Information distribution apparatus and information distribution method

• US 7,475,121 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2001
• Issued: 01/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Ushigusa, Osami
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar; Saleh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nawaz; Asad M
• Application Number:
  US09/866,680
• Publication Number:
  US 20020095466A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,778 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/246, 709203-207, 709/202, 709217-238, 705/14, 705/27, 707 1- 5, 707/100, 379/93.24, 379/93, 715/204
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding

Abstract

The present invention relates to an information distribution apparatus that is capable of enhancing convenience of a receiver by adjusting the amount of information distributed to the receiver in accordance with receiver'"'"'s desire. Each user can select either of a plurality of distribution ranks containing the designation of a summarization degree with respect to mail distributed from each advertiser, and a distribution rank selected by a user is stored in a mail server. When there is a request for distribution of mail from an advertiser, in the case where a distribution rank is designated by a user who is a receiver of the mail, with respect to the mail of the advertiser, the mail server summarizes the contents of the mail in accordance with the designation of a summarization degree of the designated distribution rank, and send them to the user. Furthermore, user'"'"'s evaluation and questionnaire information are passed to each advertiser through the mail server.

Claims

1. An information distribution apparatus for mediating distribution of information received from a sending apparatus of a sender and distributed to a receiving apparatus of a receiver, comprising:

a sending/receiving control part conducting communication via a network with the sending apparatus and the receiving apparatus;

a distribution rank storage part storing a distribution rank selected in advance by the receiver, before receiving distribution information from the sender, with respect to the distribution information from the sender, among distribution ranks defining distribution conditions containing designation of a summarization degree of distribution information in a plurality of levels;

a distribution information storage part storing an original of distribution information received from the sending apparatus;

a summarization processing part, when receiving a request for distribution of stored distribution information received from the sending apparatus through the sending/receiving control part, obtaining from the distribution rank storage part a distribution rank previously selected by the receiver of the stored distribution information and selected based on its correspondence to the sender of the distribution information, conducting summarization processing of the distribution information stored in the distribution information storage part in accordance with designation of a summarization degree corresponding to the distribution rank obtained and giving the distribution information, after processing by the summarization processing part, to the sending/receiving control part to distribute the distribution information to the receiving apparatus;

an image information generating part adding, to each distribution information, screen definition information of a rank setting screen allowing a receiver to input the distribution rank by selection, or access information to the rank setting screen; and

a distribution rank updating part updating the distribution rank stored in the distribution rank storage part, based on an input distribution rank which a receiver inputs by selection on the rank setting screen regarding the distribution information upon receiving the distribution information,

wherein the summarizing of the distribution information further comprises extracting at least a portion of the distribution information according to the distribution rank.

2. An information distribution apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the distribution conditions further include designation of a distribution time.

3. An information distribution apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a retransmission processing part receiving a request for transmission of an original of distribution information from a receiver of distribution information subjected to the summarization processing, extracting an original stored in the distribution information storage part, and distributing the original to the receiving apparatus through the sending/receiving control part.

4. An information distribution apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a rank information passing part totalizing distribution ranks stored in the distribution rank storage part, and sending the totalized result to the sending apparatus through the sending/receiving control part.

5. An information distribution apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rank setting screen includes a questionnaire column in addition to a selection column of the distribution rank, the information distribution apparatus comprising:

a questionnaire result storage part storing answer data to the questionnaire column;

a questionnaire record updating part receiving answer data to the questionnaire column from the receiving apparatus through the sending/receiving control part, and updating contents stored in the questionnaire result storage part; and

a questionnaire information passing part totalizing questionnaire results stored in the questionnaire result storage part, and sending the totalized result to the sending apparatus through the sending/receiving control part.

6. An information distribution apparatus according to claim 5, comprising a menu storage part storing predetermined questionnaire contents and questionnaire contents provided by each sender, wherein questionnaire contents to be displayed in the questionnaire column on the rank setting screen are selected by each sender from questionnaire contents stored in the menu storage part.

7. An information distribution apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the distribution rank storage part includes a region for storing a distribution rank selected by each receiver on a sender basis or on the basis of the kind of information distributed from each sender.

8. An information distribution apparatus according to claim 1, wherein summarization processing of distribution information by the summarization processing part is either one of the following processing selected by each sender:

processing of conducting summarization based on a predetermined rule and processing of outputting an abstract previously provided together with the distribution information in accordance with each distribution rank from the sender as a summarized result.

9. An information distribution apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a standard rank determining part determining an initial distribution rank based on evaluation by a plurality of receivers.

10. The information distribution apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the distribution conditions include a summarization degree selected from summarization degrees of the distribution information in the plurality of levels and designation of a distribution time of the distribution information.

