JP2000035971A - Information supplying method, information providing device and information providing medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To effectively utilize information held by various systems by outputting a map based on retrieved map information to an information recipient and outputting a graphed object only to a place which is on the map and corresponds to coordinates corresponding to received desired information. SOLUTION: A server 10 of an integrated advertisement system and a server 20 of a separate advertisement system are connected to the Internet NET via a path controller and a telephone line. Also, terminals 101, 102,... are connected to the Internet NET. And, the terminals 101, 102,... are respectively connected to the server 10 and performs communication and although it functions as a terminal of an advertisement applicant and as a terminal of an advertisement recipient, if the terminal 101 is connected to the server 10, a controlling means detects the connection and controls the terminal 101 according to a main program and an advertisement object that is desired by an advertisement recipient is made into graph and shown on a map on the terminal 101.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information providing apparatus using a computer system, an information providing method, and an information providing medium suitable for use in the information providing apparatus and, more particularly, to providing a variety of information by connecting a plurality of computer systems. The present invention relates to an information providing apparatus, an information providing method, and an information providing medium that can be provided.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Various means for supplying a variety of information such as town information, advertisement information, and company information have been known. As an example, advertisement information will be described. 1. About comprehensive advertising system For example, using printed materials (published materials, illustration maps, etc.), the locations of shops and the like are posted on the map, and at the same time, the advertising contents of the shops and the like are posted in separate columns and separate pages. It is known to advertise the store or the like. It is also known that such information is stored in a storage medium (CD-ROM, proppy disk, or the like), distributed to the market, displayed on a computer system terminal, and advertised. further,
It is also known to advertise to viewers and audiences using one-way media such as television and radio.

[0003] However, in the method of performing advertisement using a printed matter or a storage medium, a time lag of several weeks to several months occurs during a period from an advertisement request to actual distribution and distribution of the printed matter and the storage medium. In addition, there is a problem that novelty and reliability as information are easily lost. For example, at the time of requesting an advertisement, a store that had been operating as usual may have stopped operating when printed materials were actually distributed. In such a case, there is a problem that the reliability of the entire printed matter is reduced, which not only causes distrust to the advertisement supplier but also causes confusion to consumers and the like who receive the advertisement.

[0004] In addition, in the one-way media, although the novelty and reliability can be secured to some extent, the reaction of viewers / listeners is difficult to obtain, the advertisement fee is generally expensive, and the procedure is complicated. Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult for an advertisement client of a small business form to place an advertisement.

[0005] In order to solve these problems, the present applicant uses a computer system using a communication network such as the Internet to provide an advertisement information supply method for supplying advertisement information and register the advertisement information therewith. We first proposed a method for registering advertising information (July 1, 1995
Application for 4th, Japanese Patent Application No. 7-179227). In this method, a map based on map information stored in advance is displayed hierarchically.

That is, first, an upper map of Japan is displayed, then a map of each middle prefecture is displayed, and then a map of lower layers is displayed. Then, in the map of the lowest layer, the iconized advertising object is displayed at a point on the map that corresponds to the coordinates of the stored advertising object, and a desired advertising object is selected. (FIG. 9). For this reason, since the map information and the advertisement information can be obtained in association with each other, there is an advantage that the location of the store handling the desired product can be seen at a glance. Further, not only a method of searching from a "map" as described above, but also a method of searching from a "place name", "station name", "business type", and the like are described.

[0007] 2. Individual advertising system In addition, in communication networks such as the Internet, a large number of people set up their homepages to advertise their products and services, and, if the company is a company, corporate information, recruitment information, and stock price information. We provide various other information. At this time, it is sometimes convenient to clearly indicate the position of the self (a store or a branch of a company, etc.) on a map. For example, in the case where a department store trades various bargains at stores in Japan, if the point of each store and bargain products at the store can be introduced via the homepage of the department store, the advertising effect is enhanced. As a specific method,
It is considered that various traders independently create map information and post it on a homepage. Also, on the Internet, a certain homepage can call another homepage (called a link), and therefore, it is conceivable to call a comprehensive advertisement link homepage from an individual advertisement system.

