of consumables which were consumed for output of said second contents, an image ratio is used as a parameter.

10. A server according to claim 1, further comprising display instructing means for allowing a warning for urging purchase of consumables to be displayed in the display unit of said information processing apparatus in accordance with a log-in process by said information processing apparatus,

and wherein said display instructing means allows the consumables of a kind which is specified by said log-in process and is needed by the user to be displayed in the display unit.

11. A contents distribution control method by a contents distributing server for distributing contents which are extracted from a contents database to which attributes have been added to an information processing apparatus which is used by the user, wherein said contents include information of a desired distribution intensity, said method comprising:

a managing step of receiving and managing, by said information processing apparatus, reception intensity information showing a reception intensity of three levels or more which were set via a user interface for setting the reception intensity to receive the contents displayed in a display unit of said information processing apparatus;

a comparing step of comparing distribution intensity information included in the attributes of the contents stored in said contents database with the reception intensity information of said three levels or more; and

a distribution control step of controlling the distribution of said contents in accordance with a result of the comparison in said comparing step.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein in said distribution control step, the contents including the distribution intensity information of the reception intensity or more which was notified by said information processing apparatus are transmitted to a notification destination which has previously been registered.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein a setting function for setting said reception intensity every kind of contents is included in said user interface, and in said managing step, the reception intensity set every kind of said contents is managed.

14. A method according to claim 11, further comprising a discriminating step of discriminating whether a collecting base point is included in a desired distributing range or not and/or whether a distribution base point is included in a desired collecting range or not in accordance with information of the distribution base point corresponding to the contents and the desired distributing range and information of the collecting base point and the desired collecting range of the contents which were set via said user interface,

and wherein in said distribution control step, said contents are distributed in accordance with a result of the discrimination in said discriminating step.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein application information is allowed to be concerned with said collecting base point, application information is further included in the attributes of said contents, and in said distribution control step, said contents are distributed in accordance with adaptation of the application information included in the attributes of said contents and the application information concerned with said collecting base point.

16. A method according to claim 11, wherein information of a color priority is included in said contents,

in said managing step, information of desired color degrees of at least two or more levels set through the user interface for setting the information of the desired color degree in the reception of the contents displayed in the display unit of said information processing apparatus is received and managed, and

in said distribution control step, the distribution of said contents is controlled in accordance with a result of the comparison of the information of the desired color degree included in the attributes of the contents stored in said contents database and the information of the desired color degrees of said two or more levels.

17. A method according to claim 11, wherein original contents codes for specifying the contents are included in the attributes of said contents, and

wherein said method further comprises

a correspondence step of allowing a custom contents code to correspond to each of the original contents codes of the contents distributed to a predetermined user in said distribution control step;

and

a specifying step of specifying the original contents code in accordance with information which is inputted from an external apparatus and used for specifying the user and the custom contents codes,

wherein in said distribution control step, the distribution of the contents corresponding to the original contents code specified in said specifying step is controlled.

18. A method according to claim 11, wherein first contents and second contents indicative of advertisement contents are included in said contents,

wherein said method further comprises:

a presuming step of presuming an amount of toner, ink, or others of consumables which were consumed for output of said advertisement contents; and

a calculating step of calculating an amount of money according to the amount of consumables which was presumed in said presuming step.

19. A method according to claim 18, wherein in said step of presuming the amount of consumables which were consumed for output of said second contents, an image ratio is used as a parameter.

20. A method according to claim 11, further comprising a display instructing step of allowing a warning for urging purchase of consumables to be displayed in the display unit of said information processing apparatus in accordance with a log-in process by said information processing apparatus,

and wherein in said display instructing step, the consumables of a kind which is specified by said log-in process and is needed by the user are displayed in the display unit.

21. A program which is executed by a contents distributing server for distributing contents which are extracted from a contents database to which attributes have been added to an information processing apparatus which is used by the user, wherein said contents include information of a desired distribution intensity, said program comprising:

a managing step of receiving and managing, by said information processing apparatus, reception intensity information showing a reception intensity of three levels or more which were set via a user interface for setting the reception intensity to receive the contents displayed in a display unit of said information processing apparatus;

a comparing step of comparing distribution intensity information included in the attributes of the contents stored in said contents database with the reception intensity information of said three levels or more; and

a distribution control step of controlling distribution of said contents in accordance with a result of the comparison in said comparing step.

22. A memory medium which stores a program that is read out and executed by a contents distributing server for distributing contents which are extracted from a contents database to which attributes have been added to an information processing apparatus which is used by the user, wherein said contents include information of a desired distribution intensity, said program comprising:

a managing step of receiving and managing, by said information processing apparatus, reception intensity information showing a reception intensity of three levels or more which were set via a user interface for setting the reception intensity to receive the contents displayed in a display unit of said information processing apparatus;

a comparing step of comparing distribution intensity information included in the attributes of the contents stored in said contents database with the reception intensity information of said three levels or more; and

a distribution control step of controlling distribution of said contents in accordance with a result of the comparison in said comparing step.