Information delivery apparatus and information delivery system

• US 7,983,659 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2006
• Issued: 07/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vodafone Group PLC
• Original Assignee: Vodafone Group PLC
• Inventors: Shinya, Tadashi
• Primary Examiner(s): D AGOSTA, STEPHEN M
• Application Number:
  US11/920,068
• Publication Number:
  US 20090098821A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,947 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/432.1, 455456-4566, 455/466, 370/310, 370/310.2, 370/328
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42348 Location-based services which utilize the location information of a target
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4878 Advertisement messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

An information delivery system of the present invention includes mobile communication terminals and an information delivery apparatus. The information delivery apparatus selectively delivers information to the mobile communication terminals via a communication network, and includes delivery information memory means, location history information memory means, delivery information selecting means, and information transmitting means. The location history information memory means memorizes location history information showing locations where a mobile communication terminal was located in the past. The delivery information selecting means selects delivery information to be transmitted to the mobile communication terminal according to predetermined selection conditions based on the location history information read out from the location history information memory means. The information transmitting means transmits the delivery information selected by the delivery information selecting means to the mobile communication terminal.

Claims

1. An information delivery apparatus that selectively delivers information to mobile communication terminals via a communication network, comprising:

a delivery information memory device that stores delivery information that is planned to be delivered;

a location history information memory device that stores location history information showing locations where a mobile communication terminal was located in the past;

a preference identification information memory device that stores preference identification information for identifying preferences of a user of the mobile communication terminal;

a delivery information selecting device that selects delivery information to be transmitted to the mobile communication terminal according to selection conditions determined from location history information read out from the location history information memory device and preference identification information read out from the preference identification information memory device;

an information transmitting device that transmits delivery information selected by the delivery information selecting device to the mobile communication terminal, wherein the location history information stored in the location history information memory device is associated with time information showing times when the mobile communication terminal is located at locations indicated by the location history information;

an activity pattern extracting device that extracts an activity pattern of the user of the mobile communication terminal based on the readout location history information associated with time information showing times in a predetermined period by reading out the location history information from the location history information memory device; and

a movement time recognition device that recognizes a time when the mobile communication terminal is expected to move to the delivery information related location concerning delivery information selected by the delivery information selecting device, wherein the information transmitting device transmits the delivery information to the mobile communication terminal a predetermined time before the time recognized by the movement time recognition device.

2. The information delivery apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a transmission timing determining device that determines a timing of transmission of the delivery information by the information transmitting device according to contents of the delivery information, wherein the information transmitting device transmits the delivery information at a transmission timing determined by the transmission timing determining device.

3. The information delivery apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information transmitting device transmits delivery information selected by the delivery information selecting device to another mobile communication terminal instead of to the mobile communication terminal.

4. The information delivery apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

a group identification information memory device that stores group identification information for identifying a group that a plurality of mobile communication terminals belong to, wherein the information transmitting device reads out group identification information that the mobile communication terminal belongs to from the group identification information memory device and transmits delivery information selected by the delivery information selecting device to another mobile communication terminal belonging to the group identified from the group identification information.

5. The information delivery apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a purchase and provision history information acquiring device that acquires purchase and provision history information for identifying an item that the user purchased or a service that the user was provided with; and

a purchase and provision history information storage device that stores purchase and provision history information acquired by the purchase and provision history information acquiring device as the preference identification information in the preference identification information memory device.

6. The information delivery apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

a selection condition correcting device that corrects the selection conditions based on determination results by performing the determination as to whether an item or service concerning purchase and provision history information acquired by the purchase and provision history information acquiring device concerns delivery information that was transmitted by the information transmitting device in the past.

7. The information delivery apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a delivery desired information acquiring device that acquires delivery desired information for identifying delivery information that the user desires to be delivered; and

a delivery desired information storage device that stores delivery desired information acquired by the delivery desired information acquiring device as the preference identification information in the preference identification information memory device.

8. The information delivery apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a location history information receiving and storing device that receives the location history information transmitted from the mobile communication terminal via the communication network and storing the information in the location history information memory device.

9. The information delivery apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the delivery information selecting device extracts a movement expected region where the mobile communication terminal is expected to move to according to predetermined movement expected region extraction conditions based on location history information read out from the location history information memory device, and selects delivery information to be transmitted to the mobile communication terminal, provided that the delivery information concerns a location within the extracted movement expected region as the selection conditions.