[0008]

However, in the former method, it is necessary for a person who provides individual map information to create and maintain the map information on its own, which is extremely complicated and requires much time and cost. It will take. Also,
In the latter method, the creation and maintenance of map information can be entrusted to the comprehensive advertising system, but since the amount of information stored in the comprehensive advertising system is large, until the recipient of the advertisement searches for the desired store. It is easily conceivable that a relatively long time is required. In addition, since the screen design in the comprehensive advertising system is different from that of individual merchants, there is also a disadvantage that the advertisement recipient has a sense of inconsistency.

[0009] Further, in the comprehensive advertising system, there are objects embodied by a large number of traders on the displayed map. Therefore, the more the number of objects increases, the more it becomes apparent at first glance. I will. In addition, although the objects are differently embodied for each type of business, since they are prepared in advance as a comprehensive advertising system, in a fierce battlefield where the same type of business is overcrowded, There is also a drawback in that it can make it difficult to distinguish it from other companies, which may lead to lower advertising effects.

[0010] Such a problem arises when specific information is combined with general-purpose information (such as a map or a route of a transportation system). Information could not be used effectively. The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides an information providing apparatus and an information supplying method capable of effectively utilizing information held by various systems, and an information providing medium suitable for use in these. It is intended to be.

[0011]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information supply method for supplying information by a computer system, comprising the steps of receiving desired information input from an information recipient. Based on the desired information, a corresponding map information is searched from the map information stored in advance, and a map based on the searched map information is output to an information recipient, and a point on the map is output. And outputting an imaged object only to points corresponding to coordinates corresponding to the received desired information.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the information supply method for supplying information by the computer system, when the desired information input from the information receiver is received, the information is stored in advance based on the desired information. Searching the corresponding map information from the searched map information, outputting a map based on the searched map information to the information recipient,
Only the point on the map, which corresponds to the coordinates corresponding to the received desired information, outputs the imaged object, and the output map has unique information based on the desired information. Is set.

Further, the invention described in claim 3 is characterized in that the unique information is composed of information indicating a source of the desired information and information indicating an output source of outputting the map. The information supply method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the information receiver is prompted to select the object, and outputs related information associated with the object selected by the information receiver. The information supply method according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein:

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information providing apparatus for supplying information by a computer system, a means for receiving desired information input from an information recipient, and a first means for storing map information. Storage means, first search means for searching map information from the first storage means based on the desired information, and first output means for outputting a map based on the searched map information to an information recipient; An information providing apparatus, comprising: a second output unit that outputs an imaged object only at a point on the map that corresponds to coordinates corresponding to the received desired information. It is.

Further, the invention according to claim 6 further comprises means for setting unique information based on the desired information for the output map. It is an information providing device described.

[0017] The invention according to claim 7 further comprises means for causing the unique information to include information indicating a source of the desired information and information indicating an output source for outputting the map. The information providing device according to claim 5 or 6, wherein:

[0018] The invention described in claim 8 is means for prompting the information recipient to select the object, means for reading related information associated with the selected object, and means for reading. 8. An information providing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising: means for outputting the related information.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information providing medium for providing information, wherein the information comprises information indicating a source of desired information and information indicating an output source of outputting a map. An information providing medium characterized by being configured unique information.

[0020]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Before describing embodiments of the present invention, the positioning of the present invention will be described. The present invention is intended to provide various kinds of information such as advertisements for products and services, company information, job offer information, stock price information, and the like. As a specific description of the embodiment of the present invention, an advertisement, that is, a case where a certain person performs an advertisement or the like with respect to his / her products / services and the like to a potential consumer or the like. is there.

Further, provision of such information may be performed through a third party. The present embodiment has an operation mode corresponding to such a “third party”.

