JP2001101220A - Retrieval agent and information providing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize service capable of providing a desired piece of information without troubling a user. SOLUTION: This information providing system 30 consisting of plural retrieval agents 31.1 to 31.n is constructed in a mail server 22 of a server system 20. In each retrieval agent, retrieval conditions are set for a retrieval request instructed by an electronic mail of the user based on information of a user profile server 27, its result is made into an electronic mail and transmitted to an information acquisition system of a terminal of the user. The user can obtain the desired piece of information without being troubled since the retrieval conditions corresponding to the retrieval request are generated on the side of the server only by making the simple retrieval request into mail.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a system for acquiring information via electronic mail delivered over a computer network.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A terminal (client) operated by a user
It is known to connect to a WWW server on the Internet by dial-up connection or the like via a telephone line, and perform interactive information search using a WEB browser. In this search method, general information is provided from the server system by entering some conditions, and in most cases, the user selects what he or she wants to know in more detail. Therefore, it takes time from the input of the search condition to the display of the desired result, during which time the terminal must be connected to the server system. For this reason, communication time becomes longer,
Communication costs. Also, it takes time to wait for a search result during a search. In addition, it takes time and effort to enter search conditions multiple times in the browser and search for more information from the results.

[0003] On the other hand, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-39328 describes that a connection request is shortened by sending a search request mail by electronic mail and transmitting the search result to the client by electronic mail.

[0004]

However, in the information search method described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-39328, it is necessary to indicate the URL of the search starting point, the search depth, and the search range by electronic mail using a search formula and a keyword. is there. Therefore, it is quite troublesome to create an e-mail for instructing a search. In contrast, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-39
No. 328 further includes usage frequency information added to keywords and saves them, so that appropriate search results can be obtained for each user with a small number of keywords, and search results can be obtained by performing many key evaluations. It is described that the data transfer amount is reduced by narrowing down. Therefore, the time and effort for instructing a search by e-mail may be considerably simplified, but the search time and the output amount of the search result are largely affected by the contents of the e-mail instruction.

[0005] In recent years, portable terminals that can be used outdoors have been marketed, and it has been studied to acquire information using the terminals. In this portable terminal, there are restrictions such as an input with a pen and connection to the Internet via wireless communication. Therefore, it is desirable that the communication time is short, but it is further desirable that the procedure for instructing a search is simple, that the search can be instructed even if the communication status is poor, and that the search result can be obtained.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to realize an information providing service that enables a user to easily obtain desired information even from such a portable terminal. In addition, when a user carries information about a portable terminal, when the user wants information about something, the information can be easily requested and information of appropriate quality and quantity can be obtained in a short time. An object of the present invention is to provide a service and an information providing system and an information obtaining system for realizing the service.

[0007]

For this reason, in the present invention, basic conditions for performing a search are not provided from the terminal side, but are prepared in the server side so that the operation on the terminal side can be performed. It can be greatly reduced. That is, in the information providing service of the present invention, a means for obtaining a search request from an e-mail delivered via a computer network and a source of the e-mail are provided by the search request obtained from the e-mail. Means for performing an information search based on basic search conditions set in advance corresponding to (individual users), and e-mailing information obtained based on the search request and the basic search conditions to the sender And a transmission agent. And
On the server side, a step of obtaining a search request from the e-mail delivered via the computer network, and the search request obtained from the e-mail, the basic request set in advance corresponding to the source of the e-mail A search method comprising the steps of: performing an information search based on a search condition; and converting the information obtained based on the search request and the basic search conditions into an electronic mail and transmitting the electronic mail to a transmission source. Like that.

[0008] In advance, basic search conditions of each user, such as age and gender, favorite food, money sense, and the like, are set as user profiles so that a search agent provided on the server side can acquire the information. By doing so, the terminal sends out an e-mail with a search request of very simple content such as "find food", and quality and quantity information suitable for each user is returned by the e-mail. Therefore, the labor required to obtain information on the terminal side is greatly reduced. In addition, the content of the e-mail requesting the information is shortened, so that the communication time is further shortened, which is economical. And even if the communication situation is bad,
Since the content is short, the probability of transmission is high irrespective of conditions, and even if re-communication is performed, the cost involved can be reduced. Further, the amount of information obtained in response to the request is appropriately narrowed down for each user, which is efficient for the user, and economical because the communication time is minimized.

