JP2005316886A - Weather information delivery system, server device therefor, and weather information delivery control program used in the server device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To deliver minute weather information for every region reflecting regional characteristics to a user without needing a new facility investment. <P>SOLUTION: The weather information of each region from general information provider terminals PC1-Cn and MS1-Sm optionally distributed in each region is collected by a weather information server SV, and stored in a weather information database 11 of an external storage device MEM. On receipt of a weather information acquisition request with a designated region from user terminals US-USk, the weather information server SV retrieves the weather information database 22, selects one piece of weather information with the latest observation time from the weather information of the region concerned, and transmits the selected weather information to the user terminals US1-USk that are request sources. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a weather information distribution system that selectively distributes weather information for each region in response to a user's distribution request, a server device thereof, and a weather information distribution control program used in the server device.

Conventionally, as a method of distributing weather information, a method of publishing weather information announced by the Japan Meteorological Agency or the like through broadcasting or communication media is generally used. In addition, measurement data is collected from a weather forecasting device distributed in multiple areas to a server via a communication line, and weather information is created on the server based on the collected measurement data and distributed to users. A system has also been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP2002-342502

  However, both the weather information announced by the Japan Meteorological Agency and the weather information created by the system described in Patent Document 1 above are created based on the measurement data of observation devices fixedly installed at predetermined points. Is done. For this reason, it is generally difficult to deliver detailed weather information for each region. In addition, in order to distribute detailed weather information for each region, it is necessary to disperse a large number of observation devices, and enormous capital investment is indispensable. Furthermore, because weather information is created depending on the measurement data of the observation device, the locality of the weather change and human feeling that cannot be predicted from the measurement data are not reflected in the weather information, and the weather information that the user wants to know There is a problem that it is not.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above circumstances, and the purpose of this invention is to provide users with detailed and regional weather information reflecting regional characteristics without requiring new capital investment. An object is to provide a meteorological information distribution system and its server device that can be distributed, and a weather information distribution control program used in this server device.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a communication network that, in a plurality of information provider terminals that are arbitrarily scattered in a plurality of areas, inputs weather information related to the area that is input by an unspecified information provider using the terminal. And the collected weather information is stored in the first storage means in association with the location information of the area where the station is located. In this state, when a weather information distribution request is sent from the user terminal, the local weather information corresponding to the identification information of the desired distribution area sent together with the distribution request is selectively stored from the first storage means. And the read weather information is distributed to the requesting user terminal via the communication network.

  Therefore, according to the present invention, regional weather information sent from an unspecified number of general information providers arbitrarily scattered in a plurality of regions is distributed to the user. For this reason, it becomes possible to distribute detailed weather information by region without distributing a large number of observation devices or weather forecasters in each region, that is, without requiring large facility costs and operation costs. . In addition, it is possible to distribute weather information that reflects the regional characteristics of people and the senses of people, thereby enabling users to obtain additional information on weather that is difficult to predict from the measurement data of the observation device. Is possible.

The present invention is also characterized by having the following specific configuration.
In the weather information server device, the first configuration stores the weather information sent from each information provider terminal together with the information indicating the observation time in the first storage means, and the desired delivery area sent from the user terminal When a plurality of regional weather information corresponding to the identification information is stored in the first storage means, the plurality of weather information is selectively read out based on the observation time and distributed.

  For example, one or a plurality of information determined in advance from the latest observation time is selected and distributed from a plurality of weather information regarding the same area. At that time, it is also possible to exclude weather information for which a predetermined time or more has elapsed from the observation time from the selection target, and it is also possible to add the observation time to the distribution target weather information. With such a configuration, the user can acquire new reliable weather information at the observation time.

According to the second configuration, in the weather information server device, the communication address of each information provider terminal is stored in the second storage unit, and information requesting communication between the user terminal and the information provider terminal is stored. When it is sent, the corresponding communication address is read from the second storage means, and between the requesting user terminal and the communication partner information provider terminal based on the read communication address. Communication.
By configuring in this way, the user can communicate with the information provider via the weather information server device, and thereby, for example, more detailed weather information about the distribution target area can be provided to the information provider. It can be obtained directly from itself.

  In the third configuration, an evaluation point input unit and a transmission unit for the distributed weather information are provided in the user terminal, and the evaluation point input by the user is sent to the weather information server device. The weather information server device creates evaluation information for each information provider based on the evaluation points sent from the user terminal, and associates the created evaluation information with the personal identification information of the information provider. 3 is stored in the storage means. With this configuration, it is possible to determine the reliability of each information provider based on the evaluation information and to perform various additional service processes.

  For example, the weather information server device is provided with means for publishing the evaluation information stored in the third storage means on the Web or the like, and the user is an information provider based on the published evaluation information in the user terminal. A means is provided for designating and transmitting. In the weather information server device, when the information provider designation information is sent from the user terminal, the weather information of the corresponding information provider is selected and distributed based on the designation information. If comprised in this way, when it is going to receive the delivery of weather information, a user can designate an information provider with high evaluation in the area.

