Information providing system

• US 6,249,771 B1
• Filed: 06/07/1996
• Issued: 06/19/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kurihara, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): MILLIN, VINCENT A
• Application Number:
  US08/617,787
• Time in Patent Office: 1,838 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 705/7.29
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/25 Arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/82 the transmission system being the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2542 for selling goods, e.g. TV shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/278 Content descriptor database or directory service for end-user access details of content or meta data based information retrieval of video data in video databases G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6187 involving transmission via a telephone network, e.g. POTS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

An information providing system according to this invention comprises a center for providing information, and at least one terminal for accepting an offer of information from the center. The terminal comprises a first terminal side memory unit where predetermined information is recorded in advance, a unit for generating a request signal for requesting the center to transmit updating information or supplementary information with respect to the predetermined information recorded at the first terminal side memory unit, a terminal side transmitting unit for transmitting the request signal to the center, a terminal side receiving unit for receiving the updating information or the supplementary information transmitted from the center, a second terminal side memory unit for storing the received updating information or supplementary information, and a reproducing unit for reproducing the predetermined information recorded at the first terminal side memory unit, or the updating information or supplementary information stored at the second terminal side memory unit. The center comprises a center side memory unit where the updating information or the supplementary information to be offered to the terminal is stored, a center side receiving unit for receiving the request signal transmitted from the terminal, an information retrieving unit for retrieving information of the center side memory unit on the basis of the request signal to obtain updating information or supplementary information requested on the terminal side, and a center side transmitting unit for transmitting, to the terminal, the updating information or the supplementary information obtained by the information retrieving unit.

Claims

1. An information providing system comprising a center for providing information, and at least one terminal for accepting an offer of information from the center,

the terminal comprising:

first terminal side memory means which is readable and writable where information is written;

request signal generating means for generating a desired information request signal for requesting the center to transmit desired information;

terminal side transmitting means for transmitting the desired information request signal to the center;

terminal side receiving means for receiving the desired information corresponding to the desired information request signal which has been transmitted from the center;

second terminal side memory means which is readable and writable for storing the received desired information;

updating means for updating the information recorded at the first terminal side memory means using the received desired information stored at the second terminal side memory means so as to change and not merely add to said predetermined information by fully integrating and merging said predetermined information and said received desired information, thereby producing new information, and for storing said new information in said first terminal side memory means and/or said second terminal side memory means;

display means for displaying the received desired information, the center comprising;

center side receiving means for receiving the desired information request signal transmitted from the terminal;

provided information memory means in which information to be offered to the terminal is stored;

desired information retrieving means for extracting information corresponding to the desired information request signal from the provided information memory means;

totalizing means for totalizing the number of access operations by the terminal with respect to the information stored in the provided information memory means to generate totalized information;

totalized information memory means for storing the totalized information; and

center side transmitting means for transmitting the extracted desired information to the terminal,

the terminal further comprising;

means for generating a hit chart information request signal for requesting the center to transmit hit chart information indicating frequency of utilization operations of information,

the terminal side transmitting means being operative to transmit the hit chart information request signal to the center, the center side receiving means being operative to receive the hit chart information request signal,

the center further comprising;

processing means for reading out the totalized information from the totalized information memory means in correspondence with the hit chart information request signal to process it into hit chart information,

the center side transmitting means being operative to transmit the hit chart information to the terminal.

2. An information providing system as set forth in claim 1,

wherein the desired information request signal includes user ID for identifying user and information ID indicating which information corresponds to the desired information.

3. An information providing system as set forth in claim 2,

wherein the totalizing means totalizes the numbers of the users every the information ID to thereby generate the totalized information.

4. An information providing system as set forth in claim 3,

wherein the processing means generates the hit chart information by arranging the totalized information in order of the number of users who utilize them.

5. An information providing system as set forth in claim 1,

wherein the center further comprises:

charging means for carrying out charging processing with respect to request for transmission of the hit chart information from the user.

6. An information providing system as set forth in claim 1, which further comprises an information supply unit for delivering, to the center, information to be offered to the terminal.

