JP2003008571A - Internet information providing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To relax concentrated accesses from subscribers, quickly provide broad area information and district associated information and various information conveniences useful such as broadcast and conferences to the subscribers. SOLUTION: An Internet information providing system is provided with: a plurality of local portals 2 connecting subscriber terminals 4 via a public line connection network 6; and a central portal 1 connected to the Internet 5 and to each local portal 2 via an inter-portal backbone communication network 11. Each local portal 2 provides area associated information to the subscriber terminals 4 and connects the subscriber terminal 4 to the Internet 5 or the central portal 1 as required. The central portal 1 provides national and global wide area information to the subscriber terminals 4 connected via the inter-portal backbone communication network 11 and connects the subscriber terminal 4 to the Internet 5 as required.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an Internet information providing system, and more particularly to an Internet information providing system that provides subscribers with information benefits by using the Internet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an Internet information providing system for providing information benefits to subscribers using the Internet has a configuration as shown in FIG. This Internet information providing system includes a central portal 101 in which information to be provided to subscribers is stored, and a connection point device (access point) that provides a communication function for connecting a subscriber terminal 104 to the central portal 101. And 103. The subscriber terminal 104 is connected to the connection point device 103 via a public line connection network 106 such as a public telephone network or a mobile communication network. The connection point device 103 connects the subscriber terminal 104 to the central portal 101 via the dedicated communication network 111. Central portal 101 is connection point device 1
The subscriber terminal 104 connected via 03 is provided with the information accumulated in advance and the connection service to the Internet 105.

A feature of such an Internet information providing system is that various information is provided from the central portal 101 to the subscriber terminal 104, and the central portal 101 designates the subscriber terminal 104 as desired on the Internet. ISP (Internet Servi
ce Provider) point to provide the function. In this way, subscribers who have contracted with any business provider can connect to not only the information provided by the business provider from the central portal 101 but also various portals all over the world via the Internet 105. Information is available.

[0004]

In such a conventional Internet information providing system, it is possible to provide an Internet communication network covering a vast area by arranging connection point devices. However, on the other hand, the above-mentioned conventional system has the following problems. That is, in the conventional system, since many connection point devices are connected to the central portal,
Although it is convenient to provide subscribers with national or worldwide information, access from subscribers who want to obtain such wide area information and access from subscribers who want to obtain specific regional information are Since it concentrates on the central portal, there is a problem that it is difficult to provide prompt service due to congestion.

Conventionally, as a system for providing specific regional information, a web providing each regional information is provided.
Servers are respectively arranged on the Internet, and in response to a search request from a subscriber, the search server selects a web server corresponding to the area to which the subscriber belongs, and the local information of the web server is transmitted to the subscriber via the Internet. Has been proposed (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-212058).
000-298670, JP 2000-3309 A.
09, etc.). However, even if the server for providing the regional information is arranged on the Internet as described above, the congestion at the central portal for connecting the subscriber terminal to the Internet still remains.

In addition, in the conventional Internet information providing system, it is difficult to efficiently perform multicast, that is, broadcasting because the information benefit is provided to the subscribers via the Internet. Problems such as not being able to broadcast information, making it difficult to hold a conference, and the fact that subscriber terminals are now mostly personal computers, which are still expensive and difficult to use, do not spread. The present invention was also made in order to solve such problems, and it is possible to alleviate the concentration of access from subscribers and to provide wide area information and local-related information promptly in response to a request from a subscriber. The purpose is to provide an Internet information providing system that can provide various useful information benefits such as broadcasting and conferences.

[0007]

In order to achieve such an object, an internet information providing system according to the present invention is provided in each region, connected to the internet, and connected via a public line connection network. It is equipped with a plurality of regional portals that connect a plurality of regional subscriber terminals and a central portal that is connected to the Internet and to each regional portal via an inter-portal backbone communication network. Provide area-related information related to the area in response to a request from, and connect the subscriber terminal to the Internet as necessary,
Alternatively, the subscriber terminal is connected to the central portal via the inter-portal backbone communication network, and the central portal
Providing nationwide or worldwide wide area information to subscriber terminals connected via regional portals and backbone communication networks between portals, and connecting such subscriber terminals to the Internet as necessary Is.

