JP2007065964A - Information distribution method, information distribution system, information distribution device, and information recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To positively expand opportunities which make users look at advertisements, and to distribute very effective advertisements. <P>SOLUTION: A terminal 2 reads out, from a DVD 1, content data that a user selects to outputs, and transmits selection information, which specifies the selected content data, to an information-transmission server 3. The information distribution server 3 reads out banner advertisement data corresponding to the selection information from a database, which the server 3 has, and sends back the data. Then, the terminal 2 outputs banner advertisements. When a user selects a displayed banner advertisement, the terminal 2 accesses a settlement server 4 by using address information included in the banner advertisement. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an information distribution method, an information distribution system, an information distribution apparatus, and an information recording medium.

In recent years, with the spread of the Internet, a banner advertisement is displayed on a terminal of a user who has accessed a website and guided to the advertiser's website. Conventionally, when a distribution request for advertising information is output from the user's personal computer via the Internet, the advertising information including the video is read from the database and returned, and the video data in the advertising information is displayed on the user's personal computer screen. There is a technique for distributing a high-impact advertisement by playing it on a TV-type window that is being used (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2002-092471 A

  Traditionally, advertisers have placed banner advertisements on websites that are frequently accessed so that many users can see the advertisements. However, since the user himself / herself accesses the website actively, it has been difficult to actively encourage the user to view the website displaying the banner advertisement. However, the conventional technique described above does not solve such a problem.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an information distribution method, an information distribution system, and an information distribution system capable of actively increasing opportunities for users to see advertisements and distributing highly effective advertisements, An object is to provide an information distribution apparatus and an information recording medium.

  In order to achieve the above object, an invention according to claim 1 is an information distribution method used in an information distribution system including a terminal and an information distribution apparatus connected via a network, wherein the information distribution apparatus includes: And storage means for storing distribution data indicating information provided to the user, wherein the terminal reads out and outputs the content data selected by the user from a portable information recording medium, and the content data selected by the user Selection information for identifying the information is transmitted to the information distribution device, and the information distribution device reads and returns distribution data corresponding to the selection information received from the terminal, and the terminal transmits the information distribution device. An information distribution method characterized in that the distribution data received from is output.

  A second aspect of the present invention is the information distribution method according to the first aspect, wherein the distribution data includes address information of an information providing apparatus that provides related information, and the terminal When an instruction to acquire information related to the information is input, the information providing apparatus is accessed using the address information included in the distribution data via the network.

  Invention of Claim 3 is the information delivery method of Claim 2, Comprising: The said address information shows the address of an online shopping site, The said information provision apparatus is the payment apparatus which provides the said online shopping site It is characterized by being.

  A fourth aspect of the present invention is the information distribution method according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the portable information recording medium is an optical recording medium, a magnetic recording medium, or an electronic medium. It is characterized by being.

  The invention according to claim 5 is an information distribution system including a terminal and an information distribution apparatus connected via a network, wherein the information distribution apparatus stores distribution data indicating information to be provided to a user. Means for receiving selection information for specifying content data selected by the user from the terminal, and distribution means for reading out the distribution data corresponding to the selection information from the storage means and returning it. Selection video output means for reading and outputting selected content data from a portable information recording medium, selection information notifying means for transmitting selection information for specifying content data selected by a user to the information distribution apparatus, and the selection information Distribution data output means for outputting distribution data received from the information distribution apparatus in response to the selection information transmitted by the notification means; Obtaining a information distribution system characterized by.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the information distribution apparatus in the information distribution system including a terminal and an information distribution apparatus connected via a network, and storing means for storing distribution data indicating information to be provided to a user And distribution means for receiving selection information for specifying the content data selected by the user from the terminal, and reading and returning distribution data corresponding to the selection information from the storage means Device.

  The invention according to claim 7 is a computer-readable portable information recording medium attached to the terminal in an information distribution system comprising a terminal connected via a network and an information distribution apparatus, wherein the information Information on the address of the distribution device, content data, and a startup program for starting the content data and a program for outputting the distribution data received from the information distribution device and indicating the information to be provided to the user are stored in the terminal. This is an information recording medium characterized by the above.

