Agent system , information providing method , information providing device , and data recording medium

• US 20030052914A1
• Filed: 09/17/2002
• Published: 03/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Asami, Akiko
• Granted Patent: US 7,441,190 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/745
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/972 Inserted real-time video in operator interface

Abstract

An agent system (21) which provides information for a user, displaying a character, comprises at least: an agent program (22) provided in a user computer connectable to a communication channel network (2); a user information storage part (29) which stores user information; and a character display data storage part (32) which stores character display data for determining a display form of the character. The agent program (22) performs processing of collecting the user information and information selected by the user information, processing of creating a key word specific to the user based on the user information and the selected information, and processing of providing information, varying the display form related to the character from the selected information and the character display data, for every item of information. That is, a character as a virtual creature is let live in an information communication apparatus such as a personal computer or the like, so that information can be collected with interests and fun through communication between the user and the character.

Claims

1. An agent system which provides information for a user, displaying a character, comprising:

an agent program part provided in a user computer connectable to a communication channel network;

a user information storage part which stores user information; and

a character display data storage part which stores character display data for determining a display form of the character wherein the agent program part performs processing of collecting the user information and information selected by the user information, processing of creating a key word specific to the user based on the user information and the selected information, and processing of providing information, varying the display form related to the character by the selected information and the character display data, for every item of information.

2. The agent system according to claim 1, wherein the selected information includes information provided in a server connected through the communication channel network, and information from the web page searched in the server.

3. The agent system according to claim 2, wherein the information from the web page is previously read and is then displayed.

4. The agent system according to claim 2, wherein the information from the web page is previously downloaded and is then displayed.

5. The agent system according to claim 1, wherein the key word is created from an answer to a question given to the user.

6. The agent system according to claim 1, wherein the key word includes an address of the web page connectable through the communication channel network.

7. The agent system according to claim 1, wherein the user computer includes a mobile terminal which is portable.

8. An information providing method of providing a user with information by a displayed character, comprising steps of:

collecting individual information of the user;

creating a key word, based on the individual information of the user;

searching specific information, based on the key word;

specifying a form of the character as a predetermined form related to search result information obtained by search; and

providing the search result information for the user by the character in the specified form.

9. The information providing method according to claim 8, wherein the specific information is information from the web page.

10. The information providing method according to claim 8, wherein a key word is further created, based on the search result information.

11. The information providing method according to claim 8, wherein the individual information of the user is obtained by presenting a question to the user and collecting an answer to the presented question.

12. The information providing method according to claim 11, wherein the question is presented by the character.

13. The information providing method according to claim 8, wherein the individual information of the user is obtained by selecting a predetermined word inputted by the user through conversation between the user and the character.

14. An information providing apparatus comprising:

a processing part which executes processing of obtaining user information, processing of determining a character display form from character display data, processing of collecting the user information and/or information selected by the user information, processing of creating a key word specific to the user based on the user information and/or the selected information, and processing of providing information, varying a display form related to the character by the selected information and the character display data, for every item of information;

a transmission/reception part which transmits/receives information to/from another computer through a communication channel network;

an information storage part which stores predetermined information; and

an information search part which searches information in the information storage part from the key word.

15. The information providing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein an agent program executes the processing of obtaining user information, the processing of determining a character display form from character display data, the processing of collecting the user information and/or information selected by the user information, processing of creating a key word specific to the user based on the user information and/or the selected information, and the processing of providing information, varying a display form related to the character by the selected information and the character display data, for every item of information.

16. The information providing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the agent program is executed by a user computer or a server computer.

17. The information providing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the transmission/reception part which transmits/receives information to/from another computer through a communication channel network, the information storage part which stores predetermined information, and the information search part which searches information in the information storage part from the key word inputted from the user computer are provided in the user computer or the server computer.

18. The information providing apparatus according to claim 16 or 17, wherein the user computer includes a portable mobile terminal.

19. A data recording medium which records a program for making at lest a computer execute an information collection step of collecting user information and information selected by the user information, a key word creation step of creating a key word specific to a user, based on the user information and the selected information, a display form selection step of selecting a display form of a character, varying the display form related to the selected information, based on the selected information, for every item of information, and an information providing step of displaying the selected information through the character displayed based on the selected display form.

20. The data recording medium according to claim 19, wherein the key word creation step includes a step of supplying the user with a question, a step of collecting an answer to the question from the user, and a step of creating a key word based on the collected answer.

21. The data recording medium according to claim 19, wherein the key word creation step includes a step of collecting the information selected by the user information, and a step of creating a key word, based on the collected information.

22. The data recording medium according to claim 19, wherein the key word creation step includes a step of collecting information from the web page selected by the user information, and a step of creating a key word, based on the collected information from the web page.