JP2004334754A - Information distribution system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize an information distribution system for enabling a person desiring to view advertisements to be charged with a lower toll of a toll road. <P>SOLUTION: When a vehicle 125 enters into a road A 121 as an expressway, an entrance side exclusive gate 116<SB>INA</SB>detects the entrance and asks a user of a user terminal 103 acceptance of distribution of advertisements, and when the distribution is accepted, an advertisement distribution center 106 distributes information such as advertisements to the user terminal 103. When the vehicle reaches an outlet side exclusive gate 116<SB>OUTA</SB>of the road A 121, the advertisement distribution center 106 investigates the distribution time or distribution quantity of advertisements and when the distribution time or distribution quantity is at a reference value or larger, the toll of the road A 121 is discounted. For a road B 122, a similar manner is adopted. Since this method is not to discount by measured rate charging, overusing of the system is prevented and effect of advertisements can be improved. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an information distribution system that distributes information such as advertisements, and more particularly to an information distribution system that distributes information such as advertisements to vehicles.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an advertising signboard, a signboard or a display for notifying various information has been arranged on the side of a road such as an expressway or on the roof of a nearby building. These can provide necessary information to vehicles, and are effective information sources for purchasing goods and utilizing services. However, people who use vehicles have a wide variety of ages, hobbies, etc., and even if a large number of signs and displays are arranged, it is difficult to obtain an effect in proportion to them. It can hurt the landscape.
[0003]
2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the development of communication technologies such as the Internet, information such as advertisements can be directly delivered to vehicles. Further, the position information of the vehicle itself can be easily obtained by a GPS (Global Positioning System). Therefore, an information distribution system that acquires position information from vehicles and provides information corresponding to the location to these vehicles has been proposed as a first related art (for example, Patent Document 1).
[0004]
In the first prior art, various kinds of advertisement information are stored in a predetermined device in advance, the current position information of the vehicle is obtained, and the advertisement information corresponding to the position information is searched by a search unit. I have. The advertisement information obtained as a result of the search is distributed to the communication device of the corresponding vehicle. At this time, in the first related art, it is possible to set distribution conditions for performing distribution to a distribution destination. Here, examples of the distribution condition include a period in which the advertisement information is provided, a time zone, a day of the week, an age group, gender, and weather. The first prior art also proposes calculating an advertisement distribution fee distributed to a vehicle and charging the advertiser. As a result, the advertiser only has to pay a fee according to the amount of distribution, and the advertisement fee can be efficiently used for the users of the vehicles narrowed down according to the distribution conditions.
[0005]
On the other hand, it has been proposed as a second conventional technique to display advertisement data on a monitor of a car, calculate an advertisement fee based on the display time, and pay the advertisement fee to a driver (for example, Patent Document 2). ). In the second conventional technique, a credit company distributes an IC card on which advertisement data is recorded to a driver. The driver inserts this into the in-vehicle terminal to display the advertisement data on the monitor. Since the advertisement fee is calculated based on the time displayed on the monitor, for example, when the driver uses a toll road such as a highway, the driver can use the ETC (Electronic Toll Collection System) to calculate the road fee from the advertisement fee. You can pay all or part of the usage fee. That is, when the toll is automatically settled by the road-vehicle communication between the antenna installed at the tollgate and the on-board ETC device, the advertisement fee income of the driver who has viewed the advertisement can be allocated.
[0006]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-2002-288518 (paragraphs 0009 to 0025, FIG. 1)
[Patent Document 2]
JP-A-2003-50558 (paragraphs 0016 to 0020, FIG. 1)
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Among them, in the first prior art, the advertisement is distributed to the communication device of the vehicle, and the advertiser is charged. However, even if the advertisement is distributed to the communication device of the vehicle, the user of the vehicle does not always view the advertisement. Therefore, in the second related art, the time during which a user of a vehicle, for example, a driver, actually uses an in-car terminal to display an advertisement on a monitor is calculated. Then, an advertisement fee corresponding to the time when the advertisement is displayed on the monitor is paid to the user of the vehicle, or all or a part of the toll road usage fee is paid by the advertisement fee.
[0008]
As described above, in the second related art, the user of the vehicle pays the advertisement fee based on the time during which the advertisement is displayed on the monitor. Therefore, unlike the first conventional technique, the advertisement is reliably displayed on the monitor of the vehicle user, and the advertisement can be viewed only by distributing the advertisement to the user of the vehicle. It is possible to eliminate the inconvenience that the advertiser pays the advertisement fee regardless of whether the advertisement fee is paid or not.