7. An information providing system as set forth in claim 6, wherein the information supply unit comprises:

means for generating a marketing information request signal for requesting the center to transmit marketing information arranged or collected for every predetermined characteristics of the user with respect to supplied information.

information source side transmitting means for transmitting the marketing information request signal to the center; and

information source side receiving means for receiving the marketing information generated at the center, and

wherein the center further comprises;

means for implementing statistical processing to the totalized information for every predetermined characteristics of the user to generate the marketing information and

second center side transmitting means for transmitting the marketing information to the information supply unit.

8. An information providing system comprising a center for providing information, and at least one terminal for accepting an offer of information from the center,

the terminal comprising:

terminal side memory means which is readable and writable where predetermined information and directory information of the predetermined information are written in advance;

means for reading out corresponding directory information in accordance with an access instruction of user with respect to the predetermined information to generate access management information including information relating to past record of access with respect to the predetermined information;

updating means for updating the access management information using the times access to the predetermined information is carried out so as to change and not merely add to said predetermined information by fully integrating and merging said predetermined information and said updating information, thereby producing new information, and for storing said new information in said terminal side memory means; and

terminal side transmitting means for transmitting the updated access management information to the center,

the center comprising;

center side receiving means for receiving the access management information transmitted from the terminal;

center side memory means for storing the access management information in a manner caused to be in correspondence with user ID for identifying user; and

charging means for implementing charging processing to the user on the basis of the access management information stored at the center side memory means.

9. An information providing system as set forth in claim 8,

wherein the access management information consists of access past record information including information indicating the number of access operations and access time, and personal characteristic information including information indicating distinction of sex and age of user.

10. An information providing system as set forth in claim 9,

wherein the access past record information in the access management information includes information indicating the numbers of access operations and access times with respect to respective information in the predetermined information.

11. An information providing system as set forth in claim 8,

wherein the center further comprises:

center side transmitting means which generates a request signal for requesting the terminal to transmit the access management information to the center,

wherein the terminal further comprises;

terminal side receiving means for receiving the request signal transmitted from the center,

the terminal side transmitting means being operative to transmit the updated access management information in accordance with the request signal.

12. An information providing system as set forth in claim 11,

wherein the center side transmitting means transmits the request signal every time the user provides access to information.

13. An information providing system as set forth in claim 11,

wherein the center side transmitting means periodically or non-periodically transmits the request signal to the terminal.

14. An information providing system comprising a center for providing information, and at least one terminal for accepting an offer of information from the center,

wherein the center comprises:

center side memory means having a memory means whish is readable and writable and has information written in advance for storing information to be offered to the terminal along with access management information including access past record information relating to every user with respect to the information;

center side receiving means for receiving an access request signal for requesting access of predetermined information transmitted from the terminal;

means for taking out, from the center side memory means, information corresponding to the access request signal and access management information of the information;

means for calculating access past record of all users with respect to the information which has been taken out to add access past record of this time to the access past record of the all users to generate updated access management information of the all users; and

center side transmitting means for transmitting, to the terminal, the information corresponding to the access request signal and the updated access management information of the all users,

wherein the terminal comprises;

terminal side transmitting means for transmitting the access request signal to the center;

terminal side receiving means for receiving the information corresponding to the access request signal and the updated access management information of the all users;

updating means for updating the access management information using the updated access management information so as to change and not merely add to said information written in said terminal memory means by fully integrating and merging said written information and said access management information, thereby producing new information, and for storing said new information in said terminal memory means,

means which calculates display parameters for graphically displaying access situations of the all users on the basis of the updated access management information of the all users; and

display means for generating display content by using the display parameters to display the display content on a display.

15. An information providing system as set forth in claim 14,

wherein the access past record includes information relating to the number of access operations of user with respect to predetermined information.

16. An information providing system as set forth in claim 15,

wherein the access management information includes identification (ID) header, the ID header including information relating to kind of information accompanied by the access management information.

17. An information providing system as set forth in claim 15,

wherein the access management information of the all users includes information relating to totalization of the numbers of access operations of corresponding information of the all users with respect to a plurality of time intervals.