JP2002007253A - Internet connection system, and system and method for providing information to internet user - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an Internet connection system, etc., which can decide the connection destination area of a user and distribute contents corresponding thereto. SOLUTION: This Internet connection system, which connects a terminal 4 of the user to a network, has a user transmission area information acquisition part 13 which obtains transmission source area information on the user, a content-generating part 9 which generates contents corresponding to the transmission source area of the user, and a content-distributing part 23 which distributes the contents generated by the content-generating means to the terminal of the user connected to the Internet.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an Internet connection system capable of determining a source area of a user when connecting to the Internet and transmitting contents in accordance with the area.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the rapid increase of Internet users, various online information providing methods using the Internet have been spotlighted. In such an information providing method, it is required that each user be promptly provided with a content suitable for the user's preference.

[0003] For this reason, for example, when a user enrolls in various information providing services, he / she is asked to answer a questionnaire about the user's attributes and preferences, and to use the information to determine each user's preferences. A method of providing matching advertisements and information is adopted.

[0004]

The preference information obtained by such a method is "static" information. For this reason, it may not be possible to cope with dynamically changing user preferences. For example, when a user connects to the Internet on a business trip, the information he or she wants most is local information on the business trip destination area, but this information cannot be provided by this method.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and is installed in an Internet connection provider, which can determine a connection destination area of a user, and can distribute contents corresponding to the area. It is an object of the present invention to provide an Internet connection system or the like that can perform such operations.

[0006]

According to a first main aspect of the present invention, there is provided an Internet connection system for connecting a user terminal to a network, comprising: A user transmitting area information obtaining means for obtaining local information, a content generating means for generating content corresponding to a source area of the user, and a user generating area generated by the content generating means on a user terminal connected to the Internet. And a content distribution means for distributing the selected content.

[0007] According to such a configuration, it is possible to distribute contents related to the area of the transmission source to the user. As a result, for example, the content that the user desires most at a business trip destination or a travel destination can be distributed without the user updating his / her preference information.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the user transmission area information obtaining means includes: means for obtaining user transmission source information included in an incoming signal from a telephone company; When a telephone number is included, a source area determining means for determining a source area based on the telephone number is provided. If the source information does not include the source telephone number of the user, the source area determining means determines the area where the access point connected to the user is installed as the source area. It is preferred that

According to such a configuration, if the source telephone number can be obtained from the incoming signal from the telephone company, the source area is determined based on the source telephone number. If not, the area where the access point is installed is determined. Can be determined.

[0010] If an incoming call telephone number is allocated to the access point, line connection may be rejected based on the fact that the incoming signal from the telephone company does not include the source information. good. As a result, it is possible to prevent unnecessary charges from being charged to the Internet connection company.

Further, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the content distribution means distributes the content by routing the connection of the user to a site including the content. According to such a configuration, for example, by using the frame function of the browser, the content can be displayed in real time separately from the information of the URL to which the user is connected.

Further, according to one embodiment of the present invention,
The system further includes IP address usage information storage means for storing usage information of the IP address in association with the user of the IP address, and when the user connects to the Web site, the IP address usage information is stored by the IP address related to the connection. We
b) a connection log recording unit for recording a connection log to the site, wherein the content distribution unit refers to the IP address and the IP address use information included in the log information recorded by the connection log recording unit. Means for judging the Web site to which the user connects, and distributing the contents related to this site to the user terminal.

[0013] According to such a configuration, while the user is connected to the Internet, digital contents according to the user's preference can be displayed on the user's terminal.

In this case, it is preferable that the connection log recording means is provided in a proxy server through which the user terminal is connected when connecting to the Internet. Further, the content distribution means includes categorization information storage means for categorizing and storing information of various Web sites, determining to which category the connection destination Web site belongs, and distributing contents related to the category. It is desirable to distribute to users.

