JP2001273433A - System and method for collecting and distributing information - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To individually distribute only information really required for each of clients among various kinds of information provided from an information provider. SOLUTION: The conditions of information really desired to be distributed, the so-called desired distribution conditions, are individually set from each of clients 6 to a server 2. When information is provided from any information provider 4, the server 2 distributes the relevant information only to the client 6, who desires that information, on the basis of the desired distribution conditions. Thus, each of clients 6 can automatically acquire only the information required by himself/herself in real time without requiring any labor and time.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information collection / distribution system and an information collection / distribution method for distributing information collected by a main unit to a plurality of terminal devices, and more particularly, to the terminal device, for example, a portable telephone device or a PHS (Personal). Handyphone
The present invention relates to an information collection and distribution system and an information collection and distribution method using a so-called mobile communication terminal device such as a terminal device or an information terminal device such as a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a technique for providing various information to a portable telephone device or the like, a technique called a content service represented by, for example, "i-mode (registered trademark)" is known. In this method, a mobile telephone device is connected to a predetermined information site, and in this state, a desired one of various types of information stored in the information site is searched and extracted on the mobile telephone device side. This search can be generally realized by operating the operation unit (key) of the mobile phone device according to a hierarchical menu displayed on the display unit of the mobile phone device. However, according to this technology, in order to obtain desired information, it is necessary to connect a mobile phone device to the information site,
In addition, there is a problem that it is necessary to search for a desired one from a large number of accumulated information, which is very troublesome and troublesome. Also, for example, even if the information stored in the information site is updated, the content of the updated information cannot be known unless the information is retrieved and retrieved. Therefore, for example, even if desired information is updated, there is also a problem that the updated content cannot be obtained in real time in many cases.

On the other hand, as a service different from the above, for example, a mobile communication service provider or the like independently selects all mobile telephone devices subscribed to by the mobile communication service provider or the like. There is also a service that automatically and uniformly provides edited information. According to this service,
As described above, the trouble of connecting the mobile phone device or the like to the information site or searching for desired information can be omitted. However, on the other hand, the information provided by the mobile communication carrier or the like may not always match the information that the user (customer) of the mobile phone device or the like really desires, so that the There is no other case. If the unsolicited e-mails occur too frequently, the service itself becomes rather troublesome.

[0004]

That is, the problem to be solved by the present invention is that, in any of the above-mentioned prior arts, a customer or the like who uses a terminal device such as a portable telephone device truly desires himself / herself. Information cannot be obtained easily and in real time.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention provides a method in which a customer or the like who uses a terminal device such as a portable telephone device transmits information that the user truly desires.
An object of the present invention is to provide an information collection / delivery system and an information collection / delivery method that can be obtained extremely easily and in real time.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a main unit to which various information is provided from the outside, and a main unit which can be arranged at a position remote from the main unit. And a plurality of terminal devices capable of outputting the information in a predetermined format when receiving information distributed from the terminal. The main device is, for example, a server, and a condition storage unit in which a desired distribution condition arbitrarily set corresponding to each terminal device is stored in advance, and when certain information is provided from the outside, this information is stored. Selecting means for selecting a terminal device desired to be distributed on the basis of the desired distribution condition, and distributing, in a predetermined form, the certain information provided from outside to only the terminal devices selected and obtained by the selecting means; Means.

That is, when certain information is provided from the outside to the main device, the selection means requests the distribution of the information based on the desired distribution conditions stored in the information storage means in advance. Select the terminal device you are using. Then, the distribution unit distributes the externally provided certain information to the terminal device selected and obtained by the selection unit. The terminal device that has received the distributed information outputs the information in a predetermined form, for example, a visual form such as a character, a graphic, a still image, or a moving image, or an auditory form such as voice.

As described above, according to the present invention, when information is externally provided to the main device, the information is distributed only to the terminal device that wants to distribute the information. Here, the outside refers to a provider of the information, for example, a person who provides various products, services, and the like. In addition, whenever the above information is provided from the outside, the main device
The information may be distributed, or a plurality of pieces of information provided within a certain period may be distributed collectively as a so-called batch.

In the present invention, information to be distributed from the main device to each terminal device may be distributed via the Internet, for example, as e-mail. Of course, the information may be distributed not only through the Internet but also through another communication network such as a dedicated line.

[0010] Also, when information is provided from the external information provider to the main apparatus, the information may be provided via the Internet. Of course, also in this case, for example, via a communication network other than the Internet, such as a dedicated line,
The information may be provided.

[0011] At least a part of each terminal device is
For example, a mobile communication terminal device such as a mobile phone device or a PHS terminal device may be used. That is, these mobile communication terminal devices such as mobile telephone devices are inexpensive and have excellent operability and formability as compared with, for example, personal computers and the like, and thus have become extremely popular in recent years. Therefore, mobile communication terminal devices such as these mobile phone devices with high penetration rates are
The present invention is particularly effective when the information is to be distributed.

