JP2001119761A - Information service system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize an information service system that can automatically provide proper information in response to an advance request to a concerned part when a user of an information terminal visits a prescribed place. SOLUTION: A controller 455 in an information processing unit 413 makes setting to provide information to an information terminal 417 on the basis of data such as reservation of a shop or the like entered from a personal computer 415. Then a position detector 452 detects a position of the information terminal 417 at a corresponding date and time and transmits required information to this information terminal 417 when the information terminal 417 reaches a prescribed position. This information is read from an information storage device 453 and converted by an information converter 454. When the information is voice information, an information reproduction device 456 converts the information into a synthesized voice, which is sent to the information terminal 417. The information is sent in a form of text information or in a description language such as the HTML.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to portable telephones and PHSs.
The present invention relates to an information providing system using a wireless information terminal having excellent portability such as the above.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Cellular phones and PHS (personal handy-p)
The hone system is excellent in portability, and can display image information such as characters using such displays, and can obtain audio information using speakers and earphones. Focusing on such characteristics, various attempts have been made to use these portable terminals for communication other than the call between the original calling party and the called party.

For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-325036, information associated with an area including a measured current position or a specified position is output. In this proposal, GPS (global positioning syste
m) A satellite is used to receive radio waves from at least three or four of these satellites, to perform two-dimensional or three-dimensional position measurement, and to measure the current position.

In a position information acquisition system using GPS satellites, a receiver that acquires position information checks code information sent from the satellite, and generates the same code (pseudo-random code information) generated on the receiver side. ) Is measured. By multiplying the measured time difference by the speed of light, the distance to the satellite can be determined. In this way, the distance to one satellite can be obtained. Therefore, if the distances between three satellites whose positions are known and the receiver are respectively obtained, the position of the receiver can be obtained based on the principle of triangulation. . When using GPS satellites,
The current position of the receiver can be obtained with an accuracy of 50 m (meter) to 100 m.

FIG. 26 shows an example of a rectangular area read by a GPS satellite in the position information acquisition system disclosed in this publication. Each rectangular area A ₁₁ , A ₁₂ ,
A ₁₃ ,... Include area identification information Id ₁₁ , Id ₁₂ , I
d _13, ...... it is assigned. These area identification information _{Id 11, Id 12, Id 13} , information of each facility corresponds respect ....

In this system, when a user designates an automatic mode as a mode for acquiring information at a current position, information indicating the current position of the user is acquired using a GPS satellite. Based on this, the area identification information I
The area map information corresponding to d is read and displayed on the display. This is displayed in a menu format.
For example, a screen of necessary items is displayed by individually specifying a parking lot, a restaurant, a movie theater, and the like in the area.

On the other hand, when the user designates a manual mode for acquiring information at an arbitrary place, designation of places such as prefectures is sequentially performed by screen display. As a result, the area identification information Id is finally specified, and the corresponding information corresponding to the area identification information Id is displayed.

FIG. 27 shows an example of a display on a display in this conventional proposal. On a display 11 such as a portable terminal, a map composed of predetermined line drawings and characters "super" indicating the names of "guide map", "parking lot" and building are displayed.

FIG. 28 shows an example of a use environment in the information providing system disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-307939. In the information providing system shown in this figure, one base station 21 _{1 to} 21 ₃ is arranged on each floor of the exhibition hall allocated from the first floor (1F) to the third floor (3F). . These base stations 21 ₁ to 2
1 ₃ is connected to the central control unit 22. User 24 as the holder of the portable terminal 23, enters the first wireless zone area of the base station 21 ₁ by the entrance on the first floor of the exhibition hall. When the presence is detected by a signal transmitted from the mobile terminal 23, the central control device 22 stores the mobile terminal 23 and the first base station 2 in a position storage unit (not shown).
Register 1 ₁ When the user 24 moves to the second floor, the base station corresponding to the portable terminal 23 stored in the position storage unit is changed to the _second base station 212.
Similarly, when the user 24 moves to the third floor, the registration is changed.

In the proposed information providing system shown in FIG. 28, when the user 24 desires to obtain information, a call is made from the portable terminal 23 to a predetermined information acquisition telephone number. Assuming that user 24 is on the second floor, a call signal is sent from _second base station 212 to central controller 22.
The central control unit 22 searches the position storage unit and
4 to determine the location of the mobile terminal 23, the second base station 2
Causing the transmission of predetermined information to 1 _2. In this way, the user 24 can obtain information unique to each floor at each floor as needed.

[0011] In the proposed information providing system shown in FIG. 28, an announcement of an event to be held at the venue is made by the portable terminal 23 using voice or the like. The person who intends to participate in the event performs an operation of participating using the portable terminal 23 at the time of this notification.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 10-304433 also discloses an information providing system. In this proposal, similarly to the proposal shown in FIG. 26, the position of a portable terminal as a mobile station is determined based on the electric field strength or delay time of radio signals transmitted and received between a plurality of base stations and the portable terminal. In the information guidance center, guidance information is transmitted to the portable terminal according to the determined current position.

FIG. 29 shows the outline of an information providing system proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-55726. In this system, a plurality of access points 32 are arranged in a position detection area 31. These access points 32 are connected to an information guide server 34 via a network 33. The information portable terminal 35 carried by the user wirelessly communicates with a short distance among the plurality of access points 32. As a result, the information guidance server 34 becomes the information portable terminal 35 carried by the user.
Is determined, and local information corresponding to the position is retrieved and provided to the user.

[0014]

Among such information providing systems proposed in the past, in the method of detecting a location using a satellite such as a GPS satellite, as shown in FIG. A rectangular area is set in units of a legible distance, and information is provided for each of these rectangular areas. For this reason, when this rectangular area set by the information providing side includes, for example, the exhibition hall shown in FIG. 28 and another exhibition hall next to it, the portable terminal at each location stores the location information. Even if they are sent to the information providing side, they will be determined to have originated from the same place, and this will cause confusion in the information provided between the two. In addition, since a satellite is used for position detection, there is a problem that information related to the position cannot be extracted in a place where the satellite cannot be seen, such as inside an exhibition hall. Furthermore, in the case of GPS satellites, it is impossible to analyze a three-dimensional place unless the environment allows simultaneous reception of radio waves from four or more satellites. There is a problem that detailed information management is practically impossible.

On the other hand, in an information processing system using terrestrial waves as shown in FIGS. 28 and 29, it is possible to specify a relatively narrow range and provide information by using a base station of a weak radio wave. it can. Further, it can be used indoors. However, such an information processing system proposed conventionally has the following problems.

In the proposal shown in FIG. 28, necessary information is obtained by selecting an item from a menu screen. The menu screen is often created from a general viewpoint. For this reason, the information to be selected often does not meet the desires of the user, and it has been difficult to obtain individual information desired by each user. Further, when trying to obtain information having various degrees of freedom, it is necessary to compose a menu screen in a complicated manner, and perform a complicated operation from the menu screen at a place where the information is to be obtained to obtain desired information. Will be. Such an operation not only requires time, but also easily causes an operation error, and it has been difficult to realize a user-friendly system.