According to a second main aspect of the present invention, there is provided an Internet connection system for connecting a user terminal to a network, comprising: source information acquisition means for receiving source information of a user from a telephone company; Source area determining means for determining the source area of the user from the source information; and user transmitting area output means for outputting the source area determined by the source area determining means in association with the user. An Internet connection system is provided, comprising:

According to such a configuration, for example, in order to distribute content according to the transmission area of the user, it is possible to determine the transmission source area of the user involved in the connection and to output the area to the outside.

Here, the user transmission area output means includes:
Preferably, in response to an output request of the user transmission area indicating the IP address of the user from the connection destination of the user, the user transmission area is output to the connection destination.

According to this configuration, the connection destination is:
An advertisement or the like can be transmitted to the user based on the user transmission area received from the Internet connection system.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an Internet connection system for connecting a user terminal to a network, the Internet connection means for assigning an IP address to the terminal to the user and connecting to the Internet. User information storage means for storing user information in association with the user, and an output request for the user information indicating the IP address of the user from a connection destination of the user, An Internet connection system, comprising: a user information output unit that outputs the user information to a connection destination.

According to such a configuration, the connection destination is:
Based on the user information received from the Internet connection system, it is possible to transmit an advertisement or the like that matches the transmission source and taste of the user.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a contents distribution system for distributing contents to a user terminal via the Internet, comprising: user transmission area information acquiring means for acquiring user transmission area information; A content generation unit that generates content according to a transmission source area of a user; and a content distribution unit that distributes content corresponding to the transmission area generated by the content generation unit to a user terminal. Is provided.

[0022] According to such a configuration, it is possible to generate a content corresponding to the source area of the user and distribute it to the terminal of the user. As a result, for example, the content that the user most desires at a moving destination, a business trip destination, a travel destination, or the like can be distributed without the user updating his / her own preference information.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, an Internet connection service provider determines a source area of a user of the Internet connection service, generates content related to the source area, and generates a content related to the source area. And a method for providing information to Internet users.

According to such a configuration, for example, the content that the user most desires at a moving destination, a business trip destination, a travel destination, and the like can be distributed without the user updating his / her own preference information.

According to a sixth main aspect of the present invention, there is provided an Internet connection program product for giving an instruction to a computer system to make a dial-up connection to a predetermined Internet connection access point, comprising: a storage medium; A network type discriminator that is stored in the medium and determines the type of the network to be used; and, if the type of the network to be used is stored in the storage medium and is a predetermined type, the source telephone number is connected to the destination telephone number. An Internet connection program product is provided, comprising: a source information providing code adding means for adding an information providing code.

According to such a configuration, in order to distribute the content corresponding to the transmission source area to the user,
Source information such as a source telephone number can be notified to an Internet connection company.

The other features and remarkable effects of the present invention can be more clearly understood from the following embodiments of the present invention and the accompanying drawings.

[0028]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(System Configuration) FIGS. 1 and 2 are functional block diagrams showing an Internet connection system 1 installed in an Internet service provider or the like according to an embodiment of the present invention. In addition, in each figure, S1 to S22 are step reference numbers for explaining the processing procedure of the Internet connection system 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the Internet connection system 1 is a terminal server that allocates an IP address to a user 4 (user terminal) who dials up from a telephone line at home or out of the office and connects to the Internet 5. 6a to 6c and the terminal server 6a to
An authentication server 7 for acquiring the source information of the user 4 connected to 6c and for authenticating the user, and an IP address for setting the connection of the user 4 to the Internet without fail, The proxy server 8 that acquires the URL connection destination log, and the connection source area and connection destination information of each user 4 are calculated from the transmission source information and the URL connection destination log. And an update server 9 for distributing the corresponding content. Less than,
The configuration and function of the system 1 will be described based on its operation.

(Terminal Server) Each of the terminal servers 6a to 6c has a plurality of ports (not shown) to which communication modems are connected. For example, a public line 11 connected to an exchange 10 of a telephone company. And is connected to the user 4 through. Each of the terminal servers 6a to 6c is an access point AP1 shown in FIG.
(Tokyo), access point AP2 (Yokohama), and access point AP3 (Kobe). This access point can also be assigned a telephone number (0120-, 1-800-, etc.) for incoming payment like the access point AP3.

