JP2005182181A - Context filtering device, context filtering method and context filtering program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To properly use this context filtering device to a context-aware application, and to provide a context having meanings proper to a user, and to eliminate the wasteful consumption of network resources, and to prevent the manufacturing costs of the context providing device from being increased. <P>SOLUTION: Sensing data to be transmitted from a sensor 101 through a relay station 100 are received by a context interrupting device 102, and the context prepared based on the sensing data are transmitted to a context filtering device 121. This device 121 prepares a valid context by performing at least one processing of the filtering and matching of the received context according to preliminarily set conditions, and an application server 103 provides a service to client terminal equipment 104 based on the valid context. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to realization of a context-aware service, and relates to a context filtering apparatus, a context filtering method, and a context filtering program that generate an effective context from a context obtained from a sensing device.

  Applications that use context-awareness automatically understand the user's behavior and environment through the context by a computer or network system, and provide necessary or useful information in response to the user's explicit action. It is an application that aims to do. The context is information such as location, direction, identity of nearby people and objects and their changes, time, season, temperature, emotion, focus of interest (Non-Patent Document 1).

An application using context awareness will be described by taking a context aware service using location information as an example.
When sensing data is detected from a device such as a sensor, it can be extracted as a context having relevant semantic information by associating it with registration information. For example, it is assumed that semantic information of a person name X is registered for a sensor having an identification ID (Identification) 1. In this case, when the identification ID 1 of the sensor is detected from the antenna A installed at the station, it can be detected from the correspondence between the identification ID 1 and the person name X that the person X exists at the station. By using the context that the person X exists at the station in this way, an application that distributes information about the station to the person X can be realized.

A configuration example of a conventional context-aware distribution system is shown in FIG. 9 and will be described.
This distribution system receives a sensor 101 for acquiring sensing data such as temperature, ultraviolet light, weather, position, time, and the like, and receives the sensing data from the sensor 101 via the relay station 100, and based on the received sensing data. A context interpreter 102 that transmits the created context, and an application server 103 that receives the context transmitted from the context interpreter 102 and provides a service to the client terminal 104 based on the context. ing.

  The context interpretation device 102 is acquired by a sensing data acquisition unit 105 that receives and acquires sensing data, a registration DB (database) 107 that records the relationship between these contexts and sensing data, and the sensing data acquisition unit 105. The context creation unit 106 creates a context by associating the detected sensing data with the context registered in the registration DB 107, and the transmission unit 108 sends the context created by the context creation unit 106. ing.

The application server 103 includes a context acquisition unit 110 that receives and acquires the context transmitted from the transmission unit 108, and an application unit 111 that provides services to the client terminal 104 according to the acquired valid context. Yes.
Further, the context generation process in the distribution system having such a configuration is performed by the context creation unit 106. That is, as shown in FIG. 10, the contexts 202a, 202b, and 202c are created by associating the sensing data 201a, 201b, and 201c obtained from each sensor 101 with the registration data of the registration DB 107. The creation of the contexts 202a to 202c determines the meaning of the contexts 202a to 202c and to which client the contexts 202a to 202c.

As described above, in the conventional distribution system, contexts 202a to 202c corresponding to the sensing data 201a to 201c obtained from the sensor 101 are created in the context interpreter 102, and the application server 103 is added to the created contexts 202a to 202c. Based on this, a service for the client 104 can be performed.
Hidefumi Ueoka, “Research Trends of Applications Using Context Awareness”, Journal of Information Processing Society, Vol44 No3 Mar 2003, PP265-269

However, the conventional context-aware distribution system has the following problems.
As the number of sensors increases, the amount of context gained also increases. However, if the number of contexts obtained is too large, it cannot be used appropriately when used for context-aware applications. That is, it cannot actually be appropriately used as a service for the user.
Also, as the amount of context increases, the amount of traffic increases, and network resources are wasted.
Also, in the case of severe sensing data, there is a possibility that the output content of the sensor may change finely, and post-processing that corrects the error is necessary to accurately grasp the user's state, so the entire device This increases complexity and scale, resulting in an increase in device manufacturing cost.