In this regard, improvement is made by the proposal shown in FIG. That is, in the information processing system shown in FIG. 29, the information guide server 34 is provided with personal information and personal information search means. Then, various kinds of information including preference information matching the taste of the user having the information portable terminal 35 are provided.

However, the information provided by this information processing system is not the information specifically requested by the user, but only the information uniformly determined from the personal information.
Therefore, although there is no waste of providing information that does not match the user's preference, it is often not the information that the user needs on the spot.

Further, in the conventional proposal, the display contents displayed on the display 11 are extremely simple as shown in FIG. This is because relatively short text information is often sent to information terminals, and it was thought that by adding simple line drawing information to such text information, the majority of the information could be displayed. is there.

However, for example, even when a map is displayed, the type of drawing that can be performed with simple line drawing information is limited. Therefore, in order to provide higher-quality visual information, there is a problem that the contents that can be displayed by the conventional information processing system that transmits and displays characters and line drawing elements by text information are limited. of course,
By transmitting the bitmap information and displaying it on the information terminal side, complicated information can be displayed. However, in this case, the amount of information to be transmitted increases, which not only takes a long time to transmit, but also puts a burden on hardware of the information terminal.

On the other hand, with the development of multimedia, relatively large electronic devices such as desktop personal computers are flooded with various types of information, and information presentation methods are also diversified. However, in the case of portable information terminals, the provision of characters and images on a display is mainly performed, and it is not possible to sufficiently respond to user requests.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an information processing system capable of automatically providing appropriate information to a relevant person when a user of the information terminal goes to a predetermined place in accordance with a prior request. To provide.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an information processing system capable of providing information with a simple information terminal such as a portable terminal by an appropriate expression method according to the content of the information.

[0024]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, (a) information to be acquired and a place from which the information is to be acquired are associated with terminal identification information for identifying the own terminal. A transmitting means for transmitting in advance, a position detecting signal transmitting means for transmitting a position detecting signal for detecting a current position of the own terminal, and a display for displaying information which the own terminal wants to acquire when it arrives Information terminal provided with a means, and (b) when the information to be acquired together with the terminal identification information and the information indicating the location from which the information is to be acquired are transmitted from the information terminal in association with the specific location, Registration means for registering the information terminal, position determination means for sequentially determining the positions of these information terminals using a position detection signal transmitted from each information terminal, and storing various information corresponding to each location. Information storage means; information selection means for selecting information to be obtained for the terminal from the information storage means when the position determined by the position determination means and the terminal identification information are registered in association with the registration means; The information providing system is provided with an information providing device having an information transmitting means for transmitting information selected by the information selecting means to the information terminal when the terminal enters a place where information is desired to be obtained.

In other words, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the information terminal side associates the information to be acquired and the place from which the information is to be acquired with the terminal identification information for identifying the terminal itself, before the information terminal acquires the information. The user sends the information in advance so that the user can select the information and location to be acquired. As a result, information desired by the user of the information terminal is transmitted to the information terminal at a location that matches the condition.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, (a) information to be acquired, a place from which the information is to be acquired, and a reproducible information format are associated with terminal identification information for identifying the terminal itself, and the information is acquired. Transmitting means for transmitting in advance in advance;
A position detection signal transmitting means for transmitting a position detection signal for detecting the current position of the own terminal, and when the information desired by the own terminal arrives, it is displayed according to the format of the transmitted information. An information terminal having display means;
(B) When information to be acquired together with the terminal identification information from the information terminal and information indicating the location from which the information is to be acquired and the format of the reproducible information are transmitted from the information terminal in association with each specific location, these are associated and registered. Registering means, a position determining means for sequentially determining the positions of these information terminals using a position detection signal transmitted from each information terminal, an information storage means storing various information corresponding to each location, Information selecting means for selecting information to be acquired by the terminal from the information storage means when the position determined by the position determining means and the terminal identification information are registered in association with the registering means; and information selected by the information selecting means Information conversion means for converting the information in accordance with the information format capable of reproducing the information, and information converted by the information conversion means when the corresponding information terminal enters a place where the information is to be obtained. The is provided an information providing apparatus and an information transmitting means for transmitting to the information terminal to the information providing system.

That is, according to the second aspect of the present invention, the information to be obtained by the information terminal side, the location from which the information is to be obtained, and the format of the reproducible information are associated with the terminal identification information for identifying the terminal itself. Prior to the transmission, the user of the information terminal transmits the information in advance. Therefore,
As in the first aspect of the present invention, the user can select the information or location he / she wants to acquire, and the information desired by the user of the information terminal is transmitted to the information terminal side at a location that matches the conditions, as well as reproduced. Since the form of the information that can be transmitted is sent to the information transmitting side, it is possible to receive the information in the optimal format converted by the information converting means on the transmitting side, and it is possible to obtain the information effectively.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, (a) reservation transmitting means for transmitting a reserved facility and a reserved time in association with terminal identification information for identifying the terminal itself, and information desired by the terminal itself An information terminal having display means for displaying the arrival of the information, and (b) registration means for receiving and registering the information transmitted by the reservation transmission means;
(C) information storage means for storing location information of various facilities and guidance information for use of the facilities, and (d) within a predetermined time within a predetermined time from a time when a reservation is made from the information registered in the registration means. An information terminal position tracking means for searching for the telephone number of the information terminal approaching and tracking the position of the information terminal;
(E) fixed position detecting means for detecting when the information terminal tracked by the information terminal position tracking means reaches a predetermined position in relation to the reserved facility;
The information providing system is provided with guide information transmitting means for transmitting guide information corresponding to the position detection to the corresponding information terminal when the fixed position detecting means has performed the detection.

That is, in the invention according to claim 3, the user of the information terminal specifically reserves a facility such as a restaurant,
Guidance information for using the facility is provided. Specifically, tracking of the position of the user is started at a predetermined time earlier than the time when the use is reserved, and when the user is detected at a certain position determined by the relationship with the facility,
It detects that the user is heading to the facility and sends out necessary guidance information. As a result, it is possible to avoid making a mistake on the road and avoid wasting time such as searching for a parking lot.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, (a) a reservation transmission that transmits a reserved facility, a reserved time, and a format of information that can be reproduced by the terminal in association with terminal identification information for identifying the terminal. An information terminal provided with a display means for displaying information which the terminal wants to acquire when it arrives; (b) a registration means for receiving and registering the information transmitted by the reservation transmitting means; And (d) converting the guidance information stored in the information storage means in accordance with the format of the information that can be reproduced by each terminal. (E) searching the information registered in the registering means for the telephone number of the information terminal approaching within a predetermined time within the reserved time, and tracking the position of the information terminal. end Position tracking means; and (h) fixed position detection means for detecting when the information terminal tracked by the information terminal position tracking means reaches a predetermined position in relation to the reserved facility; The information providing system is provided with guide information transmitting means for converting guide information corresponding to the position detection by the information conversion means at the stage when the fixed position detection means has performed detection and transmitting the guide information to the corresponding information terminal.