[0009] Further, it is desirable that the information providing system is provided with a search agent which is such a search agent, and the means for performing information search is specialized in searching for information of a predetermined category. For example, by preparing a search agent for each category (genre) such as a meal and a map, a search request suitable for information search of the category can be issued, and a basic search suitable for information search of the category. Conditions can be set in advance. Therefore, accurate information can be obtained in a shorter time by a simple instruction.

[0010] Since a search request is issued by e-mail, different e-mail addresses are assigned to a plurality of search agents, so that e-mail can be received or received without analyzing the contents of each e-mail. At the distribution stage, a search agent suitable for the information search requested by the user can be selected. Therefore, the time for searching can be further reduced. To this end, the information acquisition system installed on the terminal side includes a means for inputting a search request, an address table in which an e-mail address corresponding to each category of the search request is set, and a search request. Means for converting the electronic mail with an electronic mail address corresponding to the category may be provided. And a step of inputting the search request and, for each category of the search request, a step of converting the search request into an e-mail addressed to an e-mail address corresponding to the search request.
With a simple operation, information of an appropriate quantity and quality desired by the user can be obtained from the terminal in a short time.

Some portable terminals use a GPS unit or the like and can acquire information on their current location. Therefore, means for performing information search of the search agent by e-mailing the current location of the user from this terminal and storing it in the location information agent of the server,
The source of the delivered e-mail, that is, the information on the current location of the user is obtained, and the information search can be performed based on the information on the current location in addition to the search request and the basic search conditions. That is, the information processing apparatus has a search agent and a location information agent storing information on the current location of each user delivered by e-mail. By providing an information providing system capable of acquiring the original current location, it is possible to realize an information providing service that can easily obtain quality and quantity information desired by the user based on information related to the user's current location.

The information on the current location includes coordinate information including latitude and longitude, which can be obtained by a satellite positioning system such as GPS that receives radio waves from a plurality of satellites and performs radio wave positioning, or a computer network such as a PHS or a mobile phone. There is identification information of a base station of wireless communication (mobile communication) at the time of access, for example, a CSID that can be obtained when communication is performed with a PHS of a terminal. Further, if the computer network is accessed by a wired telephone, the approximate position can be obtained from the telephone number of the telephone. Further, the present location can be indicated by instructing and sending a nearby place name or station name to the e-mail.

As described above, in the information providing system and the information providing method, the information obtaining system and the information obtaining method of the present invention, and the information providing service using these, the user only needs to send an e-mail having extremely simple contents. For a desired search request, the amount and quality of information desired by the user can be obtained. Therefore, it is suitable for acquiring information with a portable terminal that is currently spreading. In particular, if the mobile terminal has a function such as GPS and regularly transmits information on the current location as e-mail, the information on the current location or the information related thereto can be easily obtained using the information on the current location. You can get to.

[0014] A search system, an information providing system or method, and an information acquisition system or method according to the present invention provide a search program and an information acquisition program having instructions capable of executing respective steps to an information processing apparatus such as a server or a computer. Each of them can be realized by installing them, and an information providing system and an information obtaining system can be constructed. In particular,
According to the present invention, the information acquisition system can easily obtain desired information by installing the information acquisition system in a portable terminal having communication means for connecting to a computer network and a mail client capable of sending and receiving e-mail via the computer network. As described above, a system that can be acquired can be provided. 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 through communication such as a computer network.

