Audience information collecting system, audience information collecting method, and information providing method

• US 6,959,419 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2001
• Issued: 10/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Taniwaki, Yoshinori
• Primary Examiner(s): Cabeca, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Detwiler, Brian J.
• Application Number:
  US09/879,354
• Publication Number:
  US 20020054078A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,596 Days
• Field of Search: 345/730, 345/733, 345/744, 345/745, 345/747, 345/700, 345/716, 345/717, 345/753, 345/761, 345/751, 345/962, 345/472, 345/434, 345/463, 705/12, 705/14, 705/16, 705/26, 705/27, 52/8, 52/9, 52/6, 715716-719, 715/730, 715/733, 715/748, 715/751, 715/753, 715/756, 715/864, 715/866, 725 1- 6, 725 8- 11, 725/13, 725/24, 725/37, 725/60, 725/61, 725 74- 83, 725 85- 87, 725/100, 725151-153
• US Class Current: 715/716
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

An information collecting system and method for providing information to members of the audience at theaters where movies and theatrical productions are presented, collecting information from the members of the audience, and compiling the information from the members of the audience.

Claims

1. An audience information collecting system for providing information to an audience member at a movie theater where a movie is presented and for collecting information from the audience member, comprising:

an audience terminal installed at each seat in the movie theater comprising;

provided information output means for outputting provided information to the audience member;

response information input means for inputting predetermined response information given by the audience member in response to the provided information;

personal information reading means for reading personal information from a storage medium having stored therein beforehand the personal information of the audience member; and

first transmitting and receiving means for receiving the provided information and for transmitting the response information and the personal information; and

an information collecting unit comprising;

provided information storage means for storing the provided information;

second transmitting and receiving means for transmitting the provided information and for receiving the response information and the personal information; and

compiling means for creating a compiled result of the response information and the personal information;

wherein said terminal is mounted to a seat in which said audience member sits such that said audience member can alternately view said terminal and said movie by merely shifting his or her eyes and without having to reposition said terminal.

2. An audience information collecting system according to claim 1, wherein the compiled result of the response information and the personal information compiled by said information collecting unit is transmitted via a network to a server of a client who has requested that information be collected.

3. An audience information collecting system according to claim 1, wherein the provided information includes advertisement information for merchandise;

and the audience member makes a purchase request to purchase the merchandise using said response information input means.

4. An audience information collecting system according to claim 3, wherein funds are electronically stored in said storage medium;

and the audience member makes a payment for a purchase requested by the payment request using said personal information reading means.

5. An audience information collecting system according to claim 3, wherein said information collecting unit receives and compiles the purchase request from the audience member and transmits the compiled result to a server of a distributor of the merchandise.

6. An audience information collecting system according to claim 1, wherein information about the content of the movie is sequentially transmitted as the provided information and said information collecting unit while the movie is being presented at the movie theater, and the information about the content of the movie is output from said provided information output means.

7. An audience information collecting system according to claim 1, wherein said audience terminal further comprises storage means for temporarily storing the received provided information.

8. An audience information collecting method for providing information to an audience member at a movie theater where a movie is presented and for collecting information from the audience member, comprising the steps of:

transmitting provided information to the audience member from an information collecting unit installed in the movie theater;

reading personal information from a storage medium having stored therein beforehand the personal information of the audience member, wherein said reading is done using an audience terminal which is installed at each seat in the movie theater and which is connected to said information collecting unit via a network;

receiving and outputting the provided information, wherein said receiving and outputting is done by said audience terminal;

inputting predetermined response information given by the audience member in response to the provided information, wherein said inputting is done by said audience terminal;

transmitting the response information and the personal information, wherein said transmitting is done by said audience terminal; and

receiving and compiling the response information and the personal information, wherein said receiving and compiling is performed by said information collecting unit;

wherein said terminal is mounted to a seat in which said audience member sits such that said audience member can alternately view said terminal and said movie by merely shifting his or her eyes and without having to reposition said terminal.

9. An information providing method for providing information to an audience member at a movie theater, comprising the steps of:

displaying information about related merchandise on an audience terminal at the same time a corresponding image is projected onto a screen at the movie theater in association with showing the image;

receiving a response from the audience member as a function of the displaying step;

initiating a sale of the merchandise to the audience member in response to operation of the audience terminal by the audience member;

wherein said terminal is mounted to a seat in which said audience member sits such that said audience member can alternately view said terminal and a performance by merely shifting his or her eyes and without having to reposition said terminal.

10. An information providing method for providing information to an audience member at a movie theater, comprising the steps of:

showing images on a screen at the movie theater; and

displaying, on a terminal provided at each seat in the movie theater for the audience member, electronic information about the screened images at the same time a corresponding one of the images is being shown;

wherein said terminal is mounted to a seat in which said audience member sits such that said audience member can alternately view said terminal and a performance by merely shifting his or her eyes and without having to reposition said terminal.

11. An information providing method for providing information to an audience member at a movie theater, comprising the steps of:

showing image scenes on a screen at the movie theater;

displaying, on a terminal provided at each seat in the movie theater for the audience member, electronic information about the screened image scenes at the same time the corresponding image scene is being shown;

receiving, when the audience member inputs information using the terminal which displays the information about the image scenes, the information input by the audience member from the terminal; and

processing a request by the audience member in response to the input information;

wherein said terminal is mounted to a seat in which said audience member sits such that said audience member can alternately view said terminal and a performance by merely shifting his or her eyes and without having to reposition said terminal.

12. An information providing method for providing information to an audience member at a movie theater, comprising the steps of:

showing image scenes on a screen at the movie theater;

displaying, on a terminal provided at each seat in the movie theater for the audience member, information about the screened image scenes at the same time the corresponding image scene is being shown;

receiving user input information inputted by the audience member from the terminal as a function of the displaying step; and

compiling the input information to create response data about the image scenes in response to the inputting operation;

wherein said terminal is mounted to a seat in which said audience member sits such that said audience member can alternately view said terminal and a performance by merely shifting his or her eyes and without having to reposition said terminal.

13. An information providing method for providing information to an audience member at a movie theater, comprising the steps of:

showing image scenes on a screen at the movie theater;

displaying, on a terminal provided at each seat in the movie theater for the audience member, information about the screened image scenes at the same time the corresponding image scene is being shown;

receiving audience unique information for identifying the audience member;

receiving user input information inputted by the audience member from the terminal as a function of the displaying step; and

compiling the input information to create response data about the image scenes in association with the audience unique information;

wherein said terminal is mounted to a seat in which said audience member sits such that said audience member can alternately view said terminal and a performance by merely shifting his or her eyes and without having to reposition said terminal.