According to the first, fifth, sixth and seventh aspects of the present invention, the information recording medium can be distributed to the user, so that the user can be invited to view the content, and the opportunity to provide the advertisement can be increased. It becomes possible. In addition, since the distribution data is distributed when the user views the content, the latest information and advertisement can always be provided to the user regardless of the distribution time of the portable information recording medium, and the user selects Since information and advertisement related to the content can be provided, the effect of information provision and advertisement is high.
According to invention of Claim 2, a user can be efficiently guide | induced to the information provision apparatus which provides the information relevant to a content, and an advertisement.
According to invention of Claim 3, sale of goods can be promoted efficiently.
According to the invention of claim 4, since a large capacity content can be stored in a portable information recording medium, it is not necessary to prepare an apparatus for distributing a large capacity content on a network, and image quality and audio It is possible to provide high-quality content to attract the user's interest and increase opportunities to provide information and advertisements.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an information distribution system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
In the figure, the information distribution system comprises a user terminal 2, an advertisement agency information distribution server 3, and an advertiser settlement server 4 connected via a network N. The network N is a public network made up of, for example, the Internet or a mobile phone network. The settlement server 4 as an information providing server (information providing apparatus) provides an online shopping site.

  A DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) 1 as a portable recording medium is created by an advertising agency and distributed to users by various methods. As a portable recording medium, an optical recording medium, a magnetic recording medium, or an electronic medium is used. For example, in addition to a DVD, a memory card such as an SD (Secure Digital) card or a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only). Memory) etc. may be used. The DVD 1 stores address information of the information distribution server 3, menu screen video data, content data corresponding to a channel number, advertisement data, and an activation program. The address information indicates, for example, a URL (Universal Resource Locator) of the information distribution server 3. The video data includes image data such as moving images and still images, and audio data. The content data is video data of content such as information providing programs, entertainment programs, and advertisements. The advertisement data is image data or video data for displaying an advertisement, and includes address information of an information providing server that provides related information. Here, it is assumed that the advertisement data is banner advertisement data. The activation program is a program for causing the terminal 2 to activate a program that outputs content data and distribution data received from the information distribution server 3. The distribution data is image data or video data for displaying advertisements and various information, and includes address information of an information providing server that provides related information. Here, it is assumed that the distribution data is banner advertisement data. The program for executing the access to the information distribution server 3 may be a program for starting the network connection program in the terminal 2 or a program for starting the network connection program included in the start program.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an expanded function of the internal configuration of the terminal 2. Only functional blocks related to the present invention are extracted and shown. The terminal 2 is a computer terminal such as a personal computer. The terminal 2 includes a control unit 21, a reading unit 22, a communication unit 23, a notification unit 24 (selection information notification unit), an output unit 25, an output control unit 26 (selection video output unit, distribution data output unit), and an input unit 27. Prepare.

  The control means 21 includes a central processing unit (CPU) and various memories, and controls each part, temporarily stores data, transfers data, and the like. The reading unit 22 reads data in the DVD 1. The communication means 23 is controlled by a program for executing network connection, and transmits and receives data via the network N. The notification unit 24 instructs the communication unit 23 to transmit selection information indicating the channel number selected by the user to the information distribution server 3. The output means 25 is a display such as a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display), or a speaker that outputs sound. The output control means 26 is realized by video viewing software which is a program for outputting content data and distribution data, and instructs the output means 25 to output image data and audio data in the content data. The output control unit 26 instructs the output unit 25 to output distribution data received from the information distribution server 3. The input unit 27 is a keyboard or a mouse, and acquires information input by the user.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an expanded function of the internal configuration of the information distribution server 3 as an information distribution apparatus. Only functional blocks related to the present invention are extracted and shown. The information distribution server 3 includes a control unit 31, a communication unit 32, a distribution database 33, and a distribution unit 34.
The control unit 31 includes a CPU and various memories, and controls each unit, temporarily stores data, transfers data, and the like. The communication means 32 transmits and receives data via the network N. The distribution database 33 stores distribution data corresponding to the channel number. The distribution unit 34 receives the selection information from the terminal 2, reads out the distribution data corresponding to the channel number indicated by the selection information from the distribution database 33, and returns it.

Next, the operation of the information distribution system shown in FIG. 1 will be described.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an operation flow of the information distribution system.
In advance, the advertiser registers the distribution data in the distribution database 33 of the information distribution server 3 in association with the channel number. On the other hand, the user obtains the DVD 1 provided by the advertising agency. The DVD 1 is distributed at, for example, a station, a storefront, a roadside, etc., or enclosed in an online shopping product.

  The user inserts the obtained DVD 1 into the terminal 2 (step S110). The reading means 22 of the terminal 2 reads the activation program from the inserted DVD 1. The control means 21 activates the network connection program in the terminal 2 or the DVD 1 by executing the read activation program so that the communication means 23 can be controlled (step S115).

