Guide apparatus, guide system, and guide method

• US 20050026630A1
• Filed: 07/15/2004
• Published: 02/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company (HP Inc.), NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company (HP Inc.), NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Hiroki, Sugahara, Taro, Shimizu, Hidenori, Iso, Toshiki, McEachern, Marc, Kurakake, Shoji, Bouno, Hironori, Sugimura, Toshiaki, Nakagawa, Shinya, Ukai, Fumitoshi, Otsuji, Kiyotaka
• Granted Patent: US 7,933,234 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.300
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3623 using a camera or code reader, e.g. for optical or magnetic codes
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3644 Landmark guidance, e.g. using POIs or conspicuous other objects
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096838 where the user preferences are taken into account or the user selects one route out of a plurality
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096894 where input is assisted by the navigation device, i.e. the user does not type the complete name of the destination, e.g. using zip codes, telephone numbers, progressively selecting from initial letters

Abstract

A guide apparatus 50 according to the present invention is provided with a service information DB 30d storing service information containing a service providing place and attribute information of a target user; a recognizing device 30b for acquiring an ID from image data transmitted from a cell phone 14; a retrieving device 30c for retrieving service information from the service information DB 30d on the basis of the acquired ID and for retrieving such service information that attribute information of the user of cell phone 14 coincides with attribute information of a target user, out of service information provided at service providing places near the service providing place; and a route retrieving device 20c for retrieving a route between the information about the service providing place retrieved and the cell phone 14; and transmits the route information and service information as guide information to the cell phone 14.

Claims

1. A guide apparatus for transmitting guide information for guiding a user of a portable terminal to a service providing place, to the portable terminal, the guide apparatus comprising:

service information storing means storing service information comprising information about a service providing place for a service and attribute information of a target user for the service;

receiving means for receiving data containing identification information to identify a service providing place, which is transmitted from the portable terminal;

identification information acquiring means for acquiring the identification information of the service providing place included in the data received by the receiving means;

first retrieving means for retrieving service information from the service information storing means, based on the identification information acquired by the identification information acquiring means;

second retrieving means for, based on information about the service providing place included in the service information retrieved by the first retrieving means, retrieving service information of a service provided at another service providing place near the service providing place and for retrieving from the retrieved service information, such service information that attribute information of a target user for a service thereof coincides with attribute information of the user of the portable terminal;

route retrieving means for retrieving a route between the portable terminal and the service providing place, based on the information about the service providing place included in the service information retrieved by the first retrieving means; and

transmitting means for transmitting to the portable terminal, information about the route retrieved by the route retrieving means and the service information retrieved by the second retrieving means, as guide information.

2. The guide apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the receiving means receives image data containing identification information to identify a service providing place, which is transmitted from the portable terminal, and

wherein the identification information acquiring means analyzes the image data received by the receiving means, to acquire the identification information of the service providing place included in the image data.

3. The guide apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the receiving means further receives information about a location of the portable terminal, and

wherein the route retrieving means retrieves the route on the basis of the location information of the portable terminal received by the receiving means and the information about the service providing place.

4. The guide apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising identification information display place information storing means storing information about a display place of the identification information, and

wherein the route retrieving means acquires the information about the display place of the identification information from the identification information display place storing means on the basis of the identification information acquired by the identification information acquiring means, and retrieves the route on the basis of the display place of the acquired identification information and the information about the service providing place.

5. The guide apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the receiving means further receives the attribute information of the user of the portable terminal, and

wherein, based on the attribute information of the user received by the receiving means, the second retrieving means retrieves such service information that the attribute information of the user coincides with attribute information of a target user for a service.

6. The guide apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising user information storing means storing the attribute information of the user of the portable terminal,

wherein the receiving means further receives identification information of the portable terminal, and

wherein the second retrieving means retrieves the attribute information of the user of the portable terminal from the user information storing means, based on the identification information of the portable terminal received by the receiving means, and retrieves such service information that the attribute information of the user coincides with attribute information of a target user for a service, based on the retrieved attribute information.

7. The guide apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the service information storing means stores the service information in connection with global identification information unitarily assigned to service groups of different kinds,

the guide apparatus further comprising converting means for converting the identification information acquired by the identification information acquiring means, to global identification information,

wherein the first retrieving means retrieves the service information from the service information storing means, using the global identification information obtained through the conversion by the converting means.

8. The guide apparatus according to claim 1, which is comprised of a path determining device having the receiving means, the route retrieving means, and the transmitting means;

and

an information managing device having the service information storing means, the first retrieving means, and the second retrieving means,

wherein each of the path determining device and the information managing device comprises communication means for transmitting and receiving data which was transmitted from the portable terminal and which the path determining means received by the receiving means, and service information which the information managing device retrieved from the service information storing means.

9. The guide apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide information transmitted by the transmitting means is map information.

10. The guide apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the identification information is displayed in the form of a mark of a two-dimensional bar code.

11. The guide apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the service providing place is a shopping mall.

12. A guide system comprising the guide apparatus as set forth in claim 2, a portable terminal wirelessly communicable with the guide apparatus, and a display of identification information of the service providing place located at a place different from the service providing place,

wherein the portable terminal comprises:

photographing means for photographing the display of the identification information,

communication means for transmitting image data obtained through photography by the photographing means, to the guide apparatus and for receiving guide information transmitted from the guide apparatus, and

display means for displaying the guide information received by the communication means.

13. A guide method in a guide system comprising a guide apparatus having service information storing means which stores service information comprising information about a service providing place for a service and attribute information of a target user for the service;

a portable terminal wirelessly connected to the guide apparatus; and

a display of identification information of the service providing place located at a place different from the service providing place, the guide method being adapted to transmit to the portable terminal, guide information for guiding a user of the portable terminal to the service providing place, the guide method comprising;

a photographing step of photographing the display of the identification information by the portable terminal;

an image data transmitting step of transmitting image data obtained through photography in the photographing step, from the portable terminal and letting the guide apparatus receive the image data;

an identification information acquiring step wherein the guide apparatus analyzes the image data received in the image data transmitting step and acquires the identification information of the service providing place included in the image data;

a first retrieving step wherein the guide apparatus retrieves service information from the service information storing means, based on the identification information acquired in the identification information acquiring step;

a second retrieving step wherein, based on information about the service providing place included in the service information retrieved in the first retrieving step, the guide apparatus retrieves service information of a service provided at another service providing place near the service providing place and retrieves from the retrieved service information, such service information that attribute information of a target user for a service thereof coincides with attribute information of the user of the portable terminal;

a route retrieving step wherein the guide apparatus retrieves a route between the portable terminal and the service providing place, based on the information about the service providing place included in the service information retrieved in the first retrieving step; and

a guide information transmitting step wherein the guide apparatus transmits information about the route retrieved in the route retrieving step and the service information retrieved in the second retrieving step, as guide information and wherein the portable terminal is made to receive the guide information.