That is, according to the fourth aspect of the invention, the third aspect of the present invention specifies the information format that can be reproduced by the information terminal, and provides appropriate information according to the type of the information terminal. I have. This is the same as the second aspect of the present invention.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the reproducible information format in the information providing system according to the first aspect is an information format such as stereo or monaural for audio information, and a description format for image information. This is a type of language, and the information conversion means has a conversion table for converting the format of the reproducible information into information that can make the most of it, and is characterized in that information conversion is performed using this conversion table.

That is, in the invention according to the fifth aspect, the information conversion means has a conversion table, and by converting the information with this conversion table, it is possible to convert the information into a form that makes the most of the reproducible information format. I have to. Thus, even if there are various types of information terminals, it is possible to provide information in a form suitable for them, and it is possible to avoid a disadvantage that the information terminal can be used only for a specific product.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the information providing apparatus in the information providing system according to the first or second aspect includes personal information storage means for storing personal information of a user of each information terminal. The selection means is provided with a filtering means for filtering corresponding information based on personal information of a user of the information terminal.

In other words, according to the invention described in claim 6, even if the information is requested by the user, the information which is provided with no use or has some adverse effect is cut out from the user's personal information by filtering. And provide only relevant information. As a result, in the case where charging is performed based on the amount of information, there is an effect that unnecessary charging is avoided.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the information providing system according to the third or fourth aspect, the reservation transmitting means transmits the transportation means for arriving at the reserved facility.

In other words, according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, by transmitting the means of transportation adopted by the user, the position to be detected can be narrowed down to an optimum position, and the processing for detecting the position is simplified. be able to.

According to the invention described in claim 8, in the information providing system according to claim 7, the fixed position detecting means sets a position for detecting the information terminal in accordance with the transportation means transmitted by the reservation transmitting means, and transmits guidance information. The means is characterized by sending guidance adapted to the means of transportation.

That is, according to the invention of claim 8, by grasping the means of transportation used by the user, appropriate guidance suitable for the means of transportation, such as guidance on a road from a station or guidance of a parking lot, is realized. be able to.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0040]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to embodiments.

First Embodiment

FIG. 1 shows an outline of the configuration of an information processing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This system includes a plurality of base stations 111 _1, which is located where different from each other, 111 _2, communicate with ...... 111 _N controller 1
And an information processing device 113 connected through the communication terminal 12. The communication control device 112 in the information processing device 113 is also connected to a communication network 114 such as the Internet or a normal telephone network, and is connected to a personal computer 115 at home or business via a modem or router (not shown). . The information processing device 113 includes a base station 111
_1, 111 _2, not only a function as a switch to the information terminal 117 such as a mobile terminal connected by ...... 111 _N wirelessly In certain cases the user 118 of information terminal 117 It provides useful information.

The communication control device 112 in the information processing device 113 includes base stations 111 ₁ , 111 ₂ ,.
_N and an exchange function unit 121 for exchange connection between various information terminals or telephones via the communication network 114.
It is connected to an information providing function unit 122 for providing information. The information providing function unit 122 includes a program storage unit 124 composed of a magnetic disk or the like in which a program for executing processing inside the information providing function unit 122 is stored, and stores the program developed on a RAM (random access memory) 125. When the CPU (Central Processing Unit) 126 executes the functions, the function for providing information is exhibited. A database 128 connected to a bus 127 such as a data bus together with these electric components includes base stations 111 ₁ , 11 ₁
1 _2, together with various regional information in close contact with competent place to the ...... 111 _N is stored, is also stored information for each user of the information terminal 117. However, information about the latter user is exchanged with a similar database (not shown) in another information processing device 113 via the communication network 114 as necessary.

FIG. 2 shows the appearance of a portable telephone as an example of the information terminal used in the present embodiment.
The information terminal 117 is configured to be folded in two around a hinge mechanism 131, and a display 132 constituted by a color liquid crystal screen is provided on a surface with an antenna,
A high-quality speaker 133 for playing music, and an earphone jack 1 for inserting an earphone (not shown)
34 are arranged. On the other surface, various button switches 135 for performing dialing and the like and a microphone 136 are arranged. The information terminal 117 has a function of listening to audio information corresponding to each location as described later. For this reason, if the earphone is inserted in the earphone jack 134 in advance, the audio information can be heard with the earphone without causing the speaker 133 to ring. At this time, the display content of the display 132 can be viewed as needed. If this is not necessary, the information terminal 117 itself can be stored in a suit pocket or the like.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a scene where the information terminal is used. Here, one room of an art exhibit such as a department store is taken up. In this room, a room base station 111R covering the whole area of the room, and work-specific base stations 111W ₁ , 1 W arranged in the vicinity of the works 202 ₁ , 202 ₂ , 202 ₃ ,.
Two types of base stations 11W ₂ , 111W ₃ ,... Are arranged. Users 118 ₁ , 118 ₂ inside the room,
118 _3, ..., the information terminal 117 ₁ of self-owned or hotel rent, 117 _2, 117 _3, are in possession of ...... individually. These information terminals 117 ₁ , 117 ₂ , 117 ₃ ,...
.. Are required to wear the earphones 205 because of an environment where quietness is required, such as an art exhibition hall.

Users 118 ₁ , 118 ₂ , 118 ₃ ,...
Can freely roam the interior of the room and listen to his pre-selected background music and information about the entire room through the room base station 111R.
Can be performed via In this figure, the third user 118 ₃ is sitting on a chair and looking at the display of the _third information terminal 117 ₃ while listening to the explanation of the overall features of the work in this room. The display has HTML
(Hypertext markup language) A screen using a description language or a description language obtained by improving the description language on a portable information terminal is displayed. If the user is interested in a particular item of the displayed content, a hyperlink (hyperlin
ks), the URL (uniform resou
It is possible to extract more detailed information from the file on the server specified by rce locator).

As shown in FIG. 3, when a user such as the first user 118 ₁ approaches the individual work, the base station 111W _{1 for} each work 111W ₁ , 1
Through the 11W ₂ , 111W ₃ ,..., It is possible to listen to information requested by the user in advance for those works. The information to be heard may be a general description of the work, the price of the work, whether it is willing to sell the work, or a three-dimensional work such as a sculpture If so, you can also select and listen to explanations about special matters that are not generally written in the manual of the work, such as its weight and material.

Acquisition of such special information and access to URLs other than the homepage of this art exhibition site are charged by the users 118 ₁ , 118 ₂ , 118 ₃ ,. It can be performed. For the user 118 who has not made such a selection to permit the billing, the system is set so that even if the information terminal 117 is operated, the user cannot view such value-added information. I have. Also, when the user 118 is a child, if the information on the work is not preferable in terms of age, even if the user has selected to view the content, the user cannot view the content. It can be restricted. In order to make such a determination, the present embodiment uses personal information of the individual, as described later.

A user having his own information terminal can
During such a work appreciation, an incoming call can be accepted from outside the art exhibition hall or from a companion or the like in the hall. The notification of the incoming call is made using an earphone and a display. The user 118 can go to a specially provided room or corner where he can talk to the caller. In other places, the room base station 111R and the work-specific base stations 111W ₁ , 111W
W ₂ , 111 W ₃ ,...
8 ₁ , 118 ₂ , 118 ₃ ,... Cannot be communicated with the caller.