[0009]
However, in the second related art, the payment of the advertisement fee to the user of the vehicle increases as the display time of the monitor increases. Therefore, there is a concern that some users may display unnecessary advertisements on the monitor and earn advertising fees. In extreme cases, some people may leave the monitor in a place that is unsuitable for viewing in the vehicle, leave the power on, and earn advertising fees. In such a case, the advertiser spends on the partner who has no effect on the advertisement. In the second related art, an IC card is a source of information such as advertisements. Therefore, the latest information cannot be provided to the user, and the information itself becomes obsolete.
[0010]
On the other hand, toll roads such as expressways in Japan are expensive to use, and it is a fact that it is a heavy burden on vehicle users, and some improvement is required.
[0011]
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an information distribution system that can reduce the burden of toll road usage charges on those who want to view advertisements.
[0012]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, (a) use start position detecting means for detecting a use start position of a specific toll road when the vehicle uses the specific one toll road; (C) information distribution means for wirelessly distributing information containing at least an advertisement to the communication terminal provided in the predetermined vehicle when the use of the vehicle is terminated. (D) information reception time measurement means for measuring the time during which the communication terminal receives information distributed by the information distribution means between the use start position and the use end position, and (e) the information reception time measurement. Time comparing means for comparing the measured time measured by the means with a predetermined reference time shorter than the time required for the vehicle to pass between the use start position and the use end position of the toll road; Means causes provided in the information distribution system and the usage fee collection means for discounting the straight-line use charge of the toll road collected from the user of the communication terminal when it is determined that longer than the reference time towards the measurement time.
[0013]
In other words, according to the first aspect of the present invention, when one toll road is used, when at least information including an advertisement is wirelessly received between the use start position and the use end position, the vehicle travel time of the section is shorter than the time. When the information distributed by the information distribution means is received for a short period of time or longer, the usage fee of the toll road is discounted by a fixed amount and collected from the user of the communication terminal of the vehicle. Therefore, the user can reduce the economic burden by the amount of the discount.
[0014]
According to the invention described in claim 2, (a) use start position detecting means for detecting a use start position when the vehicle uses one specific toll road; and (b) the vehicle uses the specific one toll road. (C) information distribution means for wirelessly distributing information containing at least an advertisement to the communication terminal provided in the predetermined vehicle when the use of the vehicle is terminated. (D) information reception amount measuring means for measuring the amount of data received by the communication terminal between the use start position and use end position of information distributed by the information distribution means, and (e) the information reception amount measurement means. Data amount comparing means for comparing the measured data amount with a predetermined reference data amount smaller than the total amount of data that can be received when the vehicle passes between the use start position and the use end position of the toll road, F) If the data amount comparing means determines that the received data amount is larger than the reference data amount, the information processing means collects the usage fee collection means for discounting the usage fee of the toll road by a fixed amount and collecting it from the user of the communication terminal. Provide the distribution system.
[0015]
In other words, according to the invention described in claim 2, when a vehicle passes through a section of a toll road, when information including at least an advertisement is wirelessly received between a use start position and a use end position when the vehicle is used. When information distributed by the information distribution means is received over a predetermined reference data amount that is smaller than the total amount of data that can be received, the usage fee of the toll road is discounted at a fixed rate and collected from the user of the communication terminal of the vehicle. I have to. Therefore, the user can reduce the economic burden by the amount of the discount.
[0016]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the information distribution system according to the first aspect, the time comparison means determines that the measured time on the specific one toll road is shorter than the reference time when the measured time is shorter than the reference time. The feature is that the comparison is performed by adding up the measured times of those that were not subject to the discount of the usage fee on other toll roads.
[0017]
That is, in the invention according to claim 3, in consideration of the fact that the usage fee is discounted for each toll road, in other words, for each line, the user side who is not eligible for the discount on one toll road is considered. Similarly, the actual performance (time) is to be discounted for one toll road in consideration of the performance of other toll roads that have not been discounted. Times that exceed the reference time for toll roads that have already been discounted are not included. This is because if this is a discount target, it is not possible to exclude a person who views the advertisement only for the purpose of obtaining a reward.
[0018]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the information distribution system according to the second aspect, the data amount comparing unit has a data amount measured by the information reception amount measuring unit on the specific one toll road is smaller than a reference data amount. When the determination is made, the comparison is made by summing up the data amounts of the past toll roads that have not been discounted.