  Further, based on the evaluation information stored in the third storage means, a profit return process for the corresponding information provider is performed. For example, the total value of the evaluation points is calculated, and a product or service corresponding to the calculated total value of the evaluation points is presented to the information provider, or the communication fee of the information provider is set according to the total value of the evaluation points. discount. By performing such service processing, it is possible to further increase the willingness to provide weather information by the information provider and to improve the reliability of the weather information provided.

  In the fourth configuration, the weather information server device is provided with means for storing the advertisement information, and when the weather information is distributed to the user terminal, the stored advertisement information is added to the weather information. is there. With this configuration, it becomes possible to use weather information as an advertising medium, and as a result, it is possible to cover part or all of the system operating costs with advertising fees.

In short, according to the present invention, meteorological information related to a region that is input by an unspecified information provider from a plurality of information provider terminals arbitrarily scattered in a plurality of regions is collected and stored by a weather information server device via a communication network. To do. And according to the delivery request | requirement from a user terminal, the weather information of an applicable area is selectively read, and this read-out weather information is delivered to a user terminal of a request origin via a communication network. .
Therefore, according to the present invention, a weather information distribution system and its server device that can distribute to each user detailed and regional weather information reflecting regional characteristics without requiring new capital investment. And a weather information distribution control program used in this server device can be provided.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a first embodiment of a meteorological information distribution system according to the present invention. The communication system of this embodiment includes a weather information server SV and an external storage device MEM provided attached to the weather information server SV. Then, a plurality of information provider terminals used by unspecified general information providers arbitrarily scattered in each region and a plurality of user terminals US1 to USk used by users who wish to distribute weather information are communicated. It is possible to connect to the weather information server SV via the network NW.

  As information provider terminals, for example, fixed information terminals PC1 to PCn such as personal computers fixedly installed in homes and offices, mobile phones and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) carried by information providers, etc. Communication terminals MS1 to MSm are used, and all have an access function to the IP network. As for the user terminals US1 to USk, similarly to the information provider terminal, a fixed terminal or a mobile communication terminal having a function of accessing the IP network is used.

  The communication network NW includes an IP (Internet Protocol) network and a plurality of access networks for accessing the IP network. Examples of the access network include a fixed network NW1, a wireless LAN network NW2, a PHS (Personal Handyphone System) (registered trademark) network NW3, a PDC (Personal Digital Cellular) network, and an IMT2000. A mobile communication network such as the (International Mobile Telecommunication 2000) network is assumed.

By the way, the weather information server SV is configured as follows. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration.
That is, the weather information server SV includes a central processing unit (CPU) 11. A program memory 13 and a data memory 14 are connected to the CPU 11 via a bus 12, and a communication interface 15, an external storage interface 16, and an input / output interface 16 are connected to the CPU 11.

  A communication interface (communication I / F) 15 is controlled between the fixed information terminals PC1 to PCn and the mobile communication terminals MS1 to MSm and the user terminals US1 to USk as the information provider terminals under the control of the CPU 11. Communication is performed according to a communication protocol defined by the communication network NW. For example, TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol) is used as the communication protocol.

  The external storage interface 16 writes and reads weather information and the like to and from the external storage device MEM under the control of the CPU 11. The external storage device MEM uses, for example, a hard disk as a storage medium, and includes a personal information database 21 and a weather information database 22 as shown in FIG. The personal information database 21 stores personal information of the information provider, a cumulative value of evaluation points, and the like. The weather information database 22 stores the weather information provided by the information provider in association with information representing the area, together with the information provider ID, terminal attributes, weather information input time, and average evaluation point.

  An input unit 18 such as a keyboard and a display unit 19 including a liquid crystal display (LCD) are connected to the input / output interface (input I / F) 17. The input / output I / F 17 detects the operation of the input unit 18 and captures the operation information as input data. Further, the display data read from the data memory is displayed on the display unit 19 in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 11.

The program memory 13 stores an information provider registration control program 13a, a weather information reception / storage control program 13b, a weather information retrieval / transmission control program 13c, an evaluation point management program 13d, and a profit return control program 13e. .
The information provider registration control program 13a transmits a personal information input form to the terminals PC1 to PCn and MS1 to MSm of the information provider who desires to provide weather information, and the personal information input by the information provider according to this input form. Are received from the information provider terminals PC1 to PCn and MS1 to MSm. The received personal information is stored in the personal information database 21 of the external storage device MEM.

  The personal information includes information provider identification information (information provider ID) and information indicating the area where the information provider terminals PC1 to PCn and MS1 to MSm are installed. In addition, when the information provider terminal is the mobile communication terminals MS1 to MSm, information representing an area where the terminal mainly exists is used. In addition, as the information representing the area, the area name such as the municipality name inputted by the information provider may be used as it is, but the information provider terminals PC1 to PCn, MS1 using GPS (Global Positioning System) or the like. The position information (latitude and longitude information) of MSm may be acquired, and the region name may be specified based on the acquired position information and map data.