When providing wide area information with a local portal, the local portal stores the wide area information obtained from the central portal via the inter-portal backbone communication network, and if necessary, the wide area information is sent to the subscriber terminal. Information may be provided. As a service that provides information from local portals to each subscriber terminal, an information broadcasting service that delivers information in a broadcast format to each specific subscriber terminal among subscriber terminals connected via a public line connection network You may do it.

Further, in the regional portal, the information broadcasting service may be utilized to provide a conference service for exchanging video and audio between specific subscriber terminals. Further, when providing the information broadcasting service, the local portal may deliver the information to each subscriber through a local broadcasting network that performs television broadcasting or radio broadcasting in the area.

As the inter-portal backbone communication network, any one of the Internet, a virtual dedicated communication network, a frame relay, a terrestrial wireless relay network such as a microwave relay line, and a satellite communication network may be used. A wired public telephone network or a wireless mobile mobile communication network may be used as the public line connection network. In addition, by using a telephone or a facsimile machine as a subscriber terminal, telephone / FA the local portal.
An X information providing unit may be provided to provide information corresponding to a voice signal or a facsimile signal from the subscriber terminal to the subscriber terminal by a voice signal or a facsimile signal.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a basic configuration diagram showing an Internet information providing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. This Internet information providing system is composed of a central portal 1, a regional portal 2, a connection point device 3, a subscriber terminal 4, the Internet 5, a public line connection network 6, and an inter-portal backbone communication network 11. In the following, an Internet information providing system using one central portal 1 and two local portals 2 will be described as an example, but the number of these portals is not limited, and for example, a plurality of central portals 1 can be used. You may comprise.

The central portal 1 and each regional portal 2 are
They are connected via an inter-portal backbone communication network 11, and these central portal 1 and each regional portal 2 are connected.
Is also connected to the Internet 5. Each local portal 2 is connected to a plurality of connection point devices (access points) 3, and these connection point devices 3 are provided with general telephone lines, ISDN, ADSL, and HTTP (Fiber to t).
A large number of subscriber terminals 4 are connected via a public line network 6 such as a public telephone network using a wired line such as he Home) or a mobile line communication network using a mobile line such as a mobile phone or PHS. .

The central portal 1 and the local portal 2 are
This is the site to which the subscriber terminal 4 is first connected when accessing the Internet 5, and is an ISP (In (In) that connects the subscriber terminal 4 to a desired destination on the specified Internet.
ternet Service Provider) function. The inter-portal backbone communication network 11 is the Internet or a virtual private communication network (VPN).
k), frame relays, terrestrial wireless relay networks such as microwave relay circuits, and satellite communication networks are used. In the local portal 2, the subscriber terminal 4 is connected to the central portal 1 via the inter-portal backbone communication network 11 and is connected to the Internet 5 via the central portal 1 as needed, such as during access congestion.

The central portal 1 collects and provides wide area information nationwide or worldwide. Particularly high-demand information is transferred to each regional portal 2 via the inter-portal backbone communication network 11. The local portal 2 collects and provides specific local information. The wide-area information with high demand transferred from the central portal 1 is accumulated and provided. In the local portal 2, an information broadcasting service for broadcasting various kinds of information to a plurality of subscriber terminals 4 via the public line connection network 6, and using this information broadcasting service, chat, voice, and images are used. A conference service is provided to hold a conference between a plurality of subscriber terminals.

The local portal 2 also provides an information search service for accumulated information and opinions and opinions from subscribers.
Various services such as a bulletin board service for exchanging information, a news providing service for delivering specific news by e-mail, and a web mail service for sending and receiving mail using a browser are provided.