[0019]
That is, in the invention according to claim 4, in consideration of the fact that the usage fee is discounted on a per toll road basis, in other words, on a per-route basis, the user side who is not eligible for the discount on one toll road is considered. Similarly, one actual toll road is discounted in consideration of the actual results (data amount) of the other toll roads that were not targeted for the discount. The data amount exceeding the reference data amount of the toll road for which discounting has already been performed is not included. This is because if this is a discount target, it is not possible to exclude a person who views the advertisement only for the purpose of obtaining a reward.
[0020]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the information distribution system according to the first or second aspect, (a) a current position determining means for determining a current position of the communication terminal provided in the predetermined vehicle is further provided. (B) The information distribution means accumulates different information for each distribution area. When the current position determined by the current position determination means belongs to a new distribution area, the information distribution means accords with the new distribution area. It is characterized in that the information is switched and distributed.
[0021]
In other words, in the invention according to claim 5, even when the position information of the communication terminal is acquired every moment due to the movement of the vehicle, the respective distribution areas are set and the current position determined by the current position determination means is determined. Is to belong to a new distribution area, the information is switched to information according to the distribution area and distributed. Therefore, each time the vehicle reaches each area, information such as an appropriate advertisement can be delivered to the communication terminal. In addition, there is no need to switch information to be distributed until the current location belongs to a new distribution area, and there is no need to control the content of distribution corresponding to each piece of location information sent from the communication terminal. Be simple.
[0022]
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the information distribution system according to the first or second aspect, the discount amount is an amount using an advertisement income obtained for one toll road as a revenue source, and the use of the one toll road is used. It is characterized by being less than the fee.
[0023]
In other words, the invention according to claim 6 realizes the economic principle that a discount rate can be increased for each road with many advertisers by adopting an economically independent accounting system for each toll road. However, the amount of the discount is set to be less than the usage fee of the corresponding toll road, thereby preventing the appearance of a person who travels on the toll road in a meaningless manner and earns a fee, and keeps the effect of the advertisement.
[0024]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[0025]
【Example】
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to examples.
[0026]
FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of an information distribution system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The information distribution system 101 uses an information distribution communication network 102 including an Internet network (not shown), a communication satellite, a highway entrance / exit gate communication device, and the like. A plurality of user terminals (only one is shown in the figure) 103 using a vehicle (not shown) are wirelessly connected to the information distribution communication network 102 via communication equipment such as a wireless base station or a communication satellite (not shown). Is done. In addition, the information distribution communication network 102 includes an expressway manager 104 that maintains and manages the expressway, a financial institution 105 that performs transfer of usage fees for the expressway, and an advertisement distribution center 106 that distributes advertisements. An advertiser (sponsor) 107 is connected by wire or wirelessly.
[0027]
FIG. 2 shows the relationship between the user terminal used in the present embodiment and the communication network for information distribution. The user terminal 103 includes a display unit 111 for displaying various information such as advertisements, a transmission / reception unit 112 for communicating with the information distribution communication network 102, and a processing unit 113 for processing various information. In this embodiment, the transmission / reception unit 112 is connected to the Internet network 114, the GPS satellite 115, and the highway entrance gate 116.
[0028]
FIG. 3 illustrates a relationship between a vehicle, a road, and a communication network for information distribution. The A road 121 as a highway and the B road 122 as another highway connected to the A road 121 are respectively connected to an entrance-side gate 116 at the entrance of the road. _INA , 116 _INB However, at the exit, there is an exit-side gate 116 _OUTA , 116 _OUTB Are arranged respectively. These gates 116 _INA , 116 _INB , 116 _OUTA , 116 _OUTB Are equipped with wireless communication equipment, perform communication when the vehicle 125 passes through them, and are connected to the Internet 114. For example, suppose vehicle 125 uses A road 121 and B road 122 to go from departure point 123 to arrival point 124. The vehicle 125 is moved from the departure point 123 to the entrance-side gate 116. _INA Is passed, the entrance of the A road 121 is recognized, and the billing process is set. Then, the exit-side dedicated gate 116 _OUTA When the vehicle has passed through, the charging process for the road A 121 is performed. Similarly, the vehicle 125 continues to the next entrance-side gate 116. _INB , The entrance of the road B 122 is recognized, and the billing process is set. Then, the exit-side dedicated gate 116 _OUTB At the time of passing, the billing process for the B road 122 is performed.