In this operation mode, a person who provides advertisement information, that is, a person who wants to advertise is referred to as an "advertisement requester (information requester)", and a person who can receive advertisement information, that is, a person who can be a consumer or the like Is referred to as "advertisement recipient (information recipient)". Here, the reason that "Ad requester" was not regarded as "Ad provider" is that from the viewpoint of "Ad recipient"
This is because both the present invention and the “advertising client” may be the same “advertising provider” and cause confusion.

The present embodiment also has an operation mode for providing map information to an advertising system established by various traders. In such an operation mode, an advertisement system established by each trader is referred to as an "individual advertisement system", and a system for providing map information and the like is referred to as a "comprehensive advertisement system".

Overall Configuration An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the present embodiment. In this figure, reference numeral 10 is a server of the comprehensive advertisement system, and reference numeral 20 is a server of the individual advertisement system. The server 10 is connected to the Internet via a route control device and a telephone line. Code 10
Are terminals connected to the Internet NET in the same manner as the server 10. Each of the terminals 101, 102,... Has an input unit such as a keyboard and a mouse, as well as a display unit such as a CRT and an LCD.

Next, the configuration of the server 10 will be described in detail. FIG.
2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the server 10. FIG. In this figure, reference numeral 11 denotes a control means, which is constituted by a CPU and the like, and controls various parts, transfers data, performs various calculations, temporarily stores data, and the like. Reference numeral 12 denotes an input control unit that controls data input from a terminal connected via the Internet NET. Reference numeral 13 denotes output control means for controlling data output to the terminal. Reference numerals 14 to 17 denote storage means, and the following files are stored and stored, respectively.

First, the storage means 14 stores a main program. Such a main program is used in the control means 11, and includes, for example, a program for displaying a guidance screen on a display unit of a terminal, a program for a fancy dress market for displaying only shops of a desired business type on a map, and a character search. And a download prevention program for preventing a large amount of information from being obtained in a short time, in addition to a search program for obtaining necessary information. The storage means 14 has a terminal 101,
Information such as impressions on the advertisement transmitted from 102,... Is temporarily stored.

Next, the storage means 15 stores a map file. The map file in the present embodiment is:
The hierarchical structure is a three-layer structure. The upper layer is a map of Japan, the middle layer is a map for each prefecture, and the lower layer is a section (for example, a municipal unit, a downtown unit) map. The map of each layer is represented, for example, in a bitmap format, and a file name is determined for each map. Further, a map represented in a vector format may be used, which is effective when a map is displayed as a desired area on a user terminal described later.

The storage means 16 stores a character file. Such a character file is
It is composed of display character data, icon bitmap data, and the like, and is referred to at the time of operation described later. The bitmap data of the icon is stored differently for each advertisement client.
When the advertisement client has a plurality of stores (branches, sales offices, etc.), different icons can be set for each store. For example, □□ automobiles are different vehicle types (A type,
Sales offices that differ depending on the type B (A-A office, B-type)
(B office), the icon of the A office can be set as (A) and the icon of the B office can be set as (B).

The storage means 17 stores a customer file. The customer file is created for each store registration number, and the customer file corresponding to one store registration number includes registrant ID, password, store information, map file name, (x, y) information, and the like. Is composed of information unique to the store. Of these, the store information further includes the store name, telephone number, fax number, itinerary (from the nearest station to the store), business information indicating the business type of the store, and network information to be referred to when linking with other information. It is composed of various kinds of information on the store to be advertised, such as link information indicating the destination of the information, an advertisement message indicating the content of the advertisement, and the like.

In the case where a plurality of stores are the same company, such as a branch or each sales office, or for the same affiliated store, that is, a chain store, the registrant ID as the company or the entire affiliated company is set.
And the registrant ID of each store. On this occasion,
In the customer file of each store, "which company (or chain) the store belongs to" is stored as one of the link information. Further, various contents according to the contents of the company (or chain) are stored in the customer file.