Further, since the context generated from one sensing data has only a simple meaning in itself, it is not information having an appropriate meaning for the application. In other words, the information is not meaningful to the user.
The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and can be appropriately used for a context-aware application and can provide a context having an appropriate meaning for a user. An object of the present invention is to provide a context filtering device, a context filtering method, and a context filtering program that can eliminate waste and prevent an increase in manufacturing cost of the context providing device.

  In order to achieve the above object, a context filtering device according to claim 1 of the present invention is provided on the basis of information detected by a sensor, receiving means for receiving a plurality of types of contexts that are useful information for a user, and context selection A selection unit that compares a filtering condition predetermined for use with a plurality of types of contexts received by the receiving unit and selects an effective context that matches the filtering condition from the plurality of types of contexts; And transmitting means for transmitting the effective context selected by the selection means to an application apparatus that provides a context-based service to the mobile terminal.

  According to this configuration, for example, detection information increases as the number of sensors increases, and even if the amount of context increases as a result of this increase, a context useful for a user of a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone ( (Effective context) can be selected based on a predetermined filtering condition. That is, even if the number of contexts obtained is too large, it is possible to select only valid contexts that are appropriately used for context-aware applications.

In addition, since the amount of context is reduced, the amount of traffic does not increase according to the increase in the amount of context as in the prior art, thereby eliminating waste of network resources.
The context filtering apparatus according to claim 2 of the present invention is the context filtering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selection unit holds a context of a pattern predetermined as the filtering condition, and the context pattern and the reception unit receive the pattern. The patterns of the plurality of types of contexts are compared, and when both of the patterns match either one of a predetermined number of matches or mismatches, the corresponding context is selected as the effective context. Yes.

  According to this configuration, even when the content of the detection information changes finely when the sensor performs severe sensing, it is possible to accurately select a valid context for the user from the context corresponding to the detection information. The conventional post-processing for correcting the error in order to accurately grasp the user's state is required, resulting in the complexity and large scale of the entire apparatus, resulting in an increase in apparatus manufacturing cost. Can be prevented.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the context filtering apparatus according to the first or second aspect, wherein the selecting means performs a meaning for providing a predetermined service to the mobile terminal by combining a plurality of types of contexts. Holding a condition, and selecting a context based on the filtering condition, meaning the plurality of types of selected contexts based on the matching condition, and making the meaningful information the effective context. It is a feature.

According to this configuration, even if one context has only a simple meaning by itself, a plurality of types of contexts are combined and given meaning as an effective context. It has meaningful information. For a user who provides a service corresponding to this information, the information has an appropriate meaning.
The context filtering device according to claim 4 of the present invention is a combination of a receiving means for receiving a plurality of types of contexts, which is created based on information detected by a sensor and is useful to a user, and a plurality of types of contexts. Based on a matching condition for giving meaning for providing a predetermined service to the terminal, the plurality of types of contexts received by the receiving means are given meaning, and the given information is selected as an effective context. It is characterized by comprising selection means and transmission means for transmitting the effective context selected by the selection means to an application apparatus that provides a context-based service to the mobile terminal.

  According to this configuration, even if one context has only a simple meaning by itself, a plurality of types of contexts are combined and given meaning as an effective context. It has meaningful information. For a user who provides a service corresponding to this information, the information has an appropriate meaning.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a context filtering method according to a first step of receiving a plurality of types of contexts that are created based on information detected by a sensor and are useful for a user, and for context selection in advance. A second step of comparing the determined filtering condition with a plurality of types of contexts received in the first step, and selecting a context that matches the filtering condition from the plurality of types of contexts; Based on the matching condition for making a meaning for providing a predetermined service to the mobile terminal by combining the kinds of contexts, the meanings of the plural kinds of contexts selected in the second step are given. A third step to make the information a valid context, and The application device for providing Ku services to a mobile station, is characterized in that it comprises a fourth step of transmitting a valid context selected in the third step.

