Visiting place identification device and visiting place identification method

• US 20060149684A1
• Filed: 08/23/2004
• Published: 07/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Godo Kaisha IP Bridge 1 (IP Bridge, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsuura, Satoshi, Kudo, Takahiro, Ozawa, Jun, Yoshioka, Mototaka
• Granted Patent: US 7,792,637 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/65
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/367 involving electronic purses or money safes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4014 Identity check for transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00

Abstract

The present invention includes: a current position determination unit (101) that determines a current position of a user; a facility candidate search unit (103A) that specifies, as a candidate for a visited place, a facility that is located within a predetermined area including the current position determined by the current position determination unit (101); an electronic money unit (108) and a payment amount calculation unit (104) that detect a payment amount of the user; and a most-likely visited facility identification unit (105A) that identifies a most-likely visited place by selecting from a plurality of facilities a facility corresponding to the payment amount detected by the electronic money unit (108) and the payment amount calculation unit (104), when the plurality of facilities are specified by the facility candidate search unit (103A).

Claims

1. A visited-place identification apparatus for identifying a visited place of a user, comprising:

a position determination unit operable to determine a position of the user;

a candidate specification unit operable to specify, as a candidate for the visited place, a facility that is located within a predetermined area including the position determined by said position determination unit;

a behavior detection unit operable to detect a behavior of the user; and

a most-likely facility identification unit operable to identify a most-likely visited place by selecting from a plurality of facilities a facility corresponding to the behavior detected by said behavior detection unit, when the plurality of facilities are specified by said candidate specification unit.

2. The visited-place identification apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a storage unit having an area for storing the facility identified by said most-likely facility identification unit,

wherein said most-likely facility identification unit is operable to cause said storage unit to store, as a history, information of the facility that is identified as the most-likely visited place.

3. The visited-place identification apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said behavior detection unit is operable to detect a payment amount that the user has paid at the facility, and

said most-likely facility identification unit is operable to identify the most-likely visited place by selecting from the plurality of facilities a facility corresponding to the payment amount detected by said behavior detection unit, when the plurality of facilities are specified by said candidate specification unit.

4. The visited-place identification apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein said candidate specification unit includes:

a facility information storage unit operable to previously store identification information for identifying the plurality of facilities, facility position information indicating positions of the respective facilities, and payment amount information regarding the payment amounts that are paid at the respective facilities; and

a candidate extraction unit operable to search the facilities whose information are stored in said facility information storage unit for the facility whose position indicated in the facility position information is within the predetermined area including the position determined by said position determination unit, and to extract the identification information and the payment amount information of the searched facility, and

said most-likely facility identification unit is operable to select the identification information of the facility whose payment amount information corresponds to the payment amount detected by said behavior detection unit, when the identification information and the payment amount information regarding a plurality of facilities are extracted by said candidate extraction unit.

5. The visited-place identification apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein said candidate specification unit includes:

a facility information storage unit operable to previously store identification information for identifying the plurality of facilities, facility position information indicating positions of the respective facilities, and categories of the respective facilities; and

a candidate extraction unit operable to search the facilities whose information are stored in said facility information storage unit for the facility whose position indicated by the facility position information is within a predetermined area including the position determined by said position determination unit, and to extract the identification information and the category of the searched facility, and

said most-likely facility identification unit includes;

a category storage unit operable to previously store the categories of the plurality of facilities and category payment amount information regarding payment amounts that are paid at facilities belonging to the respective categories;

a category extraction unit operable to extract, from the categories stored by said category storage unit, a category whose category payment amount information corresponds to the payment amount detected by said behavior detection unit; and

a selection unit operable to select the identification information of a facility whose category corresponds to the category extracted by said category extraction unit, when the identification information and the categories of a plurality of facilities are extracted by said candidate extraction unit.

6. The visited-place identification apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said behavior detection unit is operable to detect stay time that is a time period the user spent at a facility, and

said most-likely facility identification unit is operable to select, from the plurality of facilities, a facility corresponding to the stay time detected by said behavior detection unit, when the plurality of facilities are specified by said candidate specification unit.

7. The visited-place identification apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein said candidate specification unit includes:

a facility information storage unit operable to previously store identification information for identifying the plurality of facilities, facility position information indicating positions of the respective facilities, and stay time information regarding stay time at the respective facilities; and

a candidate extraction unit operable to search the facilities whose information are stored in said facility information storage unit for a facility whose position indicated in the facility position information is within a predetermined area including the position determined by said position determination unit, and to extract the identification information and the stay time information of the searched facility, and

said most-likely facility identification unit is operable to select the identification information of a facility whose stay time information corresponds to the stay time detected by said behavior detection unit, when the identification information and the stay time information of a plurality of facilities are extracted by said candidate extraction unit.

8. The visited-place identification apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein said candidate specification unit includes:

a facility information storage unit operable to previously store identification information for identifying the plurality of facilities, facility position information indicating positions of the respective facilities, and categories of the respective facilities; and

a candidate extraction unit operable to search the facilities whose information are stored in said facility information storage unit for a facility whose position indicated in the facility position information is within a predetermined area including the position determined by said position determination unit, and to extract the identification information and the category of the searched facility, and

said most-likely facility identification unit includes;

a category storage unit operable to previously store the categories of the plurality of facilities and category stay information regarding stay time at facilities belonging to the respective categories;

a category extraction unit operable to extract, from the categories stored by said category storage unit, a category whose category stay information corresponds to the stay time detected by said behavior detection unit; and

a selection unit operable to select the identification information of a facility whose category corresponds to the category extracted by said category extraction unit, when the identification information and the categories of a plurality of facilities are extracted by said candidate extraction unit.

9. The visited-place identification apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said behavior detection unit is operable to detect a travel behavior of the user, the travel behavior starting from the position determined by said position determination unit, and

said most-likely facility identification unit is operable to identify the most-likely visited place by selecting from the plurality of facilities a facility corresponding to the travel behavior detected by said behavior detection unit, when the plurality of facilities are specified by said candidate specification unit.

10. The visited-place identification apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein said behavior detection unit is operable to detect a travel distance as the travel behavior of the user, and

said most-likely facility identification unit is operable to identify as the most-likely visited place a facility corresponding to the travel distance.

11. The visited-place identification apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein said behavior detection unit is operable to detect a travel direction as the travel behavior of the user, and

said most-likely facility identification unit is operable to identify as the most-likely visited place a facility corresponding to the travel direction.

12. The visited-place identification apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said behavior detection unit is operable to detect browse information that has been browsed by the user, and

said most-likely facility identification unit is operable to identify the most-likely visited place by selecting from the plurality of facilities a facility corresponding to the browse information detected by said behavior detection unit, when the plurality of facilities are specified by said candidate specification unit.

13. The visited-place identification apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said behavior detection unit is operable to detect a belonging that has been added to or deleted from personal belongings carried by the user, and

said most-likely facility identification unit is operable to identify the most-likely visited place by selecting from the plurality of facilities a facility corresponding to the belonging detected by said behavior detection unit, when the plurality of facilities are specified by said candidate specification unit.

14. The visited-place identification apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a fee calculation unit operable to calculate a parking fee based on the behavior of the user detected by said behavior detection unit, when the position determined by said position determination unit is a parking lot.

15. The visited-place identification apparatus according to claim 14,

wherein said behavior detection unit is operable to detect a path of the user'"'"'s travel, the path starting from the position determined by said position determination unit, and

said fee calculation unit is operable to calculate the parking fee based on the path of the user'"'"'s travel detected by said behavior detection unit.

16. The visited-place identification apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said position determination unit is operable to determine a position that a vehicle driven by the user has been parked, and

said behavior detection unit is operable to detect the behavior of the user after the vehicle has been parked.

17. The visited-place identification apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

an information presentation unit operable to obtain advertisement information regarding the facility identified by said most-likely facility identification unit, and to present the advertisement information to the user.

18. The visited-place identification apparatus according to claim 1 is embedded in a portable terminal,

wherein said position determination unit is operable to determine a position of the portable terminal carried by the user, and

said behavior detection unit is operable to detect the behavior of the user when it is impossible to determine the position by said position determination unit.

19. A method for identifying a visited place of a user, comprising:

determining a position of the user;

specifying, as a candidate for the visited place, a facility that is located within a predetermined area including the position determined in said determining of the position;

detecting a behavior of the user; and

identifying a most-likely facility by selecting from a plurality of facilities a facility corresponding to the behavior detected in said detecting, when the plurality of facilities are specified in said specifying of the candidate.

20. A program for identifying a visited place of a user, said program causing a computer to execute:

determining a position of the user;

specifying, as a candidate for the visited place, a facility that is located within a predetermined area including the position determined in said determining of the position;

detecting a behavior of the user; and

identifying a most-likely facility by selecting from a plurality of facilities a facility corresponding to the behavior detected in said detecting, when the plurality of facilities are specified in said specifying of the candidate.