JP2001077842A - Information provision system and information acquisition system - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] To provide information related to a current location without burdening a user with trouble and cost. SOLUTION: As shown in FIG. 2A, in a process of transmitting and receiving a normal e-mail, the process proceeds to a dial-up connection (A), a line connection (B), a mail reception (C), and the mail reception ends ( D) Then, the line is disconnected (E). Therefore, when the communication time T has not reached the time T0 corresponding to the minimum line usage fee, a wasteful cost is paid for a time Tw after the line is disconnected (E). The service provided by the information providing system and the information obtaining system of the present invention is not to disconnect the line immediately after the mail reception is completed (D), but to maintain the line until time T0, during which time the information related to the current location is expressed by Te. Receive e-mail containing it. Therefore, the operation of the user who tried to receive the e-mail is as follows.
Even if there is no case, it is not wasted.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a system for transmitting and receiving electronic mail via a computer network.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a method or means for acquiring information on a user's current location, a satellite positioning system such as a GPS that receives radio waves from a plurality of satellites and performs radio wave positioning, and a mobile communication base station such as a PHS are identified. A system for obtaining information on the current location of the user from the position of the base station is known. A system for acquiring the information on the current location is mounted on a portable information terminal, and several systems for transmitting the information on the current location to a server via a computer network are disclosed. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H8-322091 discloses that information including the current location of a news gathering terminal is transferred to an electronic newspaper server via a network as a news gathering support system. Also, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-336
No. 238 discloses that information indicating the current location is transmitted from a portable terminal to a server, and based on the transmitted information, map data around the position and related information are transmitted to the portable terminal.

Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-185599 discloses that location information is stored in a storage and exchange type information package such as electronic mail, and information desired by a user is packaged in electronic mail based on the positional information. Systems are disclosed.

[0004]

A system for transmitting such location information via a computer network and acquiring the information related to the location information is provided by establishing a connection with a server for providing location-related information. Exchanges location information with related information, or exchanges location information and related information via e-mail, in which case the user intentionally sends location information and responds In this manner, information related to the location is sent from the information providing server.

That is, a conventional system for providing information based on location information makes a user aware of transmission and reception of location information. The system automatically transmits and receives location information in a form invisible to the user, and There is no known system that provides information related to the information without the user's awareness. In some systems, e-mails from the system are simultaneously delivered at the time of general e-mail transmission / reception, but the information delivered by e-mail does not change depending on the location of the user or the time.

[0006] In contrast, the inventors of the present application can easily,
We have attempted to develop a system that can obtain information about the current location from a terminal without any hassle. For example, we tried to realize an information providing system that can provide information related to the land or place naturally to the user's eyes, such as a display of a historic site, a signboard of a store or an advertisement of a roadside. .

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A system for providing information that may be useful to a user, even if the information is not intentionally requested by the user, requires additional labor and expense for the user to obtain the information. The inventors of the present application have thought that it is important that they do not occur. And
When dial-up users connect to a computer network such as the Internet to send and receive e-mail, it is very unlikely that a single connection will fully utilize the connection time equivalent to the basic charge of a public telephone line. I paid attention. Then, it has been found that information can be provided at almost no cost by distributing information related to the current location of the user in the remaining connection time corresponding to the basic fee.

[0008] That is, the communication process generally performed conventionally is as follows. For example, when the operation of receiving e-mail is performed by the e-mail client of the terminal, the e-mail client installed on the terminal first connects to the public telephone line by wire or wireless, for example, a mobile phone or PHS, and connects to the access point of the contract provider. Initiate a dial-up connection by making a call. Next, when the user ID and password are sent and confirmed, a line is connected between the terminal and the provider. Accordingly, the mail client issues a request to receive mail to a mail server (POP server) in the provider's server dial-up connected or in another provider's server connected to the provider's server via the Internet. I do. As a result, the user authentication is successfully completed in the mail server, and if the e-mail is stored in the user's mailbox, the e-mail is transmitted to the mail client of the user's terminal. After receiving the e-mail, the terminal's mail client disconnects from the public telephone line.

[0009] Many users set their mail clients so that the process of receiving mails is performed at regular intervals. Therefore, the mail client repeatedly performs this process regardless of the number of electronic mails stored in the mailbox. Further, the above process is repeated even when there is no e-mail in the mailbox. On the other hand, the public telephone line sets a minimum line usage fee (basic fee), and a predetermined communication time, for example, 3 minutes in the city or within a range corresponding thereto, corresponds to the minimum line usage fee. Communication time. Therefore, even if there is no e-mail in the mailbox and the connection to the public telephone line is immediately cut off, the lowest basic charge, that is, the same charge (cost) as using the telephone line for 3 minutes. Occurs. Therefore, in the information providing system of the present invention, if there is time available after the e-mail is exchanged without an increase in cost, information relating to the current location is provided using the time.
Then, after exchanging e-mails, the terminal automatically transmits the information on the current location when starting connection with the mail server (distribution server) so that the information on the current location can be obtained from the database, and provides the information. The system obtains information about the current location.

That is, the information providing system of the present invention comprises:
When the terminal accesses a mail server that distributes e-mail from a terminal connected to a computer network, a means for acquiring data indicating the current location from the terminal, and information relating to the position are stored and provided. From a location-related database that can output information corresponding to the location,
An information providing unit that obtains information related to the current location of the terminal and converts it into an e-mail, and transmits the information to the terminal; and a unit that counts communication time since the terminal started connecting to the mail server. The providing means is characterized in that, when the communication time reaches a predetermined time, that is, a time corresponding to a charge such as a basic charge of a telephone line, an electronic mail of information related to the current location of the terminal is not transmitted.

[0011] The information providing method of the present invention is characterized by having the following steps.

1. A step of obtaining data indicating the current location from the terminal when the terminal is accessing a mail server that distributes electronic mail in a mailbox in response to a request to send and receive electronic mail from a terminal connected to a computer network.

