Data providing system, data providing apparatus and method, data acquisition system and method, and program storage medium

• US 7,529,829 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2005
• Issued: 05/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), TDK Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kaneko, Jun, Kamoto, Satoru, Kohno, Michinari, Fujii, Katsushi, Nagano, Naoki, Shinoda, Mayumi, Fuse, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh; Khanh Q
• Application Number:
  US11/252,170
• Publication Number:
  US 20060033957A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,296 Days
• Field of Search: 709/220, 709/224, 709/232, 709/203, 709/227, 715/716, 345/619
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0272 Period of advertisement exposure
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

The present invention is intended to provide a data providing system including a data providing apparatus having provision image data generating means for generating provision image data of a provision image which is reusable by inlaying a predetermined advertisement image into a predetermined template image into which a predetermined user image can be inlaid as superimposed upon the predetermined advertisement image and providing-side transmitting means for transmitting the provision image data via a network.

Claims

1. A data relay apparatus, comprising:

relay-side receiving means for receiving in a relaying manner transmission image data composed of a predetermined user image to be inlaid into a predetermined template image and identification information issued to said template image, said transmission image data being transmitted from a predetermined data acquiring apparatus to a predetermined destination via a network;

capturing means for extracting said identification information from said transmission image data and based on said extracted identification information capturing said corresponding template image from a predetermined data providing apparatus in which said template image and said corresponding identifier are stored; and

relay-side transmitting means for adding said template image to said transmission image data and transmitting said resultant transmission image data to said predetermined destination via said network,

wherein said relay-side receiving means receives said transmission image data added with said manipulation information obtained by inlaying said user image into said template image of said provision image based on said provision image data as superimposed upon said advertisement image and manipulating said provision image data so that said user image is displayed in preference to said advertisement image, said transmission image data being transmitted from said data acquiring apparatus to said predetermined destination via said network;

said capturing means extracts said identification information from said transmission image data and, on the basis of said extracted identification information, captures said template image and said advertisement image from said data providing apparatus in which said advertisement image and said corresponding identifier are stored, in addition to said template image and sand corresponding identifier; and

said relay-side transmitting means adds said template image and said advertisement image to the transmission image data added with said manipulation information and transmits said resultant transmission image data to said predetermined destination via said network.

2. A data providing method, comprising the steps of:

issuing an identifier to a predetermined template image;

associating an advertisement image to which an identifier has been issued by said issuing means with said identifier of said template image;

generating provision image data of a provision image with said advertisement image inlaid into said associated template mage;

storing said advertisement image and said identifier corresponding thereto and said template image and said identifier corresponding thereto into said recording medium into a predetermined recording medium; and

transmitting said provision image data and at least one of said corresponding identifiers via said network and, when said transmission image data added with manipulation information obtained by manipulating said provision image data so that said user image is inlaid, as superimposed upon said advertisement image, into said template image of said provision image based on said provision image data to display said user image in preference to said advertisement image are relayed by said data relay apparatus to a predetermined destination, transmits said template image and said advertisement image corresponding to each other requested by said data relay apparatus on the basis of said identifier to said data relay apparatus.

3. A data acquiring method, comprising the steps of:

receiving from a predetermined data providing apparatus for storing a predetermined template image and an identifier issued to said template image said template image and said identifier via a network;

generating transmission image data composed of a predetermined user image to be inlaid into said template image and said identification information; and

transmitting said transmission image data by relaying from said network to a predetermined destination through a predetermined data relay apparatus which that captures said corresponding template image from said data providing apparatus based on said identifier to add said captured template image to said transmission image data,

wherein receiving step receives provision image data of a provision image with said advertisement image inlaid into said template image associated with each other by their identifiers and at least one of said corresponding identifiers from said data providing apparatus via said network;

said generating step generates manipulation information obtained by inlaying said user image into said template image of said provision image based on said provision image data as superimposed upon said advertisement image and manipulating said provision image data so that said user image is displayed in preference to said advertisement image; and

said transmitting step adds said manipulation information to said transmission image data and transmits from said network to said predetermined destination through said data relay apparatus which captures said template image and said advertisement image corresponding to each other from said data providing apparatus on the basis of said identifier to add the captured images to said transmission image data.

4. A data relay method, comprising the steps of:

receiving in a relaying manner transmission image data including a predetermined user image to be inlaid predetermined template image and identification information issued to said template image, said transmission image data being transmitted from a predetermined data acquiring apparatus to a predetermined destination via a network;

extracting said identification information from said transmission image data and based on said extracted identification information capturing said corresponding template image from a predetermined data providing apparatus in which said template image and said corresponding identifier are stored; and

adding said template image to said transmission image data and transmitting said resultant transmission mage data to said predetermined destination via said network,

wherein said receiving step receives said transmission image data added with said manipulation information obtained by inlaying said user image into said template image of said provision image based on said provision image data as superimposed upon said advertisement image and manipulating said provision image data so that said user image is displayed in preference to said advertisement image, said transmission image data being transmitted from said data acquiring apparatus to said predetermined destination via said network;

said capturing step extracts said identification information from said transmission image data and, on the basis of said extracted identification information, captures said template image and said advertisement image from said data providing apparatus in which said advertisement image and said corresponding identifier are stored, in addition to said template image and sand corresponding identifier; and

said transmitting step adds said template image and said advertisement image to the transmission image data added with said manipulation information and transmits said resultant transmission image data to said predetermined destination via said network.