FIG. 4 shows an outline of a registration operation in the case of viewing works using an information terminal at the art exhibition hall. The registration work is not limited to this art exhibition hall, but involves the work of registering personal information as information of the information terminal user for using various services and the information selection for using individual services. There are two types of operations: registration information registration work. For the former, if any service has been used in the past, it is not necessary to register again. Therefore, when a user performs registration work at a home or office before accepting a visit to the art exhibition hall or visiting the art exhibition hall, first check whether personal information has been registered in the specified personal information registration area. Is performed on the information processing apparatus 113 side (step S221). The personal information may be stored in the database 128 in the information processing device 113, or may be stored in a dedicated personal information server (not shown) connected to the communication network 114.

The server dedicated to personal information is set, for example, by a unified institution that manages users of information terminals, and performs simple personal information management along with setting or issuing of passwords. A user who has registered personal information can, for example, input his / her name and password to instruct the information processing apparatus 113 on the address information where the personal information of the user is registered.

FIG. 5 shows an example of the content of one personal information registered in the personal information registration area. The password in each piece of personal information in the personal information registration area 241 is composed of a code string set in pairs with the name, and the password is set so that these sets become unique information. The telephone number is the telephone number of the information terminal owned by the user. Therefore, when an information terminal is brought to an art exhibition hall or the like, the information terminal and its telephone number can be used as it is. If you do not bring the information terminal to the art exhibition, etc., you will register new temporary personal information, and the telephone number at this time will be the telephone number assigned to the lending information terminal in advance. Is set.

The personal information includes information that the system automatically registers each time the facility is used without the user registering. For example, if you use an information terminal while visiting an art exhibition site as described in this example, the system will register the facilities used, the date of use, and some or all of the selected information. It is automatically registered as information. These are used as the history information of the user.

Returning to FIG. 4, the description will be continued. If the personal information corresponding to the personal information registration area 241 shown in FIG. 5 has not been registered (step S221: N), the personal information is newly registered (step S222). At this time, a password is set together with the input name. If the personal information has already been registered (step S221:
Y) Since the registration is not required again, the process of step S222 is omitted. In the next step S223, an operation of inputting selection information to be acquired at a facility (art exhibition hall) currently used is performed.

FIG. 6 specifically shows the input operation of the selection information. First, the information processing apparatus 113 searches the history of the selection information about the facility (art exhibition hall) that the individual intends to use based on the input personal information (step S251). This is to facilitate the selection of the selection information when re-entering the same facility. If there is no corresponding history information (step S252: Y), a normal selection screen is displayed (step S253). When the user's selection is completed (step S254: Y), the content of the selection is made to correspond to the personal information in the RAM 125 or the information processing apparatus 1.
13 is stored in a storage medium (not shown) such as a magnetic disk (step S255). Also, necessary information is stored in the history information item in the personal information registration area 241 shown in FIG.

On the other hand, if there is history information indicating that the facility (art work exhibition hall) has been visited in the past (step S252: N), the selection can be performed quickly by reflecting the selection information at that time. Such a selection screen is displayed (step S256). When the user's selection is completed on this display screen (step S257: Y), the selected content is stored in the RAM 125 or a storage medium such as a magnetic disk (not shown) in the information processing device 113 in association with the personal information (step S257: Y). Step S255). Similarly, necessary information is stored in the item of history information in the personal information registration area 241 shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 shows an example of selection information selected by the user with respect to the art exhibition space of the present embodiment.
In the following description, it is assumed that information is selected using a computer. The selection information screen 281 for selecting information at the art exhibition hall includes a "information not charged" 282 as information included in the entrance fee of the art exhibition hall, and a fee different from the admission fee of the art exhibition hall. Is divided into "information to be charged" 283,
It is displayed on the display screen of the computer for input. When the user first enters the art exhibition hall, a default value set as a preferable one for each selection item is displayed as “information not charged” 282. For example, while listening to the work, “classical” is selected as a default value for the background music flowing from the earphone 205. Of course, the user can select another genre or select "no background music" by operating an input device such as a mouse (not shown) to open a pull-down menu. Similarly, other items are checked one by one and desired information is selected.

As for the "information to be charged" 283, the default value is "none" for each selection item. This is to prevent the user from being inadvertently charged. When there is information that the user wants to acquire even after being charged in the item of “information to be charged” 283, the user similarly opens the pull-down menu and selects the content.

When the history information of the user exists,
"Information not charged" 282 and "information charged"
The selection item as the history information selected last time for both 283 is displayed as it is. If there is something to change, the user opens the pull-down menu and changes the content.

FIG. 8 shows, as an example, how to select an item of “display on display” in the column of “information not charged” 282 in FIG. When the pull-down menu is opened as shown in this figure, several options are displayed as a display mode of the display 132. When a desired one among them, for example, “HTML image” is selected, display is performed on the display 132 in a display format in an HTML format that can be displayed on an HTML-compatible information terminal, and a JPEG (joint photographic) is displayed.
Display of images such as experts group) will be performed without omitting.

After completing various settings on the selection information screen 281 displayed on the display screen of the computer as described above, the user selects the transmission button 285 provided at the bottom of this display screen. The selection information is transmitted to the information processing device 113 (FIG. 1). To clear the selected content, return to the original content, and redo the setting, the clear button 286 is selected.

FIG. 9 shows an outline of a processing flow for the information terminal when a user enters the art exhibition space shown in FIG. First, the information processing apparatus 113 monitors whether the information terminal 117 is newly detected by the room base station 111R (step S30).
1). The new user enters the information terminal 11 in the room shown in FIG.
7, the detection is performed by the room base station 111R receiving the signal transmitted by the information terminal 117. Then, the information processing apparatus 113 acquires personal information from the telephone number of the newly transmitted information terminal 117 (step S302), and acquires selection information desired by the user in association with the personal information (step S3).
03). Then, the information to be selected indicated by the selection information is selected, and the information is provided to the information terminal 117 of the user (step S304).

FIG. 10 shows a specific process for providing the information shown in step S304 of FIG. First, in step S321, the information terminal 11
In accordance with the display format of the display 132 of No. 7, the general information about the selected room is visually displayed, and if there is the selected audio information, it is also output (step S321). ). However, in the case where information that is inappropriate from personal information is included, even if the user has selected it, it is deleted from the display content, and the remaining content is sent to the information terminal 117 side to be displayed. .

A specific state of information provision will be described. For example, it is assumed that selection information as shown in FIG. 7 has been set. When the user possesses the information terminal 117 and enters the room shown in FIG. 3, classical music flows from the earphone at that time. In this example, since the “description of the entire work” is “unnecessary”, the outline of the work existing in the room when entering the room is not described. Although the display 132 displays the content in the HTML description language, the image information is excluded from the display items, so that an image such as a photograph is not displayed.

