Information retrieval system

• US 7,050,790 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2001
• Issued: 05/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Victor Company of Japan Limited (JVC Kenwood Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamaga, Yoko
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Huy D.
• Application Number:
  US09/915,551
• Publication Number:
  US 20020013818A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,761 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/414.3, 455/414.4, 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 455/502, 455/403, 455/503, 455/517, 455/560
• US Class Current: 455/412.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

A server transmits audio and/or visual information in a limited space. A hand-held device communicates with the server by two-way communication while the hand-held device is located in the space that is a communications area covered by the server. The server transmits relevant information on the audio and/or visual information to the hand-held device on request made by the hand-held device. An information providing apparatus may transmit audio and/or visual information in the space. A server communicates with the information providing apparatus by two-way communication to provide the relevant information on request made by the information providing apparatus. The relevant information provided to the information providing apparatus is output in the space in synchronism with the audio and/or visual information.

Claims

1. An information retrieval system comprising:

a server to transmit audio and/or visual information that changes as time elapses in a limited space, and transmit relevant information in synchronism with the transmitted audio and/or visual information that changes as time elapses, the relevant information being related to and changing as time elapses in synchronism with the transmitted audio and/or visual information that changes as time elapses; and

a hand-held device capable of communication with the server in a communications area covered by the server, the hand-held device establishing communication with the server via specific communication means when the hand-held device is located in the communications area, and receiving the transmitted relevant information while the communication between the hand-held device and the server is being established;

wherein the hand-held device is capable of having access to an information source different from the server, in order to gain a detailed information about the audio and/or visual information based on the received relevant information.

2. The information retrieval system according to claim 1, wherein the relevant information includes URL (Uniform Resource Locator) for accessing Web pages.

3. The information retrieval system according to claim 1, wherein the specific communication means is Bluetooth.

4. The information retrieval system according to claim 1, wherein the server further transmits a part of the audio and/or visual information to the hand-held device.

5. An information retrieval system comprising:

a provider to transmit audio and/or visual information that changes as time elapses in a limited space;

a server capable of two-way communication with the provider; and

a hand-held device capable of communication with the provider in a communications area covered by the provider, wherein

the provider transmits an identification signal to the server, the identification signal carrying a code peculiar to the audio and/or visual information that changes as time elapses, the provider receives relevant information sent from the server, the relevant information being related to and changing as time elapses in synchronism with the audio and/or visual information that changes as time elapses, and the provider transmits the received relevant information in synchronism with the audio and/or visual information that changes as time elapses while the audio and/or visual information is being transmitted in the limited space,

on receiving the identification signal, the server retrieves, from a data base, the relevant information corresponding to the code carried by the identification signal, and transmits the retrieved relevant information to the provider, and

the hand-held device establishes communication with the provider via specific communication means when the hand-held device is located in the communications area, and receives the transmitted relevant information when the communication between the hand-held device and the provider is being established;

wherein the hand-held device is capable of having access to an information source different from the server, in order to gain a detailed information about the audio and/or visual information based on the received relevant information.

6. The information retrieval system according to claim 5, wherein the relevant information includes URL (Uniform Resource Locator) for accessing Web pages.

7. The information retrieval system according to claim 5, wherein the specific communication means is Bluetooth.