Further, the desired distribution condition stored in the condition storage means may be arbitrarily changeable. In this way, according to the user's desire of each terminal device,
Flexible information distribution can be realized as appropriate.

[0013] The present invention also provides an information collecting and distributing method having the same operation as described above. That is, a main device to which various information is provided from the outside, and a plurality of devices which can be arranged at a position distant from the main device and which can output the information in a predetermined form when receiving information distributed from the main device. In the information collecting and distributing system including the terminal device, a desired distribution condition for limiting the information desired to be distributed for each of the terminal devices is arbitrarily set, and this is stored in the condition storage provided in the main device. A condition storing step of storing the condition in the means. Then, when certain information is provided from the outside to the main apparatus, a selection step of selecting a terminal apparatus which desires the distribution of the information based on the desired distribution condition, and a selection step in the selection step are performed. A distribution process of distributing certain information provided to the main device from the outside to the main device only in a predetermined form from the main device, and each terminal device receiving the certain information distributed in the distribution process And an information output step of outputting the certain information in a form based on the predetermined form. By performing each of these steps, the same operation as described above is achieved.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described.
This will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG.
A server 2 as a main device is provided in an information center indicated by a chain line 1 in FIG. The information center 1 is connected to the server 2 via a communication network 3 such as the Internet.
Various information is provided from a plurality of information providers 4 who have made a contract with the operator. The information provider 4 referred to here is, for example, a person who provides information on various products and services, and more specifically, for example, a supermarket, a department store, a real estate-related business, and an entertainment-related business. People. Each of these information providers 4 has a provider ID for identifying each information provider, for example, [P0001], [P0002],.
And the like.

A plurality of clients 6 can be connected to the server 2 via a communication network 5 such as the Internet. These clients 6 are, for example, mobile communication terminal devices such as mobile phone devices and PHS terminal devices,
Alternatively, it is composed of an information terminal device such as a personal computer and a PDA device, and further, a dedicated data service terminal device and the like. Each of these clients 6 also has a client ID for identifying it, for example, [C0001],
[C0002],...

The system according to the present embodiment is based on the premise that information provided from each information provider 4 is distributed to each client 6. that time,
In each client 6, information to be distributed from the server 2 to each client 6 is transmitted from the server 2 so that only the information that the user really wants to receive among the information provided by the information providers 4 is received. Sorting within.

In order to realize this, first, each client 6 accesses a homepage 7 established on the server 2. Then, an application procedure for this distribution service is performed at an application site (not shown) provided on the homepage 7. At the same time, so-called desired distribution conditions for what kind of information, for example, what kind of information or region, etc. are desired to be distributed are specified in, for example, a format prepared in advance on the application site.
Set according to. At this time, the server 2 automatically attaches the client ID described above.

Each client 6 entered at the time of the above application
Such as the name and address of each client 6,
Alternatively, so-called client data, such as a telephone number to which information is to be distributed, is transmitted to the information center 1 together with the above-mentioned desired distribution conditions.
The information is recorded in the information integrated database 8 in the server. Note that the application for the distribution service and the setting of the above-mentioned desired distribution conditions can be performed by, for example, a telephone, a facsimile, or an off-line procedure using documents. In particular, client 6
Is a mobile phone device or a PHS terminal device, for example, when purchasing these devices (strictly, when subscribing to these communication services), applying for the distribution service and the desired distribution conditions through a dealer of these devices. By setting, the procedure can be unified. As described above, in the case of the offline procedure, the registration of the client data and the setting of the desired distribution condition (recording in the database 8) are realized by the data input device 9 in the information center 1 connected to the server 2.

In the database 8, each information provider 4
, For example, so-called provider data such as the name and address of each information provider 4, the type of information that can be provided, and the business area. Then, the server 2 provides any information to each client 6 based on the client data of each client 6 and the desired distribution conditions recorded in the database 8 and the provider data of each information provider 4. Whether the information provided by the person 4 is to be distributed is arranged and a distribution list as shown in FIG. 2 is created, for example. It should be noted that in the list shown in the figure, each client 6 (C0001, C0002,.
..) indicate the information providers 4 (P0001, P0002,...) That provide the information desired to be distributed, respectively, with circles. For example, if the ID number is [C00
01] of the client 6 whose ID number is [P0
001], [P0003], [P0004],... Indicates that the user wants to distribute information provided by the information provider 4. However, this distribution list is conceptual to the last, and in the present embodiment, for convenience of explanation, it is merely represented in the form shown in FIG.

In the system configured as described above, the server 2 operates, for example, according to the procedure shown in the flowchart of FIG. Note that FIG. 3 conceptually extracts only a portion according to the present embodiment from among operations of the server 2 having various functions, and is not necessarily the same as an actual file structure. A so-called control program for controlling the server 2 according to the procedure shown in this flowchart is stored in a storage unit (not shown) in the server 2.