10. An information delivery apparatus that selectively delivers information to mobile communication terminals via a communication network, comprising:

a delivery information memory device that stores delivery information planned to be delivered;

a preference identification information memory device that stores preference identification information for identifying preferences of a user of a mobile communication terminal;

a delivery information selecting device that selects delivery information to be transmitted according to selection conditions determined from preference identification information concerning the user stored in the preference identification information memory device among delivery information stored in the delivery information memory device;

an information transmitting device that transmits delivery information selected by the delivery information selecting device to another mobile communication terminal different from the mobile communication terminal;

a group identification information memory device that stores group identification information for identifying a group that a plurality of mobile communication terminals belong to, wherein the information transmitting device reads out group identification information concerning a group that the mobile communication terminal belongs to from the group identification information memory device and transmits delivery information selected by the delivery information selecting device to another mobile communication terminal belonging to the group identified from the group identification information;

a purchase and provision history information acquiring device that acquires purchase and provision history information for identifying an item that the user purchased or a service that the user was provided with;

a purchase and provision history information storage device that stores purchase and provision history information acquired by the purchase and provision history information acquiring device as the preference identification information in the preference identification information memory device; and

a selection condition correcting device that corrects the selection conditions based on determination results by performing the determination as to whether an item or service concerning purchase and provision history information acquired by the purchase and provision history information acquiring device concerns delivery information that was transmitted from the information transmitting device in the past.

11. The information delivery apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising:

a delivery desired information acquiring device that acquires delivery desired information for identifying delivery information that the user desires to be delivered; and

a delivery desired information storage device that stores delivery desired information acquired by the delivery desired information acquiring device as the preference identification information in the preference identification information memory device.

12. The information delivery apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising:

a transmission timing determining device that determines a transmission timing of the delivery information to be transmitted by the information transmitting device according to contents of the delivery information, wherein the information transmitting device transmits the delivery information at a transmission timing determined by the transmission timing determining device.

13. An information delivery system, comprising:

mobile communication terminals; and

an information delivery apparatus that selectively delivers information to the mobile communication terminals via a communication network, wherein the information delivery apparatus includes;

a delivery information memory device that stores delivery information that is planned to be delivered;

a location history information memory device that stores location history information showing locations where a mobile communication terminal was located in the past;

a preference identification information memory device that stores preference identification information for identifying preferences of a user of the mobile communication terminal;

a delivery information selecting device that selects delivery information to be transmitted to the mobile communication terminal according to selection conditions determined from location history information read out from the location history information memory device and preference identification information read out from the preference identification information memory device; and

an information transmitting device that transmits delivery information selected by the delivery information selecting device to the mobile communication terminal, wherein the location history information stored in the location history information memory device is associated with time information showing times when the mobile communication terminal is located at locations indicated by the location history information;

an activity pattern extracting device that extracts an activity pattern of the user of the mobile communication terminal based on the readout location history information associated with time information showing times in a predetermined period by reading out the location history information from the location history information memory device; and

a movement time recognition device that recognizes a time when the mobile communication terminal is expected to move to the delivery information related location concerning delivery information selected by the delivery information selecting device, wherein the information transmitting device transmits the delivery information to the mobile communication terminal a predetermined time before the time recognized by the movement time recognition device.

14. An information delivery apparatus that selectively delivers information to mobile communication terminals via a communication network, comprising:

a delivery information memory device that stores delivery information that is planned to be delivered;

a location history information memory device that stores location history information showing locations where a mobile communication terminal was located in the past;

a preference identification information memory device that stores preference identification information for identifying preferences of a user of the mobile communication terminal;

a delivery information selecting device that selects delivery information to be transmitted to the mobile communication terminal according to selection conditions determined from location history information read out from the location history information memory device and preference identification information read out from the preference identification information memory device;

an information transmitting device that transmits delivery information selected by the delivery information selecting device to the mobile communication terminal;

a transmission timing determining device that determines a timing of transmission of the delivery information by the information transmitting device according to contents of the delivery information, wherein the information transmitting device transmits the delivery information at a transmission timing determined by the transmission timing determining device wherein the information transmitting device transmits delivery information selected by the delivery information selecting device to another mobile communication terminal instead of to the mobile communication terminal;