2. An information providing step of storing information related to a position, obtaining information related to the current location of the terminal from a position-related database capable of outputting information corresponding to a given position, converting the information into an electronic mail, and transmitting the information to the terminal; .

3. A step of counting communication time since the terminal started connecting to the mail server;

[0015] In the information providing step, when the communication time reaches a predetermined time, an electronic mail of information related to the current location of the terminal is not transmitted.

According to the information providing system and the information providing method of the present invention, when the terminal accesses the mail server, the current position of the terminal is obtained, the information related to the current position is prepared, and the communication time with the terminal is a predetermined time. When there is time to spare, information relating to the current location is converted to an e-mail and transmitted. Therefore, the predetermined time to be compared with the communication time is a time corresponding to a basic telephone charge per public telephone line, a charge time for other costs incurred in accessing the computer network, such as access time of a provider, By mainly setting the line usage fee, it is possible to acquire information related to the current location without generating new labor and cost burden only with the cost and labor required to send and receive ordinary e-mail be able to.

The predetermined time to be compared with the communication time is the basic call charge, that is, the maximum time during which communication is possible with the minimum line charge, assuming that the Internet is accessed via a public telephone line. Depending on the timing to start counting the communication time, the predetermined time is generally required to establish a line or a connection from the time corresponding to the minimum line usage fee to the time spent for user authentication processing and the like. It is possible to set in advance an appropriate time that does not generate an additional charge in consideration of the timing of comparison with the communication time and the like.
Furthermore, since the charging time may differ depending on the type of terminal or the type of carrier, in such a case, the predetermined time to be compared with the communication time is changed depending on the type of terminal connected to the computer network. It is desirable to do so. Also, the charging time may be different depending on the environment of the terminal or the like, so it is desirable that the predetermined time to be compared with the communication time can be changed by a request from a terminal connected to the computer network.

Further, when the communication time exceeds a predetermined time set in advance, it is desirable to update the predetermined time according to a charged fee and a time system. Even if the communication time becomes longer due to normal e-mail transmission / reception not including e-mail related to the current location,
E-mails related to the current location can be sent without increasing communication costs. Of course, the time to update depends on the type of device,
Alternatively, it is desirable that it can be changed by a request from the terminal.

Further, if an e-mail of information relating to the current location is not transmitted and remains in the mailbox due to a cause such as a communication state, wasted time is required to receive the e-mail at the next timing. I do. When the terminal accesses the mail server at the next timing, information relating to the next current location is prepared. Therefore, if an e-mail of information related to the current location of the terminal remains in the mailbox after the distribution cycle in which the current location was obtained, it is desirable to delete the e-mail.

Furthermore, by counting the number of mails in the mailbox when the terminal starts connection with the mail server, the communication time is not wasted, and
In addition, information can be provided without the user having to take time. Therefore, this method is also suitable for providing the information described above. That is, when the terminal starts connection with the mail server, the number of mails in the mailbox is counted, and when the number of mails is equal to or less than a predetermined value, for example, when there is no mail, the information providing means is started, or the information providing step is performed. May be started. Even if there is no mail in the mailbox, a charge relating to the communication time is generated, so that the user can be sent appropriate information on the current location without wasting the charge. Means or steps for counting the number of mails may be used in combination with means or steps for counting communication time, or any of these may be used. In particular, when there is no e-mail when receiving an e-mail, it is the time when the user is most disappointed. By providing this function, it is possible to always obtain some new information and build a more fun e-mail system it can.

As described above, according to the information providing system and the information providing method of the present invention, information can be provided without requiring the user to bear a new cost. In addition, the user's current location is automatically sent to the information providing system, and the information corresponding to the current location is automatically distributed. Therefore, even if the information is not intentionally requested by the user, there is no need to feel comfortable in distributing information that may be useful. For this reason, it is possible to easily distribute information that is difficult to request for a fee, such as event information at or near the current location, advertisements for shops, guidance for historic sites, weather forecasts, etc., and users can easily view such information. it can.

The information to be distributed using the time spent in sending and receiving e-mails is not limited to the information on the current location. However, if there is not enough time to send and receive e-mails, the information may not be sent. Therefore, it is desirable that the information is useful but not necessary information for the user. Such information is related to the current location and does not need to be known by the user, but information that may be useful if known is the most information handled by the information providing system or information providing method of the present invention. Are suitable.

Further, when information is provided, in addition to the current location of the terminal, information on the user of the terminal, such as hobbies, food preferences, and the priority of the type of information desired to be provided, are individually set. It is also useful to select appropriate information from the information related to the current location of the terminal based on personal information that has been determined to be preferred by the user based on personal information that has been obtained by questionnaires, etc., and to convert it to e-mail. is there. The amount of e-mail that can be provided by this information providing system or information providing method is limited, so if there is a lot of information related to the current location of the terminal, the information preferred by the user can be limited by limiting the information with the user's personal information. It can be transmitted as a spot.

It is desirable that the information provided by the information providing means be map information relating to the current location and other contents related to the current location of the terminal. Thus, the user can recognize his / her own position and can grasp the contents of another content or a place related to the content based on the position.

On the other hand, in order to obtain on the terminal side e-mail containing information on the current location delivered using the above-described information providing system or information providing method of the present invention, a mail client accesses the mail server. It is necessary to send the information of the current location at a time and to be able to continuously obtain an e-mail for a predetermined time. Therefore, means to obtain information about your current location,
When accessing a mail server via a computer network by a mail client installed on a terminal provided with a communication means for connecting to the computer network and a mail client capable of sending and receiving e-mail via the computer network Means for transmitting the information on the current location obtained in advance to a predetermined address, and from when the mail client starts connecting to the mail server via the computer network, continuously without receiving and sending e-mails, During this time, it is necessary to install an information acquisition system having information acquisition means for causing the mail client to perform processing for acquiring an e-mail from the mail server.