That is, when certain information is provided from any of the information providers 4, the server 2 determines the information provider 4 that has provided the information (step S2). Then, the client 6 desiring the distribution of the provided information is selected based on the distribution list shown in FIG. 2 (Step S).
4). Then, for each client 6 obtained by the selection, the provided information is transmitted to, for example, the Internet 5.
(Step S6).

On the other hand, each client 6 receiving the distributed information displays the information in, for example, characters. Note that this information is not limited to characters, and may be distributed as information such as figures, still images, or moving images, or may be distributed as audio information. However, in this case, it goes without saying that the client 6 must also have a function of reproducing such information.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when information is provided from any of the information providers 4 to the server 2, the information is transmitted only to the client 6 desiring to distribute the information. ,It will be delivered. Therefore, each client 6 can automatically and in real time obtain only the information that the client 6 really needs without any trouble.

According to the flowchart of FIG. 3, when information is provided from any of the information providers 4, the server 2 immediately distributes the information to each client 6 side. May be distributed in batches. That is, a period in which the information provider 4 receives information provision may be provided, and the information provided during this period may be collectively distributed.

In the present embodiment, the communication networks 3 and 5 for connecting the server 2 and each information provider 4 and the server 2 and each client 6 are the Internet, respectively. A dedicated line configuration or the like may be used.

Furthermore, the desired distribution conditions for each client 6 recorded in the database 8 are, for example, directly from the client 6 via a so-called online procedure via the communication network 5 or offline via the data input device 9. It may be arbitrarily changeable indirectly by a procedure. In this way, flexible information distribution can be realized as appropriate according to the wishes of each client 6.

The information provided by each information provider 4 can be provided by, for example, a so-called off-line procedure using a telephone, a facsimile, or a document. In this case, the information is provided to the server 2 by the data input device 9.

[0029]

As described above, according to the present invention, when information is provided from the outside to the main device, this information is distributed only to the terminal device that desires the distribution of the information.
Therefore, unlike the above-described conventional technology, there is an effect that a customer or the like who uses the terminal device can automatically and in real time obtain information truly desired by himself without any trouble.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information collection and distribution system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram conceptually showing a part of a database in the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation of a server according to the present embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 server (main device: selection means, distribution means) 3, 5 communication network 4 information provider (external) 6 client (terminal device) 8 information integrated database (main device: condition storage means) 9 data input device

Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat II (Reference) H04N 7/173 640 H04N 7/173 640A

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A main apparatus to which various information is provided from the outside, and a main apparatus which can be arranged at a position remote from the main apparatus and which receives information distributed from the main apparatus in a predetermined form when receiving the information. A plurality of terminal devices capable of outputting, the main device comprising: condition storage means in which desired distribution conditions arbitrarily set corresponding to each of the terminal devices are stored in advance; When the information is provided, a selection unit that selects a terminal device that desires the distribution of the information based on the desired distribution condition, and only the terminal device obtained by the selection unit is provided from the outside. An information collection and delivery system, comprising: a delivery unit that delivers certain information in a predetermined form. 2. The information collection and distribution system according to claim 1, wherein information distributed from said main device to each of said terminal devices is distributed via the Internet. 3. The information provided from outside to the main device is provided via the Internet.
Information collection and delivery system described in. 4. The information collection and distribution system according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of each of the terminal devices is a mobile communication terminal device. 5. The information collection and distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the desired distribution condition stored in the condition storage means can be arbitrarily changed. 6. A main device to which various kinds of information are provided from the outside, and a device which can be arranged at a position remote from the main device and which receives information distributed from the main device in a predetermined form when receiving the information. In an information collection and distribution system comprising a plurality of terminal devices capable of outputting, arbitrarily set distribution desired conditions for limiting information desired to be distributed for each of the terminal devices, and provide the main device with the desired conditions. A condition storing step of storing the received condition in the condition storage means, and selecting, when certain information is externally provided to the main device, selecting a terminal device which desires to distribute the information based on the desired distribution condition. And a distribution step of distributing, in a predetermined form, certain information provided from the outside to the main apparatus from the main apparatus to only the terminal apparatuses selected and obtained in the selection step. Delivery method. 7. The information distributed from the main device to each of the terminal devices is distributed via the Internet.
Information collection and distribution method described in. 8. The information collection and distribution method according to claim 6, wherein information provided from the outside to the main device is provided via the Internet. 9. The information collection and distribution method according to claim 6, wherein at least a part of each of the terminal devices is a mobile communication terminal device. 10. The information collection / distribution method according to claim 6, wherein said desired distribution condition stored in said condition storage means can be arbitrarily changed.