In this state, when the user proceeds in front of any of the works, the base stations 111W ₁ , 111W ₂ , 1 for each work
The corresponding one of 11W ₃ ,.
17 is detected (step S322). As a result, the information processing apparatus 113 outputs the selected visual or auditory information about the detected work in accordance with the display format of the designated display 132 such as HTML or text, and receives the received information. Images and audio information are output from the terminal 117 (step S32).
3). However, for general information such as background music or emergency information that should be added to the selected information about the work, even if these are general information, Output is enabled. These general contents are based on the base station 111 by work.
Are output in a form synthesized from corresponding ones of W ₁ , 111W ₂ , 111W ₃ ,... Together with selection information of individual works. At this time, the corresponding information terminal 17 cuts the reproduction of the information of general content sent from the room base station 111R.

An example will be described with reference to FIG. When the user approaches to one of the works, in this example, "individual guidance of the work" is performed by audio output for a relatively short time of 10 seconds or less. Of course, by resetting the "information not charged" field shown in FIG. 7, it is also possible to change the short guide within 10 seconds to another time such as 30 seconds or 1 minute. . Thereby, it is possible to select whether the explanation is performed simply or in detail.
If the user wants further information of the work by charging, optional information such as the market value of the work is provided by voice or HTML image information after the "individual guide of the work" is performed. .

The provision of information for each work in this manner is based on the fact that the user moves away from the work, and the signal level of communication between the per-work base station 111W and the information terminal 117 falls below a predetermined threshold. The process is performed until the operation is completed (step S324). Then, when the communication with the corresponding work-based base station 111W is interrupted, the process returns to step S321 again to provide general information, and when the user approaches the same or another work, the work-based base station 111W is detected. Then, information about the relevant work will be provided. When the same user approaches the same work again, whether to give the same explanation again or to start the explanation from the content after the interruption of the explanation can be set initially with this information provision system Alternatively, the user may change the setting by operating the button switch 135 of the information terminal 117.

In this way, the user can walk around the room and acquire information on individual works. Also, as shown in FIG. 3, it is possible to access various homepages by tracing a URL from information displayed on the display 132 of the information terminal 117, for example, sitting on a chair, and further acquiring necessary information. is there.

When the user carrying the information terminal 117 leaves the room, the room base station 111R stops detecting the information terminal 117 (step S325: Y). by this,
The provision of the information on the room ends (END). In the case of a user who designates an incoming call in the room, the room base station 111R notifies the incoming call to the user while the user is in the room. it can. Then, the user leaves the room, releases the hold at a predetermined location, and communicates with the calling party. If this user finishes communication with the other party and enters the same room again, the information provided by the same selection information as before will not be provided unless the user changes the setting of the selection information at the previous stage. Will be resumed.

In the embodiment described above, the information terminal 1
The provision of information corresponding to the 17 types has not been described in detail. In an environment where various types of information terminals are used, unless the information corresponding to the type of the information terminal is selected and transmitted, a situation may occur where the transmitted information cannot be displayed or reproduced. is there. Therefore, the information provider knows the information reproduction capability of each information terminal. For example, if the terminal is capable of reproducing stereo, it sends out stereo audio information, otherwise, it outputs monaural audio information. Should be sent. Also in the case of image information, it is necessary to transmit information according to a moving image reproduction method and a reproducible description language.

To this end, a conversion table describing information that can be reproduced for each model or product of the information terminal 117 may be provided in the database 128, for example. Then, if information in a format that can reproduce the most advanced contents is selected according to each information terminal 117, and the information is provided after conversion to the information, effective information provision becomes possible. .

Second Embodiment

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the second embodiment, the user selects a store such as a restaurant and uses the service until he / she comes to the store.

FIG. 11 shows the overall flow of this service. First, the user selects a store as described above (step S401). This selection may be made, for example, by searching a home page on the Internet, or an information terminal such as a portable terminal used in the first embodiment may be used. Alternatively, a store may be selected by looking at an information magazine such as a monthly or weekly magazine.

Next, the user makes a reservation at the shop (step S402). Such a reservation is made by operating the keyboard on the corresponding homepage of the Internet to make an input, or by performing the same operation of the information terminal.

FIG. 12 shows input items when making a reservation for a store. The input items 410 are the date and time of visit, the number of visitors, the contents of the service, the name and contact information of the representative who visits the store, and the number and telephone number of visitors by means of transportation. Here, the visitor's transportation means what kind of transportation (the type of a train, a bus, a private car, or the like) is used by the visitor. In the system of this embodiment, when a group of visitors visits the store separately using transportation means, the telephone number of the visitor can be entered for each mode of transportation. Services such as guidance of the individual can be received individually. When the reservation is made, the input content is registered in the information providing system of the present embodiment (step S403). Thereafter, the service accompanying the visit is executed (step S404). The services associated with visiting the store include sending reservation confirmation e-mails, contacting them by e-mail on the day of the reservation, guiding services using information terminals to the store, and services such as cooking and securing seats as the visit progresses. .

FIG. 13 shows the overall configuration of the information providing system according to the second embodiment. This system comprises a plurality of base stations 411 ₁ , 411 ₂ ,... 411 _N arranged at different locations and a communication control device 412.
And an information processing device 413 connected through the network.
A communication control device 412 in the information processing device 413 is also connected to a communication network 414 such as the Internet or a normal telephone network, and is connected to a personal computer 415 in a home or office via a modem or router (not shown). . The information processing device 413 includes a base station 411 ₁ ,
411 _2, not only a function as a switch to the information terminal 417 such as a mobile terminal connected by ...... 111 _N and the radio, in a predetermined case for the user 418 of information terminal 417 It is designed to provide useful information. The information terminal 417 can use a position information acquisition system using a GPS satellite 419, and the GPS satellite 419 is used for guidance when visiting a store.

Communication control device 41 in information processing device 413
2, the base station _{411 1, 411 2, ...... 411} N and via a communication network 414 other with a switching function 421 for switching connection between various information terminals or telephone, the service providing function unit 422 for serving Is connected to The service providing function unit 422 includes a program storage unit 424 including a magnetic disk or the like in which a program for executing an internal process is stored.
When the CPU 426 executes the program developed on the CPU 5, the function for providing the service is exhibited. A database 428 connected to a bus 427 such as a data bus together with these electric components includes a base station 4
11 _1, 411 _2, with local information of various such store in close contact with competent place to the ...... 411 _N is stored, the user of the information terminal 417 when using a facility such as these stores User data is also registered. FIG.
The input item 410 shown in FIG. 2 is also a part of this user data.

FIG. 14 shows a functional configuration of a system according to the present embodiment using the information processing apparatus shown in FIG. The information processing device 413 is connected to an information terminal 417 such as a portable telephone or a personal computer 415 via an exchange network 451. The information processing device 413 includes a position detection device 452 that grasps the position of the information terminal 417, an information storage device 453 that stores data of various stores such as restaurants, and information on roads and trains. An information conversion device 454 for appropriately converting the stored information according to the type of the information terminal 417; a control device 455 for controlling the position detection device 452, the information storage device 453 and the information conversion device 454; It is constituted by an information reproducing mechanism 456 for reproducing the information converted by the above and sending it to the exchange network 451. Here, the information reproducing mechanism 456 includes a voice synthesizing and transmitting device 457 for synthesizing and transmitting voice information, a text transmitting device 458 for transmitting text information, and a general description language transmitting device 459 for converting into a general description language and transmitting. , And information is transmitted in a form corresponding to the reproduction capability of each information terminal 417.

