Information transmitting apparatus,terminal apparatus and method thereof

• US 20070094258A1
• Filed: 09/14/2004
• Published: 04/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Okuzawa, Nozomu
• Granted Patent: US 8,190,617 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/913 Multimedia

Abstract

A portal server 4 determines that a user C, . . . whose taste information INCc, . . . include URLs corresponding to all the music information pages that a user A is interested in are persons each having a similar taste to the user A and introduces, to the user A, the “Japanese nursery rhymes group”, . . . that the user C, belong to. As a result, the user A can receive introduction of a group that is likely to match his or her taste simply by requesting the introduction of a group that matches his or her taste.

Claims

1. An information transmission apparatus comprising:

reception means for receiving first taste information that represents the taste of a user from a terminal apparatus of the user;

storage means for storing the plurality of taste information that represent respectively the tastes of a plurality of other users;

search means for searching for second taste information having a resemblance to the first taste information from the plurality of taste information stored in the storage means; and

transmission means for transmitting at least attribute information of the other users that correspond to the second taste information to the terminal apparatus of the user.

2. The information transmission apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the transmission means transmits at least group information that represents groups that the other users belong to and corresponds to the second taste information as the attribute information to the terminal apparatus of the user.

3. The information transmission apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the reception means receives a part of the first taste information that represents the taste of the user from the terminal apparatus of the user as search key information;

the search means searches for taste information including the search key information from the plurality of taste information stored in the storage means as the second taste information having a resemblance to the first taste information; and

the transmission means transmits at least group information that represents groups that the other users belong to and corresponds to the second taste information as the attribute information to the terminal apparatus of the user.

4. The information transmission apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the transmission means transmits at least the second taste information and group information that represents groups that the other users belong to and corresponds to the second taste information as the attribute information to the terminal apparatus of the user.

5. The information transmission apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the reception means receives a part of the first taste information that represents the taste of the user from the terminal apparatus of the user as search key information;

the search means searches for taste information including the search key information from the plurality of taste information stored in the storage means as the second taste information having a resemblance to the first taste information; and

the transmission means transmits at least the second taste information and group information that represents groups that the other users belong to and corresponds to the second taste information as the attribute information to the terminal apparatus of the user.

6. A terminal apparatus comprising:

transmission means for transmitting first taste information that represents the taste of a user to a predetermined apparatus that stores the plurality of taste information that represent respectively the tastes of a plurality of other users; and

reception means for receiving attribute information of the other users that correspond to the second taste information, the attribute information being information that the predetermined apparatus that has received the first taste information at least transmits after searching for second taste information having a resemblance to the first taste information from the plurality of taste information stored therein.

7. The terminal apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

the reception means receives group information that represents groups that the other users belong to and corresponds to the second taste information as the attribute information, the group information being information that the predetermined apparatus that has received the first taste information at least transmits after searching for second taste information having a resemblance to the first taste information from the plurality of taste information stored therein.

8. The terminal apparatus according to claim 6, wherein:

the transmission means transmits a part of the first taste information that represents the taste of the user as search key information to the predetermined apparatus that stores the plurality of taste information that represent respectively the tastes of a plurality of other users; and

the reception means receives group information that represents groups that the other users belong to and corresponds to the second taste information as the attribute information, the group information being information that the predetermined apparatus that has received the search key information at least transmits after searching for taste information including the search key information from the plurality of taste information stored therein as the second taste information having a resemblance to the first taste information.

9. The terminal apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

the reception means receives second taste information and group information that represents groups that the other users belong to and corresponds to the second taste information as the attribute information, the second taste information and group information being information that the predetermined apparatus that has received the first taste information at least transmits after searching for second taste information having a resemblance to the first taste information from the plurality of taste information stored therein.

10. The terminal apparatus according to claim 6, wherein:

the transmission means transmits a part of the first taste information that represents the taste of the user as search key information to the predetermined apparatus that stores the plurality of taste information that represent respectively the tastes of a plurality of other users; and

the reception means receives second taste information and group information that represents groups that the other users belong to and corresponds to the second taste information as the attribute information, the second taste information and group information being information that the predetermined apparatus that has received the search key information at least transmits after searching for taste information including the search key information from the plurality of taste information stored therein as the second taste information having a resemblance to the first taste information.