11. An information distribution method for mediating distribution of information received from a sending apparatus of a sender and distributed to a receiving apparatus of a receiver, comprising:

storing a distribution rank selected in advance by the receiver, before receiving distribution information from the sender, with respect to the distribution information from the sender, among distribution ranks defining distribution conditions containing designation of a summarization degree of distribution information in a plurality of levels, in a distribution rank storage part;

when receiving a request for distribution of distribution information received from the sending apparatus, obtaining from the distribution rank storage part a distribution rank previously selected by the receiver of the distribution information and selected based on its correspondence to the sender of the distribution information;

summarizing the distribution information in accordance with designation of a summarization degree corresponding to the obtained distribution rank to send it to the receiving apparatus and giving the distribution information after summarizing the distribution information to a sending/receiving control part to distribute the distribution information to the receiving apparatus;

adding, to each distribution information, screen definition information of a rank setting screen displayable by a receiving apparatus allowing a receiver to input the distribution rank by selection or access information to the rank setting screen; and

updating the distribution rank stored in the distribution rank storage part, based on a distribution rank which a receiver inputs by selection on the rank setting screen regarding the distribution information upon receiving the distribution information,

wherein the summarizing of the distribution information further comprises extracting at least a portion of the distribution information according to the distribution rank.

12. An information distribution method according to claim 11, comprising:

when receiving a request for distribution of information from the sending apparatus, storing an original of the distribution information in a distribution information storage part;

when receiving a request for sending an original of distribution information from a receiver of distribution information subjected to the summarization processing, extracting an original stored in the distribution information storage part to distribute it to the receiving apparatus.

13. An information distribution method according to claim 11, wherein distribution ranks stored in the distribution rank storage part are summarized as selection results of a plurality of receivers and sent to a sending apparatus.

14. The information distribution method according to claim 11, wherein the distribution conditions include a summarization degree selected from summarization degrees of the distribution information in the plurality of levels and designation of a distribution time of the distribution information.

15. An information distribution method according to claim 11, wherein the rank setting screen includes a questionnaire column as well as a selection column of the distribution rank,

answer data to the questionnaire column is received together with the selection result of the distribution rank from the receiving apparatus, and the received answer data is stored in a questionnaire result storage part, and

results of a questionnaire stored in the questionnaire result storage part are summarized and sent to the sending apparatus.

16. An information distribution method according to claim 15, wherein predetermined questionnaire contents and questionnaire contents provided by each sender are stored in a menu storage part, and questionnaire contents selected by each sender from the menu storage part is displayed in the questionnaire column on the rank setting screen.

17. An information distribution method according to claim 11, wherein the distribution rank is selected by each receiver on a sender basis or on the basis of a kind of information distributed from each sender.

18. An information distribution method according to claim 11, wherein summarization processing of the distribution information is either one of the following processing selected by each sender:

processing of conducting summarization based on a predetermined rule and processing of outputting an abstract previously provided together with the distribution information in accordance with each distribution rank from the sender as a summarized result.

19. An information distribution method according to claim 11, wherein an initial distribution rank is determined based on evaluation by a plurality of receivers.

20. A computer program product storing, in a recording medium, a program for allowing a computer to execute a processing of mediating distribution of information received from a sending apparatus of a sender and sent to a receiving apparatus of a receiver, the processing comprising:

when receiving a request for distribution of distribution information received from the sending apparatus, storing an original of the distribution information received from the sending apparatus in a distribution information storage part;

obtaining, from a distribution rank storage part, a distribution rank, selected before receiving the distribution information from the sender, defining distribution conditions containing designation of a summarization degree of the distribution information in a plurality of levels, previously selected by the receiver of the distribution information and obtained based on its correspondence to the sender of the distribution information from the sender;

summarizing the distribution information stored in the distribution information storage part in accordance with designation of a summarization degree corresponding to the obtained distribution rank, and distributing the summarized distribution information to the receiving apparatus and giving the distribution information after the summarizing the distribution information to a sending/receiving control part to distribute the distribution information to the receiving apparatus;

adding, to each distribution information, screen definition information of a rank setting screen displayed by a receiving apparatus allowing a receiver to input the distribution rank by selection or access information to the rank setting screen; and

updating the distribution rank stored in the distribution rank storage part, based on a distribution rank which a receiver inputs by selection on the rank setting screen regarding the distribution information upon receiving the distribution information,

wherein the summarizing of the distribution information further comprises extracting at least a portion of the distribution information according to the distribution rank.

21. The computer program product according to claim 20, wherein the distribution conditions include a summarization degree selected from summarization degrees of the distribution information in the plurality of levels and designation of a distribution time of the distribution information.