Information providing apparatus, information providing method, and information providing system

• US 9,521,444 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2015
• Issued: 12/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sovereign Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsuzaki, Natsume, Maeda, Manabu, Unagami, Yuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendleton, Brian T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Saint Cyr, Jean D
• Application Number:
  US14/813,121
• Publication Number:
  US 20160044354A1
• Time in Patent Office: 502 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/254 Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server arrangements for maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00; network services using third party service providers H04L67/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25816 involving client authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• 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 21/441 Acquiring end-user identification , e.g. using personal code sent by the remote control or by inserting a card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP

Abstract

An information providing apparatus includes: an inputter that obtains log information and personal information corresponding thereto; a tentative ID giver that gives each tentative ID to the personal information at each predetermined timing; a first storage that stores correspondence-relationship information indicating a correspondence relationship between the personal information and the each tentative ID; a receiver that receives a request for outputting information including a requested tentative ID identified by a current tentative ID given and the one past timing when the requested ID was given; an information processor that determines, in accordance with the request, link-relationship information indicating a correspondence relationship between the requested tentative ID and the current tentative ID; a second storage that stores the determined link-relationship information; and an outputter that outputs first information including the requested tentative ID or second information indicating that first-information outputting is not permitted, based on the stored link-relationship information.

Claims

1. An information providing apparatus, comprising:

an inputter that obtains log information and personal information corresponding to the log information;

a tentative ID giver that gives tentative IDs to the personal information, each of the tentative IDs being given at each predetermined timing;

a first storage that stores correspondence-relationship information indicating a correspondence relationship between the personal information and the each of the given tentative IDs;

a receiver that receives a request for outputting information including a requested tentative ID given at one past timing, on the request the requested tentative ID being identified by i) a current tentative ID given to the personal information and ii) the one past timing when the requested ID was given to the personal information;

an information processor that determines, in accordance with the request, link-relationship information indicating a correspondence relationship between the requested tentative ID and the current tentative ID, based on the correspondence-relationship information stored in the first storage;

a second storage that stores the determined link-relationship information; and

an outputter that outputs first information including the requested tentative ID or second information indicating that outputting of the first information is not permitted, based on the link-relationship information stored in the second storage.

2. The information providing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein, when the receiver receives a request for outputting a tentative ID identified by a first tentative ID as the current ID and a second timing as the one past timing,

the information processor

identifies a second tentative ID, based on the correspondence-relationship information stored in the first storage, the second tentative ID being a tentative ID given at the second timing, and

determines whether or not to output the first information including the second tentative ID, based on the link-relationship information stored in the second storage,

updates the link-relationship information stored in the second storage when it is determined outputting the first information, and

the outputter outputs the first information or the second information, based on a result of the determination.

3. The information providing apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the information processor determines whether or not the number of third tentative IDs having the correspondence relationship with the second tentative ID is smaller than a predetermined value, the third tentative IDs being included in the link-relationship information stored in the second storage, and

the outputter

outputs the first information when the number of the third tentative IDs is smaller than the predetermined value, and

outputs the second information when the number of the third tentative IDs is larger than or equal to the predetermined value.

4. The information providing apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the link-relationship information stored in the second storage is represented as a tree structure in which the requested tentative ID and the current tentative ID serve as nodes;

and

wherein the information processor determines whether or not the number of nodes linked to the second tentative ID in the tree structure is smaller than a predetermined value, and

the outputter

outputs the first information when the number of nodes is smaller than the predetermined value, and

outputs the second information when the number of nodes is larger than or equal to the predetermined value.

5. The information providing apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein, in the correspondence-relationship information stored in the first storage, weights are assigned to the respective tentative IDs;

wherein the link-relationship information stored in the second storage further includes a total value of the weight assigned to the requested tentative ID and the weight assigned to the current tentative ID; and

wherein the information processor determines whether or not a total value of the weights corresponding to the second tentative ID is smaller than a predetermined value, and

the outputter

outputs the first information when the total value of the weights corresponding to the second tentative ID is smaller than the predetermined value, and

outputs the second information when the total value of the weights corresponding to the second tentative ID is larger than or equal to the predetermined value.

6. The information providing apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein, when the log information indicates viewing history for TV programs of a user corresponding to the personal information, each weight is assigned in accordance with a type of the TV program indicated by the log information corresponding to each tentative ID.

7. The information providing apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein, for outputting of the second information, the outputter further outputs statistical information about the log information corresponding to a tentative ID other than the second tentative ID.

8. The information providing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an eraser that receives, from an external apparatus when the outputter outputs the first information to an external apparatus, information indicating that the first information is deleted in the external apparatus, and that erases a correspondence relationship regarding the requested tentative ID from the link-relationship information stored in the second storage.

9. The information providing apparatus according to claim 8,

wherein the first information further includes the log information corresponding to the requested tentative ID.

10. The information providing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a log-information recorder that records the log information and a weight assigned to the log information,

wherein,

the information processor sums the weight assigned to the log information, each time the first information is output, and

the tentative ID giver gives a different tentative ID at timing when the summed weight becomes larger than or equal to a predetermined value.

11. An information providing method comprising:

obtaining log information and personal information corresponding to the log information;

giving tentative IDs to the personal information, each of the tentative IDs being given at each predetermined timing;

generating correspondence-relationship information indicating a correspondence relationship between the personal information and the each of the given tentative IDs;

receiving a request for outputting information including a requested tentative ID given at one past timing, on the request the requested tentative ID being identified by i) a current tentative ID given to the personal information and ii) the one past timing when the requested ID was given to the personal information;

determining, in accordance with the request, link-relationship information indicating a correspondence relationship between the requested tentative ID and the current tentative ID, based on the generated correspondence-relationship information; and

outputting first information including the requested tentative ID or second information indicating that outputting of the first information is not permitted, based on the determined link-relationship information.

12. An information providing system comprising:

a first information communication apparatus;

an information providing apparatus; and

a second information communication apparatus,

wherein the first information communication apparatus collects log information and personal information corresponding to the log information,

wherein the information providing apparatus comprises

an inputter that obtains, from the first information communication apparatus, the log information and the personal information corresponding to the log information,

a tentative ID giver that gives tentative IDs to the personal information, each of the tentative IDs being given at each predetermined timing,

a first storage that stores correspondence-relationship information indicating a correspondence relationship between the personal information and the each of the given tentative IDs,

a receiver that receives, from the second information communication apparatus, a request for outputting information including a requested tentative ID given at one past timing, on the request the requested tentative ID being identified by i) a current tentative ID given to the personal information and ii) the one past timing when the requested ID was given to the personal information,

an information processor that determines, in accordance with the request, link-relationship information indicating a correspondence relationship between the requested tentative ID and the current tentative ID, based on the correspondence-relationship information stored in the first storage,

a second storage that stores the determined link-relationship information, and

an outputter that outputs, to the second information communication apparatus, first information including the requested tentative ID or second information indicating that outputting of the first information is not permitted, based on the link-relationship information stored in the second storage.