Information providing device

• US 7,856,311 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2004
• Issued: 12/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intertrust Technologies Corporation (Fidelio Acquisition Co LLC)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kudo, Takahiro, Ozawa, Jun, Matsuura, Satoshi, Yoshioka, Mototaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Keith; Jack
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mustafa; Imran
• Application Number:
  US10/546,401
• Publication Number:
  US 20060149459A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,503 Days
• Field of Search: 701/201, 701/202, 701/207, 701/209, 701/213
• US Class Current: 701/201
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3484 Personalized, e.g. from learned user behaviour or user-defined profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

An information providing system that provides information to a traveling user, includes a visit history record unit which detects that the user visits a place which is away from a user'"'"'s living area in order to generate a travel history, and records, as a visit history, the travel history together with a visit area which represents the visited place. Moreover, the information providing system includes a visit history database, a facility information database which provides the user with the information regarding the visit area recorded in the visit history database, and a facility information search unit.

Claims

1. An information providing apparatus which provides information to a traveling user, the information providing apparatus comprising:

a travel history record unit configured to record travel histories of a plurality of users including the traveling user to whom the information is to be provided;

a reference area extraction unit configured to extract an area as a reference area of each of the plurality of users from the travel histories recorded in said travel history record unit, the area being within a predetermined distance from a place each of the plurality of users has stayed more than a predetermined number of times and a living area of each of the plurality of users;

a visit area extraction unit operable to extract a user visit area of each of the plurality of users from the travel histories recorded in said travel history record unit, the user visit area being determined based on a place where each of the plurality of users has stayed which is less than the number of times determined from the place in the reference area and greater than the predetermined distance from the extracted reference area, wherein the predetermined distance is greater than a travel distance of the reference area;

a visit history record unit configured to record visit histories of each of the plurality of users, wherein each of the visit histories includes at least one visit area, and one of the visit histories is a user visit history that includes the user visit area; and

an information providing unit configured to provide the traveling user with information regarding the user visit area of the traveling user recorded by said visit history record unit,

wherein said information providing unit is further operable;

to provide the traveling user with information regarding the user visit area that does not include the reference area of the traveling user, and not to provide the traveling user with information regarding the reference area of the traveling user, and

to determine the information to be provided, based on a similarity between (i) the user visit area of the traveling user, and (ii) the user visit area of another user of the plurality of users except the traveling user,

wherein said visit history record unit is configured to record, as the user visit history, a travel history which includes the reference area of the traveling user; and

said information providing unit is further configured to identify another user having a visit area that is the same or substantially the same as the visit area included in the user visit history, and that has a reference area that is the same or substantially the same as the reference area included in the user visit history, and to provide the information regarding the user visit area by using a visit history of the identified other user, and

wherein said information providing unit is further configured to provide information regarding a return route from a destination in the user visit area by using a travel history included in the visit history of the other user.

2. The information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said travel history record unit is further configured to record, as the travel history, position information of the user with related time and date information; and

said reference area extraction unit is further configured to extract from the travel history the reference area comprising a place the user visits, based on a predetermined stay time period and a predetermined number of days stayed.

3. The information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said information providing unit is further configured to provide information of a visit area which is different from the user visit area, the visit area being extracted from visit areas included in the visit history of the other user.

4. The information providing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said information providing unit is further configured to provide information of a visit area that a plurality of other users have visited, the visit area being extracted from visit areas which are different from the user visit area.

5. The information providing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:

said visit history record unit is further configured to record, as the visit history, a travel history which includes one of a time, a stay period, a day of the week, a weather condition, and a season when the user visited the user visit area; and

said information providing unit is further configured to provide information of a visit area having information that matches one of the time, the stay period, the day of the week, the weather condition, and the current season, the visit area being extracted from the visit histories recorded in said visit history record unit.

6. The information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information regarding the return route includes a route which the other user has used, and a time period required for the other user to travel on the route.

7. The information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said information providing unit is further configured to provide the information regarding the user visit area by using a visit history of another user having recorded profile information that is the same or substantially the same as profile information of the user.

8. The information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said information providing unit is further configured to provide the information regarding the user visit area by using a visit history of another user having recorded profile information of a reference area that is the same or substantially the same as profile information of the reference area of the user.

9. The information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said information providing unit is further configured to include a facility database which includes information of a facility in an area to be the user visit area, and to provide the information of the facility included in the facility database, as information regarding the user visit area.

10. The information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined distance used in said visit area extraction unit is changed depending on a travel means of the user.

11. The information providing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein each of the travel histories recorded in said travel history record unit is a set of (a) a position of a corresponding user of the plurality of users, and (b) a time when the corresponding user is at the position, and

said reference area extraction unit is further configured (i) to calculate a value of a travel speed of each of the travel histories from the travel histories recorded in said travel history record unit, and (ii) when the value is greater than a predetermined value, not to use a travel history having the value in the extraction.

12. The information providing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said information providing unit is configured to, when the traveling user arrives at a predetermined user visit area at a predetermined time, provide the traveling user with information using (a) information regarding the predetermined user visit area arrived to by another user in the plurality of users and (b) the predetermined time,

the information provided to the traveling user being regarding at least one user visit area visited by the another user after arriving at the predetermined user visit area.

13. The information providing apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein said information providing unit is configured to (i) calculate how many times the another user has visited the at least one user visit area visited after arriving to the predetermined user visit area, and (ii) provide the traveling user with information regarding a user visit area visited most by the another user from among the at least one user visit area.

