Communication system and communication method

• US 8,131,856 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2004
• Issued: 03/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Murase, Yasuhiro, Moriya, Jun, Kikkoji, Hiroyuki, Okuzawa, Nozomu
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne, Ario
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shiu, Ho
• Application Number:
  US10/555,990
• Publication Number:
  US 20070005435A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,849 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants

Abstract

A first communication apparatus 1 stores a first customer information registered by a user in order to receive a first service. A second communication apparatus 2 stores a first customer information registered by the user in order to receive a second service. A transmission mean 3a of a third communication apparatus 3 transmits request information requesting to receive the first service to the first communication apparatus 1 together with identification information of the user. A reception mean 3b receives customer information necessary for user registration for the first service from the first communication apparatus 1 according to the transmission of the request information. When the customer information necessary for the user registration for the first service is already included in second customer information, a display mean 3c displays the customer information in the second customer information on an input screen for user registration. Therefore, input of customer information of a user is facilitated in the case in which user registration is performed in plural communication apparatuses.

Claims

1. A communication system for transmitting and receiving customer registration information, comprising:

a first communication apparatus configured to store customer registration information having a first format previously registered by a user in order to receive a first service, and to generate an information registration screen on which user registration of the customer registration information having the first format is performed;

a second communication apparatus configured to store customer registration information having a second format different from the first format registered by the user in order to receive a second service, and to serve as an authentication server for single sign-on authentication; and

a third communication apparatus that includes;

a transmission unit configured to transmit a request for registration with the first communication apparatus to the first communication apparatus;

a reception unit configured to receive the information registration screen from the first communication apparatus according to the request; and

a display unit configured to display the information registration screen from the first communication apparatus, wherein

the first communication apparatus and the second communication apparatus are configured to update and share the customer registration information at regular periodic intervals,

the information registration screen generated by the first communication apparatus includes an option to select whether the information registration screen is to be populated by the customer registration information in the second communication apparatus,

upon selecting the option to populate the information registration screen, the transmission unit is configured to transmit a request for customer registration information to the second communication apparatus, and

upon receiving the customer registration information from the second communication apparatus, the display unit is configured to display a first screen including the information registration screen and a second screen displaying the received customer registration information from the second communication apparatus.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the display unit is further configured to display the customer registration information received from the second communication apparatus on the information registration screen received from the first communication apparatus in response to a command from the user.

3. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the second communication apparatus includes a transfer unit configured to transfer the customer registration information in the second communication apparatus to the first communication apparatus according to permission from the user.

4. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the third communication apparatus further includes a storage unit configured to store the customer registration information inputted at the time of the user registration for the second service, and

the display unit is further configured to display the customer registration information stored in the storage unit on the information registration screen.

5. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the first communication apparatus is a service enterpriser server,

the second communication apparatus is a management enterpriser server in which customer registration information is registered,

the third communication apparatus is a terminal apparatus of the user, and

the transmission unit is further configured to transmit the information registration screen with the customer registration information to the service enterpriser server.

6. The communication system according to claim 5, wherein the service enterpriser server includes an information registration screen generating unit configured to generate information to display the information registration screen.

7. The communication system according to claim 5, wherein the service enterpriser server includes an authentication unit configured to authenticate the terminal apparatus.

8. The communication system according to claim 5, wherein the display unit is configured to display an indication to select whether the user information registered in the management enterpriser server is to be quoted immediately after displaying the information registration screen.

9. The communication system according to claim 5, wherein the terminal apparatus further includes an input unit with which correction of the registration information reflected on the information registration screen and input of information not reflected on the information registration screen are made possible.

10. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the display unit is further configured to simultaneously display a first and second screen, said first screen including customer registration information and said second screen including the registration information.

11. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the third communication apparatus receives customer registration information from the second communication apparatus and the display unit populates the information registration screen with the customer registration information, the display unit is further configured to accept input of additional customer registration information not included in the received customer registration information and allow correction of the received customer registration information.

12. The communication apparatus of claim 11, wherein after populating the information registration screen with the customer information, the third communication apparatus transmits the customer registration information to the first communication apparatus.

13. The communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the third communication apparatus further comprises an audio apparatus.

14. The communication apparatus of claim 13, wherein the audio apparatus includes a tuner for receiving broadcast transmissions.

15. The communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the third communication apparatus does not include operation keys for character input.

16. A user communication apparatus for transmitting and receiving customer registration information, comprising:

a transmission unit configured to transmit a request for registration with a first communication apparatus to the first communication apparatus, and to transmit a request for customer identification information to a second communication apparatus, to perform single sign-on authentication of the user communication apparatus at the second communication apparatus;

a reception unit configured to receive an information registration screen from the first communication apparatus according to the request on which user registration of the customer registration information having a first format is performed, the information registration screen including an option to select whether the information registration screen is to be populated by the customer registration information in a second communication apparatus having a second format different from the first format; and

a display unit configured to display the information registration screen from the first communication apparatus, wherein

the first communication apparatus and the second communication apparatus are configured to update and share customer registration information at regular periodic intervals,

upon selecting the option to populate the information registration screen, the transmission unit is configured to transmit a request for customer registration information to the second communication apparatus, and

upon receiving the customer registration information from the second communication apparatus, the display unit is configured to display a first screen including the information registration screen and a second screen displaying the received customer registration information from the second communication apparatus.