By using such a terminal, a step of connecting to a computer network and transmitting / receiving an e-mail by a mail client via the computer network, and before transmitting / receiving the e-mail, information on the current location of the user is transmitted. Acquiring, transmitting electronic mail to a predetermined address at an initial stage of transmitting and receiving an e-mail, and continuously starting a connection to a mail server via a computer network by a mail client for a predetermined period of time. An information obtaining step of obtaining an e-mail from a mail server by a mail client, and executing an information obtaining method for exchanging the e-mail from the information providing system of the present invention. Information can be obtained

The terminal also counts the communication time, obtains an electronic mail until the communication time reaches a predetermined time, and, when the communication time exceeds the predetermined time, a communication carrier (carrier). It is desirable to update the predetermined time according to the charging system of the above.

The information providing method and the information obtaining method of the present invention are executed by installing an information providing program and an information obtaining program having instructions capable of executing the respective steps in an information processing apparatus such as a server or a mobile computer. It is possible to
An information providing system and an information obtaining system can be constructed. These programs can be provided by being recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Further, these programs can be provided by being converted or embedded in a transmission medium supplied via a computer network or the like.

Conventionally, when e-mails are regularly acquired via the Internet, there may be no e-mails in the mailbox. Even in such a case, the e-mails may be dialed up and sent via a public telephone line. If you use the Internet, you will incur costs. In contrast, by providing a service that combines the information provision system and the information acquisition system of this example, even in such a case, the information on the current location within the minimum charge rate such as the basic call rate of the telephone line can be obtained. Can be received. Therefore, the user can obtain useful information, even if he or she does not need it, substantially free of charge without being aware of it. Also, the information providing system can distribute appropriate information without putting any burden on the user. Therefore, it is possible to provide a new business environment, such as developing a service for distributing targeted advertisements close to the region or the user, and developing a free e-mail service for automatically distributing sponsor advertisements.

[0030]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an outline of a system for transmitting and receiving e-mail via the general Internet 1 as a computer network. A server system 20 of a service provider provided with a mail server 21 for providing an electronic mail delivery service is provided via a server system 5 of another service provider or a W
It is connected to the WW server 4 and the like. A mobile terminal such as a terminal 6a carried by the user or a terminal 6b mounted on a car (hereinafter referred to as a portable terminal 6) is connected to the public telephone network 7 mainly through radio, and furthermore, The connection to the Internet 1 is established by making a dial-up IP connection with an access point of a predetermined telephone number connected to the server system 20 or 5 of the provider. If the mobile terminal 6 has a function as a PHS,
A nearby PHS base station 7a connects to the public telephone network 7.
If the portable terminal 6 has a function as a portable telephone, the portable terminal 6 is connected to the public telephone network 7 via a nearby portable telephone base 7b.

When the user can connect to the Internet 1 via the public telephone network 7, the user can access the server system 20 of the service provider to which the user has contracted, and the electronic mail stored in the user's mailbox prepared in the mail server 21. You can receive mail. If the telephone can be connected to the access point of the contracted service provider, the dial-up server 2 of the server system 20
It is possible to receive e-mail from the mail server 21 via the Internet 1 and to receive e-mail from the mail server 21 via the Internet 1 even when connected to an access point of another provider 5. it can.

At present, the portable terminal 6 has data indicating its current location (in most cases, coordinates including latitude and longitude information).
Can be obtained by several means. It is considered that the system having the highest accuracy is provided with a system (GPS unit) for receiving and positioning a radio wave from the GPS satellite 9 and obtaining the coordinates of the current position by radio wave positioning. GP
When positioning is performed using the S satellite 9, it is possible to correct the difference using the information of the DGPS base station 2 and increase the accuracy. Further, it is also possible to accurately determine the current location by WADGPS (Wide Area DGPS) using information of a plurality of DGPS base stations 2.

On the other hand, the portable terminal 6 which can be connected to the public telephone network 7 by the PHS receives the identification information (CSID) of the nearest base station 7a and knows the position of the base station from the CSID to thereby determine the position of the portable terminal 6. You can find your current location. CSID by PHS connected to mobile terminal 6
Is obtained, the coordinates of the base station can be easily obtained from the position information server (CSID server) 29 of the base station.
When the mobile terminal 6 has a function as a mobile phone, the position of the mobile terminal 6 can be obtained from the coordinates of the base station 7b of the mobile phone, but the accuracy is not good as compared with the PHS. However, it is considered that the required accuracy of the position is significantly improved by a communication system to be adopted in the future such as CDMA.

FIG. 2 shows a process of receiving an electronic mail when a dial-up connection is made via the public telephone network 7 along a time axis. Conventionally, when an operation of receiving a mail is performed on the terminal 6, as shown in FIG. 2A, the operation proceeds to a dial-up connection (A), a line connection (B), and a mail reception (C), and the mail reception ends. (D) Then, the line is disconnected (E). Therefore, if the line use time (communication time) T has not reached the use time (unit time or reference use time, for example, 1 minute) T0 corresponding to the basic charge (the basic call charge for a telephone) of the line use amount. That is, wasteful costs are paid for the time Tw after the line is disconnected (E). If you regularly dial up to receive emails,
In most cases, there is almost no e-mail stored in the mailbox, and there may be no e-mail in the mailbox. In such a case, since the line is disconnected almost instantaneously, most of the line use time T0 is wasted.

On the other hand, when there is a large amount of electronic mails in the mailbox, as shown in FIG. 2B, it may exceed the reference use time T0. At this time, the time to disconnect the line exceeds the use time T0 (for example, 1 minute and 10 seconds),
Furthermore, in many cases, the unit usage time T1 corresponding to the additional usage fee has not been reached. In this case, disconnect the line (E)
The time Tw after is wasted.