  According to this method, even if the number of obtained contexts is too large, it is possible to select only effective contexts that are appropriately used for context-aware applications. In addition, since the amount of context is reduced, the amount of traffic does not increase according to the increase in the amount of context as in the prior art, thereby eliminating waste of network resources. In addition, even if one context has only a simple meaning in itself, it has a meaning appropriate for the application because it combines multiple types of contexts and makes them effective contexts. Information. For a user who provides a service corresponding to this information, the information has an appropriate meaning.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a context filtering program that includes a first process for receiving a plurality of types of contexts that are created based on information detected by a sensor and that is useful for a user. Therefore, a second process of comparing a filtering condition that is determined in advance with a plurality of types of contexts received in the first process and selecting a context that matches the filtering condition from the plurality of types of contexts And the meaning of the plurality of types of contexts selected in the second process based on a matching condition for providing meaning to provide a predetermined service to the mobile terminal by combining the plurality of types of contexts. A third process that makes the attached information a valid context, and the context The application device for providing brute service to a mobile station, is characterized in that to perform a fourth process of sending a valid context selected in the third processing.

  According to this program processing, even if there are too many contexts to be obtained, it is possible to select only effective contexts that are appropriately used for context-aware applications. In addition, since the amount of context is reduced, the amount of traffic does not increase according to the increase in the amount of context as in the prior art, thereby eliminating waste of network resources. In addition, even if one context has only a simple meaning in itself, it has a meaning appropriate for the application because it combines multiple types of contexts and makes them effective contexts. Information. For a user who provides a service corresponding to this information, the information has an appropriate meaning.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately use a context-aware application, provide a context having an appropriate meaning for the user, and eliminate waste of network resources. There is an effect that the manufacturing cost of the context providing device can be prevented from increasing.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a context-aware distribution system using a context filtering device according to an embodiment of the present invention. However, parts corresponding to each other in all the drawings in this specification are denoted by the same reference numerals.
The distribution system shown in FIG. 1 receives a sensor 101 for acquiring sensing data and sensing data transmitted from the sensor 101 via the relay station 100, and acquires a context created based on the sensing data. It is effective by receiving and acquiring a context from the context interpreter 102 to be transmitted and receiving the context from the context interpreter 102, and performing at least one of filtering and matching described later on the context according to preset conditions. A context filtering device 121 that creates a context and transmits this valid context, and receives and obtains a valid context from the context filtering device 121, and sends it to the client terminal 104 based on this valid context. It is configured to include an application server 103 that provides a-bis.

That is, the feature of this embodiment is that a context filtering device 121 is disposed between the context interpretation device 102 and the application server 103, and at least one of context filtering and matching is performed by this device 121. The point is that a valid context is obtained.
The context interpretation device 102 has a sensing data acquisition unit 105 that acquires sensing data from the sensor 101 via the relay station 100, and a registration in which various contexts are recorded and the relationship between these contexts and the sensing data is recorded. A DB (database) 107, a context creation unit 106 that creates a context by associating acquired sensing data with registration data of the registration DB 107, and a transmission unit 108 that sends the created context Has been.

The context filtering device 121 includes a context acquisition unit 122 that receives and acquires a context from the transmission unit 108, a condition DB 124 that records the context filtering conditions and matching conditions, and preset filtering conditions and matching conditions. An effective context selection unit 123 that performs context filtering and matching based on the output and outputs an effective context, and a transmission unit 125 that transmits an effective context are configured.
The application server 103 receives and acquires a valid context from the transmission unit 125, and an application unit that provides services such as instruction and content distribution to the client terminal 104 according to the acquired valid context 111.

Next, the operation of the distribution system having such a configuration will be described.
First, in the context interpretation device 102, a context corresponding to the sensing data obtained from the sensor 101 is created and transmitted to the context filtering device 121.
In the context filtering device 121, in the effective context selection unit 123, a pattern based on a plurality of contexts having the same meaning among a plurality of contexts acquired by the context acquisition unit 122 and a pattern based on filtering conditions set in advance in the condition DB 124. Are compared, filtering of the plurality of contexts acquired above is performed.

  As a result of this filtering, when the context pattern matches the filtering condition pattern, matching is performed next. This is because matching is performed based on a preset matching condition for a combination with a plurality of contexts having different meanings among the plurality of contexts acquired above, and an effective context corresponding to the matching condition is output. Is transmitted to the application server 103 by the transmission unit 125.

