Content delivery device and content reception device

• US 20070038950A1
• Filed: 05/18/2004
• Published: 02/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamaguchi, Takao, Sato, Junichi, Taniguchi, Koji, Tada, Hiroyuki
• Application Number:
  US10/557,891
• Publication Number:
  US 20070038950A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/768
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/289 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data consumer application, e.g. in same machine, in same home or in same sub-network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/185 by embedding added-value information into content, e.g. geo-tagging

Abstract

With regard to content assigned correspondence to location information, the present invention enables content to be searched efficiently by distributing a content list in which content metadata is organized hierarchically based on location information from a server to a terminal, and having information of content limited to a user'"'"'s region of interest generated in the terminal.

Claims

1. A content distribution apparatus comprising:

a meta-information content collecting section that collects meta-information content from a server that has location-dependent content, which is content assigned correspondence to geographical location information, and the meta-information content including geographical location information indicating a geographical location of the location-dependent content and network location information that is a link destination of the location-dependent content;

a list content generation section that divides a geographical distribution region of the location-dependent content into mesh-shaped areas based on the geographical location information of the meta-information content, generates a content information block in which the geographical location information is added to content information including the network location information as an index, collects together the content information blocks for each area, generates an area information block in which area location information defining a location and shape of area is added thereto as an index, and generates list content having a structure wherein the area information blocks are listed; and

a list content distribution section that distributes the list content.

2. The content distribution apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said list content generation section adds a mesh area definition stipulating a mesh division method of the distribution region, and the area location information is described by a mesh index number that can be calculated from the mesh area definition.

3. The content distribution apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the geographical location information is information combining any of a content representative point indicating a geographical representative point relating to the location-dependent content, a content existing region indicating a geographical region relating to the location-dependent content, and a content distribution region indicating a geographical distribution range of the location-dependent content.

4. The content distribution apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the meta-information content and the content information include category information that indicates a category of the location-dependent content.

5. A content receiving apparatus comprising:

a content receiving section that receives list content that has a structure in which are collected together for each geographical area content information blocks to which the geographical location information is added as an index to content information including network location information that is a link destination of location-dependent content that is content assigned correspondence to geographical location information indicating a geographical location, and area information blocks are listed in which area location information defining a location and shape of area has been added as an index thereto;

a location information acquisition section that acquires point location information indicating a current point or search point; and

a content processing section that sets a content geographical search condition based on the point location information, and narrows down the area information blocks subject to searching by comparing the search condition with the area definition information, and furthermore compares the search condition with the geographical location information, thereby generating local region list content comprising a list of the content information that matches the search condition from the list content.

6. The content receiving apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the list content has a mesh area definition that defines a method of dividing a geographical distribution region of the location-dependent content into a mesh shape;

the area location information is described by a mesh index number that can be calculated from the mesh area definition; and

said content processing section references the mesh area definition, narrows down the area information blocks subject to searching by finding the mesh index number of a mesh area that matches the search condition, and generates the local region list content from the list content by comparing the search condition with the geographical location information.

7. The content receiving apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the search condition is a point of interest indicating a point in geographical space set based on the point location information, or a region of interest indicating a region in geographical space set based on the point location information.

8. The content receiving apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the geographical location information is information combining any of a content representative point indicating a geographical representative point relating to the location-dependent content, a content existing region indicating a geographical region relating to the location-dependent content, and a content distribution region indicating a geographical distribution range of the location-dependent content.

9. The content receiving apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said content processing section generates the local region list content containing only the content information for which the content representative point is included in the region of interest.

10. The content receiving apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said content processing section generates the local region list content containing only the content information for which the point of interest is included in the content distribution region.

11. The content receiving apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said content processing section generates the local region list content containing only the content information for which the region of interest overlaps with the content existing region or the content distribution region.

12. The content receiving apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

a content selection section that references metadata of the location-dependent content written in the content information included in the local region list content, selects one of the content information that matches a predetermined condition, and outputs the network location information written in the selected content information; and

a browser section that performs acquisition and display of the location-dependent content indicated by specified network location information.

13. The content receiving apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a browser section that performs acquisition and display of specified content, and

wherein the list content includes information necessary for generating content that can be displayed by a browser, and

the local region list content is content that indicates contents of the content information and also enables acquisition of the location-dependent content indicated by the network location information desired by a user.