FIG. 15 shows the appearance of a portable telephone as an example of the information terminal used in the second embodiment. The information terminal 417 has a configuration that can be folded in two around the hinge mechanism 131, and a display 132 constituted by a color liquid crystal screen and a speaker 133 are arranged on the surface with the antenna. On the other surface, various button switches 135 for performing dialing and the like and a microphone 136 are arranged. The information terminal 417 has a mechanism for receiving code information transmitted from a GPS satellite therein, a code information generation circuit for generating the code information at the same time as the code information, and a GPS using these two types of code information. A circuit for measuring the distance to the satellite and a circuit for determining the position of the information terminal 417 itself from the distances obtained for the three GPS satellites whose positions are known are provided. Of course, some of these circuits may be provided on the service providing function unit 422 side or the network side as needed.

FIG. 16 shows an example of a screen display in a state where a store reservation is made in this embodiment. A case where a restaurant of a hotel is reserved from an Internet homepage will be described as an example. The user 418 is shown in FIG.
The user connects to the Internet using the personal computer 415 shown in FIG. 5, selects a hotel using the search service, and opens a page for hotel and restaurant reservations. Then, “xx hotel reservation screen” 431 is displayed as shown in FIG.

This “xx hotel reservation screen” 431 includes
Either one of staying and / or a restaurant reservation can be selected, and a restaurant can be selected for each meal category. Thereafter, as described with reference to FIG. 12, data for the number of persons, representatives, and transportation means are input.

FIG. 17 shows confirmation data before registration which is sent back from the information processing apparatus to the user's display screen when the above input is completed. When the user makes a reservation from the “xx hotel reservation screen” 431, the information processing apparatus 413 shown in FIG. 13 creates data for confirming data to be registered in the information processing system based on the reservation. Then, this is displayed on the screen as a registration confirmation screen 432.

Here, the “position search start time” refers to the time at which the reservation person starts searching for the position of those persons when he or she starts moving toward the hotel. Since the reservation time of the hotel restaurant is 19:00, in this example, the search for the position is started with an allowance at 18:00, which is one hour earlier than this. The “location search start time” is automatically set by subtracting a predetermined time such as 30 minutes or 1 hour from the reservation time, depending on the location of the target shop. It has become so.

The "position search pattern" refers to a method of searching for the position of a person who made a reservation. This pattern is selected by the means of transportation when the person who made the reservation comes to the store. For example, in a case where the user arrives at the nearest station by train and walks from there, the detection of arrival at the corresponding station becomes a position search pattern (position search pattern). On the other hand, when a customer uses a private car or a taxi to visit a store, for example, detection of the car entering within a radius of 100 m from the hotel is a position search pattern (position search pattern). These are performed by detecting the position of the information terminal possessed by the person who made the reservation.

A message to be sent to the information terminal when the position of the person is detected differs depending on the type of the "position search pattern". In the present embodiment, in the case of the “position search pattern”, since the visitor has come to the store on foot, voice guidance regarding the location of the restaurant is provided. As for the "position search pattern", since a car is visited, guidance for a parking lot and guidance for a restaurant location are provided. In this case, data to be transmitted is different for each telephone number, and a voice short message is sent to one telephone. Monochrome image data indicating the location is transmitted to the other telephone.

It is not necessary to send such a guide to the information terminal only when the user comes to the preset first place. For example, the guide may be provided again when the user arrives at the hotel on foot or by car and enters the lobby. In the case of this example, since the user has already arrived at the hotel, guidance according to that is performed. For example, information such as the specific location of the restaurant reserved and the number of associates who have visited the restaurant first will be provided.

FIG. 18 shows the principle of detecting position information when the user is a car. At the time “16:00” described in FIG. 17, the information processing device 413 illustrated in FIG. 13 uses the communication control device 412 to enter the vehicle 441 (this user is referred to as a user 418A). Of the information terminal 417A is started. The position information is acquired using the GPS satellite 419. On the information processing apparatus 413 side, based on the position information acquired at predetermined time intervals, when the car 441 on which the user 418A rides reaches a distance of 100 m from the hotel 442 as the expected destination, the time "16:03" Information terminal 417A
Make a phone call and send a short message saying “Welcome to the store. Please use the first parking lot” according to the phone number, or “Welcome to the store. Western food XX Will be on the 38th floor "on the display 432 of the information terminal 417 (417A) shown in FIG.

FIG. 19 shows the principle of detecting position information when a user visits by train. FIG.
At the time “16:00” described in the above, the information processing device 413 uses the communication control device 412 to position the information terminal 417B of the user who plans to walk on foot (this user is referred to as the user 418B). Start acquiring information. The position information is acquired using the GPS satellite 419. However, there are cases where it is difficult to obtain position data using a GPS satellite 419 as in a subway. In this case, the information terminal 417B for the base stations 411 ₁ , 411 ₂ ,... 411 _N shown in FIG. The position is determined based on the electric field strength, the incident angle of the radio wave, or the difference in the arrival time of the radio wave emitted at the same time with respect to each of the base stations 411 ₁ , 411 ₂ ,..., 411 _N. Several proposals have been made in this regard, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

When the information processing device 413 detects that the user 418B has arrived at the nearest station from the position information acquired at predetermined time intervals, the information terminal 417 at that time.
Call B and say, "We are waiting for you.
Western food XX will be on the 38th floor. "
When there is a possibility that the user is still in the vehicle, text information may be played instead of such audio information and displayed on the display 432 of the information terminal 417 (417B) shown in FIG.

FIG. 20 shows the flow of such guidance service processing performed for each information terminal.
The information processing device 413 shown in FIG.
It monitors that the search start time has arrived for the telephone number of each information terminal 417 registered in 28 (step S461). Then, when the search start time comes (Y), a search pattern for the information terminal 417A or 417B is read (step S462). Then, the information terminal 417A or 417B at the present time
Is obtained (step S463). If the user 418A or 418B indicated by the acquired position information has reached the search range (step S46).
4: Y), the separately prepared guide for early arrival is sent to the information terminal 417A or 417B without flowing the prepared guide shown in FIG. 17 (step S4).
65), end the process (END).

As described above, the user 418A or 418B
The following case can be considered as a case where is already within the search range. One is a case where the person has come close to the place due to going out or the like. In addition,
The same applies to a case where a workplace or home exists at a position originally close to the destination hotel 442. In such a case,
When visiting by car 441, the parking lot is notified at the detection point one hour before, and the fact that the time reserved for the restaurant is one hour later is notified by voice data or visual data. If the visitor is on foot, the user is notified that the time reserved for the restaurant is one hour later. Both may notify how to kill the time until the scheduled time. For example, guidance for an exhibition being held at or near a coffee shop of the hotel 442 may be provided. If there is a vacant seat, it may be notified that a banquet etc. can be advanced.