Note that the matching process may be performed when a predetermined number of context patterns do not match the filtering condition pattern. In this case, a context pattern unnecessary for the user may be set as a filtering condition.
In the application server 103, the application unit 111 provides a service for the client terminal 104 based on the valid context. In the client terminal 104, an operation according to the service is executed. In this way, a context-aware service can be realized.

Next, the context filtering process of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
First, the context interpreter 102 creates the contexts 202a to 202c by associating the sensing data 201a to 201c obtained from each sensor 101 with the registration data of the registration DB 107. Then, the context filtering device 121 generates valid contexts 203a and 203b based on the filtering condition and the matching condition.

A process of generating such effective contexts 203a and 203b will be described with reference to a sequence diagram shown in FIG.
In step S1, the sensing data 201a to 201c transmitted from the sensor 101 is associated with the registration data in the context interpretation device 102 in step S2, thereby creating the contexts 202a to 202c. The created context 202a To 202c are transmitted to the context filtering device 121 in step S3.

  In step S4, the context filtering device 121 performs filtering and matching of the contexts 202a to 202c, thereby obtaining valid contexts 203a and 203b, which are transmitted to the application server 103 in step S5. In the application server 504, a service based on the valid contexts 203a and 203b is performed.

Next, a specific context filtering process in the context filtering apparatus 121 will be described with reference to FIG.
The context filtering apparatus 121 compares the context pattern 400 that is sequentially input with the context patterns 401 to 403 according to preset filtering conditions, and extracts the context when both patterns match. . In the example of FIG. 4, since 404 matches 401 and 405 matches 402 in the input pattern 400, 404 and 405 are extracted as valid contexts.

As another filtering process, a context that is effective only when the context of the pattern that satisfies the filtering condition is input for the first time, or the context that is effective when the context of the pattern that satisfies the filtering condition is input a predetermined number of times or more. Can also be extracted.
Next, it is a block diagram which shows the structure of the household appliance control system for demonstrating concretely the context matching process by the context filtering apparatus of this Embodiment.

In a general house, a position sensor 101a for detecting the position of a person by detecting whether a person is present in the entrance, living room, bath, and bedroom, a door sensor 101b for detecting opening / closing of a door, and a lighting switch It is assumed that an illumination sensor 101c that detects on / off is arranged.
Assume that the context interpreter 102 obtains the contexts “position = entrance” and “door = open” from the position sensor 101a and the door sensor 101b, respectively. This context is filtered in the context filtering device 121 as described above, and then subjected to matching processing described below.

In the condition DB 124, a matching table 600 shown in FIG. 6 is stored in advance. This matching table 600 is a table for generating an effective context by a combination of a plurality of contexts. A combination of each of a context representing a position, a context representing lighting on / off, and a context representing door opening / closing. A valid context of ~ E is generated.
By matching the matching condition information in the matching table 600 with the above-mentioned contexts “position = entrance” and “door = open”, an effective context A is selected and transmitted to the application server 103.

As shown in FIG. 7, service information 701 to 705 for instructing what kind of service is performed is associated with the application section 111 of the application server 103, as shown in FIG.
Therefore, the application unit 111 detects that the valid context A received from the context filtering device 121 is associated with the service information 701. The service information 701 indicates that the entrance and the window are shut and the lighting is performed. A service for giving an instruction such as “turn off all” is provided to the appliance device 104a.

Various patterns of such context matching processing will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.
First, in the determination of the position indicated by the context in step S11, if “position = entrance”, it is determined in step S12 whether the context indicates “door = closed”, and if “door = closed”, As shown in step S13, a valid context A is output. If “door = open” in step S12, the context is not output as shown in step S14.

Further, in the determination of step S11, if “position = living room”, it is determined whether or not “door = open” is indicated in step S15, and if “door = open”, as shown in step S16. A valid context B is output. If “door = closed” in step S15, the context is not output as shown in step S17.
Further, in the determination in step S11, if “position = living room”, it is determined whether or not “illumination = off” is indicated in step S18. If “illumination = off”, it is determined in step S19. A valid context C is output. If “illumination = on” in step S18, the context is not output as shown in step S20.