[0015]

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. The mobile terminal 6 carried by the user is connected to the public telephone network 7 mainly via radio, and is further connected to a dial-up IP connection from an access point of a predetermined telephone number connected to the server system 20 or 5 of the provider. To connect to the Internet 1. If the portable terminal 6 has a function as a PHS, a connection is made to the public telephone network 7 from a nearby PHS base station 7a. 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 through 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 position (in most cases, coordinates including latitude and longitude information).
Can be obtained by several means. It is considered that the system has the highest accuracy because it has a system (GPS unit) 51 for receiving and positioning radio waves from the GPS satellites 9,
This is to obtain the coordinates of the current location by radio wave positioning. When positioning is performed using the GPS satellites 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, in the portable terminal 6 which can be connected to the public telephone network 7 by PHS, the identification information (CSID) of the nearest base station 7a is obtained, and the position of the base station is obtained by knowing the position of the base station from this CSID. You can find your current location. If the CSID is obtained by the PHS of the mobile terminal 6, the location information server (CSID server) 29 of the base station
From, the coordinates of the base station can be easily obtained. 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. At present, the accuracy is not good compared with the position information obtained by the above PHS. However, due to the future communication system such as CDMA,
It is believed that the required position accuracy is significantly improved.

FIG. 2 shows an example in which an information providing system 30 according to the present invention is installed in a mail server 21. 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,
A POP server 13 for distributing electronic mail addressed to a user in the mailbox 11 is provided. And S
When the MTP server 12 and the POP server 13 are connected to the mail client installed on the user's portable terminal 6 via the Internet 1 or through a dial-up connection, the mail server 21 provides a service for transmitting and receiving e-mail. . In this example, a service for providing the above-described information is provided by using the basic electronic mail service.

In the mail server 21 of the present embodiment,
Multiple search agents 31.1 to 31. n (n is an integer), and these search agents 31.1
To 31. n is the core of the information providing system 30. Hereinafter, when referring to the individual search agents, the search agents 31.1 to 31. n, and when describing a configuration common to a plurality of search agents, the search agent 31 is referred to. These search agents 31.1 to 31. n is specialized so as to perform information retrieval of a category that is specialized for each, but the main configuration is common.

The information providing system 30 of the present embodiment determines the contents of an e-mail sent from a user (user terminal), acquires information desired by the user, converts the information into e-mail, and (Terminal). For this reason, each search agent 31
A function 33 is provided for receiving an e-mail, analyzing the contents thereof, and interpreting the search request. Then, a function 34 for adding a search condition stored in the user profile server 27 of the server system 20 or preset to the search request, and setting a search condition based on the search requirement is provided. Instead of storing the user profile information in the server 27, each search agent may have profile information suitable for the category. Further, general profile information and profile information for each category of information to be searched may be prepared, and basic search conditions may be set from these.

In response to the search conditions, the search agent 31 further searches the search agents 31.1 to 31.1
1. n is provided with a function 35 for setting a search condition to which a search template condition suitable for searching for information of a genre or a category assigned to each of the n is further added.

Further, the search agent 31 of the present embodiment
A function 36 is provided for acquiring the latest current location of the user who is the sender from a location information server (GPS server) described later and adding the acquired current location to the search condition. Further, the search agent 31 selects the location-related information server 23, the map server 24, or another data server 4 connected via the Internet 1 or the like according to the search conditions fixed in this way, and searches for information. A function 37 is provided. Further, the search agent 31 has a function 38 of converting information (hereinafter, a result) searched based on the search condition into an electronic mail, and transmitting the electronic mail to the source (user) of the electronic mail of the search request.

As described above, the search agent 3 of the present embodiment
1.1 to 31. When receiving a search request from the user by e-mail, n sets a search condition based on the user profile information and the like, and performs information search. From the basic information such as age, gender, occupation, etc., the user profile information includes requirements to limit the search range such as food preferences, how much money to spend per meal, etc. The profile server 27 stores various information for each user, including the search result output requirements such as how many search results are to be obtained and converted into an electronic mail and transmitted.
Therefore, each agent 31.1 to 31. In n, user profile information suitable for selecting information of the category in charge is selected, search conditions are set, and a search is started. Therefore, the content of the search request may be very simple, and the position of the ramen shop suitable for the user can be obtained as a result by an e-mail with simple content such as "I want to eat ramen". That is, in response to this simple search request, each search agent 31.1 to 31. In n, a search condition for obtaining a result satisfying the user is set, and a desired result suitable for the user can be returned by e-mail, although the user does not give detailed instructions.