a group identification information memory device that stores group identification information for identifying a group that a plurality of mobile communication terminals belong to, wherein the information transmitting device reads out group identification information that the mobile communication terminal belongs to from the group identification information memory device and transmits delivery information selected by the delivery information selecting device to another mobile communication terminal belonging to the group identified from the group identification information;

a purchase and provision history information acquiring device that acquires purchase and provision history information for identifying an item that the user purchased or a service that the user was provided with;

a purchase and provision history information storage device that stores purchase and provision history information acquired by the purchase and provision history information acquiring device as the preference identification information in the preference identification information memory device; and

a selection condition correcting device that corrects the selection conditions based on determination results by performing the determination as to whether an item or service concerning purchase and provision history information acquired by the purchase and provision history information acquiring device concerns delivery information that was transmitted by the information transmitting device in the past.

15. An information delivery apparatus that selectively delivers information to mobile communication terminals via a communication network, comprising:

a delivery information memory device that stores delivery information that is planned to be delivered;

a location history information memory device that stores location history information showing locations where a mobile communication terminal was located in the past;

a preference identification information memory device that stores preference identification information for identifying preferences of a user of the mobile communication terminal;

a delivery information selecting device that selects delivery information to be transmitted to the mobile communication terminal according to selection conditions determined from location history information read out from the location history information memory device and preference identification information read out from the preference identification information memory device;

an information transmitting device that transmits delivery information selected by the delivery information selecting device to the mobile communication terminal;

a transmission timing determining device that determines a timing of transmission of the delivery information by the information transmitting device according to contents of the delivery information, wherein the information transmitting device transmits the delivery information at a transmission timing determined by the transmission timing determining device, and wherein the information transmitting device transmits delivery information selected by the delivery information selecting device to another mobile communication terminal instead of to the mobile communication terminal;

a group identification information memory device that stores group identification information for identifying a group that a plurality of mobile communication terminals belong to, wherein the information transmitting device reads out group identification information that the mobile communication terminal belongs to from the group identification information memory device and transmits delivery information selected by the delivery information selecting device to another mobile communication terminal belonging to the group identified from the group identification information;

a purchase and provision history information acquiring device that acquires purchase and provision history information for identifying an item that the user purchased or a service that the user was provided with;

a delivery desired information acquiring device that acquires delivery desired information for identifying delivery information that the user desires to be delivered; and

a delivery desired information storage device that stores delivery desired information acquired by the delivery desired information acquiring device as the preference identification information in the preference identification information memory device.

16. An information delivery apparatus that selectively delivers information to mobile communication terminals via a communication network, comprising:

a delivery information memory device that stores delivery information that is planned to be delivered;

a location history information memory device that stores location history information showing locations where a mobile communication terminal was located in the past;

a delivery information selecting device that selects delivery information to be transmitted according to selection conditions that are determined from location history information concerning the mobile communication terminal memorized in the location history information memory device among delivery information memorized in the delivery information memory device;

an information transmitting device that transmits delivery information selected by the delivery information selecting device to another mobile communication terminal different from the mobile communication terminal;

a group identification information memory device that stores group identification information for identifying a group that a plurality of mobile communication terminals belong to, wherein the information transmitting device reads out group identification information concerning a group that the mobile communication terminal belongs to from the group identification information memory device, and transmits delivery information selected by the delivery information selecting device to another mobile communication terminal belonging to the group identified from the group identification information; and

a location history information receiving and storing device that receives the location history information transmitted from the mobile communication terminal via the communication network and storing the information in the location history information memory device, wherein the delivery information selecting device extracts a movement expected region where the mobile communication terminal is expected to move to according to predetermined movement expected region extraction conditions based on location history information read out from the location history information memory device, and selects delivery information to be transmitted to the mobile communication terminal, provided that the delivery information concerns a location within the extracted movement expected region as the selection conditions.

17. The information delivery apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising:

a transmission timing determining device that determines a transmission timing of the delivery information to be transmitted by the information transmitting device according to contents of the delivery information, wherein the information transmitting device transmits the delivery information at a transmission timing determined by the transmission timing determining device.