The terminal servers 6a to 6c
Is connected to the telephone company 10 when connecting a call from the user 4.
It has a function of acquiring the source information (such as a telephone number) of the user 4 based on the incoming signal from the user and receiving a user ID and a password as authentication information. When the connection with the user 4 is made, the terminal servers 6a to 6c pass the transmission source information and the authentication information to the authentication server 7 and issue an authentication command (step S1).

In the case where a telephone number for paying a receiver is assigned, for example, as in the access point AP3, the terminal server 6c includes the caller information from the telephone company including the transmission source information of the user. It is preferable to refuse the connection of the line itself based on the fact that the connection is not established. As a result, it is possible to prevent unnecessary charges from being generated on the Internet access provider side.

(Authentication Server) As shown in FIG. 1, the authentication server 7 includes a sender information acquiring unit 13 for acquiring sender information received from the terminal servers 6a to 6c.
And a user authentication unit 14 for receiving and authenticating the user authentication information.

The source information obtaining unit 13 determines the source telephone number when the source telephone number can be obtained as the source information, and the line network type (public telephone, mobile phone, etc.) when the source telephone number cannot be obtained. , Etc.).

The authentication section 14 is connected to a user authentication information storage section 16 for storing user information including the user ID and the password. And this authentication unit 14
Has a function of authenticating the user 4 by comparing the authentication information input by the user 4 with the user information stored in the user information storage unit 16 (step S).
2, S3).

Based on the authentication result, the authentication server 7
Returns an affirmative or negative authentication result to the terminal servers 6a to 6c (step S4). And
Based on this, the authentication server 7 stores the user ID, the IP address assigned to this user, the connection source, as shown in FIG. The information is stored (Step S5).

On the other hand, the terminal server 6 permits the user 4 to connect to the Internet based on the reception of the positive authentication result from the authentication server 7, and
Assigns the IP address to the port to which is connected. This allows the user 4 to use the terminal server 6a to
Until the connection with the server 6c is disconnected, the user can connect to various URLs (Web sites) using this IP address to download / upload information (step S).
6).

(Routing server, proxy server) FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, a routing server 12 (router) is connected to the terminal server 6, and this routing server 12 causes all connections to the Internet through the terminal server 6 to pass through the proxy server 8. (Step S7).

For example, if the user 4 issues a browsing request for the URL 1 indicated by 13a in FIG. 1, the user is connected to the URL 1 via the proxy server 8 (steps S6, S7, S8). ). As a result, the proxy server 8 obtains a connection destination log indicating which IP address was used to connect to which URL, and stores the connection destination log in the IP address-URL connection destination log storage unit 20 (step S9). Then, the user 4 enters the URL (URL2, URL
Each time a connection request to 3) is issued, the proxy server 8 records a corresponding connection destination log.

(Update Server) The update server 9 includes, as shown in FIG. 1, a source area determining unit 21 for determining the source area of the user based on the source information of the user, A preference discriminator 22 for discriminating the user's preference based on the URL connection destination log information, and a content corresponding to the source area and the preference based on the discrimination results of the source area discriminator 21 and the preference discriminator 22. And a content distribution unit 23 for distribution.

Hereinafter, the function of the update server 9 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

First, the source area discriminating section 21 is activated based on an update command generated at a predetermined update cycle (several minutes or several seconds), and the IP address usage information storage section 18 stores the connection source of the user. Information is extracted (step S10).

The source area discriminating section 21 includes a source discriminating algorithm storage section 25 for storing an algorithm for discriminating a source, and an access point information storing section 27 for storing information on an installation area of the access point. ,
A source area information storage unit 26 for determining the source area from the source information is connected.

As shown in FIG. 5, the algorithm storage unit 28 stores therein the network type used by the user and the source discriminating algorithm when the network is used. For example, when the line network type is a cellular phone or a general subscriber phone, the source area is determined based on the station number (area code and local station number) of the calling number. Also,
If the calling number is not known, as in the case of a PHS or a public telephone, it is determined based on the area code of the area where the access point is installed (step S11).

