Information providing system and method, information processing apparatus and method, display apparatus and method, and program

• US 7,185,811 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2004
• Issued: 03/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Tomita, Nobuyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, SEUNG H
• Application Number:
  US10/860,490
• Publication Number:
  US 20050017072A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,005 Days
• Field of Search: 235/451, 235/472.02
• US Class Current: 235/385
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

An information providing or processing system and method is disclosed which can provide information conforming to liking of a user to the user. If the user brings a contactless IC card, in which a user ID of the user is stored, close to a contactless IC tag mounted on a favorite commodity in a selling agent, then the contactless IC card acquires and stores a commodity ID stored in the contactless IC tag. Then, if the user brings the contactless IC card close to an information providing apparatus, then the information providing apparatus acquires the user ID and the commodity ID from the contactless IC card. Thereafter, the information providing apparatus acquires user information corresponding to the user ID from a customer information management server and acquires commodity information corresponding to the commodity ID from a commodity information management server. Then, the information providing apparatus produces and displays provision information conforming to the liking of the user. The invention can be applied to a system which utilizes an IC card.

Claims

1. An information providing system comprising:

a first information processing apparatus configured to utilize electromagnetic induction to transmit first information;

a second information processing apparatus configured to utilize electromagnetic induction to receive the first information from said first information processing apparatus and transmit the first information and second information; and

a display apparatus configured to utilize electromagnetic induction to receive the first and second information from said second information processing apparatus;

said first information processing apparatus including a first storage unit configured to store the first information including at least identification information corresponding to an object on which said first information processing apparatus is mounted, and a first transmission unit configured to utilize electromagnetic induction to transmit the first information stored in said first storage unit to said second information processing apparatus;

said second information processing apparatus including a first reception unit configured to utilize electromagnetic induction to receive the first information transmitted from said first transmission unit, a second storage unit configured to store the second information including identification information of a user, and a second transmission unit configured to transmit the first information received by said first reception unit and the second information stored in said second storage unit to said display apparatus;

said display apparatus including a second reception unit configured to receive the first and second information transmitted from said a second transmission unit, a production unit configured to produce recommendation information corresponding to predetermined user preferences as related to the first and second information received by said second reception unit, and a display configured to perform a displaying process based on the recommendation information produced by said production unit.

2. An information providing method for an information providing system which includes a first information processing apparatus for utilizing electromagnetic induction to transmit first information stored therein, a second information processing apparatus for utilizing electromagnetic induction to receive the first information from said first information processing apparatus and transmitting second information stored therein together with the first information, and a display apparatus for utilizing electromagnetic induction to receive the first and second information from said second information processing apparatus, comprising:

transmitting said first information processing apparatus of utilizing electromagnetic induction to transmit the stored first information including at least identification information corresponding to an object on which said first information processing apparatus is mounted to said second information processing apparatus;

receiving said second information processing apparatus of utilizing electromagnetic induction to receive the transmitted first information and transmitting the first information and the stored second information including identification information of a user to said display apparatus; and

producing by said display apparatus recommendation information corresponding to predetermined user preferences related to the received first and second information, and performing a displaying process based on the produced recommendation information.

3. An information processing apparatus which utilizes electromagnetic induction to transmit information, comprising:

a reception unit configured to use electromagnetic induction to receive first information including at least identification information corresponding to an object on which a first different information processing apparatus is mounted from the first different information processing apparatus;

a storage unit configured to store second information including identification information of a user in advance and storing the first information received by said reception unit;

a transmission unit configured to use electromagnetic induction to transmit the first and second information stored in said storage unit to a second different information processing apparatus; and

a production unit configured to produce recommendation information based on said first and second information and predetermined user preferences.

4. An information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first information received by said reception unit includes not only the identification information corresponding to the object but also object information which is detailed information of the object.

5. An information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the second information stored in said storage unit includes not only the identification information of the user but also liking information regarding liking of the user.

6. An information processing method for an information processing apparatus which utilizes electromagnetic induction to transmit information, comprising the steps of:

utilizing electromagnetic induction to receive first information including at least identification information corresponding to an object on which a first different information processing apparatus is mounted from the first different information processing apparatus;

storing the received first information;

utilizing electromagnetic induction to transmit the stored first information together with second information stored in advance and including identification information of a user to a second different information processing apparatus; and

producing recommendation information based on said first and second information and predetermined user preferences.

7. A computer program product for controlling an information processing apparatus which utilizes electromagnetic induction to transmit information, said program causing a computer to execute the steps of:

utilizing electromagnetic induction to receive first information including at least identification information corresponding to an object on which a first different information processing apparatus is mounted from the first different information processing apparatus;

storing the received first information;

utilizing electromagnetic induction to transmit the stored first information together with second information stored in advance and including identification information of a user to a second different information processing apparatus; and

producing recommendation information based on said first and second information and predetermined user preferences.

8. A display apparatus which utilizes electromagnetic induction to receive information, comprising:

a reception unit configured to use electromagnetic induction to receive first information including identification information of a user and second information including identification information corresponding to an object on which a first different information processing apparatus is mounted from a second different information processing apparatus;

a production unit configured to produce recommendation information corresponding to predetermined user preferences as they relate to the first and second information received by said reception unit; and

a display unit configured to perform a displaying process based on the recommendation information produced by said production unit.