Then, each of the search agents 31.1 to 31. n has an independent e-mail address. From the user terminal 6, search agents 31.1 to 31. The search request is transmitted to the e-mail address n. For example, a search agent suitable for searching for food sources might be restau
rant@xxx.ne.jp, map@xxx.ne.jp for search agents suitable for finding a certain place, and toilet@xxx.ne.for search agents suitable for searching the location of public toilets.
E-mails, such as jp and the like, are attached, and an electronic mail indicating a request to search for information belonging to each category is sent to each of the search agents 31.1 to 31. n. Therefore, each search agent 31.1 to 31. n also functions as an independent mail client. For this reason,
The function and time for once decoding the contents of the search request to select the optimum search agent can be omitted, and the search result desired by the user can be returned quickly with a simple configuration.

Further, each search agent 31.1 to 31. Since n is independent depending on the category of the information to be searched, it is possible to adopt a configuration suitable for searching for information in that category. Search agent 31.1 to 31. In n, the conditions for searching the configuration of the search template from the information of the category assigned to each search agent can be set in advance so that there is no duplication or omission, and the search can be performed efficiently in a short time. Thus, a result that meets the user's expectations can be obtained. In addition, the search template can be sent to an information acquisition system (details will be described later) installed in the user's terminal, so that the user can easily set an appropriate search request.

Then, the search agent 31 of the present example
The function 36 allows the user's current location information to be added to the search condition. For this reason, it is possible to add a function of mainly collecting and reporting information around the point where the user is actually located. The information on the current location may be transmitted simultaneously with the e-mail indicating the search request. However, the terminal needs to wait until the current position is acquired by GPS, and the server system 20
Requires a lot of trouble and time, such as analyzing the contents of the e-mail and separating it into a search request and information on the current location. For this reason, in the information providing system 30 implemented in the server system 20 of the present example, the information on the current location is periodically transmitted from the user terminal by a dedicated electronic mail to the GP.
The information is transmitted to an S server (location information server) 22 and is always recorded in the server system 20 with the user's current location updated.

As shown in FIG. 2, the position information server 22 forms a part of the information providing system 30 of the present embodiment.
Function 4 to receive and analyze the e-mail that sends the current location
1, a function (DGPS function) 42 for correcting the position information based on the difference information when the position information is the GPS information, and a function for correcting the position information when the position information is the CSID indicating the base station of the PHS.
A function 43 for converting the coordinates of the base station using the data of the ID server 29, and a function 44 for converting the position information into the coordinate information including the longitude and latitude information in the same manner as the GPS information when the position information is a station name or a place name. And so on. With these functions, there is provided a function 45 for saving the current location of the user received via electronic mail as the current location of each user. Therefore, the search agent 31 can acquire the newest current location of the calling user from the location information server 22, and can add it to the search condition.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the configuration of the portable terminal 6 suitable for acquiring information by communicating with the server system 20 provided with the information providing system 30. First, the mobile terminal 6 includes a GPS unit 51 that can acquire 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 and a dial-up connection function 54 are provided as means for connecting to a computer network. 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 same as in the case of the GPS unit 51,
The type is not limited to the case where it is built in the portable terminal 6, and may be a type connected via an appropriate interface.

An appropriate 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 mobile terminal 6 further includes a GPS unit 5
1 is provided with a function 55 for acquiring the current location information using E.1 and converting it to an electronic mail to the location information server 22 of the server system 20. With this function 55, the current location of the terminal 6 stored in the location information server 22 is updated periodically, and a new current location is always stored.

The portable terminal 6 includes an information acquisition system 60 for acquiring an e-mail including desired information (result) from the information providing system 30. The information acquisition system 60 includes an LCD 61 that is a display device of the terminal 6.
A function 60a of displaying a template which is a screen for inputting a search request to the user, a function 60b of inputting a search request from the touch panel 62 which is an input device of the terminal using the template, and converting the search request into e-mail And a function 60c. E-mail function 60c
Refers to the address book 60d of the search agent as shown in FIG. 4 and changes the e-mail transmission address according to the category of the search request. Depending on the category to be searched, a template suitable for the category may be displayed by the function 60a. In this case, an e-mail transmission address is set in link with the template.

