Information providing system and method, information processing apparatus and method, display apparatus and method, and program

• US 20050017072A1
• Filed: 06/04/2004
• Published: 01/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Tomita, Nobuyoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,185,811 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/451
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

An information providing or processing system and method is disclosed which can provide information conforming to liking of a user to the user. If the user brings a contactless IC card, in which a user ID of the user is stored, close to a contactless IC tag mounted on a favorite commodity in a selling agent, then the contactless IC card acquires and stores a commodity ID stored in the contactless IC tag. Then, if the user brings the contactless IC card close to an information providing apparatus, then the information providing apparatus acquires the user ID and the commodity ID from the contactless IC card. Thereafter, the information providing apparatus acquires user information corresponding to the user ID from a customer information management server and acquires commodity information corresponding to the commodity ID from a commodity information management server. Then, the information providing apparatus produces and displays provision information conforming to the liking of the user. The invention can be applied to a system which utilizes an IC card.

Claims

1. An information providing system comprising:

a first information processing apparatus for utilizing electromagnetic induction to transmit first information;

a second information processing apparatus for utilizing electromagnetic induction to receive the first information from said first information processing apparatus and transmit the first information and second information; and

a display apparatus for utilizing electromagnetic induction to receive the first and second information from said second information processing apparatus;

said first information processing apparatus including first storage means for storing the first information including at least identification information corresponding to an object on which said first information processing apparatus is mounted, and first transmission means for utilizing electromagnetic induction to transmit the first information stored in said first storage means to said second information processing apparatus;

said second information processing apparatus including first reception means for utilizing electromagnetic induction to receive the first information transmitted from said first transmission means, second storage means for storing the second information including identification information of a user, and second transmission means for transmitting the first information received by said first reception means and the second information stored in said second storage means to said display apparatus;

said display apparatus including second reception means for receiving the first and second information transmitted from said second transmission means, production means for producing provision information corresponding to the user based on the first and second information received by said second reception means, and display means for performing a displaying process based on the provision information produced by said production means.

2. An information providing method for an information providing system which includes a first information processing apparatus for utilizing electromagnetic induction to transmit first information stored therein, a second information processing apparatus for utilizing electromagnetic induction to receive the first information from said first information processing apparatus and transmitting second information stored therein together with the first information, and a display apparatus for utilizing electromagnetic induction to receive the first and second information from said second information processing apparatus, comprising:

a step performed by said first information processing apparatus of utilizing electromagnetic induction to transmit the stored first information including at least identification information corresponding to an object on which said first information processing apparatus is mounted to said second information processing apparatus;

a step performed by said second information processing apparatus of utilizing electromagnetic induction to receive the transmitted first information and transmitting the first information and the stored second information including identification information of a user to said display apparatus; and

a step performed by said display apparatus of receiving the first and second information transmitted from said second information processing apparatus, producing provision information corresponding to the user based on the received first and second information, and performing a displaying process based on the produced provision information.

3. An information processing apparatus which utilizes electromagnetic induction to transmit information, comprising:

reception means for utilizing electromagnetic induction to receive first information including at least identification information corresponding to an object on which a first different information processing apparatus is mounted from the first different information processing apparatus;

storage means for storing second information including identification information of a user in advance and storing the first information received by said reception means; and

transmission means for utilizing electromagnetic induction to transmit the first and second information stored in said storage means to a second different information processing apparatus.

4. An information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first information received by said reception means includes not only the identification information corresponding to the object but also object information which is detailed information of the object.

5. An information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the second information stored in said storage means includes not only the identification information of the user but also liking information regarding liking of the user.

6. An information processing method for an information processing apparatus which utilizes electromagnetic induction to transmit information, comprising the steps of:

utilizing electromagnetic induction to receive first information including at least identification information corresponding to an object on which a first different information processing apparatus is mounted from the first different information processing apparatus;

storing the received first information; and

utilizing electromagnetic induction to transmit the stored first information together with second information stored in advance and including identification information of a user to a second different information processing apparatus.

7. A program for controlling an information processing apparatus which utilizes electromagnetic induction to transmit information, said program causing a computer to execute the steps of:

utilizing electromagnetic induction to receive first information including at least identification information corresponding to an object on which a first different information processing apparatus is mounted from the first different information processing apparatus;

storing the received first information; and

utilizing electromagnetic induction to transmit the stored first information together with second information stored in advance and including identification information of a user to a second different information processing apparatus.

8. A display apparatus which utilizes electromagnetic induction to receive information, comprising:

reception means for utilizing electromagnetic induction to receive first information including identification information of a user and second information including identification information corresponding to an object on which a first different information processing apparatus is mounted from a second different information processing apparatus;

production means for producing provision information corresponding to the user based on the first and second information received by said reception means; and

display means for performing a displaying process based on the provision information produced by said production means.

9. A display apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first information received by said reception means includes not only the identification information of the user but also liking information regarding liking of the user.

