Information collection/management system, information collection/management apparatus, terminal device for use in the information collection/management system, storage medium in which collected information is stored, method for allowing collected information to be viewed, program for implementing the system, the apparatus, the terminal, or executing the method, and storage medium in which the program is stored

• US 20030079186A1
• Filed: 09/16/2002
• Published: 04/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nishimura, Jun, Kawaguchi, Daisuke, Gondo, Hisahito, Hoshino, Yukihiro, Aoki, Noriko, Idei, Manabu
• Granted Patent: US 7,500,180 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/530
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

An information collecting/providing system provides information in a manner that allows information to be easily registered, viewed, developed, and reused, even when a large amount of various kinds of information is collected and dealt with. The information collecting/providing system includes one or more terminal devices, an information collection/management apparatus connectable to the one or more terminal devices via a communication network, and an collected-information database connected to the information collection/management apparatus. The information collection/management apparatus receives collected information from the one or more terminal devices and stores the received information into the collected-information database. If the information collection/management apparatus receives a request from a terminal device, the information collection/management apparatus transmits, to the terminal device, collected information allowed for a user of the terminal device to read.

Claims

1. An information collection/management system comprising:

at least one terminal device;

an information collection/management apparatus connectable to the terminal device via a communication network; and

a collected-information database connected to the information collection/management apparatus, wherein

the terminal device is capable of accessing the information collection/management apparatus via the communication network and registering collected information into the collected-information database via the information collection/management apparatus, and the terminal device is also capable of issuing a request for viewing collected information stored in the collected-information database by accessing the information collection/management apparatus via the communication network, receiving information extracted from the collected-information database in accordance with the request, and displaying the received information in a form understandable by a user;

the collected-information database includes at least one or more sub-databases, each of which is assigned a category of collected information and stores collected information classified into the assigned category; and

the information collection/management apparatus receives collected information transmitted from a terminal device and stores the received information into the collected-information database, and, in response to a request from a terminal device, the information collection/management apparatus transmits, to the terminal device, collected information allowed to be viewed by a user of the terminal device.

2. An information collection/management apparatus comprising:

information registration means for, in response to an information registration request from a terminal device, generating an interface for use in making registration depending on the type/category of collected information, transmitting the resultant interface to the terminal device, and storing, into predetermined storage means, collected information transmitted from the terminal device in response to the transmission of the interface;

view request response means for generating at-a-glance information in response to a collected-information view request from a terminal device, transmitting the generated at-a-glance information to the terminal device, acquiring collected information indicated by information identifying collected information returned by the terminal device in response to the transmission of the at-a-glance information, and transmitting the acquired collected information to the terminal device; and

access right management means for supplying, to the view request response means, information indicating which piece of collected information is allowed to be viewed by a user of a terminal device.

3. An information collection/management apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising notification transmission means for, if collected information received from a terminal device includes information specifying a mail receiver, acquiring information regarding the specified mail receiver from the information registration means and generating an electronic mail addressed to the specified mail receiver.

4. An information collection/management apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising notification transmission means for receiving information identifying an information registrant from the information registration means, acquiring a relevant mail address corresponding to the information registrant, and generating an electronic mail addressed to the relevant mail address.

5. An information collection/management apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising score information providing means for, in response to a score information view request from a terminal device, retrieving score information from the collected information and providing total-score information.

6. A terminal device comprising:

information presentation/input interface providing means for providing an interface for use by a user to register collected information and for providing collected information in a form understandable by a user; and

input means for inputting information to the interface provided by the information presentation/input interface providing means,

wherein collected information provided by the information presentation/input interface providing means includes an object for use in registering new collected information relevant to the former collected information.

7. A terminal device according to claim 6, wherein the new collected information may include information regarding a score.

8. A storage medium in which collected information is stored, wherein the collected information includes a filed for storing related-information identifier identifying other collected information to which said former collected information is related, and also includes a score information field for storing a score evaluated for said other collected information.

9. A method of allowing a user to view collected information stored in a collected-information database, said method comprising the steps of:

identifying collected information which is allowed to be viewed by the user;

inquiring of collected-information database about the collected information identified in the identification step to obtain information regarding collected information allowed to be viewed;

generating at-a-glance information on the basis of the obtained information regarding collected information allowed to be viewed and transmitting the resultant at-a-glance information to a terminal device; and

requesting the collected-information database to transmit collected information specified by the user from the at-a-glance information, and receiving the data of the specified collected information, and transmitting the received data of the specified collected information to the terminal device.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the data of the collected information includes an object for use in registering new collected information relevant to the former collected information.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the new collected information may include information regarding a score.

12. A program for causing a computer to function as an information collection/management apparatus including

information registration means for, in response to an information registration request from a terminal device, generating an interface for use in registering collected information, transmitting the generated at-a-glance information to the terminal device, and storing, into predetermined storage means, collected information transmitted from the terminal device in response to the transmission of the interface;

view request response means for generating at-a-glance information in response to a collected-information view request from a terminal device, transmitting the generated at-a-glance information to the terminal device, acquiring collected information indicated by information identifying collected information returned by the terminal device in response to the transmission of the at-a-glance information, and transmitting the acquired collected information to the terminal device; and

access right management means for supplying, to the view request response means, information indicating which piece of collected information is allowed to be viewed by a user of a terminal device.

13. A program according to claim 12, wherein said program causes the computer to function as the information collection/management apparatus further including notification transmission means for, if collected information received from a terminal device includes information specifying a mail receiver, acquiring information regarding the specified mail receiver from the information registration means and generating an electronic mail addressed to the specified mail receiver.

14. A program according to claim 12, wherein said program causes the computer to function as the information collection/management apparatus further including score information providing means for, in response to a score information view request from a terminal device, retrieving score information from the collected information and providing total-score information.

20. A computer-readable storage medium in which a program according to one of claims 12 to 19 is stored.

15. A program for causing a computer to function as a terminal device including

information presentation/input interface providing means for providing an interface for use by a user to register collected information and for providing collected information in a form understandable by a user;

and

input means for inputting information to the interface provided by the information presentation/input interface providing means,

wherein collected information provided by the information presentation/input interface providing means includes an object for use in registering new collected information relevant to the former collected information.

16. A program according to claim 15, wherein the new collected information may include information regarding a score.

17. A program for executing a method for allowing a user to view collected information stored in a collected-information database, said program comprising the steps of:

identifying collected information which is allowed to be viewed by the user;

inquiring of collected-information database about the collected information identified in the identification step to obtain information regarding collected information allowed to be viewed;

generating at-a-glance information on the basis of the obtained information regarding collected information allowed to be viewed and transmitting the resultant at-a-glance information to a terminal device; and

requesting the collected-information database to transmit collected information specified by the user from the at-a-glance information, and receiving the data of the specified collected information, and transmitting the received data of the specified collected information to the terminal device.

18. A program according to claim 17, wherein the data of the collected information includes an object for use in registering new collected information relevant to the former collected information.

19. A program according to claim 18, wherein the new collected information may include information regarding a score.