  The meteorological information reception storage control program 13b receives the meteorological information by the communication interface 15 when the meteorological information is sent from the information provider terminals PC1 to PCn and MS1 to MSm in which the personal information is registered. The weather information is stored in the weather information database 22 of the external storage device MEM together with the information provider ID, the information indicating the area, and the observation time (meteorological information input time).

  The meteorological information search / transmission control program 13c accesses the weather information database 22 of the external storage device MEM when a request for obtaining meteorological information from the user terminals US1 to USk arrives together with information indicating the desired acquisition area, and requests the acquisition Reads the latest observation time among the weather information applicable to the region. Then, the read weather information is transmitted from the communication interface 15 to the requesting user terminals US1 to USk together with the area name, observation time, and information provider ID.

  The evaluation point management program 13d stores a cumulative value and an average value of evaluation points in the personal information database 21 in association with the information provider ID. When the evaluation points for the distributed weather information are returned from the weather information distribution destination user terminals US1 to USk, the corresponding information provision stored in the personal information database 21 for the returned evaluation points is provided. Is added to the cumulative value of the evaluation points. At the same time, an average value of the evaluation points reflecting the returned evaluation points is calculated, and the calculated average value is stored in association with the information provider ID corresponding to the weather information database 22.

The profit return control program 13e reads the total of evaluation points of each information provider from the personal information database 21 periodically (for example, every month), and executes profit return processing according to the total value of the evaluation points. The form of profit return processing includes a process of discounting the communication charge of the information provider according to the accumulated value of the evaluation points, and a present exchange process for providing products or services according to the accumulated evaluation points to the information provider. is there.
The data memory 14 uses, for example, a RAM as a storage medium, and is used for temporarily storing input data, display data, and transmission / reception data.

Next, the operation of the weather information distribution system configured as described above will be described according to the control procedure of the weather information server SV. 4 to 9 are flowcharts showing the control procedure and control contents, and FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing the operation procedure of the system.
In the standby state, the meteorological information server SV, in the main routine shown in FIG. 4, receives a personal information registration request, a meteorological information provision request, a meteorological condition in steps 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d and 4e, respectively. It monitors the arrival of information distribution requests, the arrival of evaluation points, and the arrival of service processing timing.

(1) Information provider registration control (personal information registration control)
In the standby state, when a personal information registration request arrives from an information provider terminal (for example, PC1) that wishes to provide weather information, the weather information server SV executes personal information registration control as follows. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the control procedure and control contents.

  That is, in response to the arrival of the registration request, the weather information server SV first transmits a personal information input form to the requesting information provider terminal PC1. In the information provider terminal PC1, the information provider inputs personal information, information indicating the terminal attributes, and information indicating the name of the area where the terminal is located in accordance with the input form. The inputted information is transmitted from the information provider terminal PC1 to the weather information server SV as shown in S1-3 of FIG.

  The weather information server SV first determines whether the registration is a new registration or a registration change in step 5a. If it is a new registration, the process proceeds to step 5b. In step 5b, the personal information, the information indicating the terminal attribute, and the information indicating the area name are received, and the received information is transferred to the external storage device MEM via the external storage interface 16 in step 5d. It is stored in the personal information database 21.

On the other hand, in the case of registration change, the process proceeds to step 5c to receive change information, and the corresponding information in the personal information database 21 is changed in step 5d according to the received change information. By providing this registration change processing procedure, the registration information in the personal information database 21 can be easily corrected even when the area where the information provider terminal is mobile communication terminals MS1 to MSm changes, for example.
The personal information registration process from the other information provider terminals PC2 to PCn and MS1 to MSm is performed in the same manner.

(2) Weather information reception and storage control
Now, for example, in the information provider terminal PCn, it is assumed that the information provider inputs weather information related to the region where the information provider exists by key operation or the like, and transmits the input weather information. The weather information is transmitted to the weather information server SV via the communication network NW as shown in S2-2 of FIG.

  When the meteorological information server SV detects a meteorological information providing request from the information providing terminal PCn, the meteorological information receiving and storing control is executed as follows. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the control procedure and control contents. That is, first, in step 6a, it is determined based on the personal information stored in the personal information database 21 whether or not the requesting information provider has been registered. As a result, if not registered, the process proceeds to the personal information registration control described above.

  On the other hand, if registered, the process goes to step 6b to receive the weather information through the communication interface 15, and the received weather information is stored in the weather information database 22 of the external storage device MEM in step 6c. At this time, the reception time of the weather information is the observation time, and the personal information ID, terminal attribute, area name, and evaluation point of the corresponding information provider are read from the personal information database 21. And stored in the weather information database 22.