As shown in FIG. 3, the access point information storage section 27 stores an access point name, a contract telephone number of the access point, and a station number where the access point is located. The area code can be retrieved from the access point storage unit 27 (step S12).

The transmission source area information storage section 26 stores FIG.
As shown in (1), the source station number and the connection source area (or area code such as a postal code) are stored in association with each other. Therefore, this user transmission source area discriminating unit 21
If the source telephone number of the user is known, the source area of the user 4 is determined by applying the station number of this source telephone number, otherwise, the station number of the access point is applied ( Step S14), and outputs the result to the content distribution unit 23 (Step S15).

On the other hand, the preference discriminating unit 22 retrieves a URL connection destination log at this IP address during the IP address usage time from the IP address / URL connection destination log storage unit 20 at every predetermined update cycle. (Step S16).

The preference discriminator 22 includes categorizing information obtained by categorizing various URLs, that is, URs.
A categorization information storage unit 29 for storing information obtained by classifying L into a predetermined genre is connected. The preference judging unit 22 stores the connection destination URL for each user extracted from the user-URL connection destination information storage unit 18.
Is applied to the categorization information to determine which category the connection destination URL of the user 4 belongs to (steps S17 and S18).

FIG. 8 shows an example of the categorization information. For example, the URL 1 is classified into a category of "car", the URL 2 is classified into a category of "travel", and the URL 3 is classified into a category of "securities".

The result of the discrimination by the preference discriminator 22 is also output to the content distributor 23 (step S19).

Next, the content distribution unit 23 will be described.

The connection source area information and the URL connection destination category information for each user 4 output from the transmission source area information discriminating section 21 and the preference discriminating section 22 distribute contents corresponding to the user's preference. Of the original data. The content delivery unit 23 is connected to a content storage unit 30 that stores various multimedia digital contents such as document files, audio files, and image files in a state where the contents are associated with the source area information and the category information. Here, the main use of the content is an advertisement.

The content distribution unit 23 extracts from the content storage unit 30 the content related to the source area of the user 4 and the content belonging to the category in which the user is most interested (Step S).
20) Generate an HTML document (content generation) for accessing the same. The content is the HT
It may be displayed directly in the ML document, or may be embedded as a link. The content distribution unit 23 controls the routing server 12 to store the HTML document on the terminal of the user 4 by using a frame function of a browser and the like, separately from a homepage of a URL of a connection destination. It is displayed (step S21).

As a result, the user can see in real time the contents such as advertisements and information related to the source area currently connected to the Internet, and the contents related to the currently connected URL.

(Connection Software) In the above embodiment, the source information must be obtained when the user dials up. In the current system, in the case of a general subscriber telephone, it is necessary to add a predetermined code to a connection destination telephone number when making a dial-up connection.

For this reason, in this embodiment, it is preferable to distribute the connecting software to the user and install it on the computer system.

FIG. 8 is a schematic configuration diagram of a computer system in which this program is installed.

In this system, the CPU 42 and the RAM 4
3, a program storage 46 and a data storage 47 are connected to a bus 48 to which a modem 44, an input / output device 45 such as a display and a keyboard are connected. The program storage unit 46 and the data storage unit 47 may be actually constituted by the same storage medium, or may be constituted by different storage media.

In the program storage unit 46, only those relating to this embodiment will be described. In addition to a main program (not shown), a network type discrimination unit 50 for determining the type of network to be used, If the communication network type is, the source information providing code adding section 51 for adding the source information providing code to the connection destination telephone number;
Connection command section 52 for connecting to the destination telephone number via
Has.

The data storage unit 47 includes a line network type information storage unit 53 for storing a line network type used for connection from a user terminal to an access point together with line additional number information, and a connection unit for each access point. The connection destination telephone number storage unit 54 for storing the destination telephone number is connected.

When this program is started, first, the main program is displayed on the display (input / output device 45).
For example, a screen shown in FIG. 9 is displayed on the top. The screen includes a use network selection unit 56 and a connection destination telephone number selection unit 5.
7 After the user selects an appropriate parameter and presses the line connection button 58, the line connection command unit 52 is configured to perform connection in the source information notification mode.

(Effects of the Embodiment) According to such a configuration, the following effects can be obtained.

First, according to the above-described embodiment, dynamic preference information is not relied on static preference information input at the time of service application, but based on the latest behavior of the user 4. Since the content can be generated, content distribution or the like that always meets the needs of the user 4 can be performed. In particular, when the user accesses from a place different from the time of application, for example, a business trip destination, there is an effect that contents related to the business trip destination area can be distributed.

Secondly, according to the above-described embodiment, by using dedicated connection software, an information code necessary for notification of a caller ID is added according to the type of the network used. As a result, the source area of the user can be reliably determined. If it is not possible to include the source information in the incoming signal from the telephone company, it is possible to distribute the content related to the installation area of the access point.

Third, according to the above embodiment, the proxy server 8 is provided, and the
A URL connection destination log is acquired for each address, and the connection destination URL of the user 4 is determined based on the IP address. By passing through a specific server (site) in this way, there is an effect that the user's preference can be reliably acquired with a simple configuration.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the spirit of the invention.

For example, the system of the above-described embodiment distributes the contents to the user terminal in real time. However, the contents such as advertisements may be distributed later by means of e-mail or the like. good. In this case,
It is not necessary that the user transmission source area discriminating section, preference discriminating section, and content distribution section provided in the update server be provided in the Internet service provider. What is necessary is just to be provided in the information providing system of the information provider.

The person who distributes contents such as advertisements to the user may be a Web site to which the user connects. In this case, it is preferable that the Web site indicates the user's IP address to the Internet connection system and receives the user's source area and preference information. In this way, on the website,
For the user connected to the user, an advertisement or the like suitable for the source area and taste of the user can be presented. It is preferable to present the advertisement or the like using the frame function of the browser.

Further, the system may output the past connection history information of the user including a link to each URL connection destination in response to a request of the user. According to such a configuration, even in an environment where one user uses a plurality of different terminals or browsers, it is possible to present unified connection history information to the user. Become.

In the above embodiment, the case of dial-up connection has been described as an example. However, the present invention can be applied to the case of constant connection.

In the above embodiment, the output of the source information and the URL connection destination information to the update server is performed based on the user's intention (information output permission / non-permission information). Is preferred. However, it is not limited to this, and under certain conditions,
Source information and URL connection destination information for all users may be output.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the present invention is applied to a system for connecting a user terminal to the Internet. The program (digital content) corresponding to the area may be distributed on the terrestrial wave.

[0074]

As described above, according to the present invention, an Internet connection that is installed in an Internet connection provider and can obtain updated user preference information without bothering the user. A system or the like can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an Internet connection system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an update server.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of access point information.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of IP address usage information.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a source discrimination algorithm.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of source area information.

FIG. 7 is a view showing an example of IP address usage information.

FIG. 8 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the configuration of a user terminal in which a line connection program is installed.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of an interface of a line connection program.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Internet connection system 4 ... User 5 ... Internet 6a-6c ... Terminal server 6c ... Terminal server 6 ... Terminal server 7 ... Authentication server 8 ... Proxy server 9 ... Update server 10 ... Telephone company 11 ... Public line 12 ... Routing server DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 13 ... Sender information acquisition part 14 ... User authentication part 16 ... User authentication information storage part 18 ... IP address / URL connection destination log storage part 21 ... User source area discrimination part 22 ... Preference discrimination part 23 ... Content distribution Unit 25: Source identification algorithm storage unit 26: Source region information storage unit 27: Access point information storage unit 28: Algorithm storage unit 29: Categorization information storage unit 30: Content storage unit 42: CPU 43: RAM 44: Modem 45 ... I / O device 46 ... Program storage unit 4 ... Data storage unit 48 ... Bus 50 ... Line network type discriminating unit 51 ... Source information providing code adding unit 52 ... Line connection command unit 53 ... Line network type information storage unit 54 ... Destination telephone number storage unit 56 ... Used line network Selection unit 57: Connection destination telephone number selection unit 58: Line connection button

Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat II (reference) H04M 1/57 H04M 1/57 11/08 11/08 F term (reference) 5B049 BB32 BB49 CC02 DD05 EE01 EE05 FF03 FF04 FF09 GG04 GG07 5K036 AA07 EE13 JJ05 JJ12 5K101 KK16 KK18 LL12 MM07 PP03

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. An Internet connection system for connecting a user terminal to a network, comprising: a user originating area information acquiring means for acquiring a user originating area information; and a content corresponding to the user originating area. An internet connection system, comprising: a content generation unit that generates the content; and a content distribution unit that distributes the content generated by the content generation unit to a user terminal connected to the Internet. 2. The network connection system according to claim 1, wherein the user transmission area information obtaining means obtains user transmission source information included in an incoming signal from a telephone company; If the calling phone number is included,
A network connection system comprising: a source area determining unit that determines a source area based on the telephone number. 3. The network connection system according to claim 2, wherein said source area discriminating means includes an access point connected to said user when said source information does not include a source telephone number of said user. A network connection system characterized in that an area in which is installed is determined as a source area. 4. The Internet connection system according to claim 1, wherein the content distribution unit routes the connection of the user to a site including the content,
An internet connection system for delivering the content. 5. The Internet connection system according to claim 1, further comprising: an IP address use information storage unit that stores use information of the IP address in association with a user of the IP address. Connection log recording means for recording a connection log to the Web site by an IP address related to the connection when a user connects to the Web site, and the content distribution means includes a log recorded by the connection log recording means. IP address included in the information and the IP
An Internet connection system comprising: means for referring to address usage information to determine a Web site to which a user connects, and distributing contents related to the site to a terminal of the user. 6. The Internet connection system according to claim 5, wherein said connection log recording means is provided in a proxy server through which a user terminal is connected when connecting to the Internet. . 7. The Internet connection system according to claim 5, wherein the content distribution unit includes a categorization information storage unit configured to categorize and store information of various Web sites, and to which category the connection destination Web site belongs. An Internet connection system for determining whether a user belongs to a category and delivering content related to the category to a user. 8. A content distribution system for distributing content to a user terminal, comprising: user transmission area information acquisition means for acquiring user transmission area information; and content corresponding to the user transmission area. A content distribution system, comprising: a content generation unit that generates a content; and a content distribution unit that distributes the content generated by the content generation unit to the user terminal. 9. An Internet connection system for connecting a user terminal to a network, comprising: source information acquiring means for receiving user source information from a telephone company; and a user source based on the source information. An Internet connection system, comprising: source area determining means for determining an area; and user transmitting area output means for outputting the source area determined by the transmitting area determining means in association with the user. 10. The Internet connection system according to claim 9, wherein the user transmission area output means responds to an output request of the user transmission area indicating an IP address of the user from a connection destination of the user. The Internet connection system, wherein the user transmission area is output to the connection destination in response to the request. 11. An Internet connection system for connecting a user terminal to a network, an Internet connection means for assigning an IP address to the terminal to the user and connecting to the Internet, and transmitting information of the user to the user. User information storage means for storing the user information in association with the user information, and outputting the user information to the connection destination in response to an output request of the user information indicating the IP address of the user from the connection destination of the user An Internet connection system, comprising: 12. A content distribution system for distributing content to a user terminal via the Internet, comprising: user transmission area information acquisition means for acquiring user transmission area information; A content distribution system comprising: a content generation unit configured to generate the generated content; and a content distribution unit configured to distribute, to a user terminal, the content generated by the content generation unit according to the transmission area. 13. An Internet connection service provider,
A method for providing information to an Internet user, comprising determining a source area of a user of the Internet connection service, generating content related to the source area, and providing the generated content to the user. 14. An Internet connection program product for instructing a computer system to dial-up to a predetermined Internet connection access point, comprising: a storage medium; and a network type stored and used in the storage medium. A line network type determining means for determining, and a source information providing code which is stored in the storage medium and adds a source information providing code to a connection destination telephone number when the line network type to be used is a predetermined line network type. An Internet connection program product, characterized by having additional means.