Preference information collection system, method therefor and storage medium storing control program therefor

• US 6,381,539 B1
• Filed: 09/27/2000
• Issued: 04/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Shimazu, Hideo
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US09/670,724
• Time in Patent Office: 580 Days
• Field of Search: 701/213, 701/202, 701/204, 701/209, 701/210, 701/211, 701/214, 340/990, 340/995, 342/357.08, 342/357.1, 342/357.13
• US Class Current: 701/213
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network

Abstract

A preference information collection system is capable of automatically obtain preference information of user. The preference information collecting system is adapted for detecting staying of terminal equipment which is movable and position information of which is obtainable and collecting preference information of a user of the terminal from kind of a site where the terminal equipment stays. The system includes a correspondence table storing a physical position of the site, type of a shop presenting on the site, a preliminarily set minimum time required for regarding that the terminal equipment stays the site, and the latest information of number of times of stay of the terminal equipment at the site, with correspondence thereof. A preference detection device compares a period from detection of the stay start condition by the stay condition detection device to detection of the moving start condition of the moving condition detection device and a value of the minimum time of the correspondence corresponding to a current position indicated by the position identifying device, and updating the latest information of number of times of stay of the correspondence table corresponding to a current position indicated by the position identifying device depending upon a result of comparison.

Claims

1. A preference information collecting system adapted for detecting staying of terminal equipment which is movable and position information of which is obtainable and collecting preference information of a user of said terminal from kind of a site where the terminal equipment stays, comprising:

a correspondence table storing a physical position of said site, type of a shop presenting on said site, a preliminarily set minimum time required for regarding that the terminal equipment stays said site, and the latest information of number of times of stay of said terminal equipment at said site, with correspondence thereof;

a position identifying device detecting a current position of said terminal equipment;

a stay condition detection device detecting a stay start condition of said terminal equipment;

a moving condition detection device detecting moving start condition of said terminal equipment; and

a preference detection device comparing a period from detection of said stay start condition by said stay condition detection device to detection of said moving start condition of said moving condition detection device and a value of said minimum time of said correspondence corresponding to a current position indicated by said position identifying device, and updating the latest information of number of times of stay of said correspondence table corresponding to a current position indicated by said position identifying device depending upon a result of comparison.

2. A preference information collecting system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said position identifying device is constructed with a receiver of one of a global positioning system and a positioning system comparable with said global positioning system.

3. A preference information collecting system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said terminal equipment is mounted on an automotive vehicle.

4. A preference information collecting system as set forth in claim 3, wherein said stay condition detection device detects stay start condition of said terminal equipment from one of rotating condition of vehicular wheel and ON and OFF condition of an automotive engine.

5. A preference information collecting system as set forth in claim 3, wherein said moving start condition detection device detects stay start condition of said terminal equipment from one of rotating condition of vehicular wheel and ON and OFF condition of an automotive engine.

6. A preference information collecting system as set forth in claim 1, which further comprises:

a stay times accumulating portion accumulating a stay times corresponding to a type of the shop in said correspondence table and recording an accumulated stay times per type of the shop;

an information providing device receiving a pair of a contents at least including still image, moving picture and sound and a type of the shop of the content and providing information through a communication path;

a threshold value storing portion storing a preliminarily set minimum number of an accumulated number of times of stay;

an information filter responsive to said pair of the content and the type of the shop of the content from said information providing means for outputting said content depending upon a result of comparison between number of times of stay in said stay times accumulating portion corresponding to the type of said shop and a value of said threshold value storing portion; and

an information reproducing device receiving an output of the information filter and presenting information to the user.

7. A preference information collecting system as set forth in claim 6, wherein said information providing device receives said content using at least one of a ground wave digital broadcasting, a satellite digital broadcasting, a wired internet, a radio internet.

8. A preference information collecting method adapted for detecting staying of terminal equipment which is movable and position information of which is obtainable and collecting preference information of a user of said terminal from kind of a site where the terminal equipment stays, comprising:

a step of providing a correspondence table storing a physical position of said site, type of a shop presenting on said site, a preliminarily set minimum time required for regarding that the terminal equipment stays said site, and the latest information of number of times of stay of said terminal equipment at said site, with correspondence thereof;

a step of making judgment whether said terminal equipment enters into stay start condition;

a step of detecting a current position of said terminal equipment upon entry into stay start condition of said terminal equipment;

a step of retrieving said correspondence table with a current position of said terminal equipment;

a step of detecting moving start condition of said terminal equipment;

a step of comparing a period from detection of said stay start condition by said stay condition detection device to detection of said moving start condition of said moving condition detection device and a value of said minimum time of said correspondence corresponding to a current position indicated by said position identifying device; and

a step of updating the latest information of number of times of stay of said correspondence table corresponding to a current position indicated by said position identifying device depending upon a result of comparison.

9. A preference information collecting method as set forth in claim 8, wherein said step of detecting the current position of said terminal equipment detects the current position of said terminal equipment on the basis of information from one of a global positioning system and a positioning system comparable with said global positioning system.

10. A preference information collecting method as set forth in claim 8, wherein said terminal equipment is at least mounted on an automotive vehicle.

11. A preference information collecting method as set forth in claim 10, wherein said step of detecting stay start condition detects stay start condition of said terminal equipment from one of rotating condition of vehicular wheel and ON and OFF condition of an automotive engine.

12. A preference information collecting method as set forth in claim 10, wherein said step of detecting moving start condition detects stay start condition of said terminal equipment from one of rotating condition of vehicular wheel and ON and OFF condition of an automotive engine.

13. A preference information collecting method as set forth in claim 8, which further comprises:

a step of accumulating a stay times corresponding to a type of the shop in said correspondence table and recording an accumulated stay times per type of the shop upon receiving a pair of a contents at least including still image, moving picture and sound and a type of the shop of the content and providing information through a communication path, and retrieving a stay times accumulating portion recording number of times of stay per shop in said correspondence table by a type of the shop of the content;

a step of comparing a stay times retrieved from said stay times accumulating portion with a preliminarily set minimum number of an accumulated number of times of stay;

a step of outputting said content depending upon a result of comparison.

14. A preference information collecting method as set forth in claim 13, wherein said content is received using at least one of a ground wave digital broadcasting, a satellite digital broadcasting, a wired internet, a radio internet.

15. A storage medium storing a preference information collection control program for operating a preference information collecting system adapted for detecting staying of terminal equipment which is movable and position information of which is obtainable and collecting preference information of a user of said terminal from kind of a site where the terminal equipment stays,

said preference information collecting system providing a correspondence table storing a physical position of the site, type of a shop presenting on the site, a preliminarily set minimum time required for regarding that the terminal equipment stays the site, and the latest information of number of times of stay of the terminal equipment at the site, with correspondence thereof,

said preference information collection control program operating said preference information collecting system

for making judgment whether said terminal equipment enters into stay start condition;

for detecting a current position of said terminal equipment upon entry into stay start condition of said terminal equipment;

for retrieving said correspondence table with a current position of said terminal equipment;

for detecting moving start condition of said terminal equipment;

for comparing a period from detection of said stay start condition by said stay condition detection device to detection of said moving start condition of said moving condition detection device and a value of said minimum time of said correspondence corresponding to a current position indicated by said position identifying device; and

for updating the latest information of number of times of stay of said correspondence table corresponding to a current position indicated by said position identifying device depending upon a result of comparison.

16. A storage medium recording a preference information collection control program as set forth in claim 15, wherein said preference information collecting control program operates said preference information collection system

for accumulating a stay times corresponding to a type of the shop in said correspondence table and recording an accumulated stay times per type of the shop upon receiving a pair of a contents at least including still image, moving picture and sound and a type of the shop of the content and providing information through a communication path, and retrieving a stay times accumulating portion recording number of times of stay per shop in said correspondence table by a type of the shop of the content;

for comparing a stay times retrieved from said stay times accumulating portion with a preliminarily set minimum number of an accumulated number of times of stay; and

for outputting said content depending upon a result of comparison.