  After that, every time new weather information is sent from the information provider terminals PC1 to PCn and MS1 to MSm, the weather information is transmitted together with the information provider's personal information ID, terminal attribute, area name, evaluation point and observation time. And stored in the weather information database 22 of the external storage device MEM. FIG. 11 shows an example of the stored data.

  When the information provider terminal is the mobile communication terminal MS1 to MSm and has a GPS reception function, the mobile communication terminals MS1 to MSm transmit the location information of the own terminal together with the weather information. Then, in the weather information server SV, the area name where the provider mobile communication terminal exists is specified based on the received location information and the map data stored in advance, and the area name is received. It is also possible to store in the weather information database 22 together with the weather information. In this case, it is preferable to update the information indicating the area where the corresponding information provider is stored stored in the personal information database 21 at the same time.

(3) Weather information retrieval and transmission control
For example, it is assumed that the user terminal US1 transmits a weather information acquisition request in order to acquire weather information of a desired area. This weather information acquisition request is transmitted to the weather information server SV via the communication network NW, as indicated by S-3 in FIG.

When the meteorological information acquisition request arrives, the meteorological information server SV subsequently executes meteorological information search and transmission control as follows. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the control procedure and control contents.
That is, the weather information server SV first receives a region ID representing the name of the region that the user desires to acquire in step 7a, and stores the weather information database 22 in step 7b based on the received region ID in FIG. Search like 4. Then, based on the search result, it is determined in step 7c whether or not there is a plurality of weather information in the corresponding area.

  As a result of the determination, if there are a plurality of meteorological information in the corresponding area, the process proceeds to step 7d where the plurality of meteorological information are read out together with the observation time as shown in S-5 in FIG. To select the weather information with the latest observation time. Then, in step 7f, the selected weather information is sent from the communication interface 15 to the requesting user terminal US1 together with information indicating the area and information indicating the observation time, as shown in S-6 of FIG. Send.

  For example, it is assumed that the weather information shown in FIG. 11 is stored in the weather information database 22 and the user designates “A city” as the desired distribution area in this state. In this case, the weather information server SV selects D-A3 having the latest observation time from among the three weather information D-A1, D-A2, and D-A3 related to “A city”. Then, the selected weather information D-A1 is transmitted to the requesting user terminal.

  In addition, when the weather information is transmitted, the weather information server SV issues a unique provision number whose number is updated every transmission. Then, the provided provision number is attached to the weather information and transmitted to the user terminal. Further, in step 7g, the weather information server SV associates the issued unique provision number with the information provider ID of the selected weather information, and the personal information database as shown in S-7 of FIG. 21. The provision number is used for evaluation point addition processing.

  On the other hand, as a result of the determination, if there is only one weather information in the corresponding area, the weather information server SV reads the weather information in step 7e. Then, the read weather information is transmitted to the requesting user terminal US1 as it is together with information indicating the area, information indicating the observation time, and the unique provision number.

  Thereafter, each time a request for obtaining weather information is received from the user terminals US1 to USk, one of the latest observation times is selected from the weather information of the desired area, and the selected weather information is selected for that area. Together with information indicating the observation time, information indicating the observation time, and a unique provision number, are distributed to the requesting user terminals US1 to USk.

(4) Management of evaluation points
When the weather information is distributed, the distributed weather information is displayed on the display unit at the user terminals US1 to USk. The user judges the accuracy or effectiveness of the displayed weather information and inputs an evaluation point. Information representing this evaluation point is returned from the user terminals US1 to USk to the weather information server SV together with the provision number added to the weather information.

The meteorological information server SV executes evaluation point management processing as follows when an evaluation point reply request arrives from the user terminals US1 to USk. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the control procedure and control contents.
That is, when the weather information server SV receives the information representing the evaluation point and the provision number in step 8a, the weather information server SV searches the personal information database 21 on the basis of the received provision number in step 8b. The presence / absence is determined in step 8c. As a result of this determination, if there is a corresponding information provider, the newly received evaluation point is added to the accumulated value of the evaluation points stored in association with the information provider in step 8d. Then, the newly accumulated value calculated in this way is stored in the personal information database 21. If the corresponding information provider is not found, the process ends without calculating the evaluation points.

  The weather information server SV recalculates the average value of the evaluation points based on the new cumulative value. Then, the average evaluation point of the corresponding information provider in the weather information database 22 is rewritten to the average value recalculated. This average evaluation point can be used as an index for judging the reliability of the weather information distributed by the user, for example, by attaching it to the weather information and transmitting it to the user terminals US1 to USk.

(5) Profit return control
The weather information server SV monitors the service processing timing in the CPU 11. For example, on the first day of every month, profit return processing is executed as follows. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the control procedure and control contents.
That is, on the first day of every month, the weather information server SV reads the cumulative value of evaluation points for each information provider from the personal information database 21 in step 9a. In step 9b, the form of profit return processing designated by the information provider in advance, that is, the service type is determined. Service types include discounts on communication charges and gift exchange.