The service provided by the information providing system and the information acquiring system of the present invention, which will be described in more detail below, aims to provide information to the user by utilizing the use time Tw wasted in the process of sending and receiving the e-mail. Things. That is, as shown in FIGS. 2C and 2D, when the mail reception is completed, the line is not disconnected immediately (D), but the reference use time T0 or the additional unit use time T1 (of course, The use time T1 may be repeatedly generated), and during this time, an e-mail containing information related to the current location is received at Te. Therefore, the operation of the user who tried to receive the e-mail is not wasted even when there is no e-mail. Also, if a sponsor attaches an e-mail delivered at time Te, even if the user does not feel an advantage in the e-mail delivered at time Te, the cost of the e-mail service or the service of the provider can be reduced. Furthermore, a mechanism that makes it free of charge can be provided.

FIG. 3 shows an example in which the information providing system 30 according to the present invention is installed in the mail server 21 of the provider shown above. The mail server 21 has a configuration necessary for providing a basic e-mail service, for example, a user's mailbox 11, an SMTP server 12 for transmitting e-mail, and distribution of e-mail addressed to a user in the mailbox 11. And a POP server 13 for performing the operation. Then, the SMTP server 12 and the PO
When the P server 13 and the mail client installed in the user's portable terminal 6 are connected via the Internet 1 or are dial-up connected, a service for transmitting and receiving e-mail is performed. In this example, a system for providing the above-described information is formed by using the basic electronic mail service.

The information providing system 30 of the present example is data indicating the current location of the portable terminal 6 when the user's portable terminal 6 is connected to send and receive electronic mail, for example, data obtained by radio positioning, and the result. Coordinates or PH
It has a function 31 for acquiring the CSID of S. The simplest method of acquiring data indicating the current location from the mobile terminal 6 is to convert the data indicating the current location obtained by the mobile terminal 6 into an e-mail and send it to a specific address indicating the information providing system 30. It is. The first of the services for sending and receiving e-mails, and of course, after the user authentication in dial-up connection, etc., is to send out e-mails to the specific address. The function 31 for acquiring the current location is based on the acquired data of the current location.
Access the SID server 29 to obtain the exact coordinates of the base station. In the case of GPS data, it accesses the GPS server 22 and acquires highly accurate coordinates based on the data for DGSP or WADGPS.

The information providing system 30 further has a function 32 for counting a communication time (line use time) or a time T corresponding thereto. The communication time T can be counted, for example, from when the SMTP server 12 transfers the first mail. When measuring the line use time T more accurately, the dial-up server 25 can start counting the communication time T by capturing the timing at which the portable terminal 6 makes a dial-up connection and the line is connected.

The information providing system 30 has a function 33 for setting a predetermined time (hereinafter, a set time) Tr for comparison with the counted communication time T. The set time Tr is usually set to the minimum use time T0 of the public telephone line. However, carriers
Depending on the (carrier), the cost may be set irrespective of the communication time. Therefore, in the present invention, the set time Tr can be changed depending on the type of the user terminal, or more specifically, the attribute of the communication carrier used by the terminal. It has become. If the time setting is set to infinity, the position-related information can be always obtained from the information providing system 30. To cope with such a case, the set time Tr is set according to a request from the user terminal. It can be changed.

Then, the information providing system 30 of the present example
Based on the current location (user's current location) of the mobile terminal 6 acquired by the location-related content server 23 and the map server 24, which is also a location-related database, and acquired by the function 31 for acquiring the current location,
Information providing function 35 for acquiring information related to the current location
It has. The information providing function 35 further provides the user's personal information obtained from the user profile server 27 when searching for information related to the current location, for example,
It refers to gender, age, occupation, hobbies, food preferences, and the like, and the category of information set by the user in receiving this information providing service. The obtained position-related information is converted into an electronic mail and posted to the user's mailbox 11.

The information selected by the information providing function 35 is not particularly limited as long as it is useful to the user. However, considering that the information providing system 30 utilizes extra time for sending and receiving e-mails and that the information providing system 30 does not reach the user when the time is insufficient, information with a large amount of information and information necessary for the user Should be avoided. Therefore, even if provided by e-mail, such as local event information, local weather forecast of the current location, you do not mind, you can grasp the contents once you open the e-mail once, you can easily delete when it is unnecessary Is desirable. Furthermore, the mail may be automatically displayed by the user's mail client when the mail is received, and then automatically deleted. By sending such e-mails, the user's terminal can be devised not to use a useless memory.

Further, it is also possible to distribute a target advertisement corresponding to the location information of the user. In the case of e-mail services, when users have no or few e-mails, there is a slight problem that the cost is higher than the advantage, but the advertiser bears the cost. Is possible.

The information providing system 30 further has a function 34 for counting the number of electronic mails stored in the user's mailbox. With this function 34, the number of e-mails delivered to the user by the POP server 13 can be determined in the delivery cycle in which the mail server 21 is accessed, and thereby the communication time required in the delivery cycle can be predicted. Therefore,
The number of emails stored in the mailbox is large,
If it is determined that there is not enough communication time, the process of acquiring information by the information providing function 35 stops. further,
Since the communication time can be predicted, it is possible to predict the minimum line use time T0 and further the remaining time for the additional use time T1. Therefore, the information providing function 35 can proceed with the processing so as to acquire the amount of information that can be sent in the remaining time.

Also, the communication time is ignored, and there is also provided a means for providing information only by an electronic mail counting function. This setting can be made by a request from a mail client or a server setting. The user is most disappointed when there is no e-mail when receiving the e-mail. With this function, it is possible to construct a more enjoyable mail system by providing information only when there is no mail or a small number such as one or two mails.

The information providing system 30 searches the inside of the mailbox 11 after the end of the mail delivery cycle, that is, after the connection with the portable terminal 6 of the user is cut off, and the information providing function 35 If there is any e-mail left, a function 36 for deleting the e-mail is provided. After the time including the minimum line use time T0 or the additional time T1 has elapsed, the portable terminal 6
The e-mail remaining in the mailbox 11 when the line is disconnected on the side is the mail that has not been delivered to the portable terminal 6, and if left as it is, it is sent to the portable terminal 6 in the next delivery cycle. Therefore, in the next delivery cycle, it takes time to send and receive e-mails, and at that time, there is a high possibility that the current location is different, resulting in useless information. Therefore, it is desirable to delete the mail remaining in the mailbox 11.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the configuration of the portable terminal 6 suitable for acquiring information by communicating with the mail server 21 provided with the information providing system 30. First, the mobile terminal 6
Is equipped with a GPS unit 51 capable of acquiring its current location. The GPS unit is a system that receives radio waves from satellites, which is currently most commonly used, and performs positioning. However, a GPS system that receives radio waves from other satellites or other facilities may be used.
Further, as described above, even a portable terminal that does not include the GPS unit 51 can obtain information on the current location by acquiring the CSID of the PHS base station or the identification information of the mobile phone base station.