If it is determined at step S464 that the search range has not been reached one hour before (N), the service is used to make the service finer in this normally assumed situation. It is determined whether the position search pattern of the user 418A or 418B belongs to the pattern or the pattern (step S4).
66). Then, when it is determined that the pattern corresponds to the pattern (use of a train) (Y), the guidance service for that is performed as described above (step S467). If it is determined that the pattern corresponds to the pattern (car use) (Y), the guidance service for the above is executed (step S468).

FIG. 21 shows a specific flow of the processing based on the pattern in step S467. In this case, as described above, when it is determined that the vehicle has arrived at the corresponding station (step S481: Y), one minute after that (step S482: Y) in order to prevent a call in the vehicle, use is made. A call is made to the person 418B and the above-mentioned guidance is transmitted (step S48).
3). Further, the user 41 is connected to the hotel 442 as the destination.
When 8B arrives (step S484: Y), guidance required at the time of arrival is transmitted by telephone (step S485).

FIG. 22 shows a specific flow of the processing based on the pattern in step S468. In this case, as described above, the hotel 442 is X
m (in this embodiment, X is "100") (step S501: Y), a call is made to the user 418A and the above-mentioned guidance is transmitted (step S502).
Further, when the user arrives at the hotel 442 as the destination (step S503: Y), guidance required at the time of arrival is transmitted by telephone (step S504).

FIG. 23 is a diagram for explaining a state of the conversion process of the data format of the guidance to the information terminal. In this embodiment, various data stored in the database 428 of FIG. 13 are text data 521 and original image data 52.
2 types. The service providing function unit 422 shown in FIG. 13 stores each of these types of data in the database 428, and
These are appropriately changed and transmitted according to the type of 17 and the type of environment in which they are placed. For example, the text data of “Welcome to the store. Please use the first parking lot” may be sent as it is to the information terminal 417 of the other party as text data, and may be displayed as characters on the display. Convert the text data to audio data using a conversion unit that converts text data to audio data,
You may make it output as audio | voice 525. Also,
The original image data (image data) representing the hotel 442 or the like may be displayed on the display 432 with the color information as it is, or when the number of colors to be displayed is limited, the color is reduced to black and white. Create an image 526 or use JPEG
The number of colors that can be represented in an image in the form of a joint photographic experts group (GIF)
cs interchange format).

FIG. 24 shows a processing procedure of a service directly provided by a hotel to a customer in this embodiment. Since the hotel 442 can confirm the position of the user of the reservation having the information terminal 417 in advance, every time the user arrives at the hotel 442 as the destination (step S54).
1), preparations are made for taking customers in, such as standing an employee at the entrance of the restaurant (step S542).
Then, when all the reservations arrive in advance (step S5)
43: Y), a service is started at a stage where all the members have prepared, such as serving a beer for toast or serving a dish (step S544). In this manner, even if the restaurant is used by a large number of customers, the progress of cooking and the arrangement of employees can be performed efficiently even by grasping the position information of the information terminal 417. Although not shown in this figure, the facility can be used efficiently by predicting the arrival time of the customer and preparing dishes or arranging seats.

Modification of the second embodiment

FIG. 25 shows an example of a modification of the second embodiment of the present invention. In this modification, when an information terminal 417 such as a mobile phone enters a predetermined information registration area (step S601), the position detection system 621 is used.
The position detecting device 452 inside detects this. The position detecting device 452 detects the telephone number of the information terminal based on this detection (step S602). Then, the telephone number and the entered area are stored in the control device 455.
(Step S603). Control device 455 receives this and determines the telephone number and area (step S
604).

On the other hand, the user or the restaurant which has been contacted by the user inputs in advance the telephone number to which information is to be provided and the area in which the information is to be provided by operating a personal computer (PC). (Step S605). This input data is stored in the information storage device 453 (step S606).

Therefore, if the information terminal 417 arrives at the predetermined area and the information about the telephone number and the area is sent to the information storage device 453 (step S
607), the information storage device 453 sends the information required by the information terminal 417 to the information conversion device 454. The information conversion device 454 converts this information into a medium designated in advance (step S609). Then, the converted information is transmitted to the corresponding information terminal 417 (step S610).

As described above, in the information providing system of this modification, transmission is performed by using a medium designated in advance for each information terminal, so that the information terminal does not need to perform special data conversion. Therefore, it is not necessary to prepare various kinds of software for data conversion on the information terminal 417 side, and it is not necessary to increase the memory capacity, and to reduce the data processing load on the information terminal 417 side. be able to.

[0103]

As described above, according to the first and second aspects of the present invention, terminal identification information for identifying an own terminal from information that the information terminal wants to acquire and a place from which the information is desired to be acquired are provided. Since the user of the information terminal transmits the information in advance prior to the acquisition of the information in association with the information terminal, the user can select the information or location to be acquired from himself, and can efficiently receive only appropriate information.

According to the second and fourth aspects of the present invention, a reproducible information format is sent to the information transmitting side, so that the information in the optimum format converted by the information converting means on the transmitting side is received. And effective information can be obtained.

Further, according to the third and fourth aspects of the present invention, the user of the information terminal specifically reserves a facility such as a restaurant and receives guidance information for using the facility. In addition to avoiding the time wasted of searching for parking lots, not only will you avoid making mistakes on the road, but also if you forget to go to the facility you booked You can remember and help manage your schedule.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the information conversion means has a conversion table, and the conversion of the information is performed according to the conversion table. It is possible to send information that makes the most of the format. As a result, even if there are various types of information terminals, information can be provided in a form suitable for them, and the inconvenience of using only a specific product can be avoided.

Further, according to the invention described in claim 6, even if the information is requested by the user, it is possible to cut out the information having uselessness or some adverse effect from the personal information of the user by filtering. Since it is possible, even when requesting information acquisition carelessly, only valid information can be provided. Thus, in the case where charging is performed based on the amount of information, useless charging can be avoided, and economic information can be obtained.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the reservation transmitting means transmits the transportation means for arriving at the reserved facility, the position is determined according to each transportation means. Work can be performed, and more efficient and reliable position detection work can be performed.

Further, according to the invention of claim 8, the position for detecting the information terminal is set in accordance with the transportation means transmitted by the reservation transmission means, and the guidance information transmitting means transmits guidance adapted to the transportation means. So, such as road guidance from the station,
Guidance suitable for the means of transportation, such as guidance for a parking lot, can be realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram illustrating an outline of a configuration of an information processing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating an appearance of a mobile phone as an example of an information terminal used in the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of a scene where an information terminal is used in the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an outline of a registration operation when viewing a work using an information terminal in the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the content of one personal information registered in a personal information registration area in the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart specifically showing an operation of inputting selection information in the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of selection information selected by a user at an art exhibition hall in the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a main part of a display screen showing a state of selection of an item “display on display” in the first embodiment.

9 is a flowchart showing an outline of a processing flow for an information terminal when a user enters the art exhibition space shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a specific process for providing information shown in step S304 of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an outline of a service provided in a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory view showing input items when making a store reservation in the second embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a system configuration diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an information providing system according to a second embodiment.