  When the information provider designates present exchange, the weather information server SV moves to step 9c and sends notification information that the present exchange is possible to the corresponding information provider terminal by e-mail, for example. To do. On the other hand, when the information provider accesses a predetermined Web page of the weather information server SV, a list of products or services that can be exchanged with the accumulated value of the evaluation points is sent from the weather information server SV to the information provider terminal. Then, when the information provider performs an operation for present exchange, the process proceeds from step 9d to step 9e, and present exchange acceptance processing is performed.

  On the other hand, when the information provider designates the discount processing of the communication fee, the weather information server SV moves to step 9f and corresponds to the accumulated value of the evaluation points from the billing data of the corresponding information provider. Execute processing to discount the charge. The billing data after the discount processing is reflected when an invoice is created.

  As described above, in the first embodiment, the weather information server SV collects the weather information of each area from the general information provider terminals PC1 to PCn and MS1 to MSm arbitrarily scattered in each area, and the external storage device. It memorize | stores in the weather information database 22 of MEM. When a weather information acquisition request designating a region is received from the user terminals US1 to USk, the weather information database 22 is searched and one of the weather information with the latest observation time is selected from the weather information of the corresponding region. The selected weather information is transmitted to the requesting user terminals US1 to USk.

  Therefore, it is possible to collect and distribute detailed weather information for each region to users without distributing a large number of observation devices and weather forecasters in each region. For this reason, a large-scale installation cost and operation cost can be made unnecessary. In addition, the weather information is not limited to those estimated from the observation data, but can include information reflecting the regional characteristics of weather changes and human senses provided by general information providers. For this reason, the user can acquire highly value-added information that is rich in regional characteristics as compared with weather information published by the Japan Meteorological Agency and the like.

In the first embodiment, the information provider is pre-registered, the user inputs evaluation points for the provided weather information, and the accumulated value is calculated by the weather information server SV. Then, based on the accumulated value of the evaluation points, the information provider can be discounted for communication charges and exchanged with products or services. For this reason, the reliability of weather information can be kept high, and the information provider's willingness to provide information can be promoted.
Furthermore, by calculating the average value of the evaluation points for each information provider and distributing the calculated average evaluation points attached to the weather information, the user can distribute the weather based on the average evaluation points. It becomes possible to judge the reliability of information.

(Second Embodiment)
According to the second embodiment of the present invention, in the weather information retrieval and transmission control, the weather information corresponding to the area designated by the user is read out, and the read-out multiple pieces of weather information are arranged in date order to use the request source. Distributed to the user terminal.
FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a weather information search transmission control procedure and its contents by the weather information server SV according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The configuration of the system and the weather information server SV is the same as that of the first embodiment, and will be described with reference to FIGS.

  When the weather information server SV receives a weather information acquisition request from the user terminals US1 to USk, the weather information server SV receives information (region ID) indicating the desired region that arrives together with the acquisition request in step 12a, and receives the received region ID. The weather information database 22 is searched based on step 12b. In step 12c, the meteorological information corresponding to the desired area is read out in order of observation time, and the read out meteorological information is transmitted to the requesting user terminals US1 to USk in step 12d. At this time, information indicating the area and information indicating the observation time are added to the weather information. It is also possible to add an information provider ID.

  For example, when the information shown in FIG. 11 is stored in the weather information database 22 and “B town” is designated as the desired area from the user terminals US1 to USk in this state, the weather information D-B1 , D-B2 is read out and distributed to the requesting user terminals US1 to USk. Similarly, when “C village” is designated as the desired area from the user terminals US1 to USk, the weather information D-C1, D-C2, and D-C3 are read out, and the requesting user terminal Delivered to US1-USk.

  In addition, when the weather information is transmitted, the weather information server SV issues a unique provision number whose number is updated every transmission. Then, the provided provision number is attached to the weather information and transmitted to the user terminals US1 to USk. Further, in step 12e, the weather information server SV stores the issued unique provision number in the personal information database 21 in association with the information provider ID of the selected weather information. The provision number is used for the evaluation point addition process.

As described above, in the second embodiment, in response to a weather information acquisition request from a user, all the weather information corresponding to the desired area is read and distributed. For this reason, the user can predict the weather information of the area by himself / herself by arbitrarily combining the plurality of distributed weather information.
Also in this embodiment, it is possible to execute evaluation point management and profit return processing according to the evaluation points, as in the first embodiment.

(Third embodiment)
In the third embodiment of the present invention, when a user terminal transmits a weather information acquisition request, an information provider ID is specified, and the weather information server SV specifies the information provider specified above from the weather information database 22. The weather information is selectively read out and distributed.
FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the weather information search transmission control procedure and its contents by the weather information server SV according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The configuration of the system and the weather information server SV is the same as that of the first embodiment, and will be described here with reference to FIGS.

