Text information browsing aid apparatus, digital content creation system, digital content distribution system, and storage medium

• US 6,931,415 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2001
• Issued: 08/16/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Nagahara, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Coby, Frantz
• Application Number:
  US09/945,829
• Publication Number:
  US 20020042790A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,441 Days
• Field of Search: 707/2, 707/3, 707/4, 707/5, 707/102, 707/10, 705/1, 705/14, 709/217, 715/776, 713/156, 345/581, 235/380, 235/381, 380/279
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/913 Multimedia
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A digital content distribution system that is suitable to provide digital content readable and output the digital content in a layout viewable for the user is provided. A content distribution terminal includes a user information registration DB that stores user information, and a dictionary information DB that stores dictionary information. The content distribution terminal selects dictionary information from the dictionary information registration DB based on the user information in the user information registration DB and the content of digital content associated with the user information, and adds the selected dictionary information to the digital content. Accordingly, the user can obtain digital content including only dictionary information of a relatively high necessity.

Claims

1. A system for creating digital content, comprising:

a user information storage device that stores user information regarding a user;

a dictionary information storage device that stores dictionary information;

a dictionary information selection device that selects the dictionary information from the dictionary information storage device based on the user information in the user information storage device and the content of digital content associated with the user information; and

a dictionary information association device that associates the dictionary information selected by the dictionary information selection device with the digital content.

2. The system according to claim 1, the user information including interest information regarding the interest or preference of the user,

and the dictionary information selection device selecting dictionary information which matches the interest or preference of the user from the dictionary information storage device based on the interest information in the user information storage device.

3. The system according to claim 1, the dictionary information selection device selecting dictionary information related to words or sentences included in the digital content from the dictionary information storage device based on the user information in the user information storage device.

4. The system according to claim 1, further including a content translation device that translates the text information included in the digital content, such that, when a plurality of translations exists as candidates for the same word in the result of translation by the content translation device, the dictionary information selection device determines a presumably most suitable translation from the plurality of translations based on the content of the digital content, and selects translations as the dictionary information from the translations which have been determined.

5. The system according to claim 1, further including a content layout device that lays out digital content with the dictionary information associated therewith in an output layout which is determined based on the user information in the user information storage device.

6. The system according to claim 1, the user information including association limit information regarding an upper limit number or a lower limit number for dictionary information to be associated with the digital content,

and the dictionary information association device associating the dictionary information selected by the dictionary information selection device with the digital content based on the association limit information in the user information storage device.