14. A content distribution method comprising:

a meta-information content collecting step of collecting meta-information content from a server that has location-dependent content, which is content assigned correspondence to geographical location information, and the meta-information content including geographical location information indicating a geographical location of the location-dependent content and network location information that is a link destination of the location-dependent content;

a list content generation step of dividing a geographical distribution region of the location-dependent content into mesh-shaped areas based on the geographical location information of the meta-information content, generating a content information block in which the geographical location information is added to content information including the network location information as an index, collecting together the content information blocks for each area, generating an area information block in which area location information defining a location and shape of area is added thereto as an index, and generating list content having a structure in which the area information blocks are listed; and

a content distribution step of distributing the list content.

15. The content distribution method according to claim 14, wherein said list content generation step adds a mesh area definition stipulating a mesh division method of the distribution region, and the area location information is described by a mesh index number that can be calculated from the mesh area definition.

16. The content distribution method according to claim 14, wherein the geographical location information is information combining any of a content representative point indicating a geographical representative point relating to the location-dependent content, a content existing region indicating a geographical region relating to the location-dependent content, and a content distribution region indicating a geographical distribution range of the location-dependent content.

17. A content receiving method comprising:

a content receiving step of receiving list content that has a structure in which are collected together for each geographical area content information blocks to which geographical location information is added as an index to content information including network location information that is a link destination of location-dependent content that is content assigned correspondence to geographical location information indicating a geographical location, and area information blocks are listed in which area location information defining a location and shape of area has been added as an index thereto;

a location information acquisition step of acquiring point location information indicating a current point or search point; and

a content processing step of setting a content geographical search condition based on the point location information, and narrowing down the area information blocks subject to searching by comparing the search condition with the area definition information, and furthermore comparing the search condition with the geographical location information, thereby generating local region list content comprising a list of the content information that matches the search condition from the list content.

18. The content receiving method according to claim 17, wherein the list content has a mesh area definition that defines a method of dividing a geographical distribution region of the location-dependent content into a mesh shape,

the area location information is described by a mesh index number that can be calculated from the mesh area definition, and

said content processing step references the mesh area definition, narrows down the area information blocks subject to searching by finding the mesh index number of a mesh area that matches the search condition, and generates the local region list content from the list content by comparing the search condition with the geographical location information.

19. The content receiving method according to claim 18, wherein the search condition is a point of interest indicating a point in geographical space set based on the point location information, or a region of interest indicating a region in geographical space set based on the point location information.

20. The content receiving method according to claim 18, wherein the geographical location information is information combining any of a content representative point indicating a geographical representative point relating to the location-dependent content, a content existing region indicating a geographical region relating to the location-dependent content, and a content distribution region indicating a geographical distribution range of the location-dependent content.

21. A program that causes a computer to perform:

a meta-information content collecting step of collecting meta-information content from a server that has location-dependent content, which is content assigned correspondence to geographical location information, and the meta-information content including geographical location information indicating a geographical location of the location-dependent content and network location information that is a link destination of the location-dependent content;

a list content generation step of dividing a geographical distribution region of the location-dependent content into mesh-shaped areas based on the geographical location information of the meta-information content, generating a content information block in which the geographical location information is added to content information including the network location information as an index, collecting together the content information blocks for each area, generating an area information block in which area location information defining a location and shape of area is added thereto as an index, and generating list content having a structure wherein the area information blocks are listed; and

a content distribution step of distributing the list content.

24. A computer-readable recording medium that stores the program according to claim 21.

22. A program that causes a computer to perform:

a content receiving step of receiving list content that has a structure in which are collected together for each geographical area content information blocks to which geographical location information is added as an index to content information including network location information that is a link destination of location-dependent content that is content assigned correspondence to geographical location information indicating a geographical location, and area information blocks are listed in which area location information defining a location and shape of area has been added as an index thereto;

a location information acquisition step of acquiring point location information indicating a current point or search point; and

a content processing step of setting a content geographical search condition based on the point location information, and narrowing down the area information blocks subject to searching by comparing the search condition with the area definition information, and furthermore comparing the search condition with the geographical location information, thereby generating local region list content comprising a list of the content information that matches the search condition from the list content.

23. The program according to claim 22, wherein the list content has a mesh area definition that defines a method of dividing a geographical distribution region of the

location-dependent content into a mesh shape, the area location information is described by a mesh index number that can be calculated from the mesh area definition, and

said content processing step references the mesh area definition, narrows down the area information blocks subject to searching by finding the mesh index number of a mesh area that matches the search condition, and generates the local region list content from the list content by comparing the search condition with the geographical location information.