[0029]
On the other hand, the user terminal 103 of the vehicle 125 can recognize the current position based on signals obtained from a plurality of GPS satellites 115. The obtained position information indicating the current position is sent to the Internet network 114 via the nearest base station 127 and delivered to the advertisement distribution center 106. The advertisement distribution center 106 distributes information such as an advertisement most suitable to the user terminal 103 of the vehicle 125 according to the location and time of the vehicle 125, the current position on the A road 121 or the B road 122, and the like. At the same time, based on the response of the user terminal 103 to the information such as the advertisement and the like, the time when the advertisement is viewed while traveling on the A road 121 and the B road 122 is calculated, respectively, and these are set to a predetermined standard. When the value (threshold) is exceeded, the exit-side exclusive gate 116 _OUTA , 116 _OUTB In order to reduce the charge substantially by a fixed amount when passing through, the transfer of the road use refund from the financial institution 105 side is performed separately from the charge amount of the expressway manager 104 shown in FIG. Has become.
[0030]
For example, if the expressway manager 104 shown in FIG. 1 is deducted from the account of the user of the user terminal 103 (user of the vehicle 125) via the financial institution 105 on a monthly basis, the advertisement The distribution center 106 transfers a road use refund to the user's account. Therefore, the user of the user terminal 103 can substantially have a discount on the toll on the expressway. The advertisement distribution center 106 obtains profit by collecting from the advertiser 107 an amount obtained by adding a predetermined fee to a road use refund to be transferred to each user of the vehicle 125, or by collecting an advertisement production fee.
[0031]
In this embodiment, the expressway manager 104, the financial institution 105, the advertisement distribution center 106, and the advertiser 107 shown in FIG. 1 are personal computers or workstations each having a communication function, or information substantially the same as these. It has a processing terminal. Then, similarly to the processing unit 113 in the user terminal 103, a control program stored in a predetermined storage medium is executed by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) (not shown), so that the vehicle 125 ( The information distribution system 101 for FIG. 3) is configured.
[0032]
Next, a processing operation of each unit when the information distribution system 101 is actually operated will be described. As a prerequisite for this processing, the user of the user terminal 103 needs to provide the expressway manager 104 and the financial institution 105 that manage the A road 121 as an expressway and the B road 122 as another expressway in advance. It is assumed that a predetermined procedure for viewing the advertisement of the advertisement distribution center 106 has been completed. In addition, it is assumed that a user ID (Identification) for authentication has been acquired through this procedure, and the electronic payment has been authenticated.
[0033]
FIG. 4 shows a state of control of the entrance-side dedicated gate. Here, the entrance-side dedicated gate 116 shown in FIG. _INA The control of FIG. Another entrance-side dedicated gate 116 shown in FIG. _INB Except for declaring that the control is for the B road 122, the entrance-side dedicated gate 116 that declares the control for the A road 121 and processes the control. _INA Therefore, the description is omitted.
[0034]
Gate 116 for entrance _INA When the vehicle 125 passes (step S201: Y), the entrance-side dedicated gate 116 is _INA Is transmitted, indicating that the vehicle has passed through and has entered the tolled A road 121 (step S202). Then, information is sent to the display unit 111 (FIG. 2) of the user terminal 103 to inquire whether the advertisement can be distributed (step S203). This information can also include the "unnecessary" display button at any time when the distribution of the advertisement is not required from the beginning, and the distribution of the advertisement can be made unnecessary at any time. It is described that a road use refund, which is a part of the fee for use of the paid A road 121, is paid from the advertisement distribution center 106 when the user views the video.
[0035]
In steps S202 and S203, the entrance-side dedicated gate 116 _INA Is transmitted to the user terminal 103 of the vehicle 125 via the base station 127 shown in FIG. 3, and the information is displayed on the display unit 111 (FIG. 2). In response to this, the user of the user terminal 103 sends a signal enabling the advertisement distribution within a predetermined time to the input-side dedicated gate 116. _INA (Step S204: Y), the entrance-side dedicated gate 116 _INA Transmits a distribution permission signal to the advertisement distribution center 106 via the Internet network 114 (step S205). At this time, it goes without saying that the ID of the corresponding user terminal 103 and the fact that the user has entered the A road 121 are also notified.