9. A display apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first information received by said reception unit includes not only the identification information of the user but also liking information regarding liking of the user.

10. A display apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the second information received by said reception unit includes not only the identification information corresponding to the object but also object information which is detailed information of the object.

11. A display apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a recording unit configured to record liking information regarding liking of the user corresponding to the identification information of the user included in the first information to be received by said reception unit, said production unit acquiring the liking information recorded in said recording unit based on the first information received by said reception unit and producing the recommendation information based on the liking information and the second information.

12. A display apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a recording unit configured to record object information which is detailed information of the object and corresponds to the identification information regarding the object included in the second information received by said reception unit, said production unit acquiring the object information recorded in said recording unit based on the second information received by said reception unit and producing the recommendation information based on the object information and the first information.

13. A display method for a display apparatus which utilizes electromagnetic induction to receive information, comprising the steps of:

utilizing electromagnetic induction to receive first information including identification information of a user and second information including identification information corresponding to an object on which a first different information processing apparatus is mounted from a second different information processing apparatus;

producing recommendation information corresponding to predetermined user preferences as they relate to the received first and second information; and

performing a displaying process based on the produced recommendation information.

14. A program for controlling a display apparatus which utilizes electromagnetic induction to receive information, said program causing a computer to execute the steps of:

utilizing electromagnetic induction to receive first information including identification information of a user and second information including identification information corresponding to an object on which a first different information processing apparatus is mounted from a second different information processing apparatus;

producing recommendation information corresponding to predetermined user preferences as they relate to the received first and second information; and

performing a displaying process based on the produced recommendation information.

15. An information providing system for providing information, comprising:

an acquisition unit configured to acquire first information including identification information corresponding to an object of mounting and second information including identification information of a user;

a requesting unit configured to issue a request for recommendation information to the user;

a acceptance-unit configured to accept the request for recommendation information from said requesting unit;

a production unit configured to produce, when the request for recommendation information is accepted by said acceptance unit, the recommendation information based on the first and second information acquired by said acquisition unit and predetermined user preferences; and

a display unit configured to perform a displaying process based on the recommendation information produced by said production means.

16. An information providing method for an information providing system for providing information, comprising:

acquiring first information including identification information corresponding to an object of mounting and second information including identification information of a user;

issuing a request for recommendation information to the user;

accepting the request for recommendation information by the process of the requesting step;

producing, when the request for recommendation information is accepted by the process of the acceptance step, the recommendation information based on the first and second information acquired by the process of the acquisition step and predetermined user preferences; and

controlling a displaying process based on the recommendation information produced by the process of the production step.

17. An information processing apparatus for processing information, comprising:

a acquisition unit configured to acquire first information including identification information of an object on which a first different information processing apparatus is mounted and second information including identification information of a user;

a acceptance unit configured to accept a request for recommendation information to the user; and

a production unit, when the request for recommendation information is accepted by said acceptance unit, the recommendation information based on the first and second information acquired by said acquisition unit and predetermined user preferences.

18. An information processing apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising:

a storage unit configured to store object information which is detailed information of the object corresponding to the identification information of the object; and

a identification unit configured to identify whether or not the first different information processing apparatus is present based on the first information acquired by said acquisition unit and the object information stored in said storage unit.

19. An information processing apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising:

a requesting unit configured to request, when the request for recommendation information is accepted by said acceptance unit, a second different information processing apparatus for liking information representative of liking of the user based on the identification information of the user; and

a reception unit configured to receive the liking information transmitted from the second different information processing apparatus in response to the request from said requesting means.

20. An information processing apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the first information acquired by said acquisition unit is identification information of a genre corresponding to the object.

21. An information processing apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the first information acquired by said acquisition unit further includes, in addition to the identification information of the object, object information which is detailed information of the object.

22. An information processing apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the second information acquired by said acquisition unit further includes, in addition to the identification information of the user, liking information representative of liking of the user.

23. An information processing apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising a transmission unit configured to transmit the recommendation information produced by said production unit to a display apparatus which performs a display process based on the recommendation information.

24. An information processing apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising:

a requesting unit configured to request, when the request for recommendation information is accepted by said acceptance means, a second different information processing apparatus for object information which is detailed information of the object based on the identification information of the object; and

reception unit configured to receive the object information transmitted from the second different information processing apparatus in response to the request from said requesting unit.

25. An information processing apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising storage unit configured to store liking information representative of liking of the user corresponding to the second information.

26. An information processing apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising storage unit configured to store object information which is detailed information of the object corresponding to the identification information of the object.

27. An information processing method for an information processing apparatus for processing information, comprising:

acquiring first information including identification information of an object on which a first different information processing apparatus is mounted and second information including identification information of a user;

accepting a request for recommendation information to the user; and

producing, when the request for recommendation information is accepted by the process of the acceptance step, the recommendation information based on the first and second information acquired by the process of the acquisition step and predetermined user preferences.

28. A computer program product for processing information, said program causing a computer to execute the steps of:

acquiring first information including identification information of an object on which a first different information processing apparatus is mounted and second information including identification information of a user;

accepting a request for recommendation information to the user; and

producing, when the request for recommendation information is accepted by the process of the acceptance step, the recommendation information based on the first and second information acquired by the process of the acquisition step and predetermined user preferences.