14 is a system configuration diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a system according to the present exemplary embodiment using the information processing apparatus illustrated in FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a plan view illustrating an appearance of a mobile phone as an example of an information terminal used in the second embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a plan view illustrating an example of a screen display in a state where a store reservation is made in the second embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a plan view showing confirmation data before registration sent back from the information processing apparatus to the user's display screen in the second embodiment.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram showing a principle of detecting position information when a user is a car in the second embodiment.

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram showing the principle of detecting position information when a user visits by train in the second embodiment.

FIG. 20 is a flow chart showing an outline of a flow of processing of a guidance service performed for each information terminal in the second embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing a specific flow of a process based on a pattern in step S467.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing a specific flow of a process based on a pattern in step S468 in the second embodiment.

FIG. 23 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of a conversion process of a data format of guidance to an information terminal in the second embodiment.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a service directly provided by a hotel to a guest in the second embodiment.

FIG. 25 is an explanatory diagram showing a control operation of each unit of the system in a modification of the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 26 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a rectangular area in a conventionally proposed information processing system.

FIG. 27 is a plan view showing an example of display on a display according to this conventional proposal.

FIG. 28 is a system configuration diagram showing an example of a use environment in an information providing system according to another conventional proposal.

FIG. 29 is a system configuration diagram showing an outline of a conventional information providing system using a plurality of access points.

[Explanation of symbols]

 111, 411 Base station 112, 412 Communication control unit 113, 413 Information processing unit 114, 414 Communication network 115, 415 Personal computer 117, 417 Information terminal 118, 418 User 124, 424 Program storage unit 126, 426 CPU (Central processing) Device) 128,428 Database 202 Work 205 Earphone 419 GPS satellite 432 Registration confirmation screen 441 Car 442 Hotel 451 Exchange network 452 Position detection device 454 Information conversion device 456 Information reproduction mechanism

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2F029 AA07 AB07 AC02 AC06 AC14 AC18 AC20 5K067 AA21 DD17 EE02 EE16 FF02 FF03 FF05 HH11 JJ52 9A001 BB02 BB03 BB04 CC02 CC05 EE02 FF03 HH15 HH23 JJ11 JJ18 JJ78 JJ11 JJ18 JJ11 JJ18 JJ18 JJ11 JJ18 JJ18 JJ12 JJ18 JJ11 JJ18 JJ11 JJ18 JJ18 JJ12 JJ18 KK37 KK56

Claims (8)

[Claims] A transmitting unit configured to transmit information to be acquired and a location from which the information is to be acquired in advance in association with terminal identification information for identifying the terminal itself, prior to acquiring the information;
An information terminal including a position detection signal transmitting unit that transmits a position detection signal for detecting the current position of the own terminal, and a display unit that displays the information that the own terminal wants to acquire when it arrives, Registration means for associating and registering information to be acquired together with the terminal identification information and information indicating the location from which the information is to be acquired from the information terminal in association with each specific location, and transmission from each information terminal Position determining means for sequentially determining the positions of these information terminals using the detected position detection signal, information storage means storing various information corresponding to each location, and the position and terminal determined by the position determining means. When the identification information is registered in association with the registration unit, the information storage unit selects information to be obtained from the information storage unit, and the corresponding information terminal obtains the information. An information providing apparatus comprising: an information transmitting unit that transmits information selected by the information selecting unit to the information terminal when the user enters a desired place. 2. A transmitting means for transmitting information to be acquired, a location from which the information is to be acquired, and a format of reproducible information in association with terminal identification information for identifying the terminal itself, prior to the acquisition of the information, A position detection signal transmitting means for transmitting a position detection signal for detecting the current position of the own terminal, and when the information desired by the own terminal arrives, it is displayed according to the format of the transmitted information. An information terminal having a display means, and information indicating the information to be obtained together with the terminal identification information, the location from which the information is to be obtained, and the format of the reproducible information are transmitted from the information terminal in association with a specific place. Registering means for associating and registering these information terminals, position determining means for sequentially determining the positions of these information terminals using a position detection signal transmitted from each information terminal, and Information storage means for storing various types of information in association with each other, and information to be obtained for the terminal from the information storage means when the position and terminal identification information determined by the position determination means are registered in association with the registration means. Information selecting means for selecting; information converting means for converting the information selected by the information selecting means in accordance with the format of the reproducible information; and information converting means when a corresponding information terminal enters a place where information is to be obtained. An information providing apparatus comprising: an information transmitting unit that transmits information converted by the information terminal to the information terminal. 3. A reservation transmitting means for transmitting a reserved facility and a reserved time in association with terminal identification information for identifying the terminal itself, and a display for displaying information desired by the terminal when the terminal arrives. An information terminal comprising means for receiving information registered by the reservation transmitting means and registering the information; and an information storage means storing position information of various facilities and guidance information for using the facilities. Information terminal position tracking means for searching for a telephone number of an information terminal approaching within a predetermined time from the information registered in the registration means within a predetermined time to a reserved time, and tracking the position of the information terminal; A fixed position detecting means for detecting when the information terminal tracked by the information terminal position tracking means reaches a predetermined position in relation to the reserved facility; and Information providing system characterized by comprising a guide information transmitting unit for transmitting the guidance information corresponding to the position detected at step was performed out the appropriate information terminal. 4. A reservation transmitting means for transmitting a reserved facility, a reserved time, and a format of information reproducible by the terminal in association with terminal identification information for identifying the terminal, and information desired by the terminal. , An information terminal having display means for displaying the information when it arrives, registration means for receiving and registering the information transmitted by the reservation transmitting means, position information of various facilities and guidance for use of the facilities. Information storage means for storing information and information; information conversion means for converting the guide information stored in the information storage means in accordance with a format of information reproducible by each terminal; and information from the information registered in the registration means. An information terminal position tracking means for searching for a telephone number of an information terminal approaching within a predetermined time from the reserved time and tracking the position of the information terminal; and an information terminal position tracking means. Therefore, when the tracked information terminal reaches a predetermined position in relation to the reserved facility, a fixed position detecting means for detecting the position, and when the fixed position detecting means detects the position, it corresponds to the position detection And a guide information transmitting means for converting the guide information obtained by the information converting means and transmitting the converted guide information to a corresponding information terminal. 5. The format of the reproducible information is an information format such as stereo or monaural in the case of audio information, and a description language type in the case of image information. 2. The information providing system according to claim 1, further comprising a conversion table for converting the format of the information into information that can make the most of the information, and converting the information by using the conversion table. 6. The information providing device includes personal information storage means for storing personal information of a user of each information terminal,
3. The information providing system according to claim 1, wherein said information selecting means includes filtering means for filtering corresponding information based on personal information of a user of the information terminal. 7. The information providing system according to claim 3, wherein the reservation transmitting means transmits the transportation means for reaching the reserved facility. 8. The fixed position detecting means sets a position for detecting an information terminal in accordance with the transportation means transmitted by the reservation transmitting means, and the guidance information transmitting means transmits guidance adapted to the transportation means. The information providing system according to claim 7, wherein: