Service providing system and service providing apparatus

• US 20040051734A1
• Filed: 09/18/2002
• Published: 03/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Fukui, Yoshiki, Taniguchi, Shinya, Kitada, Naruhide
• Granted Patent: US 7,159,179 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/743
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/34 involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/84 output devices, e.g. displays or monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/74 Projection arrangements for image reproduction, e.g. using eidophor

Abstract

It is to provide a service providing system in which it is determined whether users have use authority to utilize a service providing apparatus such as a projector so that only users having the use authority can utilize the service providing apparatus, and a service providing system and a service providing apparatus, wherein users are allowed to have use authority to utilize the service providing apparatus through entrance into an arbitrary place, or the like so that the service providing apparatus can be conveniently utilized.

A service providing system 1 comprises an instruction apparatus 2 for giving operation instructions to a projector 5, a virtual object management apparatus 3 for controlling operations related to virtual objects, such as the setting of the virtual objects, a use authority management unit 4 for managing determination of the presence of use authority which a system user needs in order to utilize a service, the projector 5 for displaying an image on a display unit in response to the contents of the instructions issued from the system user, and a network 6 for performing data communication among the respective apparatuses.

Claims

1. A service providing system for providing a specific service in response to the contents of instructions issued from a system user having use authority, comprising:

a service providing apparatus for providing the specific service, an instruction apparatus for giving the instructions to the service providing apparatus, and a use authority determination means for determining whether the system user has the use authority,

whereby the specific service is provided in response to the instructions from the instruction apparatus manipulated by the system user who has been determined as having the use authority.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a use authority information input unit for inputting use authority information on the use authority the system user has,

wherein the use authority determination means is configured to determine whether the system user has the use authority based on the inputted use authority information.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a use authority information reading means for reading the use authority information from an authentication card on which the use authority information is recorded,

wherein the use authority determination means is configured to determine whether the system user has the use authority based on the read use authority information.

7. The system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the specific service is to cause an image to be displayed on a display unit in response to the contents of the instructions issued from the system user, and the service providing apparatus is a projection-type display apparatus for displaying the image on the display unit.

9. The system as claimed in claim 7 or 8, wherein the use authority determination means is configured to determine whether the system user has the use authority based on attribute information on data to be projected by the projection-type display apparatus.

4. A service providing system for providing a specific service in response to the contents of instructions issued from a system user having use authority, comprising:

a service providing apparatus for providing the specific service, an instruction apparatus for giving the instructions to the service providing apparatus, a use authority determination means for determining whether the system user has the use authority, and a virtual object management terminal for managing a virtual object,

wherein the virtual object management terminal include;

a virtual object setting means which causes the service providing apparatus to be matched with a first virtual object and the instruction apparatus to be matched with a second virtual object and places the first virtual object in a virtual space matched with an actual space and the second virtual object at or around the position of the instruction apparatus in the virtual space,

a position information acquisition means for acquiring position information used to specify the position of the instruction apparatus, and

a positional relationship calculation means for calculating the positional relationship between the first and second virtual objects based on the acquired position information, and

wherein the use authority determination means is configured to determine that the system user has the use authority if the calculated positional relationship is a relationship in which the first and second virtual objects exist in an identical position in an overlapped state.

5. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the service providing apparatus is caused to be matched with a plurality of first virtual objects and the plurality of first virtual objects are placed in the virtual space matched with the actual space, and the use authority determination means is configured to determine that the system user has the use authority if there is a relationship in which the second virtual object and any one of the first virtual objects exist in an identical position in an overlapped state.

6. The system as claimed in claim 4, further comprising an overlap history storage means for storing a history that when the service providing apparatus was caused to be matched with a plurality of first virtual objects, the second virtual object and any one of the first virtual objects existed in an identical position in an overlapped state, wherein the use authority determination means is configured to determine whether the system user has the use authority based on the contents stored in the overlap history storage means.

8. The system as claimed in claim 4 or 7, wherein the virtual object setting means causes a predetermined device other than the service providing apparatus to be matched with a third virtual object, and the use authority determination means is configured to determine that the system user has the use authority if there is a relationship in which the second and third virtual objects and the first virtual object exist in an identical position in an overlapped state.

10. A service providing apparatus for providing a specific service in a service providing system for providing the specific service in response to the contents of instructions issued from a system user having use authority, comprising:

a use authority information input unit for inputting use authority information on the use authority the system user has, and

a use authority determination unit for determining whether the system user has the use authority based on the inputted use authority information.

11. A service providing apparatus for providing a specific service in a service providing system for providing the specific service in response to the contents of instructions issued from a system user having use authority, comprising:

a use authority information reading unit for reading use authority information from an authentication card on which the use authority information is recorded, and

a use authority determination means for determining whether the system user has the use authority based on the read use authority information.