Collected data providing apparatus and portable terminal for data collection

• US 20040073687A1
• Filed: 08/25/2003
• Published: 04/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Murata, Yoshiyuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,386,601 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera

Abstract

A collected data providing apparatus and a portable data collecting terminal capable of collecting valuable effective data from object of data collection. When a server receives a data-collection request from a data collection requester'"'"'s terminal, the server examines whether or not there is a data collector with a terminal in the vicinity of a place of data collection included in the request. If there is, the server sends a data collection request to the portable terminal, which receives the request, collects data on the place at the request, and then sends the server the collected data. The server then delivers this collected data to the data collection requester'"'"'s terminal (FIG. 1).

Claims

1. A collected data providing apparatus comprising:

a locating unit for locating the position of an object of data collection;

a finding unit for finding a portable terminal present in the vicinity of the object of data collection located by the locating unit;

a transmitter for transmitting the found portable terminal a request to collect data on the object of data collection; and

a receiver for receiving from the portable terminal the data collected by the portable terminal at the request.

7. The collected information providing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a delivering unit for delivering to at least one of the data collector'"'"'s terminal and data delivery subscribers'"'"' terminals an edited version of the collected data received by the receiver.

8. The collected data providing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a first control unit for controlling the apparatus so that the apparatus will evaluate the collected data received by the receiver, and send to a financial institution'"'"'s terminal a request for financial institution'"'"'s terminal to pay the data collector'"'"'s terminal a reward depending on a result of the evaluation of the received collected data.

9. The collected data providing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second control unit for controlling the apparatus so that the apparatus will publish a data collector recruiting homepage on the Internet before the receiver receives the collected data.

10. The collected data providing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second control unit for controlling the apparatus so that the apparatus will publish a data collector recruiting homepage on the Internet before the receiver receives the collected data, and then receive applications for recruitment of data collectors from the applicants with their terminals.

11. The collected data providing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a fourth control unit for controlling the apparatus so that the apparatus will publish a data collector recruiting homepage on the Internet before the receiver receives the collected data, determine whether or not an applicant who applied for the recruitment of the data collectors is qualified for the position based upon his or her application data received from the applicant'"'"'s terminal, register the applicant as a qualified data collector if he or she deserves the position, and send the registered applicant his or her related information.

12. The collected data providing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a fourth control unit for controlling the apparatus so that the apparatus will publish a data collector recruiting homepage on the Internet before the receiver receives the collected data, determine whether or not an applicant who applied for the recruitment of the data collectors is qualified for the position based upon his or her application data received from the applicant'"'"'s terminal, register the applicant as a qualified data collector if he or she deserves the position, send the registered data collector his or her related information, and receive data on objects of data collection from third parties including the registered data collectors before or after the related information is sent to the registered data collectors.

13. The collected data providing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a fourth control unit for controlling the apparatus so that the apparatus will publish a data collector recruiting homepage on the Internet before the receiver receives the collected data, determine whether or not an applicant who applied for the recruitment of the data collectors is qualified for the position based upon his or her application data received from the applicant'"'"'s terminal, register the applicant as a qualified data collector if he or she deserves the position, send the registered data collector his or her related information, and receive data on objects of data collection from third parties including the registered data collectors before or after the related information is sent to the registered data collectors, and

wherein the position of the object of data collection located by the locating unit is indicated by the data on the object of data collection received under control of the fifth control unit.

2. A collected data providing apparatus connected to a plurality of portable terminals through a network, the apparatus comprising:

first receiver for receiving from a first one of the plurality of portable terminals a request to collect data on the present situation of a specified place;

a finding unit for finding a second one of the plurality of portable terminals present in the vicinity of the specified place;

a transmitter for transmitting the found second portable terminal a request to collect data on the present situation of the place; and

a second receiver for receiving from the second portable terminal the data collected by the second portable terminal at the request sent by the transmitter.

6. The collected data providing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a first control unit for controlling the apparatus so that the apparatus will send the second portable terminal data on a price for the collected data on the present situation of the specified place received by the second receiver.

3. A collected data providing apparatus comprising:

a first receiver for receiving a data collection request from a data collection requester'"'"'s terminal;

a first transmitter for transmitting the data collection request to a data collector'"'"' terminal in the vicinity of a place of data collection indicated by information included in the data collection request received by the first receiver;

a second receiver for receiving from the data collector'"'"'s terminal the data collected by the data collector'"'"'s terminal at the data collection request sent by the first transmitter; and

a second transmitter for transmitting the data collection requester'"'"'s terminal the collected data received by the second receiver.