[0036]
On the other hand, a signal enabling the advertisement distribution within a predetermined time is transmitted from the user terminal 103 to the entrance-side dedicated gate 116. _INA Is not returned (step S204: N), the user of the user terminal 103 is not interested in the advertisement distribution at all, or the power of the user terminal 103 is not turned on and the display unit 111 is displayed. This is a case in which an advertisement or the like is not in a displayable state. Therefore, in such a case, the entrance-side dedicated gate 116 is used. _INA Transmits a distribution refusal signal for the user terminal 103 to the advertisement distribution center 106 via the Internet network 114 (step S206). In this case, the advertisement distribution center 106 does not execute the advertisement distribution process unless the user terminal 103 requests the distribution of the advertisement later. Therefore, the user of the user terminal 103 who does not need the advertisement while passing through the A road 121 can prevent the display unit 111 from displaying an image such as an unnecessary advertisement or the sound of an unnecessary commercial song. can do.
[0037]
FIG. 5 shows the state of the advertisement distribution control on the side of the advertisement distribution center. In the advertisement distribution center 106, an entrance-side dedicated gate 116 _INA When the distribution permission information is received (step S221: Y), the menu information of the information to be distributed is transmitted to the user terminal 103 that has permitted the distribution (step S222). Upon receiving the menu information, the user terminal 103 displays the menu provided by the advertisement distribution center 106 on the display unit 111.
[0038]
FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a menu displayed on the display unit of the user terminal. In the display unit 111, as menus, “(a) Line information”, “(b) Meal / rest”, “(c) Random information”, “(d) Paid information”, and “(e) End of distribution” Items are displayed. Here, "(a) Route information" indicates guidance along the route centering on the position where the vehicle 125 is currently traveling. For example, a local tourist association or a member thereof, or a local public entity to which the region belongs Is often the advertiser 107. In principle, facilities related to the A road 121 are excluded, and places of interest, souvenirs, or unknown hot springs that go down the expressway and stretch out are introduced. In the vicinity of the end point of the A road 121, introduction of the B road 122 and other roads which can be connected to the A road 121 may be performed.
[0039]
When "(b) meal / rest" is selected, a restaurant, a souvenir, or an accommodation facility at a place where a meal or a break can be taken after the A road 121 is introduced. When “(c) Random information” is selected, various kinds of information arranged by the advertisement distribution center 106 are provided according to the position of the vehicle 125. “(D) Paid information” is a distribution service of paid contents such as music and movies. In this case, a fee similar to that of other distribution companies using the Internet is charged. However, if the viewing time exceeds the reference, a road use refund is generated, which is advantageous. When “(e) End of distribution” is selected, the distribution by the advertisement distribution center 106 ends at that point. However, the user of the user terminal 103 is the exit-only gate 116 on the A road 121. _OUTA The distribution can be resumed until it reaches. In this case, control is performed in which the reception of the distribution permission information in step S221 is replaced with the restart of distribution.
[0040]
Returning to FIG. 5, the description will be continued. When the menu information is transmitted to the user terminal 103 in step S222, the process waits for the location information of the current location to be transmitted from the user terminal 103 via the Internet network 114 (step S223), and when this is transmitted (Y). The provision of “position information and preset items (“ (c) entrusting information ”in the present embodiment) is started (step S224). That is, after the menu is displayed on the display unit 111 of the user terminal 103 for a short time, the content of “(c) Random information” is displayed as an initial display state.
[0041]
FIG. 7 illustrates a state in which “(c) Random information” is displayed on the display unit. At the bottom of the display unit 111, a button "return to menu" is displayed. Therefore, when the user of the user terminal 103 wants to change to another item or to end the display itself, the user returns to the menu screen shown in FIG.
[0042]
With the initial information displayed or the distribution permission not received, the CPU of the advertisement distribution center 106 determines whether a new item other than the end of distribution has been selected (step (S225), whether the position information belonging to the new distribution area has been sent from the user terminal 103 (step S226), whether the end of the distribution has been selected (step S227), the distribution rejection instead of the distribution permission in step S221. Gate 116 for entrance _INA (Step S228) or the exit-side gate 116 _OUTA Is monitored to determine whether or not the service area for the A road 121 has been reached (step S229).
[0043]
When a new item other than the end of the distribution is selected (step S225: Y), provision of information according to the item and the current position information is performed to the user terminal 103 via the Internet network 114. (Step S230). For example, when “(a) Railroad information” is selected, information on the railroad according to the position where the vehicle 125 is running is provided. In the case where a pay movie is viewed as “(d) pay information”, the content can be selected in relation to the estimated remaining time of the A road 121.