  The control means 21 of the terminal 2 activates the video viewing software in the terminal 2 according to the activation program and operates the output control means 26 (step S120). The output control unit 26 displays the video viewing screen on the display, and instructs the output unit 25 to output the video data and the advertisement data of the menu screen read out from the DVD 1 by the reading unit 22. The video display screen includes an area for displaying content (hereinafter, “content display area”), an area for displaying a banner advertisement (hereinafter, “banner display area”), and a channel selection button. Image data in the video data of the menu screen is displayed in the content display area, and a banner advertisement, which is advertisement data read by the reading unit 22 from the DVD 1, is displayed in the banner display area. Also, sound is output from the speaker by the sound data in the video data on the menu screen.

  The user inputs information of a channel number desired to be viewed by the input means 27 by clicking a channel selection button in the video viewing screen displayed on the terminal 2 with the mouse (step S125). The reading means 22 of the terminal 2 reads content data corresponding to the channel number indicated by the information input by the input means 27 from the DVD 1. The output control unit 26 instructs the output unit 25 to output the content data read by the reading unit 22, and the output unit 25 outputs the instructed content data (step S130). Thereby, the image data in the content data is displayed in the content display area in the video viewing screen, and the sound is output from the speaker by the audio data in the content data.

  Further, the notification unit 24 instructs the communication unit 23 to transmit selection information indicating the channel number information input by the input unit 27 to the information distribution server 3. The communication unit 23 transmits the selection information to the information distribution server 3 via the network N (step S135). When receiving the selection information via the communication unit 32, the distribution unit 34 of the information distribution server 3 reads out the distribution data corresponding to the channel number indicated by the selection information from the distribution database 33 and instructs the communication unit 32 to return it. The communication unit 32 returns the distribution data to the terminal 2 via the network N (Step S140).

  When the output control means 26 of the terminal 2 receives the distribution data via the communication means 23, the output control means 26 instructs the output means 25 to output. The output means 25 outputs distribution data (step S145). The distribution data may be displayed in place of the banner advertisement currently displayed in the banner display area in the video viewing screen, and may be displayed in a distribution data display area in the video viewing screen different from the content display area and the banner display area. It may be displayed on a screen different from the video viewing screen. When the user wants to view other contents, the user clicks the channel selection button in the video viewing screen displayed on the terminal 2 with the mouse. Thereby, the process of step S125-step S145 is repeated.

  On the other hand, when the user is interested in related information by the banner advertisement displayed on the display, the user clicks the display area of the target banner advertisement with the mouse (step S150). Thereby, the notification unit 24 of the terminal 2 acquires information on the distribution data selected by the user via the input unit 27. The notification unit 24 instructs the communication unit 23 to access the information providing server using the address information of the information providing server included in the distribution data selected by the user. The communication means 23 accesses the information providing server via the network N (step S155). Here, it is assumed that the selected distribution data is an advertisement for product purchase, and the address of the information providing server is the address of the online shopping site of the settlement server 4 that provides the online shopping service for the product. In this case, a payment procedure is executed between the terminal 2 and the payment server 4 (step S160). For example, the settlement server 4 transmits settlement screen data that allows the terminal 2 to input settlement information necessary for online shopping. The output control means 26 of the terminal 2 outputs the payment screen data received by the output means 25. When the user inputs payment information to the payment screen displayed on the display by the input means 27 and presses the payment execution button, the input payment information is notified from the terminal 2 to the payment server 4. The settlement server 4 stores the received settlement information inside. As a result, settlement is performed and the product is shipped from the advertiser to the user.

  The advertiser constantly updates the distribution data in the distribution database 33 of the information distribution server 3 so that distribution data indicating the latest information and advertisement is registered according to the popularity and date of connection.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a display image of the video viewing screen. In the figure, a content display area A1, a banner display area A2, a channel selection button A3, etc. are displayed on the video viewing screen. A part of the area where the channel selection button A3 is displayed may be used as a display area for distribution data.