14. A method for providing information to a traveling user, the method comprising:

recording travel histories of a plurality of users including the traveling user to whom the information is to be provided;

extracting an area as a reference area of each of the plurality of users from the recorded travel histories, the area being within a predetermined distance from a place each of the plurality of users has stayed more than a predetermined number of times and a living area of the plurality of users;

extracting a visit area of each of the plurality of users from the recorded travel histories, the visit area being determined based on a place where each of the plurality of users has stayed which is less than the number of times determined from the place in the reference area and greater than the predetermined distance from the extracted reference area, wherein the predetermined distance is greater than a travel distance of the reference area;

recording visit histories of each of a plurality of users, each of the travel histories including the extracted visit area; and

providing the traveling user with information regarding the extracted visit area of the traveling user recorded,

wherein said providing the traveling user with information includes;

providing the traveling user with information regarding the user visit area that does not include the reference area of the traveling user, and not to provide the traveling user with information regarding the reference area of the traveling user, and

determining the information to be provided, based on a similarity between (i) the user visit area of the traveling user, and (ii) the user visit area of another user of the plurality of user except the traveling user,

wherein said recording visit histories includes recording, as the user visit history, a travel history which includes the reference area of the traveling user; and

said providing the traveling user with information further includes identifying another user having a visit area that is the same or substantially the same as the visit area included in the user visit history, and that has a reference area that is the same or substantially the same as the reference area included in the user visit history, and providing the information regarding the user visit area by using a visit history of the identified other user, and

wherein information regarding a return route is provided from a destination in the user visit area by using a travel history included in the visit history of the other user.

15. A program stored on a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium for use in an information providing apparatus for providing information to a traveling user, the program causing a computer to execute steps comprising:

recording travel histories of a plurality of users including the traveling user to whom the information is to be provided;

extracting an area as a reference area of each of the plurality of users from the recorded travel histories, the area being within a predetermined distance from a place each of the plurality of users has stayed more than a predetermined number of times and a living area of the plurality of users;

extracting a visit area of each of the plurality of users from the recorded travel histories, the visit area being determined based on a place where each of the plurality of users has stayed which is less than the number of times determined from the place in the reference area and greater than the predetermined distance from the extracted reference area, wherein the predetermined distance is greater than a travel distance of the reference area;

recording visit histories of each of the plurality of users, each of the visit histories including the extracted visit area; and

providing the traveling user with information regarding the extracted visit area of the traveling user recorded,

wherein said providing the traveling user with information includes;

providing the traveling user with information regarding the user visit area that does not include the reference area of the traveling user, and not to provide the traveling user with information regarding the reference area of the traveling user, and

determining the information to be provided, based on a similarity between (i) the user visit area of the traveling user, and (ii) the user visit area of another user of the plurality of user except the traveling user,

wherein said recording visit histories includes recording, as the user visit history, a travel history which includes the reference area of the traveling user; and

said providing the traveling user with information further includes identifying another user having a visit area that is the same or substantially the same as the visit area included in the user visit history, and that has a reference area that is the same or substantially the same as the reference area included in the user visit history, and providing the information regarding the user visit area by using a visit history of the identified other user, and

wherein information regarding a return route is provided from a destination in the user visit area by using a travel history included in the visit history of the other user.

16. An information providing system comprising a mobile terminal and a server apparatus, in order to provide information to a traveling user via said mobile terminal, wherein said mobile terminal comprises:

a travel history send unit configured to transmit travel histories of a plurality of users to said sever apparatus; and

a presentation unit configured to present to the user, information transmitted from said server apparatus, and

said server apparatus comprises;

a travel history record unit configured to record the travel histories of the plurality of users from said travel history send unit of said mobile terminal;

a reference area extraction unit configured to extract an area as a reference area of each of the plurality of users from the travel histories recorded in said travel history recording unit, the area being within a predetermined distance from a place each of the plurality of users has stayed more than a predetermined number of times and a living area of each of the plurality of users;

a visit area extraction unit operable to extract a visit area of each of the plurality of users from the travel histories recorded in said travel history recording unit, the visit area being determined based on a place where each of the plurality of users has stayed which is less than the number of times determined from the place in the reference area and greater than the predetermined distance from the extracted reference area, wherein the predetermined distance is greater than a travel distance of the reference area;

a visit history record unit configured to record visit histories of each of the plurality of users, each of the visit histories including the extracted visit area; and

an information providing unit configured to transmit, to the traveling user of said mobile terminal, information regarding the extracted visit area of the traveling user recorded by said visit history record unit, wherein said information providing unit is further operable;

to provide the traveling user with information regarding the user visit area that does not include the reference area of the traveling user, and not to provide the traveling user with information regarding the reference area of the traveling user, and

to determine the information to be provided, based on a similarity between (i) the user visit area of the traveling user, and (ii) the user visit area of another user of the plurality of user except the traveling user,

wherein said visit history record unit is configured to record, as the user visit history, a travel history which includes the reference area of the traveling user; and

said information providing unit is further configured to identify another user having a visit area that is the same or substantially the same as the visit area included in the user visit history, and that has a reference area that is the same or substantially the same as the reference area included in the user visit history, and to provide the information regarding the user visit area by using a visit history of the identified other user, and

wherein said information providing unit is further configured to provide information regarding a return route from a destination in the user visit area by using a travel history included in the visit history of the other user.