Next, the operation of the Internet information providing system according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 shows a browser screen display example of the subscriber terminal 4. The subscriber registers in advance with the business provider who operates the central portal 1 or the regional portal 2 to subscribe to the Internet information providing service. When the subscriber wants to obtain desired information, the subscriber calls the connection point device 3 of the business provider via the public line connection network 6 by using the browser function of the subscriber terminal 4 such as a personal computer.

In response to this call, the connection point device 3 connects the subscriber terminal 4 to the regional portal 2 corresponding to the area. As a result, the local portal Web page 20 prepared in the local portal 2 is transferred to the subscriber terminal 4 via the connection point device 3 and displayed on the display screen of the subscriber terminal 4. On the Web page 20, elements such as buttons, character strings, and images for selecting and browsing each information are arranged. Hyperlinks indicating the reference destinations of the corresponding information are set in these elements, and desired information is read and displayed on the screen in response to a click operation on the element.

For example, on the Web page 20, "Regional article X"
When an element such as "A" or "regional article XB" is selected, the region-related information collected by the regional portal 2 is displayed. When the element "World article C" is selected, the wide area information received from the central portal 1 and accumulated in the local portal 2 is displayed. Also,
By inputting an arbitrary URL in the "URL" input field, the user is connected to the desired site on the Internet 5 corresponding to the URL via this local portal 2.

When the element "to the center" is selected, the subscriber terminal 4 is connected to the central portal 1 via the inter-portal backbone communication network 11. As a result, the central portal We prepared in the central portal 1
The page b 10 is transferred to the subscriber terminal 4 via the connection point device 3 and displayed on the display screen of the subscriber terminal 4. This W
Various elements are arranged on the eb page 10 similarly to the web page 20. For example, when the elements "national article A", "national article B", and "world article C" are selected, the wide area information collected by the central portal 1 is displayed.

In addition, an arbitrary URL is entered in the "URL" input field.
By inputting (Uniform resource locators), the desired site on the Internet 5 corresponding to the URL is connected via the central portal 1. further,
When the element "to local area" is selected, the subscriber terminal 4 displays a menu for selecting each local portal 2, and the inter-portal backbone communication network 11 to the desired local portal 2 in accordance with the menu selection. Connected via.

In the local portal Web page 20,
When the element "regional broadcasting" is selected, a menu of each information broadcasting service provided by the local portal 2 is displayed, and the subscriber terminal 4 is switched to the broadcasting channel of the desired information broadcasting service according to the menu selection. Connected. In general, the information broadcasting service is a service for distributing contents by moving images and voices via a communication network such as the Internet, and is distributed to all subscriber terminals connected to the broadcasting channel. The regional portal 2 adds a destination list including all subscriber terminals connected to the broadcasting channel and transfers the content to the connection point device 3, and the connection point device 3 displays the content based on the destination list. It is copied and distributed.

When the element "local conference" is selected on the Web page 20, a menu for each information conference service provided by the local portal 2 is displayed, and the desired conference service is selected according to the menu selection. The subscriber terminal 4 is connected to the conference channel. In general,
The conference service is a service that connects a plurality of subscriber terminals via a communication network such as the Internet and provides a meeting place using chat, voice, or image.

The local portal 2 distributes the information from the subscriber terminal 4 connected to the conference channel to all the subscriber terminals connected to the conference channel by using the information broadcasting service.

There are cases where a subscriber who connects to the regional portal 2 via the Internet 5 selects "regional broadcast" or "regional conference" on the Web page 20. At this time, IP communication can be performed via the Internet 5 using the IP address determined by the local portal 2 and the selected channel and the IP address of the subscriber terminal. Therefore, it is possible to participate in the “regional broadcasting” and the “regional conference” provided by the regional portal 2 from outside the region of the regional portal 2.

On the other hand, in the central portal Web page 10, the same elements as "Wide area broadcast" and "Wide area conference" are arranged. The subscriber selects a desired broadcast channel or conference channel from the menu displayed by selecting these elements. At this time, by using the address of the central portal 1 determined by the central portal 1 and the selected channel and the IP address of the local portal 2 side to which the subscriber terminal is connected, communication between these two points is possible. Communication is performed via the inter-portal backbone communication network 11 as if there were.