  According to the above embodiment, distribution data is distributed when the user views the content, so that the latest information and advertisements can always be provided to the user regardless of the distribution time of the DVD 1. In addition, since information and advertisement related to the content selected by the user can be displayed, information provision and advertisement are highly effective. For example, when displaying the contents of a movie information program, it is possible to display advertisements on sites that provide detailed information on movies introduced in the program or on sites that sell products related to movies. . As a result, the guidance to the information providing server provided by the advertiser can be efficiently performed, which is effective in promoting the sale of products. In addition, since the DVD 1 can be distributed in a place where there are many people, it is possible to arouse viewing to many people, and thus it is possible to provide information and advertisements to many users. In addition, since the DVD 1 can be enclosed and distributed with products purchased by online shopping, it is possible to efficiently provide product purchase advertisements to users who are not resistant to online shopping. In addition, since DVD has a large storage capacity, it is not necessary for an advertising agency to prepare a device for distributing large-capacity content on a network, and content with good image quality and audio quality is provided to attract users' interest. And increase opportunities to provide information and advertisements.

  The terminal 2, the information distribution server 3, and the settlement server 4 described above have a computer system inside. The operation processes of the notification unit 24 and output control unit 26 of the terminal 2, the distribution unit 34 of the information distribution server 3, and the settlement server 4 are stored in a computer-readable recording medium in the form of a program. The computer system reads out and executes this program, and the above processing is performed. The computer system here includes an OS and hardware such as peripheral devices.

Further, the “computer system” includes a homepage providing environment (or display environment) if a WWW system is used.
The “computer-readable recording medium” refers to a storage device such as a flexible medium, a magneto-optical disk, a portable medium such as a ROM and a CD-ROM, and a hard disk incorporated in a computer system. Furthermore, the “computer-readable recording medium” dynamically holds a program for a short time like a communication line when transmitting a program via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line. In this case, a volatile memory in a computer system serving as a server or a client in that case is also used to hold a program for a certain period of time. The program may be a program for realizing a part of the functions described above, and may be a program capable of realizing the functions described above in combination with a program already recorded in a computer system.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of an information distribution system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the terminal by the embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the information delivery server by the embodiment. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement flow of the information delivery system by the embodiment. It is a figure which shows the display image of the image viewing screen by the embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... DVD (information recording medium)
2 ... Terminal 3 ... Information distribution server (information distribution device)
4. Payment server (information providing device)
21, 31 ... Control means 22 ... Reading means 23, 32 ... Communication means 24 ... Notification means (selection information notification means)
25... Output means 26... Output control means (selected video output means, distribution data output means)
27 ... Input means 33 ... Delivery database (storage means)
34. Distribution means

Claims (7)

An information distribution method used for an information distribution system including a terminal and an information distribution apparatus connected via a network,
The information distribution apparatus includes:
Storage means for storing distribution data indicating information to be provided to the user;
The terminal is
The content data selected by the user is read out from the portable information recording medium and output, and selection information for specifying the content data selected by the user is transmitted to the information distribution device,
The information distribution device is
Delivery data corresponding to the selection information received from the terminal is read from the storage means and returned,
The terminal is
Outputting distribution data received from the information distribution apparatus;
An information delivery method characterized by the above. The distribution data includes address information of an information providing device that provides related information,
The terminal accesses the information providing apparatus using the address information included in the distribution data via the network when an instruction to acquire information related to the distribution data is input.
The information distribution method according to claim 1. The address information indicates an address of an online shopping site,
The information distribution method according to claim 2, wherein the information providing apparatus is a payment apparatus that provides the online shopping site.   The information distribution method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the portable information recording medium is an optical recording medium, a magnetic recording medium, or an electronic medium. An information distribution system comprising a terminal and an information distribution device connected via a network,
The information distribution apparatus includes:
Storage means for storing distribution data indicating information to be provided to the user;
Receiving the selection information for specifying the content data selected by the user from the terminal, the distribution means corresponding to the selection information is read from the storage means, the distribution means for returning,
The terminal
Selected video output means for reading out and outputting content data selected by the user from a portable information recording medium;
Selection information notifying means for transmitting selection information for specifying content data selected by the user to the information distribution device;
Distribution data output means for outputting distribution data received from the information distribution apparatus in response to the selection information transmitted by the selection information notification means,
An information distribution system characterized by that. The information distribution apparatus in an information distribution system comprising a terminal and an information distribution apparatus connected via a network,
Storage means for storing distribution data indicating information to be provided to the user;
Distribution means for receiving selection information for specifying content data selected by the user from the terminal, and reading and returning distribution data corresponding to the selection information from the storage means;
An information distribution apparatus comprising: A computer-readable portable information recording medium attached to the terminal in an information distribution system comprising a terminal and an information distribution apparatus connected via a network,
Information on the address of the information distribution device;
Content data,
Storing the content data in the terminal and an activation program that activates a program that outputs distribution data received from the information distribution device and indicating information to be provided to the user;
An information recording medium characterized by the above.

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