Method and system for providing information in virtual space

• US 8,209,324 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2008
• Issued: 06/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Kano, Izua, Kamiya, Dai, Murakami, Keiichi, Yamada, Eiju, Yamada, Kazuhiro, Onda, Yasushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali, Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shanmugasundaram, Kannan
• Application Number:
  US12/061,095
• Publication Number:
  US 20080250001A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,546 Days
• Field of Search: 707999001-999005, 707/722
• US Class Current: 707/722
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/913 Multimedia

Abstract

In an information providing system, a virtual three-dimensional space is established. Users of mobile communication terminals virtually move in the virtual space by manipulating an avatar representing the user and obtain advertisement information through electronic signboards. Users of information providing terminals place electronic signboards at appropriate positions in the virtual space and provide announcement information for the users of the mobile communication terminals. An information management server manages the announcement information provided by the information providing terminals and generates links each of which lead from advertisement information to other advertisement information. The information management server determines priorities for such links, based on use of advertisement information by the users of the mobile communication terminals. The information management server displays the links differently depending on the priorities. For example, a link to an announcement information item which is browsed more frequently is displayed more conspicuously than other links.

Claims

1. A server device comprising:

a storage unit that stores keywords and predetermined positions in a virtual space, the keywords being associated with a plurality of announcement information items, and the plurality of announcement information items being respectively associated with the predetermined positions;

a first obtaining unit that obtains a position indication information item and a search word from a client terminal, the position indication information item indicating one of a position of an avatar representing a user of the client terminal in the virtual space and a position in the virtual space associated with an announcement information item being referred to by the user via the client terminal, and the search word being used for searching for one or more announcement information items related to the search word;

a specifying unit that specifies a position included in a predetermined range from the position indicated by the position indication information item obtained by the first obtaining unit, from among the plurality of the predetermined positions stored in the storage unit, thereby to specify an announcement information item associated with the specified position;

an extraction unit that extracts one or more keywords relevant to the search word obtained by the first obtaining unit, from among the plurality of keywords stored in the storage unit, thereby to extract one or more of the plurality of announcement information items which are associated with the extracted one or more keywords, the predetermined positions with which the plurality of announcement information items are respectively associated not being variable by the extraction of one or more of the plurality of announcement information items, the one or more keywords extracted by the extracting unit including a term that is identical to the search word or has a meaning that is equal to or similar to the meaning of the search word;

a notification unit that notifies the client terminal of one or more of the predetermined positions associated with the one or more of the plurality of announcement information items extracted by the extraction unit;

a second obtaining unit that obtains an identification information item from the client terminal notified of the one or more of the predetermined positions by the notification unit, the identification information item being capable of identifying one of the plurality of announcement information items which is associated with one of the notified one or more of the predetermined positions;

an association unit that associates a link information item with the announcement information item specified by the specifying unit, the link information item linking to the announcement information item identified by the identification information item obtained by the second obtaining unit; and

an output unit that outputs the link information item associated by the association unit.

2. The server device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a time obtaining unit that obtains a time information item indicating a display time length on the client terminal for each of the plurality of announcement information items, and

a determination unit that determines, if an announcement information item is associated with a plurality of link information items, a display priority for each of the plurality of link information items, based on the time information item obtained by the time obtaining unit, wherein

the determination unit determines the priority so that a higher priority is given to a link information item linking to one of the plurality of link information items for which the display time length obtained by the time obtaining unit is longer.

3. The server device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a history storage unit that stores a history information item indicating frequency/length of use for each of the plurality of announcement information items stored in the storage unit, the history information item indicating how frequently or for how long each of the plurality of announcement information items stored in the storage unit has been used; and

a determination unit that determines, if an announcement information item is associated with a plurality of link information items, a display priority for each of the plurality of link information items, based on the history information item stored in the history storage unit, wherein

the determination unit determines the priority so that a higher priority is given to a link information item linking to one of the plurality of link information items for which the history information item stored in the history storage unit indicates higher frequency of use.

4. The server device according to claim 1, wherein

the storage unit stores site location information items indicating site locations of the plurality of announcement information items, with the site location information items associated with the keywords and the predetermined positions,

the extraction unit extracts the one or more of the plurality of announcement information items, based on the site location information items stored in the storage unit, and

the specifying unit specifies the announcement information item, based on the site location information items stored in the storage unit.

5. The server device according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit stores the plurality of announcement information items.

6. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium recording a program causing a computer to execute a process, the computer including a storage unit that stores keywords and predetermined positions in a virtual space, the keywords being associated with a plurality of announcement information items, the plurality of announcement information items being respectively associated with the predetermined positions, and the process comprising;

obtaining a position indication information item and a search word from a client terminal, the position indication information item indicating one of a position of an avatar representing a user of the client terminal in the virtual space and a position in the virtual space associated with an announcement information item being referred to by the user via the client terminal, and the search word being used for searching for one or more announcement information items related to the search word;

specifying a position included in a predetermined range from the position indicated by the obtained position indication information item, from among the plurality of the predetermined positions stored in the storage unit, thereby to specify an announcement information item associated with the specified position;

extracting keywords relevant to the obtained search word, from among the plurality of keywords stored in the storage unit, thereby to extract one or more of the plurality of announcement information items which are associated with the extracted keywords, the predetermined positions with which the plurality of announcement information items are respectively associated not being variable by the extraction of one or more of the plurality of announcement information items, the one or more keywords extracted including a term that is relevant to the search word;

notifying the client terminal of one or more of the predetermined positions associated with the extracted one or more of the plurality of announcement information items;

obtaining an identification information item from the client terminal notified of the one or more of the predetermined positions, the identification information item being capable of identifying one of the plurality of announcement information items which is associated with one of the notified one or more of the predetermined positions;

associating a link information item with the specified announcement information item, the link information item linking to the announcement information item identified by the obtained identification information item; and

outputting the associated link information item.