Further, the information acquisition system 60 responds to the e-mail describing the search request by the information provision system 3.
A function 60e for displaying the result returned from E-mail by e-mail is provided. The information acquisition system 60 is set to switch from a screen for inputting a search request based on a template to a screen for displaying a received result via a dial-up connection screen or the like. Therefore,
The server system 20 transmits and receives a search request and a result corresponding to the search request via e-mail. However, it is also possible to use the server system 20 as if a direct connection was made to acquire information. . Of course, it is also possible to use the advantage of the e-mail by previously sending a search request to the information providing system 30 and viewing the result at an appropriate time.

As described above, the search conditions used for searching for information in the information providing system 30 are automatically set on the information providing system 30 side based on the user profile information and the like. System 6
On the 0 side, it is only necessary to convert a simple search request into an electronic mail and send it. Therefore, desired information can be obtained only by inputting a simple instruction using a template or the like without trouble. For example, when going out of the office, a menu (template) for searching for a nearby ramen shop can be created, and a ramen shop search can be executed before entering the office where the user is going. At this time, after issuing the search instruction, since no user operation is required, the terminal is closed and only the transmission and reception of the e-mail are automatically performed. Then, when the search result is displayed when the errand is completed, the information providing system 30 also knows the current position of the user, so that the user can see information on nearby ramen shops, particularly, ramen shops of the type and price range preferred by the user. Can be. According to such a method, after issuing a search request, the user does not need to perform an operation of the user until a result is obtained, so that the user is not restricted by the terminal operation. Further, the time for connection to the Internet or dial-up connection can be minimized.

In the information providing service constituted by the information providing system 30 and the information obtaining system 60 of the present embodiment, the search condition is set on the information providing system 30 side, so that the user's trouble of operating the terminal is minimized. Becomes Therefore, the service is suitable for searching for information on a mobile computer such as a PDA or a mobile phone. In addition, since it is not necessary to keep dial-up connection for a long time, power consumption is small, and in this respect, the service is suitable for a mobile computer.

The information acquisition system 60 can be provided as an add-on or plug-in application for 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. Further, it can be provided as a part of the OS.

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

Therefore, the ROM 64 or the RAM 6
Application programs such as the mail client 53 and the information acquisition system 60 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 60 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 communicating (transmitting / 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 obtaining system 60 of the present embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. First, FIG.
Is shown. In step 71, it is determined whether it is time to send position information. This timing may be regular, or the PHS unit 52 may always send position information when making a dial-up connection with the server system 20. If it is time to send the position information in step 71, the GPS unit 51 is activated in step 72 to acquire information on the current location. In step 73, a mail is sent to the position information server 22 by using the function 55 for converting the position information into an electronic mail. In step 74, the mail is put in the mailbox 53a of the mail client 53, and the server system 20 is sent by the SMTP client 53b. Send to As described above, by updating the current location information stored in the server system 20, the current location is automatically transmitted by e-mail periodically or whenever conditions for transmitting the location information are satisfied. be able to. Of course, as described above, the PSID of the PHS may be transmitted in addition to the current location information by the GPS. Since the CSID of the PHS can be obtained any time the connection is established by the PHS, the CSID may be transmitted to the server system together with the information measured by the GPS.

On the other hand, when the user wants to obtain some information, the information acquisition system 60 is started in step 75.
Accordingly, first, in step 76, the function 60a for displaying a template displays a screen for inputting a search request on the panel 61, and in step 77, the function 60b for inputting a search request accepts the input. Then, in step 78, an electronic mail including the search request is created by the function 60c for converting the search request into an email. As described above, different addresses are set for the destination of the e-mail depending on the category of the search request, and an e-mail addressed to the search agent 31 suitable for acquiring the information of the category is prepared.