Further, a PHS unit 52 is provided as means for connecting to a computer network. The PHS unit 52 is a communication unit suitable for connecting to the public telephone network 7 via the base station 7a and for making a dial-up connection from an access point of a provider. Of course, other communication units such as a mobile phone unit and a satellite phone unit may be used. Further, it may be one that can directly communicate with the server system of the provider via wireless and connect to the network. A communication unit that can be connected to the public telephone network 7 by wire may be used, but the performance as a mobile computer is reduced. Also, these communication units 52 are the GPS units 51
As in the case of (1), the type is not limited to the case where the terminal is built in the portable terminal 6, but may be a type connected via an appropriate interface.

Also, a suitable mail client (mail application) 53 is installed in the portable terminal 6. The mail client 53 includes a mail box 53a for storing an e-mail for transmission and a received e-mail, and a SM for transmitting the e-mail.
It has a TP client 53b and a POP client 53c for receiving e-mail. Of course, it is needless to say that it has functions necessary for a general mail client, such as a function of opening an e-mail to display the contents of an e-mail and creating an e-mail.

The portable terminal 6 further includes an information acquisition system 55 for acquiring an electronic mail including information from the information providing system 30. The information acquisition system 55 activates the mail client 53 to start access to the mail server 21, obtains information on the current location using the GPS unit 51, and obtains information on the current location when the line with the mail server 21 is connected. And a state in which the mail client 53 can receive the e-mail by maintaining the connection for a predetermined time (hereinafter, a set time) even after the transmission / reception of the e-mail is completed. It has a function 57 for holding.

The function 57 for continuously operating the mail client 53 counts the communication time T from the time when the line connection is started or the time corresponding thereto and compares it with the set time Tr. It has a function 57a for disconnecting the line after the passage of time, and a function 57b for changing or updating the set time Tr. The set time Tr is
As already described in the information providing system 30, this is the time corresponding to the minimum line usage fee set by the carrier such as a telephone company. The set time Tr is extended (updated) by a time corresponding to the additional charge. Therefore, even after the transmission / reception of the e-mail is completed, the reception of the additional e-mail is possible until the set time Tr is reached. Therefore, the information providing system 30
, An information can be obtained by receiving the e-mail. This information acquisition system 5
5 can be provided as an add-on or plug-in application of the mail client 53. Alternatively, it can be provided as independent application software that can control the mail client 53 via an OS or the like. It can be provided as a part of the OS.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a configuration suitable as the portable terminal 6 having such a function. Mobile terminal 6
Is a touch panel 62 as an input means and L as an output means
A CD 61, a CPU 63 as a control unit, and a ROM 64 and a RAM 65 as memories are provided.
These are connected to an internal bus 66, which has a GPS unit 51 and a PHS unit 52.
Is connected. Also, instead of the internal bus 66, the CPU
A configuration for connecting to 63 serial signals may be used.

Therefore, the ROM 64 or the RAM 6
Application programs such as the mail client 53 and the information acquisition system 55 recorded in
The functions described above can be realized by executing the program on the PU 63. The application program can further be recorded on other recording media such as a magnetic disk if they are provided. The software (program) such as the mail client 53 and the information acquisition system 55 can be further provided by being recorded on an appropriate recording medium, for example, FD, CD, DVD, or the like. Further, the program can be provided by transmitting and receiving a transmission medium in which the software is embedded via a computer network such as the Internet. The same applies to other software such as the information providing system 30.

The operation of the information providing system 30 and the information acquiring system 55 of the present example and examples of contents distributed thereby will be described below with reference to FIGS. First, FIG. 6 shows a schematic operation of the information acquisition system 55. In step 71, it is determined whether it is time to send and receive an e-mail. If the e-mail is sent and received periodically, it is determined by a timer or the like. Alternatively, the processing may be started by a user's manual instruction. When the process of transmitting and receiving an e-mail is started, the GPS unit 51 is activated in step 72 to acquire data on the current location. PH
To determine the current location from the S base station (CSID), use PH
At the timing when the S unit 52 is activated, data on the current location is acquired.

After acquiring the data of the current location, the mail client 53 is activated or put into an on-service state in step 73. Of course, the process of acquiring the current location may be performed after the mail client 53 is turned on, and these processes may be performed in parallel. In many cases, when the mail client 53 is started, processing for establishing a connection with the Internet 1 is automatically started. If it is not connected to a local computer network such as a LAN, a dial-up connection is selected and step 74
Then, a process of calling the provider's access point to authenticate the user is performed. When these processes are completed, the line is connected in step 75, and then the counting of the communication time T is started in step 76. In step 77, the mail client automatically starts processing for sending and receiving electronic mail. The order of the process of transmitting an e-mail by the SMTP client and the process of receiving the e-mail by the POP client are arbitrary. However, in order to secure time for acquiring information on the current location on the information providing system 30, It is desirable to provide data indicating the current location to the information providing system 30 at the earliest possible timing. It is easiest to send the data indicating the current location by sending an e-mail to the information providing system 30. Therefore, it is desirable that the mail client 53 performs the process of transmitting the electronic mail before the process of receiving the electronic mail. When the current position is acquired by the GPS unit 51, an electronic mail in which the coordinate data is embedded will be transmitted. On the other hand, when obtaining the current location from the data (CSID) of the PHS base station, an electronic mail in which the CSID is embedded will be transmitted.

