Information distribution system, information distribution method, and information center

• US 20030097374A1
• Filed: 11/15/2002
• Published: 05/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Himeno, Yasuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,346,618 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

An information distribution system includes an information center and a portable terminal. The portable terminal transmits user'"'"'s personal information to the information center together with specifying information that specifies the distributed content. The information center registers the received personal information and specifying information in relation to each other. Upon receiving the content distribution request, the information center checks on the basis of the specifying information whether the personal information about the requested distributed content has already been registered. If the personal information has been registered, the information center distributes the personal information to the portable terminal together with the requested content. An information distribution method and a program are also disclosed.

Claims

1. An information distribution system comprising:

an information center in which a plurality of contents are registered in advance; and

a portable terminal connected to said information center through a network,

said information center distributing a requested content to said portable terminal in response to a content distribution request from said portable terminal,

wherein said portable terminal transmits to said information center personal information of a user, which is input in association with the content distributed from said information center, together with specifying information that specifies the distributed content, and

said information center registers the received personal information and specifying information in relation to each other, upon receiving the content distribution request from said portable terminal, checks on the basis of the specifying information whether the personal information about the requested distributed content has already been registered, and if the personal information has been registered, distributes the personal information to said portable terminal together with the requested content.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said portable terminal comprises

position information acquisition means for acquiring a current position,

radio communication means for transmitting the current position information acquired by said position information acquisition means to said information center and sending the content distribution request,

said information center comprises

a first database in which a plurality of contents are registered for each of a plurality of areas which are defined by dividing a predetermined region,

area specifying means for specifying an area where said portable terminal is currently located from the plurality of areas on the basis of the current position information provided from said portable terminal,

content distribution means for reading out a list of contents related to the area specified by said area specifying means from said first database and transmitting the list to said portable terminal, and reading out from said first database a content requested by the user from the transmitted content list and distributing the content to said portable terminal,

a second database in which the personal information is registered, and

personal information registering means for registering the personal information received from said portable terminal in said second database in relation to the specifying information, and

upon receiving the content distribution request from said portable terminal, said content distribution means checks on the basis of the specifying information whether the personal information about the requested content has already been registered in said second database, and if the personal information has been registered, distributes the personal information to said portable terminal together with the requested content.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the personal information is one information selected from the group consisting of audio information, character information, image information, and a combination thereof.

4. A system according to claim 2, wherein

said position information acquisition means comprises GPS receiving means for receiving a GPS (Global Positioning System) signal from a GPS satellite and obtaining latitude and longitude information, and

said area specifying means specifies the area on the basis of the latitude and longitude information output from said GPS receiving means.

5. A system according to claim 2, wherein

said system further comprises a base station which communicates with said portable terminal by radio and whose installation position including a latitude and longitude is known in advance,

said position information acquisition means acquires the latitude and longitude information from said base station through said radio communication means, and

said area specifying means specifies the area on the basis of the latitude and longitude information of said base station output from said position information acquisition means.

6. A system according to claim 2, wherein

said system further comprises a base station which communicates with said portable terminal by radio and whose installation position including a latitude and longitude is known in advance,

said position information acquisition means comprises GPS receiving means for receiving a GPS signal indicating latitude and longitude information from a GPS satellite and correcting the received latitude and longitude information on the basis of the latitude and longitude information of said base station, which is acquired through said radio communication means, and

said information center specifies the area on the basis of the corrected latitude and longitude information output from said GPS receiving means.

7. A system according to claim 2, wherein

said information center comprises a third database in which authentication information that authenticates the user of said portable terminal is registered in advance,

said portable terminal comprises authentication data input means for inputting authentication data of the user in sending the content distribution request to said information center, and

said information center checks whether the authentication data output from said authentication data input means matches the authentication information registered in said third database, and only when the authentication data matches the authentication information, distributes the requested content to said portable terminal.

8. A system according to claim 2, wherein when information of the content registered in said first database has been changed, said content distribution means adds information representing the information change to at least one of the content list related to the area specified by said area specifying means and the content requested by the user from the content list, which are read out from said first database, and transmits the information to said portable terminal.

