JPH11259569A - Product information transmission method and device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily register position information relating to product information transmitted from a portable terminal to a product information provision server in a product information provision system whose interface is a map. SOLUTION: The portable terminal 1 is provided with the present position measurement part 14 of GPS or the like and a radio communication part 15. The product information 131 inputted from a product information input part 12 is transmitted to the information provision server by using the radio communication part 15 together with the position information 132 obtained by using the present position measurement part 14. When the present position measurement part 14 is unusable at the time of inputting the product information, the position information 132 is obtained at the point of time at which the present position measurement part 14 becomes usable. Also, when the radio communication part 15 is unusable when the product information 131 and the position information 132 are arranged, the product information 131 and the position information 132 are transmitted to the information provision server at the point of time at which the radio communication part 15 becomes usable.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for transmitting positional information on merchandise information together with merchandise information.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Maps are the most commonly used interface to represent the location of information. A service that displays the location of stores and facilities on a map in a Web browser has also been started on the Internet, which has spread rapidly in recent years.

By the way, car navigation (hereinafter abbreviated as car navigation) is the most famous information system using a map. GPS (Global P
The ositionig system) is a position measuring means using a satellite as is well known. If equipped with a GPS receiver and can catch radio waves from satellites, it can measure its own position at any time, and it can display its own position on a map by using a map display device linked to this.

On the other hand, mobile phones, PHS (Personal Handyphon)
Due to the widespread use of wireless communication means such as eSystem), several inventions combining these with GPS have been devised. The "mobile communication system" described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-103906 is a system in which information on the vicinity of the area is acquired from the service center by transmitting the vehicle position information acquired from the GPS to the service center using an automobile telephone. is there. On the other hand, the “GPS destination search and display system” described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-184878 discloses a mobile terminal that calls a mobile terminal wirelessly and returns the location information obtained by the called mobile terminal using GPS. This allows the user to know the location information of the terminal.

[0005]

Generally, a map information system always involves information maintenance work. In particular, maps on the map, that is, terrain changes over time are relatively slow and do not need to be updated much, but information on stores, facilities, and even products sold at stores changes from moment to moment. Need to be updated frequently.

[0006] If the information is not properly maintained one after another, the utility value of the map information system is immediately reduced. However, maintenance of information requires a considerable cost, so that a high-quality map information system must be collected from users in order to operate a high-quality map information system.

[0007] Therefore, a method is conceivable in which the user himself / herself updates the information sequentially instead of entrusting the update of the information to a specific company. Updating of the terrain information requires surveying work, etc., which requires a specialized company.However, maintenance of frequently updated product information can be sufficiently performed by the information user himself, and useful information Is also increased.

[0008] However, inputting and updating information is generally complicated, and appropriate information transmission from a user cannot be obtained unless input means as simple as possible are provided. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for easily maintaining map information. Basically, it is a method of linking wireless communication with a mobile terminal and GPS.

[0009] By the way, the linking method between GPS and wireless communication according to the above-mentioned known example is based on the assumption that both wireless communication and GPS function by the portable terminal always function. Since the invention itself is premised on use in a moving car, that is, use outdoors, there is no particular problem with this premise. However, when it is assumed that the portable terminal is indoors and the wireless communication and the GPS function cannot be used, these inventions are not sufficient.

According to the present invention, even in an environment where a wireless communication function cannot be used, such as indoors, a user himself / herself can transmit and update information in a map information system using a portable terminal capable of using GPS and wireless communication. An object of the present invention is to provide an information transmitting method and an information transmitting apparatus that can smoothly perform information transmission.

[0011]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a portable terminal according to the present invention includes a self-position measuring means such as a GPS, a wireless communication means utilizing a mobile phone or a PHS, etc. Input means, storage means for the input product information, availability detection means for the own position measurement means, availability detection means for the wireless communication means, storage means for the position information obtained by the own position measurement means, the product information and the position information Product information transmitting means for transmitting information by using the wireless communication means when the information is stored and the wireless communication means is available.