At step 77, the mail client 53
When all of the e-mails for transmission stored in the mail server 21 have been transmitted and all the e-mails in the mailbox 11 of the mail server 21 have been received, the processing for transmitting / receiving the e-mails in step 78 ends. Conventionally, a process for disconnecting the line is performed immediately after this. However, in the portable terminal 6 equipped with the information acquisition system 55 of this example, the communication time T
Is continued. First, in step 79, it is checked whether or not the communication time T spent in normal mail transmission / reception exceeds a preset time, that is, a time corresponding to a minimum line usage fee. If it is over, in step 80, the set time Tr is updated according to the carrier charging system. Then, in step 81, it is determined whether or not the communication time T is longer than the set time Tr. If there is a communication time T, step 8
2, the mail client 53 until the set time Tr is reached.
To be able to receive e-mail. That is,
Periodically, the POP client 53c and the mail server 2
Communication with the first POP server 13 is performed. Therefore, if a new electronic mail is posted to the user's mailbox 11 of the mail server 21 during this step 82, it can be received immediately. For this reason, if the information providing system 30 prepares the information on the current location during step 82 and can post it by e-mail, the user can receive it and view it using the viewer function of the mail client 53 or the like.

When the communication time T runs out in step 81, a process for disconnecting the line is performed in step 83. Since the information acquisition system 55 of the present example aims at not generating an additional charge (as the line usage) for acquiring the information on the current location, the information acquisition system 55 is forcibly applied even during the reception of the e-mail. It would be desirable to disconnect the line at Even if the line is forcibly disconnected and the electronic mail remains in the mailbox 11, there is no problem since the electronic mail related to the current location is automatically deleted by the information providing system 30. In addition, if the electronic mail has another purpose or content, it remains in the mailbox 11, so that it can be received at the next timing. Of course, it is also possible to make a setting that gives priority to receiving an e-mail. In this case, if the timing does not match, there is a possibility that the line usage fee for acquiring information increases.

FIG. 7 shows a schematic process of the information providing system 30. First, when a line connection with the portable terminal 6 is established in step 85, counting of the communication time T is started in step 86. As described above, the set time Tr, which is a predetermined time to be compared with the communication time T, can be changed by the type of the terminal or the user setting, as described above. ing. Of course, the timing of performing this processing is arbitrary, and is not limited to this point. Next, in step 88, information on the current location of the terminal 6 is obtained. In order to secure time for acquiring information on the current location, it is desirable to obtain information on the current location as soon as possible.
If the e-mail is provided with an appropriate address indicating the information providing system 30, the SMTP server 12 of the mail server 21 will be able to determine and transfer the electronic mail to the information providing system 30 in a short time.

In step 89, before or after or simultaneously with such processing, the information providing system 30 determines the amount of electronic mail stored in the mailbox 11 of the user. When the amount of e-mail is large, the following processes are not performed because the possibility that the communication time T remains is low. Of course, this process is optional, and in the case where the user sets the set time to infinity and desires to always obtain information on the current location, there is no need to monitor the amount of accumulated mail. Would.

Further, in step 90, the user profile data is read, and data search is performed taking into account not only the current location but also other information of the user. If there is little information or content about the current location, there is no problem sending it as an e-mail, but if there is a lot of information, it will take time to e-mail all of it . Further, since the time during which the user can receive is limited as described above, even if all of the information is converted into an e-mail, the user cannot always receive. Therefore, it is desirable to carefully select information or content related to the current location based on the other information of the user and convert it to an e-mail. The information of the user to be referred to is various as described above, and is not particularly limited as long as it is useful for limiting data, and is therefore limited to the above-described elements such as gender. Not something.

The information providing system 30 accumulates information to be converted into an electronic mail from various databases or database servers based on the obtained current location and other user information. In the process of accumulating information, if the circuit is disconnected at step 92 for some reason, the process is stopped. Further, even if the information is ready, if there is no allowance in the communication time T in step 95, the subsequent processing is not performed. As described in the information acquisition system, if the time corresponding to the minimum usage fee has been exceeded in the process of sending and receiving a normal mail, it is determined in step 93 and the set time is updated in step 94.

If these conditions are satisfied and the communication time T has a margin, at step 96, the data collected as information on the current location is converted to an electronic mail and posted to the user's mailbox. The information related to the current location can be obtained from the location-related content server 23 and the map server 24 prepared in the server system 20 of the provider.
If processing time permits, information may be collected from another database server 4 open on the Internet. The position-related data may be any data such as image data, moving image data, audio data, text data, and HTML data corresponding to the position information that can be transmitted as an e-mail or as an attached file or an embedded file of the e-mail. Of course, a combination of these data may be used. Since the information is related to the current location, the map data of the surrounding area including the current location,
Combinations with content related to other current locations may be preferred, but not limited thereto.
Alternatively, the present invention is not limited to these combinations. It is also possible to independently distribute the weather forecast, traffic information, and the like relating to the current location. Of course, the electronic mail of the information on the current location is not limited to one email, and a plurality of emails may be posted, and the information may be sequentially posted in the order in which the information is prepared. Further, the map information may be generated after the current position is acquired, or may be prepared in advance with a certain amount of mesh. Those with a large amount of information, such as images and map information, are converted into a simple form and transmitted.
A system in which only a list of contents is sent by e-mail, and those which the user is interested in may be obtained at another timing when the line usage may be added. The form of the e-mail to be sent also depends on the function of the e-mail client, but it is appropriate to open it automatically, delete it automatically once you see it, or delete it after a certain period of time. Can be selected.

As described above, one of the attractive contents for developing such an information providing service is to distribute a targeted advertisement corresponding to the location information. And
The absence or low number of e-mails for users is expensive compared to their advantages, and this patent makes it possible to build a system in which the advertiser bears the costs.

If the communication time runs out while preparing or transmitting the electronic mail in which the position information or the information related to the position information is embedded, these processes are stopped. And
After the line with the mobile terminal is disconnected, if the mail transmitted in step 97 remains, it is deleted in step 98. Whether or not the electronic mail is information for transmitting the information related to the position information can be easily determined by referring to the transmission address of the electronic mail.

