Information providing apparatus

• US 7,487,156 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2002
• Issued: 02/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Seimiya, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong; Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thai; Hanh B
• Application Number:
  US10/240,379
• Publication Number:
  US 20040181546A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,560 Days
• Field of Search: 707/104.1, 707 1- 3, 707/10, 455/68, 455/424, 455/455
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

An information providing apparatus for re-distributing to a mobile phone (113) an information image in which image information and at least related information defining a unique process are integrated as a single operation unit, the information image having been distributed to a client (103) connected via a network (106), includes an information image separation unit (110) for separating the information image that has been distributed to and registered in the client (103) into image information and related information; and a re-distribution unit (111) for distributing to the mobile phone (113) the image information and the related information that have been separated by the information image separation unit (110).

Claims

1. An information providing apparatus for distributing data comprising:

a memory unit for storing an information image comprising image information and related information defining a unique process, wherein the information image is integrated as a single operational unit;

an input unit for receiving a request to distribute the information image;

a distribution unit for distributing the information image to an information terminal;

a user identification unit for identifying a user of the information terminal;

a registration information recording unit for registering the user in association with the information image;

an information image separation unit for separating the information image into the image information and the related information; and

a re-distribution unit for re-distributing the separated image information and the related information together as a display page to a portable terminal, only when the user of the information terminal is also the user of the portable terminal, wherein the information terminal and the portable terminal are different terminals.

2. An information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information image separation unit separates the information image immediately after the information image is distributed to the information terminal, converts the image information and the related information into a distribution format, and records results.

3. An information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information image separation unit separates the information image immediately after the information image is distributed to the information terminal, records the image information and the related information, and converts the image information and the related information into a distribution format upon receiving a request for distributing the information image from the portable terminal.

4. An information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information image separation unit records the information image immediately after the information image is distributed to the information terminal, separates the information image upon receiving a request for distributing the information image from the portable terminal, and converts the image information and the related information into a distribution format.

5. An information providing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising

a registration information recording unit having a database that associates the user of the information terminal with a portable terminal of the user, wherein:

an instruction is outputted to an information image providing server to provide a second information image, related to the information image, to the portable terminal upon receiving a message that the information image has been distributed to the information terminal,

the second information image is registered, and

based on the database, a message is transmitted to the portable terminal that the second information image has been distributed.

6. An information providing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

first storage means for storing a plurality of information images, each serving as second information, wherein each of the second information is associated with first information that identifies an information distributing entity; and

information providing means for extracting, in response to a distribution instruction accompanied with first information input from the portable terminal, second information associated with the first information from the first storage means, and for distributing the extracted second information to the information terminal.

7. An information providing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising

first input screen providing means for providing the portable terminal with input screen information for inputting the first information and issuing the distribution instruction from the portable terminal.

8. An information providing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising

second storage means prestoring third information for identifying an information terminal to which the second information is to be distributed according to the distribution instruction from the portable terminal.

9. An information providing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising

second input screen providing means for providing the portable terminal with input screen information for inputting third information for identifying an information terminal to which the second information is to be distributed according to the distribution instruction from the portable terminal.

10. An information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information terminal and the portable terminal are used by a single user,

the information providing apparatus further comprises a user identification unit for identifying the user of the portable terminal, and

the distribution unit distributes the information image to the information terminal or to the portable terminal that is used by the user identified by the user identification unit.

11. An information providing method for distributing an information image to an information terminal or to a portable terminal connected via a network, wherein the information image comprises image information and related information defining a unique process integrated as a single operation unit, the information providing method comprising the steps of:

receiving a request to distribute the information image;

distributing the information image to the information terminal;

identifying a user of the information terminal;

registering the user in association with the information image;

separating the information image into the image information and the related information; and

re-distributing the separated image information and the related information together as a display page to the portable terminal, only when the user of the information terminal is also the user of the portable terminal, wherein the information terminal and the portable terminal are different terminals.

12. An information providing program, tangibly embodied in a storage medium, for re-distributing an information image to an information terminal or to a portable terminal connected via a network, wherein the information image comprises image information and at least related information defining a unique process integrated as a single operation unit, the information providing program causing a computer to execute the following operations when read by the computer:

receiving a request to distribute the information image;

distributing the information image to the information terminal;

identifying a user of the information terminal;

registering the user in association with the information image;

separating the information image into the image information and the related information; and

re-distributing the separated image information and the related information together as a display page to the portable terminal, only when the user of the information terminal is the user of the portable terminal, wherein the information terminal and the portable terminal are different terminals.