[0044]
When the position information belonging to the new distribution area is transmitted from the user terminal 103 (step S226: Y), the corresponding distribution area is searched from the information prepared in advance for each distribution area, and the distribution area is set. If the information of the item to be distributed can be switched correspondingly, the information is switched and provided (step S231). Some contents, such as music and movies, do not fluctuate in the position information once the appreciation of the contents is started. The position information changes frequently as long as the vehicle 125 is moving. Therefore, the advertisement distribution center 106 appropriately sets the distribution area in advance in relation to the content to be provided, and ignores the individual position information itself until the user terminal 103 reaches the new distribution area. When the location information corresponds to a new distribution area, processing for switching the content to be provided is performed for the first time.
[0045]
When the user terminal 103 selects the end of the distribution from the menu screen (step S227: Y), the distribution time is accumulated (step S232), and the process shifts to the standby loop after step S221 again. (Return). Rejection of delivery is gate 116 _INA If the notification is sent from the user terminal, the user terminal 103 is notified that the distribution is not performed (step S233), and the process shifts to the standby loop described above (return). Vehicle 125 is exit-side gate 116 _OUTA (Step S229: Y), the exit-side dedicated gate 116 _OUTA The advertisement distribution center 106 having received this notification from the Internet via the Internet network 114 calculates a road use refund (step S234). If the user of the user terminal 103 temporarily ends the distribution many times while passing through the A road 121, the payment of the road use refund is made based on the cumulative value of the distribution time described in step S232. It is determined whether or not it is a target.
[0046]
Note that, even when the power of the user terminal 103 is turned off, the determination of the end of the distribution in step S227 is performed. This can be determined by the fact that when the advertisement distribution center 106 attempts to transmit information to the user terminal 103, transmission cannot be performed from a certain point in time, or transmission cannot be completed.
[0047]
The control for passing the road A 121 has been described above, but the same applies to the road B 122. However, the standard value used as the standard for payment of road use refunds can be determined independently for each road. In this embodiment, the road use refund is calculated independently for the roads A 121 and B 122. However, when both roads 121 and 122 are used at one time, a single road is used. The road use refund may be calculated more than the road use refund in the case where it is done, and even if the road use refund payment standard is not reached by the A road 121 or the B road 122 alone. If a predetermined time criterion is satisfied as a result of mutual use, payment of a road use refund may be allowed for one road.
[0048]
FIG. 8 specifically shows the processing for the road use refund of this embodiment shown in step S234 of FIG. In the advertisement distribution center 106, the vehicle 125 _OUTA , The total distribution time on the road A 121 is calculated (step S251). If the distribution has been stopped many times in the middle, since the past distribution times have been accumulated in step S232 in FIG. 5, the last distribution time may be added to the value. If the distribution has never been stopped, the entrance-side gate 116 _INA After passing through, exit gate 116 _OUTA Is calculated.
[0049]
Next, the CPU of the advertisement distribution center 106 determines whether or not the calculated value is equal to or larger than a predetermined reference value (step S252). This value (time) is determined by the input-side dedicated gate 116. _INA After passing through, exit gate 116 _OUTA Of course, it is set to be shorter than the time required to pass through. As an example, a value obtained by multiplying the required time actually required by the vehicle 125 by 0.8 is set as the reference value. If the time of receiving the distribution of the advertisement or the like from the advertisement distribution center 106 is equal to or longer than the reference value (Y), the user terminal 103 is notified to the user terminal 103 via the Internet network 102 that the payment of the road refund will be made (step S253). Then, the financial institution 105 is requested to pay a road refund to the account of the user terminal 103 (step S254).
[0050]
If it is determined in step S252 that the reference value has not been reached (N), the road refund may not be immediately paid. In the present embodiment, when the user of the user terminal 103 has passed several toll roads during the past several days and there has been no payment of road refund on another road, a predetermined We will do that remedy under conditions. That is, it is checked whether or not another toll road is passed within a predetermined number of days. If there is a road immediately before the corresponding toll road (step S255: Y), it is checked whether the traffic on that road has been paid for the road refund. Find out if. As a result, if the road refund has not been paid (step S256: Y), the distribution times that have not been paid are accumulated (step S257). Then, the process returns to step S252 to determine whether or not the value is equal to or more than the reference value. If the value is equal to or more than the reference value, the process proceeds to step S253 and subsequent steps, and a road refund is paid.