11. An information transmission method comprising:

a reception step of receiving first taste information that represents the taste of a user from a terminal apparatus of the user;

a search step of searching for second taste information having a resemblance to the first taste information from a plurality of taste information of other users stored in predetermined storage means; and

a transmission step of transmitting at least attribute information of the other users that corresponds to the second taste information to the terminal apparatus of the user.

12. The information transmission method according to claim 11, wherein

the transmission step transmits at least group information that represents groups that the other users belong to and corresponds to the second taste information as the attribute information to the terminal apparatus of the user.

13. The information transmission method according to claim 11, wherein:

the reception step receives a part of the first taste information that represents the taste of the user from the terminal apparatus of the user as search key information;

the search step searches for taste information including the search key information from the plurality of taste information of the other users stored in the predetermined storage means as the second taste information having a resemblance to the first taste information; and

the transmission step transmits at least group information that represents groups that the other users belong to and corresponds to the second taste information as the attribute information to the terminal apparatus of the user.

14. The information transmission method according to claim 11, wherein

the transmission step transmits at least the second taste information and group information that represents groups that the other users belong to and corresponds to the second taste information as the attribute information to the terminal apparatus of the user.

15. The information transmission method according to claim 11, wherein:

the reception step receives a part of the first taste information that represents the taste of the user from the terminal apparatus of the user as search key information;

the search step searches for taste information including the search key information from the plurality of taste information of the other users stored in the predetermined storage means as the second taste information having a resemblance to the first taste information; and

the transmission step transmits at least the second taste information and group information that represents groups that the other users belong to and corresponds to the second taste information as the attribute information to the terminal apparatus of the user.

16. An information reception method of a terminal apparatus, the information reception method comprising:

a transmission step of transmitting first taste information that represents the taste of a user to a predetermined apparatus that stores the plurality of taste information that represent respectively the tastes of a plurality of other users; and

a reception step of receiving attribute information of the other users that corresponds to the second taste information, the attribute information being information that the predetermined apparatus that has received the first taste information at least transmits after searching for second taste information having a resemblance to the first taste information from the plurality of taste information stored therein.

17. The information reception method of a terminal apparatus according to claim 16, wherein

the reception step receives group information that represents groups that the other users belong to and corresponds to the second taste information as the attribute information, the group information being information that the predetermined apparatus that has received the first taste information at least transmits after searching for second taste information having a resemblance to the first taste information from the plurality of taste information stored therein.

18. The information reception method of a terminal apparatus according to claim 16, wherein:

the transmission step transmits a part of the first taste information that represents the taste of the user as search key information to the predetermined apparatus that stores the plurality of taste information that represent respectively the tastes of a plurality of other users; and

the reception step receives group information that represents groups that the other users belong to and corresponds to the second taste information as the attribute information, the group information being information that the predetermined apparatus that has received the search key information at least transmits after searching for taste information including the search key information from the plurality of taste information stored therein as the second taste information having a resemblance to the first taste information.

19. The information reception method of a terminal apparatus according to claim 16, wherein

the reception step receives second taste information and group information that represents groups that the other users belong to and corresponds to the second taste information as the attribute information, the second taste information and group information being information that the predetermined apparatus that has received the first taste information at least transmits after searching for second taste information having a resemblance to the first taste information from the plurality of taste information stored therein.

20. The information reception method of a terminal apparatus according to claim 16, wherein:

the transmission step transmits a part of the first taste information that represents the taste of the user as search key information to the predetermined apparatus that stores the plurality of taste information that represent respectively the tastes of a plurality of other users; and

the reception step receives second taste information and group information that represents groups that the other users belong to and corresponds to the second taste information as the attribute information, the second taste information and group information being information that the predetermined apparatus that has received the search key information at least transmits after searching for taste information including the search key information from the plurality of taste information stored therein as the second taste information having a resemblance to the first taste information.