If “position = bath” in the determination of step S11, it is determined whether or not “illumination = on” is indicated in step S21. If “illumination = on”, it is effective as shown in step S22. Context D is output. If “illumination = off” in step S21, the context is not output as shown in step S23.
If “position = bedroom” in the determination of step S11, it is determined whether or not “lighting = off” is indicated in step S24. If “lighting = off”, the determination is made as shown in step S25. A valid context E is output. If “illumination = on” in step S24, the context is not output as shown in step S26.

  The application unit 111 provides services to the appliance device 104a based on the valid contexts A to E output as described above. That is, when a valid context B is received, a “turn on TV” instruction service indicated by 702 is provided, when a context C is received, “turn off lighting” indicated by 703, and when context D is received, 704 In the case of receiving the context E, the service of “Turn off the entrance and windows and turn off the lights” is provided.

However, the correspondence relationship between the service information 701 to 705 for providing this service and a plurality of valid contexts A to E is held in the condition DB 124, which is used by the valid context selection unit 123 to correspond to the corresponding service information. 701 to 705 may be transmitted to the application server 103 via the transmission unit 125.
Further, either the filtering process or the matching process may be performed according to the number or type of reception contexts.

  According to the context-aware distribution system of the present embodiment as described above, the context filtering apparatus 121 receives a plurality of types of contexts created by the context interpretation apparatus 102 based on sensing data from the sensor 101. Then, the effective context selection unit 123 compares the filtering conditions predetermined for the context selection stored in the condition DB 124 with the plurality of types of contexts received in advance, and selects from the plurality of types of contexts. A context that matches the filtering condition is selected and transmitted from the transmission unit 125 to the application server 103. Accordingly, the application server 103 provides the client terminal 104 with a service based on the valid context.

  As a result, for example, detection information increases in accordance with the increase in the number of sensors, and even if the amount of context increases in accordance with this increase, a useful context (effective context) for the user of the client terminal 104 can be selected in advance. The selection can be made based on a predetermined filtering condition. That is, even if the number of contexts obtained is too large, it is possible to select only valid contexts that are appropriately used for context-aware applications.

In addition, since the amount of context is reduced, the amount of traffic does not increase according to the increase in the amount of context as in the prior art, thereby eliminating waste of network resources.
Also, the effective context selection unit 123 compares the context of a predetermined pattern held in the condition DB 124 as a filtering condition with a plurality of types of context patterns received by the receiving unit, and a predetermined number of both patterns are consecutive. When either the match or mismatch is found, this corresponding context is selected as a valid context.

  By selecting in this way, even when the sensor 101 performs severe sensing, even if the content of the detection information changes finely, a context that is effective for the user can be accurately selected from the context corresponding to the detection information. Therefore, it is necessary to perform post-processing that corrects errors in order to accurately grasp the user's condition as in the conventional case, resulting in an increase in complexity and scale of the entire device, resulting in device manufacturing costs. Can be prevented from becoming high.

  In addition, a matching condition for giving meaning for providing a predetermined service to a mobile terminal by combining a plurality of types of contexts is held in the condition DB 124, and the effective context selection unit 123 selects a context based on the above filtering condition. Thereafter, the plurality of types of selected contexts may be given meanings based on matching conditions, and the given information may be used as effective contexts. This matching process may be performed independently without performing the filtering process.

  As a result, even if one context itself has only a simple meaning, multiple contexts are combined to make it an effective context, so it has an appropriate meaning for the application. Information. It is possible to provide information having an appropriate meaning for a user who is provided with a service corresponding to this information.

Further, even if the computer creates a program that can execute the first to fourth processes described below and uses it in a server or the like, it is possible to obtain the same effect as described above.
In the first process, a plurality of types of contexts that are created based on detection information from the sensor 101 and are useful to the user are received.
In the second process, a filtering condition predetermined for context selection is compared with a plurality of types of contexts received in the first process, and a context that matches the filtering condition from the plurality of types of contexts. Select.