FIG. 8 shows how the portable terminal 6 receives the information providing service. First, in FIG. 8A, when mail reception is selected, the line is connected and the current location is automatically transmitted. Then, it is shown that the e-mail is received as shown in FIG. Thereafter, when the reception of the e-mail is completed, a message indicating that the processing has been completed is displayed as shown in FIG. 8C, and a list of the received e-mails is displayed in FIG. 8D. Then, it is found that the mail related to the current location is being delivered. When the user selects it, the content related to the current location is displayed as shown in FIG. Further, when a button indicating the map or the position of the content is pressed, a map that shows the current location and the location related to the content is displayed as shown in FIG.

Of the contents and display methods provided by the information providing service realized by the information providing system 30 and the information obtaining system 55, those shown in FIG. There will be various modifications depending on the specifications of the mail client.
However, in any case, the state of operation and display on the user interface is exactly the same as the process of transmitting and receiving normal e-mail except for the display of the received content, and the user is conscious of the state. It does not send information about your current location and receive information related to it. When I was performing operations to send and receive mail as usual, when I displayed the received e-mail, I found that I was able to receive e-mail related to my current location, and if I am interested, open it and open it You just have to look. The reception of such an e-mail related to the current location does not increase the line usage fee, and provides the user with an information providing service that does not require any trouble and cost. And an information acquisition system.

[0067]

As described above, by combining the information providing system, the information acquiring system, the information providing method, and the information acquiring method of the present invention, the user can save time and cost for the user having the portable terminal. It is possible to realize a service that provides information on the current location that can be easily viewed without calling.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a system for sending and receiving electronic mail via the Internet.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams illustrating timings of processing for transmitting and receiving e-mail according to the related art and the present invention with respect to a time axis. FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate conventional processing for transmitting and receiving e-mail. FIG. 2 (c) and (d)
Shows processing according to the present invention for transmitting and receiving electronic mail.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an outline of a mail server provided with the information providing system according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an outline of a portable terminal provided with the information acquisition system according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the mobile terminal shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an outline of processing of the information acquisition system according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an outline of processing of the information providing system according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an outline displayed on a mobile terminal provided with the information acquisition system according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Internet 6 Mobile terminal 7 Public telephone network 11 Mailbox 12 SMTP server 13 POP server 20 Provider server system 21 Mail server 22 GPS server 23 Location-related database server 24 Map server 25 Dial-up server 27 User profile server 29 CSID server 30 Information provision System 51 GPS unit 52 PHS unit 53 Mail client 55 Information acquisition system

Continued on the front page F term (reference) 5B075 KK07 ND20 PP10 PP28 PQ02 PQ32 PR08 UU14 UU24 UU40 5B089 GA11 GA25 GB01 GB02 JA31 JA33 JB22 KA01 KB11 KC29 KG10 LA03 MC06 5K030 HA06 HC01 JL01 JT09 KA01 LC18 LD

Claims (29)