9. An information distribution method of distributing information between an information center in which a plurality of contents are registered in advance and a portable terminal connected to the information center through a network, comprising:

the first step of causing the portable terminal to send a content distribution request to the information center;

the second step of causing the information center to distribute a requested content to the portable terminal in response to the content distribution request;

the third step of causing the portable terminal to transmit to the information center personal information of a user, which is input in association with the content distributed from the information center, together with specifying information that specifies the distributed content; and

the fourth step of causing the information center to register the received personal information and specifying information in relation to each other,

wherein the second step comprises the fifth step of, when the content distribution request is received from the portable terminal, and when the personal information about the requested content has already been registered, causing the information center to distribute the personal information to the portable terminal together with the requested content.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein

the method further comprises the steps of

causing the portable terminal to send to the information center the content distribution request added with acquired current position information of the portable terminal, and

causing the information center to transmit to the portable terminal a list of contents related to an area specified on the basis of the transmitted current position information of the portable terminal from a first database in which a plurality of contents having different pieces of information are registered for each of a plurality of areas defined by dividing a predetermined region,

the first step comprises the step of causing the portable terminal to request the information center to distribute a content designated by the user from the transmitted content list,

the second step comprises the step of causing the information center to read out the requested content from the first database and distributing the content to the portable terminal,

the third step comprises the step of causing the portable terminal to transmit the personal information input in related to the distributed content to the information center together with the specifying information that specifies the distributed content,

the fourth step comprises the step of causing the information center to register the transmitted personal information and specifying information in a second database in related to each other, and

the fifth step comprises the steps of

causing the information center to, upon receiving the content distribution request, check on the basis of the specifying information whether the personal information about the requested content has been registered in the second database, and

if the personal information has been registered, causing the information center to distribute the personal information to the portable terminal together with the requested content.

11. A method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of, when information of the content registered in the first database has been changed, adding information representing the information change to at least one of the content list related to the specified area and the content requested by the user from the content list, which are read out from the first database.

12. A method according to claim 9, wherein the personal information is one information selected from the group consisting of audio information, character information, image information, and a combination thereof.

13. A recording medium which records a program that executes the procedure of distributing information between an information center in which a plurality of contents are registered in advance and a portable terminal connected to the information center through a network,

wherein the program comprises a program which executes

the first procedure of causing the portable terminal to send a content distribution request to the information center,

the second procedure of causing the information center to distribute a requested content to the portable terminal in response to the content distribution request,

the third procedure of causing the portable terminal to transmit to the information center personal information of a user, which is input in association with the content distributed from the information center, together with specifying information that specifies the distributed content, and

the fourth procedure of causing the information center to register the received personal information and specifying information in relation to each other, and

the second procedure comprises the fifth procedure of, when the content distribution request is received from the portable terminal, and when the personal information about the requested distributed content has already been registered, causing the information center to distribute the personal information to the portable terminal together with the distributed content.

14. A medium according to claim 13, wherein

the program further comprises a program which execute the procedures of

causing the portable terminal to send to the information center the content distribution request added with acquired current position information of the portable terminal, and

causing the information center to transmit to the portable terminal a list of contents related to an area specified on the basis of the transmitted current position information of the portable terminal from a first database in which a plurality of contents are registered for each of a plurality of areas defined by dividing a predetermined region,

the first procedure comprises the procedure of causing the portable terminal to request the information center to distribute a content designated from the transmitted content list,

the second procedure comprises the procedure of causing the information center to read out the requested content from the first database and distributing the content to the portable terminal,

the third procedure comprises the procedure of causing the portable terminal to transmit the user'"'"'s personal information input in related to the distributed content to the information center together with the specifying information that specifies the distributed content,

the fourth procedure comprises the procedure of causing the information center to register the received personal information and specifying information in a second database in related to each other, and

the fifth procedure comprises the procedures of

causing the information center to, upon receiving the content distribution request, check on the basis of the specifying information whether the personal information about the requested content has been registered in the second database, and

if the personal information has been registered, causing the information center to distribute the personal information to the portable terminal together with the requested content.

15. A medium according to claim 14, further comprising the procedure of, when information of the content registered in the first database has been changed, adding information representing the information change to at least one of the content list related to the specified area and the content requested by the user from the content list, which are read out from the first database.

16. An information center in which a plurality of contents are registered in advance and which distributes a requested content to a portable terminal connected through a network in response to a content distribution request from the portable terminal, comprising:

registering means for registering user'"'"'s personal information about the content distributed from said information center in response to the content distribution request received from the portable terminal and specifying information that specifies the distributed content in relation to each other; and

distribution means for, when the content distribution request is received from the portable terminal, and the personal information about the requested distributed content has been registered in a database, distributing the personal information to the portable terminal together with the requested content.

