Information delivery system and method using positional information

• US 7,805,484 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2007
• Issued: 09/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Sato, Yoshitaka, Takahashi, Shinichi, Susaki, Tomoko, Takahashi, Makoto, Yayoi, Takaaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Bruckart; Benjamin R
• Assistant Examiner(s): SMARTH, GERALD A
• Application Number:
  US12/004,478
• Publication Number:
  US 20080270530A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,012 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel

Abstract

A personal digital assistant includes an input section for designating, when a user requests information based on positional information, whether user desires to acquire wide-area information or narrow-area information. If acquisition of narrow-area information is desired, a managing server removes noise by a noise removal processing section which makes a check to determine whether or not the wide-area information is noise. Hence, information desired by the user is preferentially displayed.

Claims

1. An information delivery system comprising portable terminals and a managing server in which information is delivered to portable terminals belonging to an information delivery range, wherein:

each of the portable terminals comprises;

a request range acquisition section for acquiring a first request range and a second request range,

a positional information acquisition section for acquiring positional information of the portable terminal, and

a request transmission section for transmitting a first information delivery request including the first request range and the positional information and a second information delivery request including the second request range and the positional information; and

the managing server comprises;

log information to store delivery information and positional information delivered to a portable terminal in the past,

wherein the managing server is configured to calculate, on the basis of positional information and a first request range of a first information delivery request, and a number of accesses of the respective delivery information items belonging to the first request range,

wherein the managing server is configured to calculate, on the basis of positional information and a second request range of a second information delivery request, and a number of accesses of the respective delivery information items belonging to the second request range,

wherein the managing server is configured to determine an information delivery rank of the e number of accesses of the respective delivery information items belonging to the first request range and the number of accesses of the respective delivery information items belonging to the second request range, and

wherein the managing server is configured to transmit delivery information associated with the information delivery rank to the portable terminal.

2. An information delivery system according to claim 1, wherein the managing server is configured to determine the information delivery rank of the delivery information items on the basis of the number of accesses of the respective delivery information items belonging to the first request range, the number of accesses of the respective delivery information items belonging to the second request range, and a value of deviation.

3. An information delivery system according to claim 1, wherein:

a portable terminal comprises means for designating a range; and

the managing server is configured to calculate the information delivery rank each time the range is changed and is configured to supply the information delivery rank to the portable terminal.

4. An information delivery system according to claim 1, wherein the managing server is configured to assign, as a weight to calculate the number of accesses of the respective delivery information items, a state of access when the delivery information delivered to the portable terminal is used by the portable terminal.

5. An information delivery system according to claim 1, wherein:

the first request range is a maximum request range available for the portable terminal;

the second request range is a narrow request range narrower than the maximum request range; and

the managing server processes the number of accesses of the respective delivery information items belonging to the second request range on the basis of statistic values including a mean value and variance obtained using the number of accesses of the respective delivery information items belonging to the maximum request range and thereby determines the information delivery rank.

6. An information delivery system according to claim 1, wherein:

the managing server comprises access log storage means for storing as the log information therein whether the delivery information items are accessed as wide-area information or as narrow-area information; and

the managing server is configured to supply, in an operation to designate a setting position of the delivery information items, reference information to set a size of an information supply range, on the basis of the log information stored in the access log storage means.

7. An information delivery system according to claim 1, wherein:

the managing server is configured to create, when the delivery information items are set with designation of the position, a heat map of access information associated with the delivery information items and is configured to display the heat map on a map in a range including the position thus designated.

8. An information delivery method of delivering information to portable terminals belonging to an information delivery range, comprising the steps of:

acquiring by each of the portable terminals a first request range and a second request range as well as positional information of the portable terminal;

transmitting by a portable terminal a first information delivery request including the first request range and the positional information and a second information delivery request including the second request range and the positional information;

storing as log information by a managing server delivery information and positional information delivered to the portable terminal in the past;

calculating by the managing server a number of accesses of the respective delivery information items belonging to the first request range on the basis of the positional information and the first request range of the first information delivery request;

calculating by the managing server a number of accesses of the respective delivery information items belonging to the second request range on the basis of the positional information and the second request range of the second information delivery request;

determining by the managing server an information delivery rank of the delivery information items on the basis of the number of accesses of the respective delivery information items belonging to the first request range and the number of accesses of the respective delivery information items belonging to the second request range; and

transmitting by the managing server delivery information associated with the information delivery rank to the portable terminal.

9. An information delivery method according to claim 8, wherein the information delivery rank of the delivery information items is determined on the basis of the number of accesses of the respective delivery information items belonging to the first request range, the number of accesses of the respective delivery information items belonging to the second request range, and a value of deviation.

10. An information delivery method according to claim 8, wherein:

the information delivery rank is calculated each time a range thus designated is changed on the portable terminal; and

the information delivery rank is supplied to the portable terminal.

11. An information delivery method according to claim 8, wherein a state of access when the delivery information delivered to the portable terminal is used by the portable terminal is assigned as a weight to calculate the number of accesses of the respective delivery information items.

12. An information delivery method according to claim 8, wherein:

the first request range is a maximum request range available for the portable terminal;

the second request range is a narrow request range narrower than the maximum request range; and

the number of accesses of the respective delivery information items belonging to the second request range is processed on the basis of statistic values including a mean value and variance obtained using the number of accesses of the respective delivery information items belonging to the maximum request range to thereby determine the information delivery rank.

13. An information delivery method according to claim 8, wherein:

whether the delivery information is accessed as wide-area information or as narrow-area information is stored as the log information; and

reference information to set a size of an information supply range is supplied on the basis of the log information thus stored, in an operation to designate a setting position of the delivery information.

14. An information delivery method according to claim 8, wherein:

when the delivery information is set with designation of the position, a heat map of access information associated with the positional relation information beforehand set is displayed on a map in a range including the position thus designated.

15. An information delivery method, comprising the steps of:

storing access information of the past, the access information being associated with reception of information delivery requests from a plurality of portable terminals;

obtaining, when an information delivery request of delivery information is received from a portable terminal with designation of an information acquisition range, positional information of the portable terminal;

adjusting, according to the range thus designated, a ranking of the delivery information on the basis of the access information; and

supplying the ranking thus adjusted to the portable terminal.

16. An information delivery method according to claim 15, further comprising the steps of:

determining, if narrow-area information is designated by the portable terminal in the adjustment of the ranking of the delivery information on the basis of the access information, whether or not a number of accesses to a wide range is noise by use of a value calculated on the basis of a value calculated using the number of accesses of the delivery information allocated in a wide range and the range and a value calculated using a number of accesses of the delivery information set to a narrow range and the range; and

executing, if the number of accesses is noise, processing of correcting the number of accesses by using the value calculated as above.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program code for causing when executed, a computer system, to perform a method of information delivery, comprising:

a portable-terminal request processing step of processing a request for delivery information, the request being received from a portable terminal;

a supply step of supplying the delivery information associated with a request for acquiring delivery information selected by a user from a delivery information list processed by the portable-terminal request processing step; and

a transition processing step of processing a request which requests other information and/or a page transition when the delivery information is displayed on the portable terminal.

18. An information delivery program according to claim 17, wherein the portable-terminal request processing step comprises a noise removal processing step for selecting delivery information having higher priority at a position requested by the user.

19. An information delivery program according to claim 17, further comprising a delivery information setting step of processing a request which sets information received from a client terminal.