17. The user communication apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising:

a storage unit configured to store customer registration information inputted at the time of user registration for the second service, wherein

the display unit is configured to display the customer registration information stored in the storage unit on the information registration screen.

18. The user communication apparatus according to claim 16, wherein

the first communication apparatus corresponds to a service enterpriser server;

the second communication apparatus corresponds to a management enterpriser server;

the user communication apparatus corresponds to a terminal apparatus of a user; and

the transmission unit is further configured to transmit the information registration screen with the customer registration information to the service enterpriser server.

19. The user communication apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the display unit displays an indication to select whether the user information registered in the management enterpriser server is to be quoted immediately after displaying the information registration screen.

20. The user communication apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising:

an input unit configured to receive an input that corrects the registration information reflected on the information registration screen and to input information that is not reflected on the information registration screen.

21. An information server for transmitting and receiving customer registration information, comprising:

a reception unit configured to receive customer registration information necessary for user registration and having a first format;

a storage unit configured to store the customer registration information;

a transmission unit configured to transmit the customer registration information to a communication apparatus used by the user upon receiving a request for customer registration information; and

an authentication unit configured to perform single sign-on authentication based on customer registration information received from the communication apparatus, wherein

the request for customer registration information is transmitted by the communication apparatus used by the user in response to an option to populate an information registration screen on which user registration of customer registration information having a second format different from the first format is performed,

the information registration screen includes the option to populate and is transmitted to the communication apparatus used by the user by a second communication apparatus,

the information server and the second communication apparatus are configured to update and share customer registration information at regular periodic intervals, and

upon receiving the customer registration information, the communication apparatus used by the user is configured to display a first screen including the information registration screen and a second screen displaying the received customer registration information.

22. The information server according to claim 21, wherein the information server is configured to periodically update and share the customer registration information with a communication apparatus providing other services.

23. The information server according to claim 21, wherein the transmission unit is configured to transmit the customer registration information to a communication apparatus providing other services in response to permission from the user.

24. A communication method for transmitting and receiving customer registration information, comprising:

transmitting a request for registration with a first communication apparatus to the first communication apparatus and transmitting a request for customer identification information to a second communication apparatus to perform single sign-on authentication of the user communication apparatus at the second communication apparatus;

receiving an information registration screen from the first communication apparatus according to the request on which user registration of the customer registration information having a first format is performed, the information registration screen including an option to select whether the information registration screen is to be populated by the customer registration information in the second communication apparatus having a second format different from the first format;

displaying the information registration screen from the first communication apparatus;

transmitting a request for customer registration information to the second communication apparatus upon selection of the option to populate the information registration screen; and

displaying a first screen including the information registration screen and a second screen displaying the received customer registration information from the second communication apparatus upon receiving the customer registration information from the second communication apparatus, wherein

the first communication apparatus and the second communication apparatus are configured to update and share customer registration information at regular periodic intervals.

25. A communication method for an information server for transmitting and receiving customer registration information, comprising:

receiving customer registration information having a first format necessary for user registration;

storing the customer registration information;

transmitting the customer registration information to a first communication apparatus used by the user upon receiving a request for the customer registration information, wherein the request for customer registration information is transmitted by the first communication apparatus used by the user in response to an option to populate an information registration screen on which user registration of the customer registration having a second format is performed, the information registration screen including the option to populate being transmitted to the first communication apparatus by a second communication apparatus providing another service;

transmitting the customer registration information to an authentication server for single sign-on authentication, wherein the user performs user registration in the second communication apparatus, and the second communication apparatus transmits the customer registration information to the first communication apparatus used by the user; and

updating and sharing the customer registration information between the authentication-server and the second communication apparatus at regular periodic intervals, wherein

upon receiving the customer registration information, the first communication apparatus used by the user is configured to display a first screen including the information registration screen and a second screen displaying the received customer registration information.

26. A communication apparatus configured to store a computer program that is described in a computer-readable form for transmitting and receiving customer registration information, which when executed by a processor causes the processor to perform:

transmitting a request for registration with a first communication apparatus to the first communication apparatus and transmitting a request for the customer identification information to a second communication apparatus to perform sign-on authentication of the user communication apparatus at the second communication apparatus;

receiving an information registration screen from the first communication apparatus according to the request on which user registration of the customer registration having a first format is performed, the information registration screen including an option to select whether the information registration screen is to be populated by the customer registration information in the second communication apparatus having a second format different from the first format;

displaying the information registration screen from the first communication apparatus;

transmitting a request for customer registration information to the second communication apparatus upon selection of the option to populate the information registration screen; and

displaying a first screen including the information registration screen and a second screen displaying the received customer registration information from the second communication apparatus upon receiving the customer registration information from the second communication apparatus, wherein

the first communication apparatus and the second communication apparatus are configured to update and share customer registration information at regular periodic intervals.