10. A display apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the second information received by said reception means includes not only the identification information corresponding to the object but also object information which is detailed information of the object.

11. A display apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising recording means for recording liking information regarding liking of the user corresponding to the identification information of the user included in the first information to be received by said reception means, said production means acquiring the liking information recorded in said recording means based on the first information received by said reception means and producing the provision information based on the liking information and the second information.

12. A display apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising recording means for recording object information which is detailed information of the object and corresponds to the identification information regarding the object included in the second information received by said reception means, said production means acquiring the object information recorded in said recording means based on the second information received by said reception means and producing the provision information based on the object information and the first information.

13. A display method for a display apparatus which utilizes electromagnetic induction to receive information, comprising the steps of:

utilizing electromagnetic induction to receive first information including identification information of a user and second information including identification information corresponding to an object on which a first different information processing apparatus is mounted from a second different information processing apparatus;

producing provision information corresponding to the user based on the received first and second information; and

performing a displaying process based on the produced provision information.

14. A program for controlling a display apparatus which utilizes electromagnetic induction to receive information, said program causing a computer to execute the steps of:

utilizing electromagnetic induction to receive first information including identification information of a user and second information including identification information corresponding to an object on which a first different information processing apparatus is mounted from a second different information processing apparatus;

producing provision information corresponding to the user based on the received first and second information; and

performing a displaying process based on the produced provision information.

15. An information providing system for providing information, comprising:

acquisition means for acquiring first information including identification information corresponding to an object of mounting and second information including identification information of a user;

requesting means for issuing a request for provision information to the user;

acceptance means for accepting the request for provision information from said requesting means;

production means for producing, when the request for provision information is accepted by said acceptance means, the provision information based on the first and second information acquired by said acquisition means; and

display means for performing a displaying process based on the provision information produced by said production means.

16. An information providing method for an information providing system for providing information, comprising:

an acquisition step of acquiring first information including identification information corresponding to an object of mounting and second information including identification information of a user;

a requesting step of issuing a request for provision information to the user;

an acceptance step of accepting the request for provision information by the process of the requesting step;

a production step of producing, when the request for provision information is accepted by the process of the acceptance step, the provision information based on the first and second information acquired by the process of the acquisition step; and

a display control step of controlling a displaying process based on the provision information produced by the process of the production step.

17. An information processing apparatus for processing information, comprising:

acquisition means for acquiring first information including identification information of an object on which a first different information processing apparatus is mounted and second information including identification information of a user;

acceptance means for accepting a request for provision information to the user; and

production means for producing, when the request for provision information is accepted by said acceptance means, the provision information based on the first and second information acquired by said acquisition means.

18. An information processing apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising:

storage means for storing object information which is detailed information of the object corresponding to the identification information of the object; and

identification means for identifying whether or not the first different information processing apparatus is present based on the first information acquired by said acquisition means and the object information stored in said storage means.

19. An information processing apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising:

requesting means for requesting, when the request for provision information is accepted by said acceptance means, a second different information processing apparatus for liking information representative of liking of the user based on the identification information of the user; and

reception means for receiving the liking information transmitted from the second different information processing apparatus in response to the request from said requesting means.

20. An information processing apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the first information acquired by said acquisition means is identification information of a genre corresponding to the object.

21. An information processing apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the first information acquired by said acquisition means further includes, in addition to the identification information of the object, object information which is detailed information of the object.

22. An information processing apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the second information acquired by said acquisition means further includes, in addition to the identification information of the user, liking information representative of liking of the user.

23. An information processing apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising transmission means for transmitting the provision information produced by said production means to a display apparatus which performs a display process based on the provision information.

24. An information processing apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising:

requesting means for requesting, when the request for provision information is accepted by said acceptance means, a second different information processing apparatus for object information which is detailed information of the object based on the identification information of the object; and

reception means for receiving the object information transmitted from the second different information processing apparatus in response to the request from said requesting means.

25. An information processing apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising storage means for storing liking information representative of liking of the user corresponding to the second information.

26. An information processing apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising storage means for storing object information which is detailed information of the object corresponding to the identification information of the object.

27. An information processing method for an information processing apparatus for processing information, comprising:

an acquisition step of acquiring first information including identification information of an object on which a first different information processing apparatus is mounted and second information including identification information of a user;

an acceptance step of accepting a request for provision information to the user; and

a production step of producing, when the request for provision information is accepted by the process of the acceptance step, the provision information based on the first and second information acquired by the process of the acquisition step.

28. A program for processing information, said program causing a computer to execute:

an acquisition step of acquiring first information including identification information of an object on which a first different information processing apparatus is mounted and second information including identification information of a user;

an acceptance step of accepting a request for provision information to the user; and

a production step of producing, when the request for provision information is accepted by the process of the acceptance step, the provision information based on the first and second information acquired by the process of the acquisition step.