[0051]
On the other hand, if the reference value has not been reached yet (step S252: N), it is searched again whether or not there is a road immediately before (step S255). It is checked whether or not the payment has been made (step S256). If there is no corresponding road (step S255: N), or if a road refund has already been paid for the relevant road (step S256: N), it is determined that the road refund will not be paid. . Then, the advertisement distribution center 106 notifies the corresponding user terminal 103 that the road refund will not be paid (step S258), and ends the processing (end). The user terminal 103 can confirm this notification on the display unit 111. In this case, the user of the user terminal 103 adds the sum of the display time of the road A 121 when the road toll road (for example, the road B 122) becomes equal to or less than the payment standard of the road refund, and this is If you exceed the payment standard for road refunds, you can receive the payment.
[0052]
<Deformability of the invention>
[0053]
In the embodiment described above, when the sum of the times displayed on the display unit 111 of the user terminal 103 is equal to or longer than a predetermined reference time, a payment of a road refund such as discounting a usage fee of a toll road such as an expressway is performed. However, if the expressway manager 104 agrees, the expressway manager 104 actually discounts the toll road usage fee, and the financial institution 105 collects the usage fee from the user account of the user terminal 103. You may do so.
[0054]
Further, in the embodiment, the usage fee of a toll road such as an expressway is substantially discounted depending on whether or not the total time during which an advertisement or the like is displayed on the display unit 111 is equal to or longer than a predetermined reference time. The usage fee of the toll road may be discounted depending on whether or not the total amount of packets distributed by the center 106 to the user terminal 103 exceeds a predetermined threshold. As a result, even if the user of the user terminal 103 leaves one information providing screen, the number of packets does not increase, so that the user who merely turns on the power of the user terminal 103 or the display unit 111 can be used. Troubles such as payment of road refunds can be prevented. Further, the advertiser 107 can pay the advertisement fee to the advertisement distribution center 106 according to the amount of data (the amount of packets) transmitted to the user terminal 103.
[0055]
Further, in the embodiment, the explanation has been given on the assumption that the financial institution 105 such as a bank makes a debit or transfer, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can be applied to a case where a toll on a highway is paid by a prepaid card. In this case, the exit side dedicated gate 116 _OUTA , 116 _OUTB Alternatively, a discount equivalent to a road refund is made when the prepaid card is used at the corresponding toll gate. Discounts can be made in the same manner when paying in cash.
[0056]
In the embodiment, information such as advertisements is distributed using the Internet network 102 on the assumption that a mobile phone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), or a portable computer is used as the user terminal 103. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Absent. For example, a similar service can be provided by using a communication terminal that can use a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) or satellite communication.
[0057]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a usage fee is collected every time a toll road is used. Therefore, when a debit is made with a financial institution account, the fact that the toll road is used is accounted for. Is reliably managed. Also, in the case of using a prepaid card to settle the toll on a toll road, there is no need to take steps such as increasing the remaining amount of the prepaid card, so a method of punching a hole in the prepaid card to display the balance is used. Can be adopted as before. Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to perform management such as setting a total time of data to be distributed according to a fee paid by an advertiser for distribution of an advertisement.
[0058]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the usage fee is collected every time the toll road is used, the fact that the use of the toll road is financially ensured in a case where a debit is made with a financial institution account. Be managed. Also, in the case of using a prepaid card to settle the toll on a toll road, there is no need to take steps such as increasing the remaining amount of the prepaid card, so a method of punching a hole in the prepaid card to display the balance is used. Can be adopted as before. In addition, since the amount of data to distribute advertisements and the like is managed, the data distributed to the communication terminal unless the user responds promptly to the information provided and does not make an active request to acquire the information Since the amount of data is relatively small and it is highly likely that the amount of data will be lower than the reference data amount, by setting the reference data amount appropriately, those who simply turn on the power of the communication terminal can reduce the toll road usage fee. Can be excluded from the discount. Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to perform management such as setting the total amount of data to be distributed according to the fee paid by the advertiser for distribution of the advertisement.
[0059]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the information distribution system according to the first aspect, the time comparing means determines that the measured time on the specific one toll road is shorter than the reference time. Since the comparison is made by adding the measurement times of the past toll roads that were not eligible for the discount on the usage fee, the results of the users who were not eligible for the discount on one toll road ( Similarly, one toll road can be discounted by taking into account the results of other toll roads that have not been subjected to the discount for (time). Since the time exceeding the reference time of the toll road which has already been discounted is not included, it is possible to exclude a person who views the advertisement only for the purpose of obtaining a reward.