  The weather information server SV, for example, publishes average evaluation points of each information provider stored in the personal information database 21 on a Web page. The user can judge the reliability of each information provider by browsing the average evaluation points published on the Web page. Then, when requesting the distribution of weather information, the desired information provider ID is input in the user terminals US1 to USk, and the input information provider ID is added to the weather information acquisition request together with the area ID. Transmit to the information server SV.

  When the weather information server SV receives a weather information acquisition request from the user terminals US1 to USk, the weather information server SV receives the area ID and the information provider ID added to the acquisition request in step 13a. In step 13b, it is determined whether or not the information provider is designated. If the information provider is not designated as a result of this determination, the weather information server SV proceeds to step 7b shown in FIG.

  In contrast, it is assumed that an information provider ID is added to the weather information acquisition request. In this case, the weather information server SV determines that an information provider has been designated, and proceeds to step 13c to search the weather information database 22 based on the received area ID and information provider ID. . And the presence or absence of applicable weather information is determined by step 13d. If the meteorological information is found as a result of this determination, the meteorological information is read out from the meteorological information database 22 in step 13e, and the read out meteorological information is transmitted to the requesting user terminals US1 to USk in step 13f. . Also in this case, as in the first and second embodiments, information indicating the area and information indicating the observation time are added to the weather information. It is of course possible to add an information provider ID.

  In addition, when the weather information is transmitted, the weather information server SV issues a unique provision number whose number is updated every transmission. Then, the provided provision number is attached to the weather information and transmitted to the user terminals US1 to USk. Further, in step 13g, the weather information server SV stores the issued unique provision number in the personal information database 21 in association with the information provider ID of the selected weather information. The provision number is used for the evaluation point addition process.

  On the other hand, it is assumed that the corresponding weather information is not found as a result of the determination of the presence or absence of the corresponding information in step 13d. In this case, the weather information server SV shifts to step 13h to generate a “not applicable message” here, and transmits the generated message to the requesting user terminals US1 to USk.

  As described above, in the third embodiment, the average evaluation point of each information provider is published on the web page in the weather information server SV, and the user inputs the desired information provider at the user terminals US1 to USk. Then, it is transmitted to the weather information server SV. The weather information server SV selectively reads out the weather information of the designated information provider from the weather information database 22 and distributes it. Accordingly, the user can arbitrarily designate an information provider with a high evaluation by browsing the published web page, thereby acquiring weather information provided by the information provider with a high evaluation. Is possible.

(Other embodiments)
In the weather information server SV, the communication addresses of the information provider terminals PC1 to PCn and MS1 to MSm are stored in the personal information database 21. And when the information which requests | requires communication between information provider terminal PC1-PCn, MS1-MSm is sent from user terminal US1-USk, a corresponding communication address is read from the said personal information database 21, and this Based on the read communication address, a communication link may be formed between the requesting user terminals US1 to USk and the communication partner information provider terminals PC1 to PCn and MS1 to MSm. .

  If comprised in this way, it will become possible for a user to communicate directly with an information provider via the meteorological information server SV, and thereby, for example, more detailed weather information about the distribution target area, and more information from the ear. Such additional information can be directly acquired from the information provider itself.

  In the first embodiment, information representing the area where the information provider terminals PC1 to PCn and MS1 to MSm exist is registered in advance at the time of personal information registration. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and each time the weather information is provided, the latest area ID may be transmitted from the information provider terminals PC1 to PCn and MS1 to MSm to the weather information server SV. In this case, the area ID may be input by the user himself / herself through key operation, or the position information of the terminal may be detected using a GPS reception function or a position detection function provided in the mobile communication system.

  Further, as the observation time acquisition means, the observation time is added to the weather information, transmitted from the information provider terminals PC1 to PCn, MS1 to MSm to the weather information server SV, and stored in the weather information database 22 as it is, A weather information server SV may generate a weather information reception time as an observation time, add the generated observation time to the received weather information and store it in the weather information database 22.

  Further, an advertisement database is provided in the external storage device MEM, and when the weather information server SV distributes the weather information, the advertisement information is selectively read out from the advertisement database, and the read advertisement information is added to the weather information. You may make it deliver to a user terminal. If it does in this way, it becomes possible to use weather information as an advertising medium, and as a result, it becomes possible to cover a part or all of the operation cost of a system with an advertising fee.