The advertisement information according to the present embodiment refers to an advertisement message in a narrow sense, but refers to all information necessary for creating a customer file, which is higher than store information in a broad sense. Note that the store registration number is automatically given by the control means 11 when there is a registration from the terminal. The map file name and the (x, y) information are information indicating which point (coordinate) the store location is in the map file. The stores in this example include facilities that provide services (for example, concert halls) and public facilities in addition to those that handle commodities, and any other facilities that can specify the location on a map may be used.

The configuration of the server 20 is the same as the server 10. The server 20 includes a control unit 11, an input control unit 12, an output control unit 13, and a storage unit 14.
Are provided corresponding to.

Description of Operation Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. Server 10
As described in detail in an earlier application filed by the present applicant (filed on July 14, 1995, Japanese Patent Application No. 7-179227), a market mode that literally operates as a server for terminals 101, 102,. , Server 2 which is a feature of the present invention
It has two operation modes of a slave mode for providing necessary information in response to a request of 0. Needless to say, since the server 10 can operate a plurality of processes in parallel, this operation mode is different for each process.

The market mode terminals 101, 102,... Are connected to and communicate with the server 10, and each functions as an advertisement requester terminal or an advertisement receiver terminal.
If the terminal 101 is connected to the terminal 1, in the market mode, the control means 11 detects this connection and controls the terminal 101 according to the main program.
In 01, the advertisement target desired by the advertisement recipient is displayed on the map as an icon.

Next, the slave mode will be described with reference to FIG. Here, the terminals 101, 102,... Are connected to and communicate with the server 20, that is, the individual advertisement system, respectively.
Get advertising information, etc. Here, it is assumed that the server 20 is provided by an OO department store to introduce a branch. The operation of this mode will be described on the assumption that the terminal 101 is connected to the server 20.

First, when the terminal 101 is connected to the server 20, the processing in the server 20 proceeds to step S801, and various information is transmitted to the terminal 101. As a result, in the terminal 101, the processing proceeds to step S802.
The top page of the homepage of the OO department store, which is an individual advertisement system, is displayed on the display of the terminal 101 as shown in FIG. In this homepage,
Function buttons such as a “branch guide” button 32 and a “bargain information” button are displayed, and the user of the terminal 101 selects (clicks with a mouse) a desired button.

Here, when the user clicks the "branch guide" button with the mouse (step S803), the server 20 is notified of the fact, and the processing in the server 20 proceeds to step S804, where the HTML of the branch guide window is displayed in HTML.
Data is created and transmitted to terminal 101.

When the terminal 101 receives the HTML data, the process proceeds to step S805, and the process proceeds to step S805.
Are combined by the CPU of the terminal 101 and displayed on the display. In the terminal 101, the processing is step S
Proceed to 806, where the user of terminal 101
A desired branch 44 is selected from the branch list displayed at 01 (click with a mouse).

From the terminal 101 to the server 20, the branch 4
When the press of 4 is notified, the server 20 advances the processing to step S807. Here, a service request signal and data called “argument information” are transmitted to the server 10. In the present embodiment, the argument information includes the following data and the like. (1) Registrant ID of server 20 (registration of XX department store I
D) (2) Registrant ID of branch (Register I as Akihabara branch)
D)

Here, the registrant ID is the server 20
And the registrant ID of the selected branch, Akihabara branch. These can also be used as whether or not access to the server 10 is possible.

Next, in the server 10, when the service request signal and the argument information are supplied, a new process is started in response thereto. Then, in this process, the process proceeds to step S808. here,
A previously stored customer file is retrieved. In this customer file search, a customer file storing the registrant ID of the XX department store and the registrant ID of the Akihabara branch, which are the argument information, is searched. Then, a map where the Akihabara branch of the map file name OO department store of the searched customer file is located is searched, and the position where the Akihabara branch is located is specified from the (X, Y) information.