In the third process, a plurality of types of contexts selected in the second process are given meanings based on matching conditions for giving a meaning for providing a predetermined service to a mobile terminal by combining a plurality of types of contexts. This meaningful information is used as a valid context.
In the fourth process, the effective context selected in the third process is transmitted to an application apparatus that provides a service based on the context to the mobile terminal.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the context-aware delivery system using the context filtering apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the production | generation process of the effective context by the context filtering apparatus which concerns on the said embodiment. It is a sequence diagram for demonstrating the context production | generation process by the context filtering apparatus which concerns on the said embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating concretely the context filtering process by the context filtering apparatus which concerns on the said embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the household appliance control system for demonstrating concretely the context matching process by the context filtering apparatus which concerns on the said embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the matching table registered into condition DB of the context filtering apparatus in the said household appliance control system. It is a figure which shows the example of the provision service information corresponding to the effective context in the said household appliance control system. It is a flowchart for demonstrating operation | movement of the matching process of a context in the said household appliance control system. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the conventional context-aware delivery system. It is a figure for demonstrating the production | generation process of the conventional context.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Relay station 101 Sensor 102 Context interpretation apparatus 103 Application server 104 Client terminal 105 Sensing data acquisition part 106 Context creation part 107 Registration DB (database)
108, 125 Transmission unit 110, 121 Context filtering device 111 Application unit 122 Context acquisition unit 123 Effective context selection unit 124 Condition DB

Claims (6)

Receiving means for receiving a plurality of types of contexts, which are created based on information detected by the sensor and are useful to the user;
A selection that compares a filtering condition predetermined for context selection with a plurality of types of contexts received by the receiving unit, and selects an effective context that matches the filtering conditions from the plurality of types of contexts. Means,
A context filtering apparatus comprising: a transmission unit configured to transmit a valid context selected by the selection unit to an application device that provides a context-based service to a mobile terminal. The selection unit holds a context of a predetermined pattern as the filtering condition, compares the context pattern with a plurality of types of context patterns received by the receiving unit, and both patterns have a predetermined number of patterns. The context filtering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when either one of a match and a mismatch is consecutively selected, the corresponding context is selected as the valid context. The selection unit holds a matching condition for performing meaning for providing a predetermined service to a mobile terminal by combining a plurality of types of context, and after selecting the context based on the filtering condition, the selected plurality of types The context filtering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the context is defined based on the matching condition, and the meaningful information is used as the effective context. Receiving means for receiving a plurality of types of contexts, which are created based on information detected by the sensor and are useful to the user;
Based on a matching condition for providing meaning to provide a predetermined service to a mobile terminal by combining a plurality of types of contexts, the meanings of the plurality of types of contexts received by the receiving unit are performed, and the meanings are given. A selection means for selecting information as a valid context;
A context filtering apparatus comprising: a transmission unit configured to transmit a valid context selected by the selection unit to an application device that provides a context-based service to a mobile terminal. A first step of receiving a plurality of types of contexts that are created based on information detected by the sensor and are useful to the user;
First, a filtering condition predetermined for context selection is compared with a plurality of types of context received in the first step, and a context that matches the filtering condition is selected from the plurality of types of context. Two steps,
Based on the matching condition for giving meaning for providing a predetermined service to the mobile terminal by combining multiple types of contexts, the multiple types of contexts selected in the second step are given meaning. A third step with valid information as the valid context;
And a fourth step of transmitting the valid context selected in the third step to an application device that provides a context-based service to the mobile terminal. On the computer,
A first process for receiving a plurality of types of contexts that are created based on information detected by the sensor and are useful to the user;
A first filtering condition for selecting a context is compared with a plurality of types of contexts received in the first process, and a context that matches the filtering conditions is selected from the plurality of types of contexts. 2 processing,
Based on a matching condition for providing meaning to provide a predetermined service to a mobile terminal by combining a plurality of types of contexts, the plurality of types of contexts selected in the second process are defined and given this meaning. A third process in which the obtained information is a valid context;
A context filtering program that causes an application device that provides a context-based service to a mobile terminal to execute a fourth process of transmitting an effective context selected in the third process.

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