  In addition, the configuration of the system and the weather information server device, the types of information providing terminals and user terminals, the information provider registration control by the weather information server device, the weather information reception storage control, the weather information search transmission control, the evaluation point management control and the profit The procedure and contents of the reduction control can be variously modified and implemented without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  In short, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments as they are, and can be embodied by modifying the components without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. Moreover, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the above embodiments. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, you may combine suitably the component covering different embodiment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The schematic block diagram which shows 1st Embodiment of the weather information delivery system concerning this invention. The block diagram which shows the function structure of the weather information server used with the system shown in FIG. The block diagram which shows the structure of the external storage device attached to the weather information server used with the system shown in FIG. The flowchart which shows the procedure and content of the main control by the weather information server shown in FIG. The flowchart which shows the procedure and content of information provider registration control by the weather information server shown in FIG. The flowchart which shows the procedure and content of the weather information reception storage control by the weather information server shown in FIG. The flowchart which shows the procedure and content of the weather information search transmission control by the weather information server shown in FIG. The flowchart which shows the procedure and content of evaluation point management by the weather information server shown in FIG. The flowchart which shows the procedure and content of profit return control by the weather information server shown in FIG. The sequence diagram which shows the operation | movement procedure of the system shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the information memorize | stored in the weather information database of the external storage device shown in FIG. The flowchart which shows the procedure of the weather information search transmission control by the weather information server concerning 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and the content. The flowchart which shows the procedure and content of the weather information search transmission control by the weather information server concerning 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  SV ... Weather information server, MEM ... External storage, PC1-PCn ... Fixed terminal used by information provider, MS1-MSm ... Mobile terminal used by information provider, US1-USk ... User terminal, NW ... Communication network 11 ... CPU, 12 ... bus, 13 ... program memory, 13a ... information provider control program, 13b ... meteorological information reception / storage control program, 13c ... weather information retrieval / transmission control program, 13d ... evaluation point management program, 13e ... profit Reduction control program, 14 ... data memory, 15 ... communication interface, 16 ... external storage interface, 17 ... input / output interface, 18 ... input unit, 19 ... display unit, 21 ... personal information database, 22 ... weather information database.

Claims (20)