Next, in step 79, the connection is made to the server system 20 using the dial-up function 54 and the PHS unit 52, and in step 80, the e-mail is transmitted and received by the mail client 53 by the function of transmitting / receiving mail (SMTP client, POP client, etc.). Send and receive Then, in step 81, the search agent 31 has a time to return the result as an e-mail,
In step 82, the mail client 53 is operated again to receive the mail. Step 83 when mail can be received
To disconnect the line with the server system 20.

In step 81, it is not economical to wait for a time longer than the basic connection fee of the line while the connection is established. Therefore, if the mail indicating the search result has not arrived within that time, it is determined in step 84,
Set an appropriate time and disconnect the line.
It is desirable to wait for the time specified by the user or the server system 20 at 5 and reconnect to the network at step 86. Of course, the user may connect to the network voluntarily and receive the e-mail.

If the e-mail indicating the search result has arrived, the mail is automatically opened in step 87 and the search result is displayed on the LCD 61. E-mail indicating the result can be easily determined from the source address, and when e-mails indicating a plurality of results have arrived, they can be displayed in a menu and selected. good.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show the server system 20.
1 schematically shows the information providing system 30 of FIG. First, FIG. 7 shows a process of updating the information of the current location of the user in the location information server 22. First,
In step 91, when a mail addressed to the location information server 22 or to an agent having a function of updating the location information of the server is received, in step 92, the mail is delivered by the receiving and analyzing function 41 by the mail. Analyze the location information. As a result, if the position information is GPS data in step 93, it is determined in step 94 whether the data can be corrected. G
If the PS data can be corrected, the data is corrected using the position correction function 42 in step 95 to create DGPS data. As a result, position information with an error of about several meters can be obtained. In step 96, the current location 45 of the user stored in the memory is updated.

On the other hand, if the location information transmitted by e-mail is the PSID of the PHS at step 97, the CSID is converted to location information at step 98 by using the function 43 for acquiring the location information of the base station. . Then, in step 96, the location information of the user is updated. If the position information transmitted by e-mail is neither of these, in step 99, the other position information conversion function 44 converts the information to the same information as GPS data including longitude and latitude. Convert to For example, if a character string such as a station name is found, it is determined that the position information has been obtained in step 100, the coordinate data indicating the station is obtained from the map server 24, and the current location of the user is updated in step 96.

On the other hand, if no data that can be converted to coordinate data is found, an e-mail is returned to the sender of the mail in step 102 indicating that no position information capable of updating the position information of the server was found. If the update is successful, an e-mail indicating that the information on the current location of the user has been updated is returned in step 101.
It should be noted that the mail for returning the update status of the current location of the user to the user is an optional setting, and it is of course possible to prevent the mail from being returned from the server system when unnecessary.

FIG. 8 shows the processing of the search agent 31. First, in step 111, when a mail is received, the search request specified by the mail is analyzed by the analyzing function 33 in step 112. In step 113, the search condition is added by the function 34 for setting the search condition from the user profile, and in step 114, the search condition is added by the function 35 for setting the search condition from the search template. In step 115, the user's current location is added as a search condition by the function 37 using the user's current location as a search condition. Based on the search conditions thus prepared, in step 116, the information search function 3
7 selects a server storing information to be searched, and starts searching in step 117. Step 118
If there are more search results compared to the conditions set as the user profile information, in step 120,
Change the search conditions and search again. Alternatively, from the search results, the results to be reported to the user according to the user profile information are further limited. On the other hand, in step 119,
Even when the search result is not obtained, the search condition is set again in step 120 and the search is performed again.

It is a pity on the user side that a search request is issued and no result is obtained, and it is desirable that some result can be returned to the user terminal 6. Therefore,
It is desirable to set the conditions for initially searching the data server or the like to be broader, and when there are many obtained results, select a result to be further reported from the results. As a result, it is possible to report any result to the user, and to save time for searching the location-related content server 23 again when there is no result.

When the result is obtained in this way, the result is converted to an e-mail in step 121 and
Is transmitted to the source of the search request mail, that is, to the user.

