Information sharing system, information sharing method and terminal device

• US 9,397,975 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2013
• Issued: 07/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Muramatsu, Ryuya, Yamada, Hideo
• Primary Examiner(s): MITCHELL, NATHAN A
• Application Number:
  US14/412,586
• Publication Number:
  US 20160036755A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,231 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/30 Semantic analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/10 Services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

An information sharing system includes a computer network formed of terminals and a server and allows information about a posted message to be shared among users. The system or a terminal acquires a question message input via the terminal together with positional information associated with the question message and causes the acquired question message to be accessible to the users. The system or terminal acquires an answer message input by a respondent via the terminal as an answer to the question message and causes the acquired answer message to be accessible to the users. The system or terminal acquires positional information of the respondent and restricts the respondent from inputting the answer message to the question message on the basis of question positional information that is the positional information associated with the question message and respondent positional information that is the acquired positional information of the respondent.

Claims

1. An information sharing system in which, on a computer network formed of terminals of users and a server, information about a posted message posted by a user is shared among the users, comprising:

a processor configured to;

acquire a question message input via one of the terminals together with positional information associated with the question message;

cause the acquired question message to be accessible to the users on the computer network;

acquire an answer message input via another one of the terminals as an answer to the question message;

cause the acquired answer message to be accessible to the users on the computer network;

acquire positional information of a respondent that is the user who inputs the answer message;

restrict the respondent from inputting the answer message to the question message on the basis of question positional information that is the positional information associated with the question message and respondent positional information that is the acquired positional information of the respondent;

determine whether the question message is a question that requires an answer in real time, the question message being a question that requires an answer in real time when the question message;

includes a word describing an incident that fluctuates in real time; and

has a syntax that requires an answer in real time; and

restrict the respondent from inputting the answer message to the question message when it is determined that the question message is a question that requires an answer in real time.

2. The information sharing system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

acquire correspondence relationship information that associates whether each of multiple-type fixed messages are a type of question that requires an answer in real time; and

determine whether the question message is a question that requires an answer in real time on the basis of the correspondence relationship information when the question message corresponds to any one of the multiple-type fixed messages.

3. The information sharing system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine whether the question message is a question that requires an answer in real time by performing a syntactic analysis on the question message.

4. The information sharing system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to set a range of the respondent, to which restriction on input of the answer message is applied, on the basis of a relationship between the question positional information and the respondent positional information.

5. The information sharing system according to claim 4, wherein the processor is configured to restrict the respondent who is located a predetermined distance or longer apart from a location that is identified by the question positional information from inputting the answer message.

6. The information sharing system according to claim 4, wherein the processor is configured to restrict the respondent who is not located at a location, identified by the question positional information, within a last predetermined period of time from inputting the answer message.

7. The information sharing system according to claim 4, wherein the processor is configured to set the range of the respondent, to which restriction on input of the answer message is applied, on the basis of the relationship between the question positional information and the respondent positional information that indicates a location of the respondent at the time point at which the question message was posted or the time point at which the answer message to the question message is posted.

8. The information sharing system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to acquire information that identifies a location on a map, specified by a questioner that is the user who posted the question message, as the question positional information.

9. The information sharing system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

display a map image on the terminal;

display a selection target at the location that is identified by the question positional information, associated with the acquired question message, on the map image displayed on the terminal; and

when the selection target has been selected by the user, output the acquired question message.

10. The information sharing system according to claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to output the answer message together with the question message when the selection target displayed at the location identified by the question positional information, associated with the question message to which the answer message is made, has been selected by the user.

11. An information sharing method in which, on a computer network formed of terminals of users and a server, information about a posted message posted by a user is shared among the users, the method comprising:

acquiring a question message input via one of the terminals together with positional information associated with the question message;

causing the acquired question message to be accessible to the users on the computer network;

acquiring an answer message input via another one of the terminals as an answer to the question message;

causing the acquired answer message to be accessible to the users on the computer network;

acquiring positional information of a respondent that is the user who inputs the answer message;

restricting the respondent from inputting the answer message to the question message on the basis of question positional information that is the positional information associated with the question message and respondent positional information that is the acquired positional information of the respondent;

determining whether the question message is a question that requires an answer in real time, the question message being a question that requires an answer in real time when the question message;

includes a word describing an incident that fluctuates in real time; and

has a syntax that requires an answer in real time; and

restricting the respondent from inputting the answer message to the question message when it is determined that the question message is a question that requires an answer in real time.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable program for sharing information about a posted message posted by a user among a plurality of users, the program comprising:

instructions for acquiring a question message input via an operating unit together with positional information associated with the question message;

instructions for causing the acquired question message to be accessible to the users on the computer network;

instructions for acquiring an answer message input via another operating unit as an answer to the question message;

instructions for causing the acquired answer message to be accessible to the users on the computer network;

instructions for acquiring positional information of a respondent that is the user who inputs the answer message;

instructions for restricting the respondent from inputting the answer message to the question message on the basis of question positional information that is the positional information associated with the question message and respondent positional information that is the acquired positional information of the respondent;

instructions for determining whether the question message is a question that requires an answer in real time, the question message being a question that requires an answer in real time when the question message;

includes a word describing an incident that fluctuates in real time; and

has a syntax that requires an answer in real time; and

instructions for restricting the respondent from inputting the answer message to the question message when it is determined that the question message is a question that requires an answer in real time.