Multiple information provider terminals that are randomly scattered in multiple regions and used by unspecified information providers,
A user terminal used by users who wish to obtain weather information;
A weather information server device connectable to the plurality of information provider terminals and user terminals via a communication network;
Each of the plurality of information provider terminals is
Means for the weather information provider to input weather information about the area in which the information provider exists;
Means for transmitting the input weather information to the weather information server device,
The user terminal is
Means for a user to input a distribution request of weather information and identification information of a desired distribution area;
Means for transmitting the input distribution request and identification information of a desired distribution area to the weather information server device;
The weather information server device
Means for receiving weather information transmitted from the information provider terminal;
A meteorological information storage unit that stores the received weather information in a first storage unit in association with location information of an area where the information provider terminal that transmitted the weather information exists;
Means for receiving a distribution request transmitted from the user terminal and identification information of a desired distribution area;
In response to the received distribution request, meteorological information search means for selectively reading out regional weather information corresponding to the identification information of the desired distribution area received together with the distribution request from the first storage means;
Means for delivering the read weather information to a requesting user terminal. The weather information storage means stores the received weather information in the first storage means in association with the location information of the area where the information provider terminal that transmitted the weather information is present together with information indicating the observation time. Remember,
The weather information search means, when a plurality of area weather information corresponding to the received identification information of the desired distribution area is stored in the first storage means, the plurality of weather information at the observation time The weather information distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the information is selectively read based on the weather information distribution system. The user terminal is
Means for transmitting a communication request with the information provider terminal to the weather information server device;
The weather information server device
Means for storing communication addresses of the plurality of information provider terminals in a second storage means;
When a communication request is sent from the user terminal to the information provider terminal, the corresponding communication address is read from the second storage means, and the request source is read based on the read communication address. The weather information distribution system according to claim 1, further comprising means for enabling communication between the user terminal and the information provider terminal of the communication partner. Each of the plurality of information provider terminals is
Means for transmitting personal identification information of the information provider to the weather information server device;
The user terminal is
Means for a user to input an evaluation point for weather information distributed from the weather information server device;
Means for transmitting the inputted evaluation points to the weather information server device,
The weather information server device
Means for receiving personal identification information of the information provider transmitted from the information provider terminal;
Means for storing the received personal identification information of the information provider in a third storage means;
Means for receiving an evaluation point transmitted from the user terminal;
Means for creating evaluation information for each information provider based on the received evaluation points, and storing the created evaluation information in the third storage means in association with the personal identification information of the information provider; The weather information distribution system according to claim 1, further comprising: The user terminal is
Means for designating and inputting information providers;
Means for transmitting to the meteorological information server device information representing the designated and input information provider upon transmission of the distribution request;
The weather information server device
Means for publishing evaluation information stored in the third storage means for the user to input information provider information;
And means for selecting the weather information of the corresponding information provider based on the information when the information representing the information provider designated and input is sent from the user terminal. The weather information distribution system according to claim 4. The weather information server device
5. The meteorological information distribution system according to claim 4, further comprising means for performing profit return processing for a corresponding information provider based on the created evaluation information. The weather information server device
Means for storing advertising information;
The weather information distribution system according to claim 1, further comprising means for adding the stored advertisement information to the weather information distributed to the user terminal. Can be connected via a communication network to multiple information provider terminals used by unspecified information providers scattered in multiple regions and user terminals used by users who wish to obtain weather information A weather information server device,
Means for receiving weather information about the arbitrary area transmitted from the information provider terminal;
A meteorological information storage unit that stores the received weather information in a first storage unit in association with location information of an area where the information provider terminal that transmitted the weather information exists;
Means for receiving a request for distribution of weather information and identification information of a desired distribution area transmitted from the user terminal;
In response to the received distribution request, meteorological information search means for selectively reading out regional weather information corresponding to the identification information of the desired distribution area received together with the distribution request from the first storage means;
Means for delivering the read weather information to a requesting user terminal; and a weather information server device. The weather information storage means stores the received weather information in the first storage means in association with the location information of the area where the information provider terminal that transmitted the weather information is present together with information indicating the observation time. Remember,
The weather information search means, when a plurality of area weather information corresponding to the received identification information of the desired distribution area is stored in the first storage means, the plurality of weather information at the observation time 9. The weather information server apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the information is selectively read based on the weather information server apparatus. When the user terminal includes means for transmitting a communication request with the information provider terminal,
Means for storing communication addresses of the plurality of information provider terminals in a second storage means;
When a communication request is sent from the user terminal to the information provider terminal, the corresponding communication address is read from the second storage means, and the request source is read based on the read communication address. 9. The weather information server apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising means for enabling communication between the user terminal and the information provider terminal of the communication partner. When the user terminal includes a means for returning an evaluation point input by the user with respect to the distributed weather information,
Means for storing personal identification information of an information provider who uses the information provider terminal in a third storage means;
Means for receiving an evaluation point returned from the user terminal;
Means for creating evaluation information for each information provider based on the received evaluation points, and storing the created evaluation information in the third storage means in association with the personal identification information of the information provider; The weather information server device according to claim 8, further comprising: In the case where the user terminal is provided with means for transmitting information representing the information provider designated and input by the user together with the distribution request,
Means for publishing evaluation information stored in the third storage means for the user to input information provider information;
The apparatus further comprises means for selecting weather information of a corresponding information provider based on the information when the information representing the information provider is sent from the user terminal. 11. The weather information server device according to 11.   12. The weather information server apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising means for performing profit return processing for a corresponding information provider based on the created evaluation information. Means for storing advertising information;
The weather information server apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising means for adding the stored advertisement information to the weather information distributed to the user terminal. It is connected via a communication network to a plurality of information provider terminals that are arbitrarily scattered in a plurality of regions and used by unspecified information providers, and a user terminal used by a user who desires to acquire weather information, A weather information distribution control program used in a server device that performs distribution processing of weather information using a computer,
A process of receiving weather information about the arbitrary area transmitted from the information provider terminal together with position information representing the area;
A process of storing the received weather information and location information representing the area in a first storage means;
A process of receiving a weather information distribution request and a distribution area identification information transmitted from the user terminal;
In accordance with the received distribution request, a process of selectively reading out the weather information of the area corresponding to the identification information of the desired distribution area received together with the distribution request from the first storage means;
A weather information distribution control program for causing the computer to execute a process of distributing the read weather information to a requesting user terminal. The storing process stores the received weather information in a first storage unit in association with information indicating the observation time and location information of an area where the information provider terminal that transmitted the weather information is present. And
In the case where a plurality of weather information of areas corresponding to the received identification information of the desired distribution area are stored in the first storage means, the reading process is based on the observation time. 16. The weather information distribution control program according to claim 15, wherein the program is selectively read out. When the user terminal includes means for transmitting a communication request with the information provider terminal,
Processing for storing communication addresses of the plurality of information provider terminals in a second storage means;
When a communication request is sent from the user terminal to the information provider terminal, the corresponding communication address is read from the second storage means, and the request source is read based on the read communication address. The weather information distribution control program according to claim 15, further causing the computer to execute processing for enabling communication between a user terminal and an information provider terminal of a communication partner. When the user terminal includes a means for returning an evaluation point input by the user with respect to the distributed weather information,
Processing for storing personal identification information of an information provider who uses the information provider terminal in a third storage means;
Processing for receiving an evaluation point returned from the user terminal;
Processing for creating evaluation information for each information provider based on the received evaluation points, and storing the created evaluation information in the third storage means in association with the personal identification information of the information provider; The weather information distribution control program according to claim 15, further causing the computer to execute. In the case where the user terminal is provided with means for transmitting information representing the information provider designated and input by the user together with the distribution request,
A process of disclosing evaluation information stored in the third storage means for the designation input of the information provider by the user;
19. When the information representing the information provider is sent from the user terminal, the computer further executes a process of selecting weather information of the corresponding information provider based on the information. Weather information distribution control program.   The weather information distribution control program according to claim 18, further causing the computer to execute a process of performing a profit return process for a corresponding information provider based on the created evaluation information.

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