[0012]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a mobile terminal according to the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a portable terminal, 2 is a satellite for the portable terminal to obtain position information, and 3 is a radio tower for the portable terminal to perform wireless communication. Further, 11 is a central control unit for controlling the processing of the mobile terminal, 12 is a product information input unit for receiving product information, 13 is a memory for storing information, and 14 is a local position of the mobile terminal receiving a signal from the satellite 2. , A wireless communication unit for performing wireless communication with the radio tower 3, a bus 16 for exchanging information between 11 to 15, and 131 an input from the product information input unit 12 Product information 132 is position information obtained by the own position measuring unit 14.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart for transmitting product information from a portable terminal according to the present invention. The flow will be described with reference to FIG. First, the product information input unit 12 receives an input of product information from outside the mobile terminal (S1). This may be input by a keyboard or pen, or a barcode reader or IC card may be used as described later. Subsequently, the central control unit 11 stores the input product information as product information 131 in the memory 13 via the bus 16 (S02). After storing the product information 131, the central control unit 11
Makes an inquiry to the self-position measuring unit 14 as to whether the self-position can be measured (S3). The self-position measuring unit 14 uses the satellite 2
Then, based on the signal reception state from the server, the central control section 11 is replied to the central control section 11 as to whether or not the own position measurement function can be used (S4). If the self-position measurement function is available, position information is acquired (S5) and stored as position information 132 in the memory 13 (S6). If the self-position measurement function cannot be used, an inquiry is made again as to whether or not the self-position measurement function can be used after a certain period of time.

When a pair of the product information 131 and the position information 132 is prepared in the memory 13, the central control unit 11 inquires of the wireless communication unit 15 whether or not the wireless communication function can be used (S7). The wireless communication unit 15 determines whether or not the wireless communication function can be used based on the state of reception of radio waves with the radio tower 3.
(S8). If the wireless communication function is available, the product information 131 and the position information 132 are transmitted using the wireless communication function 15 (S9). If the wireless communication function cannot be used, an inquiry is made again as to whether the wireless communication function can be used after a certain period of time.

FIG. 3 shows a configuration example of a product information providing system using a portable terminal according to the present invention. In the figure, 1
And 1 'are mobile terminals, 2 is a satellite for the mobile terminal to obtain position information, 3 and 3' are radio towers for the mobile terminal to perform wireless communication, 4 is a product, and 5 is a bar code of the product 4. A bar code reader, 6 is a POS terminal to which the bar code reader is connected, 7 is an IC card type electronic money that can be connected to the mobile terminal 1 or the POS terminal 6, and 8 is product information and position information transmitted from the mobile terminal. It is a product information providing server that maps and provides it on a map.

The bar code representing the product 4 read from the bar code reader 5 is stored in the POS terminal with the product name, price,
The information is converted into product information such as the purchase date and time, and is transferred from the POS terminal 6 to the electronic money 7 at the time of payment using the electronic money 7. The mobile terminal 1 receives the product information from the electronic money 7 and transmits the position information and the product information to the product information providing server 8 via the flow shown in FIG.

[0017]

According to the present invention, when merchandise information relating to a certain merchandise and the position information of the merchandise are input, first, the address of the purchased store is checked, and then the position of the corresponding store is checked while looking at the map. There is no need to perform a complicated input operation of writing information, and it is possible to automatically input product information and positional information related thereto from a mobile terminal.
For this reason, in a map information system that is constantly subject to maintenance problems, it is easy for users to perform information updating work, and a product information providing system using a map that can provide the latest information at low cost as an interface has been constructed. It becomes possible.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a portable terminal according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for transmitting product information from a mobile terminal according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a configuration example of a product information providing system using a mobile terminal according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 and 1 ': portable terminal, 2: satellite, 3 and 3': radio tower, 4: product, 5: bar code reader, 6: POS terminal, 7 ...・ Electronic money, 8
... Product information providing server, 11 ... Central control unit, 1
2 ... Product information input unit, 13 ... Memory, 14 ...
・ Local position measurement unit, 15 ・ ・ ・ Wireless communication unit, 16 ・ ・ ・ Bus, 131 ・ ・ ・ Product information, 132 ・ ・ ・ Location information

Claims (2)

[Claims] An input unit for inputting product information; an own position measuring unit capable of acquiring existing position information; a storage unit for storing the position information related to the product information in association with each other; A portable terminal device, comprising: transmitting means for transmitting merchandise information and position information stored in association with the means. 2. A product information transmitting method for transmitting product information accompanied by position information, wherein position information acquired after the time when the product information is recorded is used as position information of the product information.
A method of transmitting product information, wherein the pair of information is transmitted when communication becomes possible after the pair of the product information and the position information are prepared.