Information device and information presentation method for selected object information corresponding to device location

• US 8,903,835 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2009
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kikuchi, Masaaki, Umeki, Hideo
• Primary Examiner(s): Perveen, Rehana
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAVAN, HUNG T
• Application Number:
  US12/410,038
• Publication Number:
  US 20090248679A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,079 Days
• Field of Search: 715/259, 715/260, 707/999.005, 707/749
• US Class Current: 707/749
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90324 using system suggestions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries

Abstract

An information device is provided that includes a first acquisition unit, a second acquisition unit, a search unit, a first display unit, a determining unit, and a second display unit. The first acquisition unit acquires situation data indicating a situation of the information device. The second acquisition unit acquires object information in accordance with the situation data. The search unit searches a database for related words related to the object information. The first display unit displays the related words to allow any one of the related words to be selected, while the determining unit determines whether any one of the related words is selected. The second display unit displays the object information acquired by the second acquisition unit for the selected related words.

Claims

1. An information device comprising:

a first acquisition unit which acquires situation data via a situation sensor, the situation data indicating situation and environmental information to which the information device is exposed;

a second acquisition unit which acquires object information in accordance with the situation data;

a search unit which searches a database for related words related to the object information;

a situation adaptability table having a degree of adaptability between the related words and the situation data, wherein the search unit weights the related words in accordance with the degree of adaptability;

a behavior adaptability table having values, relating to specific actions, to be multiplied by the degree of adaptability to adjust the weights of the related words;

a first display unit which displays the related words in order of weights that have been adjusted to allow any one of the related words to be selected;

a determining unit which determines whether any one of the related words is selected; and

a second display unit which displays the object information acquired by the second acquisition unit for the selected one of the related words which is determined by the determining unit.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the search unit weights the related words in accordance with selected one of a distance to the object information, a time zone when the object is available for use and a predicted time before the object becomes available for use.

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

an input unit which inputs selected one of a character and a character string; and

a generating unit which generates a plurality of related words analogous in reading to selected one of the character and the character string with reference to a synonym dictionary which stores a plurality of synonyms for the related words,

wherein the first display unit displays the related words analogous in reading to selected one of the character and the character string.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein the generating unit generates the plurality of related words in such a manner that the number of related words is increased for a length of the character string not more than a predetermined number, and the number of related words is reduced for the length of the character string exceeding the predetermined number.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the second acquisition unit transmits the situation data to a server and acquires a plurality of object information from the server in accordance with the situation data.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the second display unit transmits the selected one of the related words to the server and acquires the object information on the related word from the server.

7. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a second storage unit which stores a plurality of object information,

wherein the second acquisition unit acquires the object information from the second storage unit in accordance with the situation data.

8. An information presentation method, comprising:

acquiring, through a first acquisition unit, situation data indicating situation and environmental information to which an information device is exposed;

acquiring object information corresponding to the situation data through a second acquisition unit;

searching by a search unit a database for related words related to the object information;

weighting the related words, through the search unit, in accordance with a degree of adaptability by referring to a situation adaptability table having a degree of adaptability between the related words and the situation data;

multiplying the degree of adaptability by values in a behavior adaptability table relating to specific actions, to adjust weights of the related words;

displaying the related words in order of weights that have been adjusted, through a first display unit, in such a manner that any one of the related words can be selected;

determining, through a determining unit, whether any one of the related words is selected; and

displaying, through a second display unit, the object information related to the any one of the related words determined by the determining unit to have been selected.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the step of weighting the related words comprises weighting the related words, through the search unit, in accordance with selected one of a distance to the object information, a time zone in which the object is available for use and a predicted time before the object becomes available for use.

10. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

inputting selected one of a character and a character string through an input unit;

generating, through a generating unit, a plurality of related words analogous in reading to the selected one of the character and the character string, respectively, by referring to a synonym dictionary which stores a plurality of synonyms of the related words; and

displaying the related words analogous in reading to the selected one of the character and the character string on the first display unit.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

generating a plurality of related words, through the generating unit, in such a manner that the number of related words is increased in the case where a length of the character string is not larger than a predetermined number and the number of related words is decreased in the case where the length of the character string is larger than the predetermined number.

12. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

transmitting the situation data from the second acquisition unit to a server and acquiring, through the second acquisition unit, a plurality of object information from the server in accordance with the situation data.

13. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

transmitting the selected one of the related words to the server from the second display unit and acquiring, through the second display unit, a plurality of object information for the related words from the server.

14. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

acquiring a plurality of object information, through the second acquisition unit, from a second storage unit in accordance with the situation data, the object information being stored in the second storage unit.