Information distribution system and method for distributing content information

• US 8,862,499 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2007
• Issued: 10/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kamei, Mihoko, Maki, Kimio, Miyagi, Shiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Alvarez, Raquel
• Application Number:
  US11/906,933
• Publication Number:
  US 20080077501A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,567 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.4, 705/14.49, 705/14.53, 705/14.55
• US Class Current: 705/14.55
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0271 Personalized advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0276 Advertisement creation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1073 Registration or de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00209 Transmitting or receiving image data, e.g. facsimile data, via a computer, e.g. using e-mail, a computer network, the internet, I-fax
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00307 with a mobile telephone apparatus constructional features of portable telephone sets H04M1/0202; mobile radio systems H04W84/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0035 : User-machine interface; Control console input or output arrangements for computers G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32128 : attached to the image data, e.g. file header, transmitted message header, information on the same page or in the same computer file as the image for information embedded in the image H04N1/32144
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234363 : by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for clients with a lower screen resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25825 : involving client display capabilities, e.g. screen resolution of a mobile phone optimising the visualisation of content during browsing in the Internet G06F16/9577; processing of terminal status or physical abilities in wireless networks H04W8/22; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 : involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2662 : Controlling the complexity of the video stream, e.g. by scaling the resolution or bitrate of the video stream based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 : embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 : Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4402 : involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display details of conversion of video standards at pixel level H04N7/01; video transcoding H04N19/40; adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal G09G5/005; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 : Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0065 : Converting image data to a format usable by the connected apparatus or vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3245 : of image modifying data, e.g. handwritten addenda, highlights or augmented reality information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3249 : data relating to a linked page or object, e.g. hyperlink
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3273 : Display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3278 : Transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

This invention provides an information distribution system comprising an image data processing device (11), a server (12), and a portable telephone unit (15 having image data acquisition means for acquiring image data with a destination address attached thereto and display means for displaying the image data, wherein the image data is distributed from the image data processing device (11) to the portable telephone unit (15), and advertisement information based on user information is extracted from an advertisement information storage unit (29) and appended to image/text data by an advertisement information appending unit (30) provided in the server 12.

Claims

1. An information providing device comprising:

image data transmission/reception unit transmitting and receiving image data from image data processing terminals of users through a network;

image data saving hardware saving the received image data;

address information appending unit appending, to said image data, a destination address for referring to said image data from outside;

storage medium storing user information;

content information storing hardware storing advertisement content information; and

content information attaching unit attaching said advertisement content information to said image data;

wherein said advertisement content information, selected on the basis of said user information identifying said user, is transmitted to said image data processing terminal of said user and displayed, on said image data processing terminal of said user, with a notification indicating that the image data has been received from the user and GUI (graphical user interface) information to designate said advertisement information by said user;

wherein said image data transmission/reception unit transmits said image data to said image data processing terminal of another user, wherein said image data is (a) stored at the destination address, and (b) attached with said advertisement content information designated by said user.

2. The information providing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein advertisement content information is attached to said image data and is transmitted therewith.

3. The information providing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said advertisement content information contains a destination address of a saving portion where details of predetermined information, image information or character information are saved.

4. The information providing device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising identification unit identifying connection from said image data processing terminal by using identification information,

wherein said storage medium stores said user information and said identification information in association with each other.

5. The information providing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said image data is data comprising image data and text data.

6. The information providing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said image data is converted, at said image data processing terminal, to a display size and file format corresponding to the image display ability of a distribution destination and is saved.

7. The information providing device as claimed in claim 5, wherein said file format is the GIF (graphics interchange format) format.

8. The information providing device as claimed in claim 7, wherein said text data contains text data with user selectable text options, and content information attaching unit attaches advertisement content information to said image data in accordance with information contained in a selected text.

9. The information providing device as claimed in claim 7, wherein said image data is data of the HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) format.

10. The information providing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said destination address is a URL (uniform resource locator).

11. The information providing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said advertisement content information is advertisement information.

12. The information providing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said GUI information is for displaying a check box.

13. An information providing method comprising:

transmitting and receiving image data from image data processing terminals of users through a network;

saving the received image data;

appending, to said image data, a destination address for referring to said image data from outside;

storing user information; and

attaching advertisement content information to said image data;

wherein said advertisement content information, selected on the basis of the user information identifying said user, is transmitted to said image data processing terminal of said user and displayed, on said image data processing terminal of said user, with a notification indicating that the image data has been received from the user and GUI (graphical user interface) information to designate said advertisement information by said user;

wherein said transmitting and receiving step transmits said image data to said image data processing terminal of another user, wherein said image data is (a) stored at the destination address, and (b) attached with said advertisement content information designated by said user.

14. The information providing method as claimed in claim 13, wherein advertisement content information is attached to said image data and is transmitted therewith.

15. The information providing method as claimed in claim 13, wherein said advertisement content information contains a destination address of a saving location where details of predetermined information, image information or character information are saved.