[0060]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the information distribution system according to the second aspect, the data amount comparing unit determines the data amount measured by the information reception amount measuring unit on the specific one toll road as a reference data amount. When it is determined that the toll is less than the total amount of data that was not subject to the discount on usage fees on other toll roads in the past, the comparison is performed. In the same way, it is possible to discount one toll road by taking into account the results (data amount) of the user who did not have the results of other toll roads that were not targeted for the discount. Since the data amount exceeding the reference data amount of the toll road for which the discount has already been performed is not included, it is possible to exclude a person who views the advertisement only for the purpose of obtaining a reward.
[0061]
Further, according to the invention described in claim 5, it is possible to distribute information such as an appropriate advertisement to the communication terminal every time the vehicle reaches each area. In addition, there is no need to switch information to be distributed until the current location belongs to a new distribution area, and there is no need to control the content of distribution corresponding to each piece of location information sent from the communication terminal. Be simple.
[0062]
Further, according to the invention described in claim 6, it is possible to realize the economic principle that the discount rate can be increased for each road with many advertisers by economically accounting independently for each toll road. it can. Moreover, since the amount of the discount is less than the usage fee of the corresponding toll road, it is possible to prevent the appearance of a person who travels on the toll road meaninglessly and earns a toll. Thereby, the effect of the advertisement can be further ensured.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an overall configuration of an information distribution system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship between a user terminal used in the present embodiment and an information distribution communication network.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship between a vehicle, a road, and a communication network for information distribution in the embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a state of control of an entrance-side dedicated gate according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a state of advertisement distribution control on the side of an advertisement distribution center in the present embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating an example of a menu displayed on a display unit of the user terminal in the present embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a plan view of a display unit on which “(c) Random information” is displayed in the present embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a process of a road use refund shown in step S234 of FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
101 Information distribution system
102 Communication network for information distribution
103 User terminal
104 Expressway manager
105 Financial Institution
106 Advertising Distribution Center
111 Display
112 Transceiver
113 processing unit
115 GPS satellites
116 _INA , 116 _INB Gate for exclusive use of entrance
116 _OUTA , 116 _OUTB Exit-side gate
125 vehicles

Claims (6)

A use start position detecting means for detecting a use start position when the vehicle uses one specific toll road;
Use end position detection means for detecting the use end position when the vehicle ends use of the specific one toll road;
Information distribution means for wirelessly distributing information including at least an advertisement to a communication terminal provided in the predetermined vehicle,
Information reception time measurement means for measuring a time during which the communication terminal receives information distributed by the information distribution means between the use start position and the use end position,
Time comparison means for comparing the measurement time measured by the information reception time measurement means with a predetermined reference time shorter than the time required when the vehicle passes between the use start position and the use end position of the toll road. ,
When the time comparing means determines that the measured time is longer than the reference time, the time comparing means discounts the toll road usage fee by a fixed amount and collects the usage fee from the user of the communication terminal. Characteristic information distribution system. A use start position detecting means for detecting a use start position when the vehicle uses one specific toll road;
Use end position detection means for detecting the use end position when the vehicle ends use of the specific one toll road;
Information distribution means for wirelessly distributing information including at least an advertisement to a communication terminal provided in the predetermined vehicle,
An information reception amount measurement unit that measures the amount of data that the communication terminal has received information distributed by the information distribution unit between the use start position and the use end position;
The data amount measured by the information reception amount measuring means is compared with a predetermined reference data amount smaller than the total amount of data that can be received when the vehicle passes between the use start position and the use end position of the toll road. Means for comparing the amount of data
When the data amount comparing means determines that the received data amount is larger than the reference data amount, a usage fee collecting means for discounting a toll road usage fee by a fixed amount and collecting from a user of the communication terminal; An information distribution system comprising: The time comparing means, when it is determined that the measured time on the specific one toll road is shorter than the reference time, for the one that has not been the target of the discount on the usage fee on the other past toll roads The information distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the comparison is performed by adding the measured times. The data amount comparing unit, when it is determined that the data amount measured by the information reception amount measuring unit on the specific one toll road is smaller than the reference data amount, a discount of a usage fee on another past toll road. 3. The information distribution system according to claim 2, wherein the comparison is performed by adding up the data amounts of the data items that have not been targeted. Current position determining means for determining a current position of the communication terminal provided in the predetermined vehicle, further comprising:
The information distribution means accumulates different information for each distribution area, and switches the information according to the distribution area when the current position determined by the current position determination means belongs to a new distribution area. The information distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the information is distributed. The information distribution system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the discount amount is an amount using an advertisement income obtained for one toll road as a revenue source, and is less than a usage fee of the one toll road.

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