As described above, in the information providing service in which the information acquiring system 60 and the information providing system 30 of the present example are combined with an Internet system, a simple search request is issued from a user terminal.
Information desired by the user can be provided. For example, if the user information (user profile data) is set to information that there is a lot of dining out at a restaurant, the search agent 31 (for example, the name of the restaurant) that provides information about meals is Is sent to the information acquisition system 60 of the user terminal so that the template is displayed on the user terminal. Thus, the user can instruct the information providing system 30 to issue a search request only by picking a predetermined location of the template displayed on the terminal 6.

By this operation, an e-mail specifying the type of restaurant is sent from the user terminal to the restaurant. If the addresses of these agents are limited to internal access, the processing can be simplified and speeded up by omitting the domain name or using special characters to make the process more difficult. For example,
An address such as @restaurant can be displayed instead of resutaurant@xxx.ne.jp. In the restaurant, the user can be identified from the source, and the location information server 22
The user's current location can also be specified from The restaurant further adds information such as the price range desired by the user from the user profile server 27 to the search condition and executes the search. If the upper limit of the search results is set to 10 in the user profile information, the store names and brief introductions, recommended menu images, position information, and the like are collected for the top 10 stores near the current location from the search results. Send a mail to the user.

The terminal 6 connects to the mail server 21 when the restaurant 31 has completed the search and receives mail. The mail client 53 passes the search result mail to the information acquisition system 60 based on the transmission address.
In the information acquisition system 60, items are added in a list in order of the search result from the received one, the user is displayed in the order of interest, and the unnecessary one is deleted. During this time,
In the background, the reception of the mail is continued, and the connection with the server system is cut off when all the results are received. The search result once received can be viewed at any time unless the user deletes it.

Next, a database called a memo map system is provided in the server system 20, for example, the location-related content server 2 as a place for communication limited to the area.
3, a description will be given of a state in which the information of this database is searched by a search agent (hereinafter referred to as Map) which is in charge of the information.

In this memo map system, one friend
It is possible to create a database (hereinafter, referred to as "chizuchi") that can share location-related content as one group. Therefore, when an e-mail with a search request for the group name “classmate” is sent from the information acquisition system 60 of the terminal 6 to the map-kun 31, for example, the map-kun 31 which is a search agent of the information providing system 30 receives the e-mail. Based on the source address of the e-mail, the system determines whether the user belongs to or belongs to a group called a classmate. Further, the user's current location is acquired from the location information server 22, and a friend is searched. As a result, ten pieces of content which are registered at a position near the current location of the user and are not selected are transmitted to the user by e-mail.

Also, by sending an MM mail (multimedia mail) carrying map information and the like from the terminal 6 to the map with a registration request command, the contents of the mail are registered in the database that the map is a friend. You may do it. Although this function is not a function common to other search agents, by having both a search function and a registration function, an agent function that is easy to use as an interface for accessing the database can be realized.

[0057]

As described above, by combining the information providing system and the information obtaining system, the searching method, and the information obtaining method provided with the search agent of the present invention, the user having the portable terminal can be provided to the user. It is possible to realize a service in which information with desired quality and quantity can be easily obtained without any trouble and cost, and in particular, a service in which information on the current location of the user can be obtained.

In the present invention, since the search agent sets the search conditions from the user profile information, the user can minimize the time and effort required to set the search conditions, and can easily set the search conditions. Information is obtained. Further, by providing a search agent for each category of information, more accurate information can be obtained in a short time. Since the information providing service of the present invention uses electronic mail as a medium, the communication time is short and economical. Furthermore, even if the communication situation is severely disconnected, the recovery is simple and hardly affected. In addition, the terminal on the user side can perform other processing during the search. Then, since the result obtained at the terminal can be left as an e-mail or other content, the user can always repeat the search result.