Next, when the processing proceeds to step 809,
An icon corresponding to the registrant ID of the server 20 and the registrant ID of the branch is searched from the character file storing the icons. Next, when the process proceeds to step 810, a window is created in which the icon is superimposed on the point on the map searched as described above, and transmitted to the terminal 101. Then, when transmitted to the terminal 101, the terminal 101
The image related to the window as shown in FIG. 7 is formed by the CPU in the CPU and displayed on the display.

Here, there is one of the features of this mode. That is, on the map displayed on the terminal 101, only the Akihabara branch of the XX department store is displayed. this is,
This is because there is only this branch file as the customer file corresponding to the argument information. For example, when there are a plurality of (for example, two) customer files corresponding to the argument information, a plurality of (two) icons exist on the map. As a result, it is possible to provide the user with a dedicated map of the server 10, and the user of the terminal 101 can very easily find the location of the Akihabara branch. This is more effective not only for a terminal such as a normal personal computer but also for a computer having a small display such as a portable terminal such as a PDA.

Further, it can be designed as an icon unique to the department store, or can be different for each branch under a unified concept. In addition, the display position of this icon is also displayed so as to be at the center of the map, the nearest station or a nearby building is displayed at the same time, or the display position is arbitrarily set in advance. It is also possible. Furthermore, by displaying the icons around and the icons themselves in a blinking manner, it is possible to enhance the recognition of the icons.

On this screen, iconized stores are arranged on a map. When the user of the terminal 101 clicks this icon with a mouse, detailed advertisement information can be obtained. For example, on the map near the central part of Akihabara shown in FIG. 7, if "OO department store" is clicked, the screen shown in FIG. 5 is displayed.

Further, as a feature of this embodiment, FIG.
In the URL setting of the screen shown in FIG. Here, "URL"
Is the URL (Universal Resource Location) of another home page to be referred to. This URL is
Although there are certain conditions such as the URL of the homepage of the department store and the URL of the homepage of the Akihabara branch, any one can be set. That is, in the present embodiment, the URL is changed to “「 part.mapion.c ”.
o. jp / shiten050 ”. The user of the terminal 101 receives the URL
Can also be displayed directly in the URL field of the homepage without the mouse click operation as described above.

The URL is set first by the server 20
(Individual advertising system) URL "OOd
epart. co. jp ”, the portion of“ ○ department ”indicating the server 20 is extracted and made the first (sub-domain), and subsequently, the URL“ mapion.
co. jp ”to“ mapio ”indicating this server 20
n ". In the present embodiment, since there are a plurality of branches in the OO department store, "shiten050" is set for the Akihabara branch as a branch number (or identification name). The part indicating the server 20 is the UR of the individual advertisement system.
The information may not be directly extracted from L, but may be unique to the server 20.

With this configuration, the individual advertisement system not only facilitates the management when each branch is used as its own dedicated map but also various information providing media, for example, as shown in FIG. Such information is described on a business card or flyer together with an e-mail address, and is notified, or simply UR
Even when only L is described independently, the URL itself has the effect of representing the OO department store, and the advertisement can be performed more effectively.

On the other hand, as a comprehensive advertising system, the existence of the server 10 can be widely known without being limited to only its own advertising activities. Further, usually, when viewed from the top page of the homepage of the server 20, the map is often considerably lower in the hierarchy, and the URL indicating the page of the map tends to be long. By setting the “○ part” portion at the top, the U
Even if the RL column is not scrolled to the right, the portion indicating the server 20 first catches the eyes of the user and can be easily recognized.

Here, the outline of the HTML data will be described. What information (store name, address, phone number, itinerary, etc.)
You need to specify what font will be displayed in the window and where. Such information is called "format information" and is usually created by each server with a unique concept.