15. The collected data providing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

a third transmitter for transmitting the data collection requester'"'"'s terminal an edited version of collected data received by the second transmitter.

16. The collected data providing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

a first control unit for controlling the apparatus so that the apparatus will send a financial institution a request for the financial institution to pay the data collector'"'"'s terminal for a price for the collected data received from the second receiver.

17. The collected data providing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a second control unit for controlling the apparatus so that the apparatus will publish a data collector recruiting homepage on the Internet to recruit data collectors who collect data at a request of a data collection requester before the second receiver receive the collected data, and then receive an application for recruitment of data collectors from the data collection requester'"'"'s terminal.

18. The collected data providing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a third control unit for controlling the apparatus so that the apparatus will publish a data collector recruiting homepage on the Internet to recruit data collectors before the second receiver receives the collected data, and then receive an application for recruitment of data collectors sent from the data collection requester'"'"'s terminal.

20. The collected data providing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a fifth control unit for controlling the apparatus so that the apparatus will publish a data collector recruiting homepage on the Internet before the receiver receives the collected data, determine whether or not the data collection requester'"'"'s terminal is qualified as a data collector, when he or she applied for the recruitment of the data collectors, based upon his or her application data received from the data collection requester'"'"'s terminal, register data collection requester'"'"'s terminal as a qualified data collector if he or she deserves the position, send registered data collector-related information to the data collection requester'"'"'s terminal, and receive a data collection request from the data collection requester'"'"'s terminal before or after the related information is sent to the registered data collector.

22. The collected data providing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the second sending means comprises means for editing the collected data and then for sending the edited data to the data collection requester'"'"'s terminal, instead of the collected data.

4. A collected data providing apparatus comprising:

a first receiver for receiving a data collection request from a data collection requester'"'"'s terminal;

a first transmitter for transmitting the data collection request to a data collector'"'"' terminal in the vicinity of a place of data collection and having device information indicated by information included in the data collection request received by the first receiver;

a second receiver for receiving from the data collector'"'"'s terminal the data collected by the data collector'"'"'s terminal at the data collection request sent by the first transmitter; and

a second transmitter for transmitting the data collection requester'"'"'s terminal the collected data received by the second receiver.

14. The collected data providing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a price collecting unit for collecting from the data collection requester'"'"'s terminal a price for the collected data received from the second transmitter.

19. The collected data providing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a fourth control unit for controlling the apparatus so that the apparatus will publish a data collector recruiting homepage on the Internet before the receiver receives the collected data, determine whether or not the data collection requester'"'"'s terminal is qualified as a data collector, when he or she applied for the recruitment of the data collectors, based upon his or her application data received from the data collection requester'"'"'s terminal, register data collection requester'"'"'s terminal as a qualified data collector if he or she deserves the position, and send registered data collector-related information to the data collection requester'"'"'s terminal.

5. A collected information providing apparatus comprising:

a first receiver for receiving a data collection request sent by a data collection requester'"'"'s terminal;

a finding unit for finding a data collector'"'"'s terminal present in the vicinity of a place of data collection indicated by information included in the request received by the first receiver;

a first transmitter, responsive to the finding unit finding the data collector'"'"'s terminal, for sending the data collector'"'"'s terminal the request received by the first receiver;

a second receiver for receiving from the data collector'"'"'s terminal the data collected by the data collector'"'"'s terminal at the request; and

a second transmitter for transmitting the data collection requester'"'"'s terminal the collected data received by the second receiver.

21. The collected data providing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the locating means comprises means for locating the present position of the data collector'"'"'s terminal each time the first receiving means receives a data collection request from the data collection requester'"'"'s terminal, and for finding a data collector'"'"'s terminal present in the vicinity of the place of a data collection included in the data collection request.

23. A portable terminal apparatus for data collection, comprising:

a receiver for receiving a data collection request sent by a collected data providing terminal; and

a collecting unit for collecting data at the request received by the receiver and then for sending the collected data to the data providing terminal.