16. The information providing method as claimed in claim 15, wherein said destination address is a URL (uniform resource locator).

17. The information providing method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising step of identifying connection from said image data processing terminal by using identification information,

wherein at said storing step, said user information and said identification information are stored in association with each other.

18. The information providing method as claimed in claim 13, wherein said image data is data comprising image data and text data.

19. The information providing method as claimed in claim 13, wherein said image data is converted, at said image data processing terminal, to a display size and file format corresponding to the image display ability of a distribution destination and is saved.

20. The information providing method as claimed in claim 19, wherein said file format is the GIF (graphics interchange format) format.

21. The information providing method as claimed in claim 20, wherein said text data contains text data with user selectable text options, and at said content information attaching step, advertisement content information is attached to said image data in accordance with information contained in a selected text.

22. The information providing method as claimed in claim 20, wherein said image data is data of the HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) format.

23. The information providing method as claimed in claim 13, wherein said advertisement content information is advertisement information.

24. The information providing method as claimed in claim 13, wherein said GUI information is for displaying a check box.

25. An information providing method comprising the steps of:

authenticating a user based on identification information of said user;

receiving, on a server, image data transmitted from a first image data processing terminal of said user, wherein said image data is to be distributed to a second data processing terminal of a recipient different from said user, by said server;

transmitting a notification of receiving said image data to said first image data processing terminal of said user;

transmitting advertisement information to said first image data processing terminal of said user based on user information of said user, wherein said advertisement information is displayed with said notification of receiving of said image on said first image data processing terminal of said user, wherein GUT (graphical user interface) information to designate said advertisement information by said user is attached to said advertisement information by said server; and

providing said image data and said advertisement information designated by said user to said second data processing terminal of said recipient.

26. The information providing method as claimed in claim 25, further comprising step of:

transmitting a notification notifying said image received from said first image data processing terminal of said user to said second data processing terminal of said recipient,

wherein said notification includes a destination address of a saving location where said image data is saved.

27. The information providing method as claimed in claim 26, wherein said destination address is a URL (uniform resource locator).

28. The information providing method as claimed in claim 25, wherein said image data and said advertisement information designated by said user to said second data processing terminal of said recipient is included in Web page data.

29. The information providing method as claimed in claim 28, wherein said Web page data is data of the HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) format.

30. The information providing method as claimed in claim 25, wherein said image data is data comprising image data and text data.

31. The information providing method as claimed in claim 25, wherein said user information comprises gender information and age information.

32. The information providing method as claimed in claim 25, further comprising steps of:

discriminating said second data processing terminal of said recipient, and

resizing said image data based on a result of said discrimination.

33. The information providing method as claimed in claim 25, wherein said GUI information is for displaying a check box.

34. The information providing method as claimed in claim 25, wherein said authenticating step authenticating said user by checking the identification information with data saved in an authentication server.

35. The information providing method as claimed in claim 25, wherein said user information comprises property information corresponding to a property owned by said user or a purchase record information of said user.

36. An information providing server comprising:

authentication unit authenticating a user based on identification information of said user;

network interface configured to

receive image data transmitted from a first image data processing terminal of said user, wherein said image data is to be distributed to a second data processing terminal of a recipient different from said user;

transmit a notification of receiving said image data to said first image data processing terminal of said user; and

transmit advertisement information, selected on a basis of user information of said user, to said first image data processing terminal of said user, wherein said advertisement information is displayed with said notification of receiving of said image on said first image data processing terminal of said user, wherein GUI (graphical user interface) information to designate said advertisement information by said user is attached to said advertisement information; and

management unit providing said image data and said advertisement information designated by said user to said second data processing terminal of said recipient.

37. The information providing server as claimed in claim 36, wherein

said management unit transmitting a notification notifying said image received from said first image data processing terminal of said user to said second data processing terminal of said recipient,

wherein said notification includes a destination address of a saving location where said image data is saved.

38. The information providing server as claimed in claim 37, wherein said destination address is a URL (uniform resource locator).

39. The information providing server as claimed in claim 36, wherein said image data and said advertisement information designated by said user to said second data processing terminal of said recipient is included in Web page data.

40. The information providing server as claimed in claim 39, wherein said Web page data is state of the HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) format.

41. The information providing server as claimed in claim 36, wherein said image data is data comprising image data and text data.

42. The information providing server as claimed in claim 36, wherein said user information comprises gender information and age information.

43. The information providing server as claimed in claim 36, wherein said management unit discriminates said second data processing terminal of said recipient and a data conversion unit resizes said image data based on a result of said discrimination.

44. The information providing server as claimed in claim 36, wherein said GUI information is for displaying a check box.

45. The information providing server as claimed in claim 36, wherein said authenticating unit authenticating said user by checking the identification information with data saved in an authentication server.

46. The information providing server as claimed in claim 36, wherein said user information comprises property information corresponding to a property owned by said user or a purchase record information of said user.