Information Output Apparatus And Computer Readable Medium

• US 20160088349A1
• Filed: 09/03/2015
• Published: 03/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: KAWASHIMO, Takashi, Kawakami, Gou, Aso, Asami
• Granted Patent: US 9,628,856 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41415 involving a public display, viewable by several users in a public space outside their home, e.g. movie theatre, information kiosk
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

An information output apparatus for displaying information such as advertisements increases viewers'"'"' attention. A plurality of advertisement videos (id=1, 2, . . . ) stored in an advertisement video storage area 22b are projected onto a display unit 12 from a projection device 13 and reproduced, according to the definition of advertisement video reproduction order stored in an advertisement video reproduction definition storage area 22c. Upon switching the reproduction of each advertisement video, from among a plurality of switching effect images EP . . . (ID=1, 2, . . . ) that are assigned ID numbers in descending order of noticeability against the surrounding environment, i.e. in descending order of the complementary color ratio, and stored in a switching effect image storage area 22e, an image ID associated with higher noticeability is set when the non-operation time (the time during which no person is detected around the apparatus body) from the advertisement video reproduction start is longer. This non-operation time is measured and stored in a non-operation time storage area 22f. The switching effect image EP corresponding to the image ID is then reproduced.

Claims

1. An information output apparatus comprising:

a content output unit configured to output content;

a person state detection unit configured to detect a person presence state; and

a control unit configured to control a content switching effect based on the person presence state detected by the person state detection unit, when switching the content output by the content output unit.

2. The information output apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to:

generate a plurality of switching effect images having high degrees of attention against a surrounding environment; and

select, from the plurality of switching effect images, a switching effect image according to the person presence state detected by the person state detection unit and cause the selected switching effect image to be displayed, when switching the content.

3. The information output apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit is configured to:

rank the plurality of switching effect images by the degrees of attention; and

select, from the plurality of switching effect images, a higher ranked switching effect image when a degree of person presence detected by the person state detection unit is lower and cause the selected switching effect image to be displayed, when switching the content.

4. The information output apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit is configured to generate the plurality of switching effect images having the high degrees of attention, by including a complementary color of a frequent color that is acquired from a captured image of the surrounding environment.

5. The information output apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the person state detection unit is configured to detect the degree of person presence as duration for which no person is present, and

wherein the control unit is configured to select, from the plurality of switching effect images, the higher ranked switching effect image when the duration for which no person is present is longer and cause the selected switching effect image to be displayed, when switching the content.

6. The information output apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the person state detection unit is configured to detect the degree of person presence as a distance to a person present, and

wherein the control unit is configured to select, from the plurality of switching effect images, the higher ranked switching effect image when the distance to the person present is longer and cause the selected switching effect image to be displayed, when switching the content.

7. The information output apparatus according to claim 1, comprising

a storage unit configured to store a plurality of content switching effects,

wherein the control unit is configured to select from the plurality of content switching effects, based on the person presence state detected by the person state detection unit.

8. A medium readable by a computer comprising:

an output unit; and

a person state detection unit configured to detect a person presence state, causing the computer to execute;

a content output process of outputting content by the output unit; and

a control process of controlling a content switching effect based on the person presence state detected by the person state detection unit, when switching the content output in the content output process.