[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.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an outline of a mail server and a location information server provided with the information providing system according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an outline of a portable terminal provided with the information acquisition system according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a search agent and its address.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the portable terminal shown in FIG. 3;

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 a process for updating a current location in the information providing system according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an outline of a process of searching for information in the information providing 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 Location information server (GPS server) 23 Location-related database server 24 Map server 25 Dial-up server 27 User profile server 29 CSID server 30 Information providing system 51 GPS unit 52 PHS unit 53 Mail client 54 Dial-up function 55 Function to transmit current location by mail 60 Information acquisition system

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G06F 15/403 310Z

Claims (18)

[Claims] 1. A means for acquiring a search request from an e-mail delivered via a computer network, and a basic request set in advance corresponding to a source of the e-mail based on the search request obtained from the e-mail. Means for performing an information search based on simple search conditions, and means for converting information obtained based on the search request and the basic search conditions into an electronic mail and transmitting the electronic mail to the transmission source. . 2. The information retrieval device according to claim 1, wherein the information retrieval means acquires a current location of a source of the delivered e-mail, and obtains information based on the retrieval request, basic retrieval conditions, and information on the current location. A search agent characterized by performing a search. 3. The search agent according to claim 1, wherein said information search means has a plurality of search agents specialized for searching for information of a predetermined category. Information system. 4. The information providing system according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of search agents have different e-mail addresses. 5. The search agent according to claim 2, further comprising: a position information agent storing information on a current position of each user delivered by e-mail, wherein the means for performing the information search includes the position information. An information providing system for acquiring, from an agent, a current location of a source of the delivered electronic mail. 6. The information on the current location according to claim 5, wherein the information on the current location is longitude / latitude, identification information of a base station for wireless communication when accessing the computer network, a telephone number when accessing the computer network, or An information providing system characterized by a place name or a station name included in an e-mail. 7. A means for inputting a search request, an address table in which an e-mail address corresponding to each category of the search request is set, and an e-mail address corresponding to the category are attached to the search request. An information acquisition system comprising: 8. A terminal comprising: the information acquisition system according to claim 7; communication means for connecting to a computer network; and a mail client capable of sending and receiving electronic mail via the computer network. 9. The terminal according to claim 8, further comprising: means for acquiring information on the current location of the user, and means for sending the current location in an electronic mail. 10. An information providing service using the information providing system according to claim 4 and the information obtaining system according to claim 7. 11. A step of obtaining a search request from an e-mail delivered via a computer network, and the search request obtained from the e-mail is used to set a basic request set in advance corresponding to the source of the e-mail. Performing a search for information based on simple search conditions; and converting the information obtained based on the search request and the basic search conditions into an electronic mail and transmitting the electronic mail to the transmission source. . 12. The method according to claim 11, wherein in the step of performing the information search, information of a current location of a source of the delivered e-mail is acquired, and the search request, basic search conditions, and information of the current location are included in the information. A search method characterized by performing an information search based on the information. 13. An information obtaining method, comprising: inputting a search request; and converting the search request into an electronic mail addressed to an electronic mail address corresponding to each category of the search request. . 14. A step of obtaining a search request from an e-mail delivered via a computer network, and the search request obtained from the e-mail is used to set a basic request corresponding to a source of the e-mail. A search program having an instruction capable of executing a step of performing an information search based on simple search conditions, and a step of converting information obtained based on the search request and the basic search conditions into an electronic mail and transmitting the electronic mail to the transmission source A computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon. 15. The method according to claim 14, wherein, in the step of performing the information search, a current location of a source of the delivered e-mail is acquired, and information based on the search request, basic search conditions, and information on the current location is obtained. A computer-readable recording medium on which the search program having an instruction capable of executing a search process is recorded. 16. An information acquisition program having an instruction capable of executing a step of inputting a search request and a step of converting the search request into an e-mail addressed to an e-mail address corresponding to the category of the search request. Is recorded on the recording medium. 17. A step of obtaining a search request from an e-mail delivered via a computer network, and the search request obtained from the e-mail causes a basic request to be set in advance corresponding to the source of the e-mail. A search program having an instruction capable of executing a step of performing an information search based on simple search conditions, and a step of converting information obtained based on the search request and the basic search conditions into an electronic mail and transmitting the electronic mail to the transmission source A transmission medium that can be transmitted by communication between computers, characterized by having embedded therein. 18. An information acquisition program having an instruction capable of executing a step of inputting a search request and a step of converting the search request into an email addressed to an email address corresponding to the category of the search request. A transmission medium that can be transmitted by communication between computers, characterized by having embedded therein.