[Claims] When a terminal accesses a mail server that distributes an e-mail in a mailbox in response to a request to transmit / receive an e-mail from a terminal connected to a computer network, the terminal determines the current location from the terminal. Means for acquiring data indicating, storing information related to the location, from a location-related database capable of outputting information corresponding to the given location, acquiring information related to the current location of the terminal and converting it to an e-mail,
Information providing means for transmitting to the terminal, and means for counting a communication time from when the terminal starts connection with the mail server, wherein the information providing means has a communication time of a predetermined time. An information providing system, which does not transmit an electronic mail of information related to the current location of the terminal when it reaches. 2. The information providing system according to claim 1, further comprising means for changing the predetermined time to be compared with the communication time according to a type of a terminal connected to the computer network. 3. The information providing system according to claim 1, further comprising means for changing the predetermined time to be compared with the communication time in response to a request from a terminal connected to the computer network. 4. The information providing system according to claim 1, further comprising means for updating the predetermined time when the communication time exceeds the predetermined time to be compared with the communication time. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein, when an electronic mail of information related to the current location of the terminal remains in the mailbox after a distribution cycle in which the current location is acquired, the electronic mail is deleted. An information providing system comprising: 6. The information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the terminal counts the number of mails in the mailbox when the terminal starts connection with the mail server, and provides the information when the number of mails is equal to or less than a predetermined value. An information providing system comprising: means for activating means. 7. When the terminal accesses a mail server that receives an electronic mail transmission / reception request from a terminal connected to a computer network and distributes an electronic mail in a mailbox, the terminal determines the current location from the terminal. Means for acquiring data indicating, storing information related to the location, from a location-related database capable of outputting information corresponding to the given location, acquiring information related to the current location of the terminal and converting it to an e-mail,
Information providing means for transmitting to the terminal, counting the number of mails in the mailbox when the terminal starts connection with the mail server, and when the number of mails is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the information Means for activating the providing means. 8. The information providing means according to claim 1, wherein the information providing means converts, in addition to the current location of the terminal, information associated with the current location of the terminal selected based on information of the user of the terminal. An information providing system, characterized in that: 9. The information providing means according to claim 1, wherein the information providing means converts at least map information and other contents related to the current location of the terminal into electronic mail as information related to the current location of the terminal. Characteristic information providing system. 10. A means for acquiring information relating to the current location of the user, a communication means for connecting to a computer network, a mail client capable of transmitting and receiving e-mail via the computer network, Means for transmitting the information relating to the current location to a predetermined address when accessing the mail server, and when the mail client starts connecting to the mail server via the computer network,
A terminal comprising: information acquisition means for causing the mail client to continuously acquire electronic mail from the mail server for a predetermined time. 11. The information acquisition unit according to claim 10, wherein the information acquisition unit counts a communication time from when the mail client starts connecting to a mail server via the computer network, and the communication time is the predetermined time. Means for performing a process of acquiring an e-mail until the time is reached. 12. The information acquisition means according to claim 10, wherein the information acquisition means counts a communication time from when the mail client starts connecting to a mail server via the computer network, and the communication time is determined by the communication time. A terminal comprising: means for updating the predetermined time when the predetermined time to be compared with the time is exceeded. 13. A means for transmitting, to a predetermined address, information on a current location obtained in advance when accessing a mail server via a computer network by a mail client installed in a terminal; From when you start connecting to the mail server via
An information acquisition system, comprising: information acquisition means for causing the mail client to continuously acquire electronic mail from the mail server for a predetermined time. 14. When the terminal accesses a mail server that distributes an electronic mail in a mailbox in response to a request for transmitting and receiving an electronic mail from a terminal connected to a computer network, the terminal determines the current location from the terminal. Acquiring the data shown, storing information related to the location, from a location-related database capable of outputting information corresponding to the given location, acquiring information related to the current location of the terminal, and converting it to an e-mail,
An information providing step of transmitting to the terminal, and a step of counting a communication time from when the terminal starts connection with the mail server, wherein in the information providing step, the communication time reaches a predetermined time. An information providing method, comprising: not sending an e-mail of information related to the current location of the terminal when it reaches the terminal. 15. The information providing method according to claim 14, further comprising a step of changing the predetermined time to be compared with the communication time according to a type of a terminal connected to the computer network. 16. The information providing method according to claim 14, further comprising a step of changing the predetermined time to be compared with the communication time in response to a request from a terminal connected to the computer network. 17. The information providing method according to claim 14, further comprising the step of updating the predetermined time when the communication time exceeds the predetermined time to be compared with the communication time. 18. The method according to claim 14, wherein if the electronic mail of the information related to the current location of the terminal remains in the mailbox after the distribution cycle in which the current location was obtained, the step of deleting the electronic mail is performed. An information providing method, comprising: 19. The information providing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the number of mails in the mailbox is counted when the terminal starts connection with the mail server, and the information provision is performed when the number of mails is equal to or less than a predetermined value. An information providing method, comprising a step of activating means. 20. When the terminal accesses a mail server for distributing e-mail in a mailbox in response to a request for transmitting / receiving e-mail from a terminal connected to a computer network, the terminal determines the current location from the terminal. Acquiring the data shown, storing information related to the location, from a location-related database capable of outputting information corresponding to the given location, acquiring information related to the current location of the terminal, and converting it to an e-mail,
Providing an information to be transmitted to the terminal, counting the number of mails in the mailbox when the terminal starts connection with the mail server, and determining the information when the number of mails is equal to or less than a predetermined value. Activating the providing means. 21. Activating a mail client to send and receive e-mail via a computer network; acquiring information on the current location of the user before sending and receiving e-mail; Transmitting the information on the current location to a predetermined address; and starting the connection to a mail server via the computer network by the mail client.
An information obtaining step of obtaining an electronic mail from the mail server by the mail client for a predetermined time continuously. 22. The information acquisition step according to claim 20, wherein in the information obtaining step, a communication time is counted from a time when the mail client starts connecting to a mail server via the computer network, and the communication time is the predetermined time. Obtaining an e-mail until time is reached. 23. The information acquisition step according to claim 20, wherein the information acquisition step includes a step of counting a communication time from when the mail client starts connecting to a mail server via the computer network, and the communication time is determined by the communication time. Updating the predetermined time when the predetermined time to be compared with the time is exceeded. 24. When the terminal accesses a mail server that distributes e-mail in a mailbox in response to a request to transmit / receive e-mail from a terminal connected to a computer network, the terminal determines the current location from the terminal. A process of acquiring data indicating, storing information related to the location, acquiring information related to the current location of the terminal from a location-related database capable of outputting information corresponding to a given location, and converting the information into an email,
The information providing process includes: executing an information providing process to be transmitted to the terminal; and executing a process of counting a communication time from when the terminal starts connection with the mail server. A computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon an information providing program having an instruction not to transmit an electronic mail of information relating to a current location of the terminal when a predetermined time has elapsed. 25. The method according to claim 24, wherein when the electronic mail of the information related to the current location of the terminal remains in the mailbox after the distribution cycle of acquiring the current location, the processing of deleting the electronic mail is performed. A computer-readable recording medium on which the information providing program is further recorded, further comprising an instruction to be executed. 26. When the terminal accesses a mail server for distributing e-mail in a mailbox in response to a request for transmitting / receiving e-mail from a terminal connected to a computer network, the terminal determines the current location from the terminal. A process of acquiring data indicating, storing information related to the location, acquiring information related to the current location of the terminal from a location-related database capable of outputting information corresponding to the given location, and converting the information into an email,
Information providing processing to be transmitted to the terminal, counting the number of mails in the mailbox when the terminal starts connection with the mail server, and when the number of mails is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the information A computer-readable recording medium on which the information providing program is further recorded, further comprising an instruction to start a providing process. 27. A process for activating a mail client and transmitting / receiving an e-mail via a computer network, a process for acquiring information about a current position of the user before transmitting / receiving an e-mail, and an initial stage for transmitting / receiving an e-mail. Transmitting the information on the current location to a predetermined address; and starting connection to a mail server via the computer network by the mail client.
A computer-readable recording, characterized in that an information acquisition program having an instruction to execute an information acquisition process for acquiring an e-mail from the mail server by the mail client for a predetermined time continuously is recorded. Medium. 28. The information acquisition process according to claim 27, wherein the information acquisition process counts a communication time from when the mail client starts to connect to a mail server via the computer network; A computer-readable recording medium on which the information acquisition program is recorded, further comprising an instruction to execute a process of acquiring an electronic mail until a time reaches a time. 29. The information acquisition process according to claim 27, wherein in the information acquisition process, a process of counting a communication time from when the mail client starts to connect to a mail server via the computer network, The information acquisition program is further recorded, further comprising an instruction capable of executing a process of updating the predetermined time when the predetermined time to be compared with the time is exceeded. Recording medium.