Information providing systems and portable electronic devices

• US 5,701,580 A
• Filed: 12/01/1995
• Issued: 12/23/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Orimoto, Takashi, Yamane, Kazuyasu
• Primary Examiner(s): Peng, John K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Flynn, Nathan J.
• Application Number:
  US08/565,781
• Time in Patent Office: 753 Days
• Field of Search: 455/3.1, 455/66, 455/54.2, 348/6, 348/7, 348/12, 340/825.22, 340/825.27, 340/825.47, 340/825.44
• US Class Current: 455/3.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/20 Arrangements for broadcast or distribution of identical information via plural systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/38 Arrangements for distribution where lower stations, e.g. receivers, interact with the broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/74 of satellite networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/81 combined with telephone network over which the broadcast is continuously available
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/42 for identifying broadcast areas
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/66 for using the result on distributors' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/91 Mobile communication networks for accessing the Internet H04H60/85
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/022 One-way selective calling networks, e.g. wide area paging
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/023 with message or information receiving capability
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/185 Selective call encoders for paging networks, e.g. paging centre devices

Abstract

A service center has a plurality of controlled areas. When the service center provides service information through a radio communication network, the service center first broadcasts toward all the areas with outline items of the information with corresponding key codes attached thereto. Users each receive the outline items of the information with a user'"'"'s terminal and determine as required whether a detail item of the information should be had immediately (an urgent one) or can be had later (a regular one). The results of the determination are reported to the service center, which immediately provides the urgent detail items of the information for the respective users who made requests for having those detail items. The service center broadcasts regular detail items of the information with attached corresponding key codes other than the requested urgent ones of the information toward the terminals which requested the regular detail items of the information at a predetermined time. Each terminal has stored a key code attached to the outline item of the information which the terminal requested in a regular manner, and receives only a necessary detail item of the information.

Claims

1. An information providing system using a radio network, comprising:

a service center including;

means for providing respective outline items of information in a first transmission and respective detail items of information in a second transmission; and

means for attaching to each of said outline items of information and each of said detail items a corresponding key code; and

at least one terminal including;

selection means for enabling a user to select a desired outline item of information from among the outline items of information provided in the first transmission;

storage means for storing the key code attached to the outline item of information selected by the selection means;

comparison means for comparing the key code stored in said storage means with a respective one of the key codes attached to the detail items of information provided in the second transmission; and

reception means for accepting the detail item of information whose compared key code is found to match with the key code stored in said storage means.

2. An information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the provision of the outline and detail items of information in the first and second transmissions is performed in the form of a broadcast to a plurality of terminals.

3. An information providing system according to claim 2, wherein said plurality of terminals each comprise means for making a request to said service center for sending a detail item of information;

and

said service center comprises means for specifying a terminal from which said service center received the request, and means for sending the detail item of information to said specified terminal.

4. An information providing system according to claim 1, wherein said first and second transmissions are separately executed.

5. An information providing system using a radio network, comprising:

a service center including;

means for providing respective outline items of information in a first transmission and respective detail items of information in a second transmission; and

means for attaching to each of said outline items of information and each of said detail items a corresponding key code; and

at least one terminal including;

selection means for enabling a user to select a desired outline item of information from among the outline items of information provided in the first transmission;

request means for making a request to said service center to provide said terminal with one of said detail items of information corresponding to the desired outline item of information selected by said selection means; and

reception means for accepting the requested detail item of information requested by said request means; and

wherein said service center further includes control means for controlling said providing means to provide a plurality of areas with the respective outline items of information in the first transmission and to provide only an area from which a terminal has made a request with the requested detail item of information in the second transmission.

6. An information providing system according to claim 5, wherein said service center comprises means for counting a number of requests from each of the areas and for providing a given area with the requested detail item of information in the second transmission when the counted number of requests from such an area reaches a predetermined value.

7. An information providing system according to claim 5, wherein said service center includes means for counting respective numbers of requests, means for determining respective priorities of providing detail items of information in the second transmission on the basis of the counted numbers of requests, and means for providing said at least one terminal with the requested detail items of information in the second transmission in accordance with the determined priorities.

8. An information providing system according to claim 5, wherein said service center comprises means for creating new information on the basis of a number of received requests.

9. An information providing system according to claim 5, wherein said first and second transmissions are separately executed.

10. An electronic device for use with an information providing system wherein a radio network service center provides the electronic device with respective outline items of information in a first transmission and respective detail items of information in a second transmission, said electronic device comprising:

reception means for receiving the plurality of items of information from the service center;

selection means for selecting a desired one from among the outline items of information provided in the first transmission;

key code storage means for storing a key code attached to the outline item of information selected by said selection means;

comparison means for comparing a key code stored in said key code storage means with a key code attached to each of the detail items of information provided in the second transmission, and for outputting a key code match signal when said key codes match; and

accepting means for accepting a detail item of information corresponding to the outline item of information selected by said selection means from among from the detail items of information provided in the second transmission when said comparison means outputs said key code match signal.

11. An electronic device according to claim 10, further comprising:

request means for making a request to the service center to send to the electronic device an individual one of the detail items of information in accordance with directions from the electronic device; and

means for receiving from the service center the requested one of the detail items of information.

12. An electronic device according to claim 11, further comprising display control means including a display integral with a tablet for selectively displaying operations of said selection means and said request means on the display.

13. An information providing system according to claim 10, wherein said first and second transmissions are separately executed.

14. An information providing method using a radio network, comprising the steps of:

a) causing a service center to provide outline items of information in a first transmission, each of said outline items of information having a corresponding key code attached thereto;

b) causing a terminal to store the key code attached to a designated one of the outline items of information;

c) causing the service center to provide detail items of information in a second transmission, each of said detail items of information having a corresponding key code attached thereto;

d) causing the terminal to compare the key codes attached to the detail items of information with the stored key code; and

e) causing the terminal to accept one of said detail items of information when said comparing means matches the key code thereof with the stored key code.

15. An information providing method according to claim 14, wherein the provision of the outline and detail items of information at the steps a) and c) comprises a broadcast toward a plurality of terminals.

16. An information providing method according to claim 15, further comprising the steps of:

f) causing one of a plurality of terminals to make a request to the service center for individual transmission of one of said detail items of information to the terminal; and

(g) causing the service center to recognize and designate the terminal from which the request for individual transmission is received, and to transmit the requested one of said detail items of information to the designated terminal.

17. An information providing method according to claim 14, wherein said first and second transmissions are separately executed.

18. An information providing method using a radio network, comprising the steps of:

a) causing a service center to provide a plurality of areas with outline items of information in a first transmission;

b) causing a terminal to enable a user to select a desired outline item of information from among the outline items of information provided in the first transmission;

c) causing the terminal to make a request to the service center to provide said terminal with one of said detail items of information corresponding to the selected outline item of information;

d) causing the service center to provide a specific area from which the terminal has made a request with the requested one of said detail items of information in a second transmission; and

e) causing the terminal to accept the requested one of said detail items of information.

19. An information providing method according to claim 18, further comprising the steps of:

f) counting a number of requests; and

g) providing an area with the requested one of said detail items of information in the second transmission only when the counted number of requests received from the area exceeds a predetermined number.

20. An information providing method according to claim 18, further comprising the step of:

f) counting a number of requests, determining a priority of providing detail items of information and providing requested detail items of information in the second transmission in accordance with the determined priority.

21. An information providing method according to claim 18, further comprising the step of:

f) creating new information on the basis of a number of requests, and providing the new information.

22. An information providing method according to claim 18, wherein said first and second transmissions are separately executed.