30. The portable data-collecting terminal apparatus according to claim 23, further comprising a third control unit for controlling the apparatus so that the apparatus will receive from the collected data providing terminal a data-collector recruiting homepage appearing on the Internet before the receiver receives the data collection request, and send the collected data providing terminal data on an application for recruitment of the data collectors inputted in accordance with the received recruiting homepage.

31. The portable data collecting terminal apparatus according to claim 23, further comprising a fourth control unit for controlling the apparatus so that the apparatus will receive from the collected data providing terminal a data collector recruiting homepage appearing on the Internet before the receiver receives the data collecting request, and send the collected data providing terminal data on the apparatus and data on an application for recruitment of the data collectors inputted in accordance with the recruiting homepage.

32. The portable data collecting terminal apparatus according to claim 23, further comprising a fifth control unit for controlling the apparatus so that the apparatus will receive from the collected data providing terminal a data collector recruiting homepage appearing on the Internet before the receiver receives the data collecting request, and send the collected data providing terminal data on an application for recruitment of the data collectors inputted in accordance with the recruiting homepage, and then receive registered data collector-related information from the collected data providing terminal.

24. A portable data-collecting terminal apparatus connected to a collected-data providing terminal through a network, the apparatus comprising:

a transmitter for transmitting the collected data providing terminal a request to collect and deliver data on the present situation of a specified place to the terminal apparatus; and

a receiver for receiving from the collected data providing terminal data on the present situation of a specified place collected by the collected data providing terminal at the request sent by the transmitter.

27. The portable data-collecting terminal apparatus according to claim 24, further comprising a first control unit for controlling the apparatus so that the apparatus will send the collected data providing terminal data on a price for the collected data on the present situation of the specified place received by the receiver.

25. A portable data collecting terminal apparatus comprising:

a receiver for receiving a data collection request from a data collection requester'"'"' terminal through an management server;

a display control unit for displaying the data collection request received by the receiver on a display; and

a transmitter for transmitting the management server data collected at the data collection request displayed on the display.

28. The portable data-collecting terminal apparatus according to claim 25, further comprising a first control unit for controlling the apparatus so that after the transmitter has sent the server the collected data, the apparatus receives a notice of payment of a price for the sent collected data from at least one of a financial institution'"'"'s terminal and the data collection requester'"'"'s terminal.

29. The portable data-collecting terminal apparatus according to claim 25, further comprising a second control unit for controlling the apparatus so that the apparatus will receive from the collected data providing terminal a data-collector recruiting homepage appearing on the Internet before the receiver receives the data collection request.

34. The portable data collecting terminal apparatus according to claim 25, further comprising a first control unit for controlling the apparatus so that after the transmitter transmits the server the collected data, the apparatus receives a notice of payment of a price for the sent collected data from at least one of a financial institution'"'"'s terminal and the collected data providing terminal.

35. The portable data collecting terminal apparatus according to claim 25, further comprising a second control unit for controlling the apparatus so that the apparatus will receive from the management server a data collector recruiting homepage appearing on the Internet before the receiver receives the data collecting request.

36. The portable data collecting terminal apparatus according to claim 25, further comprising a third control unit for controlling the apparatus so that the apparatus will receive from the management server a data collector recruiting homepage appearing on the Internet before the receiver receives the data collecting request, and then send the management server application data inputted in accordance with the received data collector recruiting homepage

37. The portable data collecting terminal apparatus according to claim 25, further comprising a fourth control unit for controlling the apparatus so that the apparatus will receive from the management server a data collector recruiting homepage appearing on the Internet before the receiver receives the data collecting request, and then send the management server apparatus data and application data inputted in accordance with the received data collector recruiting homepage

38. The portable data collecting terminal apparatus according to claim 25, further comprising a fifth control unit for controlling the apparatus so that the apparatus will receive from the management server a data collector recruiting homepage appearing on the Internet before the receiver receives the data collection request, send the management server data on an application for recruitment of the data collectors inputted in accordance with the recruiting homepage, and then receive registered data collector-related information from the management server.

26. A portable data-collecting terminal apparatus connected to a management server through a network, the portable terminal apparatus comprising:

a transmitter for transmitting the management server a request to collect data on an specified place including information on the position of the specified place; and

a receiver for receiving from the management server the collected data on the specified place.

33. The portable data collecting terminal apparatus according to claim 26, further comprising a first control unit for controlling the apparatus so that the apparatus will send the management server data providing terminal data on a price for the collected data received by the receiver.