However, in the present embodiment, each home page can be displayed with a unified concept by arranging the concept such as the screen design of the home page between the companies operating the server 20 and the server 10 in advance. In addition, maps and the like that can be appropriately referred to by the user in the process of selecting a store are sequentially maintained by the administrator of the comprehensive advertising system, so that updates with high reliability can always be obtained. As described above, in this mode, although the degree of freedom in the screen configuration in the individual advertisement system is extremely high, highly reliable information in the comprehensive advertisement system can be sufficiently utilized.

Now, the user looks at the window shown in FIG.
In some cases, the user may want to refer to information on other stores. In such a case, it is preferable to press the “return” button.
When the “return” button is pressed in step S 812, first, the server 10 transmits the fact to the server 10.
In, a notification that the service has ended is output to the server 20. As a result, in the server 10, the process related to the present service ends (step S813). Next, in the server 20, for example, the HTML data corresponding to the screen 42 shown in FIG. 4 is transmitted to the terminal 101 again (step S814), and the window is displayed again on the display of the terminal 101 (step S825). . Then, the user can refer to the information on the other branches again in the same procedure as described above.

[0057]

As described above, according to the structure of the present invention, only the desired icons are displayed on the map, so that the icons can be used as a dedicated map and the icons can be confirmed very easily. Can be.

Further, since the URL of the dedicated map is set as unique information, it can be easily recognized.
Information can be efficiently supplied using the URL.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a server 10 in the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a screen of a top page of a homepage of a server 20 in the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a screen of a branch list page of a homepage of the server 20 in the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a guidance screen displayed on the terminal 101 in the slave mode in the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a business card in the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a view showing a display screen in the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a flowchart of the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a view showing a conventional map information screen.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10: Comprehensive advertising system server 20: Individual advertising system server 101, 102: User terminal

Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Hidetoshi Sakata 3-29, Kanda Jimbocho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo F-term (reference) 5B050 BA17 CA08 EA20 FA02 FA13 FA19 5B075 KK07 ND06 ND16 NK02 PP03 PP13 PQ02 PQ63 UU14

Claims (9)

[Claims] In an information supply method for supplying information by a computer system, when receiving desired information input from an information recipient, corresponding map information is stored from pre-stored map information based on the desired information. Search and output a map based on the searched map information to the information recipient, and map only the points corresponding to the coordinates corresponding to the desired information received to the information map. An information supply method characterized by outputting an object. 2. An information supply method for supplying information by a computer system, comprising the steps of: when receiving desired information input from an information recipient, converting corresponding map information from pre-stored map information based on the desired information. Search and output a map based on the searched map information to the information recipient, and map only the points corresponding to the coordinates corresponding to the desired information received to the information map. An information supply method comprising: outputting an object; and setting unique information based on the desired information on the output map. 3. The information according to claim 1, wherein the unique information includes information indicating a source of the desired information and information indicating an output source for outputting the map. Supply method. 4. The information receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said information receiving apparatus prompts said information recipient to select said object, and outputs related information associated with said object selected by said information receiving apparatus. Information supply method described. 5. An information providing apparatus for supplying information by a computer system, comprising: means for receiving desired information input from an information recipient;
A first storage unit for storing map information; and a first storage unit for retrieving map information from the first storage unit based on the desired information.
Searching means; first output means for outputting a map based on the searched map information to the information recipient; and only points on the map which correspond to coordinates corresponding to the received desired information. An information providing apparatus comprising: a second output unit configured to output an imaged object. 6. The information providing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising: means for setting unique information based on the desired information for the output map. 7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising: a unit configured to make the unique information include information indicating a source of the desired information and information indicating an output source for outputting the map.
Or the information providing device according to 6. 8. A means for prompting the information recipient to select the object, a means for reading related information associated with the selected object, a means for outputting the read related information, The information providing apparatus according to claim 5, 6 or 7, further comprising: 9. An information providing medium for providing information, wherein the information is unique information composed of information indicating a source of desired information and information indicating an output source of outputting a map. An information providing medium that features.