17. A center according to claim 16, wherein

said center further comprises

a first database in which a plurality of contents are registered for each of a plurality of areas which are defined by dividing a predetermined region,

area specifying means for specifying an area where the portable terminal is currently located from the plurality of areas on the basis of current position information provided from the portable terminal, and

a second database in which the personal information is registered,

said distribution means comprises content distribution means for reading out a list of contents related to the area specified by said area specifying means from said first database and transmitting the list to the portable terminal, and reading out from said first database a content requested by the user from the transmitted content list and distributing the content to the portable terminal,

said registering means comprises personal information registering means for registering the personal information received from the portable terminal in said second database in relation to the specifying information, and

upon receiving the content distribution request from the portable terminal, said content distribution means checks on the basis of the specifying information whether the personal information about the requested content has been registered in said second database, and if the personal information has been registered, distributes the personal information to the portable terminal together with the requested content.

18. A center according to claim 17, wherein when information of the content registered in said first database has been changed, said content distribution means adds information representing the information change to one of the content list related to the area specified by said area specifying means and the content requested by the user from the content list, which are read out from said first database, and transmits the information.

19. An information distribution method of, in an information center in which a plurality of contents are registered in advance, distributing a requested content to a portable terminal connected through a network in response to a content distribution request from the portable terminal, comprising:

the first step of registering user'"'"'s personal information about the content distributed from the information center in response to the content distribution request received from the portable terminal and specifying information that specifies the distributed content in relation to each other; and

the second step of, when the content distribution request is received from the portable terminal, and the personal information about the requested distributed content has been registered in a database, distributing the personal information to the portable terminal together with the requested content.

20. A method according to claim 19, wherein

said method further comprises

the third step of specifying an area where the portable terminal is currently located from a plurality of areas on the basis of current position information provided from the portable terminal,

the first step comprises the personal information registering means of registering the personal information received from the portable terminal in a second database in relation to the specifying information,

the second step comprises the content distribution step of reading out a list of contents related to the specified area from a first database in which a plurality of contents are registered for each of a plurality of areas which are defined by dividing a predetermined region and transmitting the list to the portable terminal, and reading out from the first database a content requested by the user from the transmitted content list and distributing the content to the portable terminal, and

the content distribution step comprises the steps of

upon receiving the content distribution request from the portable terminal, checking on the basis of the specifying information whether the personal information about the requested content has been registered in the second database, and

if the personal information has been registered, distributing the personal information to the portable terminal together with the requested content.

21. A method according to claim 20, wherein the content distribution step comprises the step of, when information of the content registered in the first database has been changed, adding information representing the information change to at least one of the content list related to the specified area and the content requested by the user from the content list, which are read out from the first database.

22. A recording medium which records a program that executes the procedure of, in an information center in which a plurality of contents are registered in advance, distributing a requested content to a portable terminal connected through a network in response to a content distribution request from the portable terminal,

wherein the program comprises a program which executes

the first procedure of registering user'"'"'s personal information about the content distributed from the information center in response to the content distribution request received from the portable terminal and specifying information that specifies the distributed content in relation to each other, and

the second procedure of, when the content distribution request is received from the portable terminal, and the personal information about the requested distributed content has been registered in a database, distributing the personal information to the portable terminal together with the requested content.

23. A medium according to claim 22, wherein

the program further comprises a program which execute the third procedures specifying an area where the portable terminal is currently located from a plurality of areas on the basis of current position information provided from the portable terminal,

the first procedure comprises the personal information registering procedure of registering the personal information received from the portable terminal in a second database in relation to the specifying information,

the second procedure comprises the content distribution procedure of reading out a list of contents related to the specified area from a first database in which a plurality of contents are registered for each of a plurality of areas which are defined by dividing a predetermined region and transmitting the list to the portable terminal, and reading out from the first database a content requested by the user from the transmitted content list and distributing the content to the portable terminal, and

the content distribution procedure comprises the procedures of

upon receiving the content distribution request from the portable terminal, checking on the basis of the specifying information whether the personal information about the requested content has been registered in the second database, and

if the personal information has been registered, distributing the personal information to the portable terminal together with the requested content.

24. A medium according to claim 23, wherein the content distribution procedure comprises the procedure of, when information of the content registered in the first database has been changed, adding information representing the information change to at least one of the content list related to the specified area and the content requested by the user from the content list, which are read out from the first database.