The regional portal 2 distributes a wide area broadcast or a conference signal based on a list of subscriber terminals (members) belonging to the area participating in the wide area broadcast or the wide area conference. The communication status between these subscriber terminals and the regional portal 2 is regularly confirmed by exchanging response signals. If the subscriber leaves the wide area broadcasting or the wide area conference without permission, the connection is established. Will automatically disconnect.

The same operation is performed between the local portal 2 and the central portal 1, and communication is performed between the local portal 2 and the central portal 1 where there is no participant in a specific wide area broadcast or wide area conference. Absent. Thus, in the system of the present invention, the minimum required communication is performed both inside and outside the area, and the congestion of the communication network can be avoided.

In this embodiment, the central portal 1 and a plurality of local portals 2 are provided on the Internet 5 as described above, and the central portal 1 and each local portal 2 are connected via the inter-portal backbone communication network 11. In addition, each regional portal 2 accommodates the regional connection point device 3. Then, the regional portal 2 provides the subscriber terminal 4 that has accessed through the connection point device 3 with regional information related to the region and information benefits such as connection to the Internet 5. The subscriber terminal 4 is connected to the central portal 1 as needed.

In the central portal 1, the local portal 2
The subscriber terminal 4 connected via the Internet is provided with information benefits such as provision of nationwide or worldwide wide area information and connection to the Internet 5. This will reduce the concentration of access from the subscriber terminal to the central portal, as well as reduce the concentration of access to the central portal, compared to conventional systems that provide services such as wide area information, regional information, and Internet connection in the central portal. Information can be promptly provided directly from the local portal to the subscriber terminal. Therefore, unless required, the subscriber terminal will not be connected to the Internet,
Effective use of Internet resources.

In addition, high-demand information among national or worldwide wide area information is transferred from the central portal 1 to each regional portal 2 via the inter-portal backbone communication network 11 and accumulated in the regional portal 2. Since wide area information that is in high demand can be directly provided to the subscriber terminal without using the Internet, the local portal can provide prompt and useful information benefits.

Further, since the local portal 2 is adapted to provide the local terminal-related information of the area in a broadcast format to each of the requested subscriber terminals, without increasing the load on the central portal 1. , It is possible to realize a regional broadcasting service that can provide regional information closely related to the region to a large number of subscribers quickly. Furthermore, since the local portal 2 is designed to directly exchange information between requested subscriber terminals, information can be exchanged between local subscribers without increasing the load on the central portal 1. A local conference service that can be exchanged quickly can be realized.

In the central portal 1, wide area information is provided in a broadcast format to each subscriber terminal that has made a request via the inter-portal backbone communication network 11 and each regional portal 2. A wide area broadcasting service that can quickly provide wide area information to a large number of subscribers can be realized. Furthermore, in the central portal 1, via the inter-portal backbone communication network 11 and each regional portal 2,
Since the requested information from each subscriber terminal is provided in a broadcast format to these subscriber terminals, it is possible to quickly exchange information between a wide range of subscribers belonging to different regional portals 2. Local conference service can be realized.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 shows the second aspect of the present invention.
It is a basic block diagram which shows the internet information provision system concerning embodiment of this. First Embodiment (FIG. 1)
In the reference), the case of using the subscriber terminal 4 such as a personal computer to access the connection point device 3 via the public line connection network 6 such as a public telephone network has been described as an example. The mobile terminal 4B is used as the subscriber terminal 4, the mobile communication network 6B is used as the public line connection network 6, and the mobile terminal 4B is connected to the regional portal 2 via the wireless base station 3B. Good. These may be used in combination with the subscriber terminal 4 or the public telephone network 6A.

As a result, the terminal is much cheaper and easier to handle than a personal computer, and the information benefit using the area-related information, wide area information and various kinds of information on the Internet can be obtained, and the terminal can be easily spread. Also, by utilizing the features of mobile mobile communication, subscribers can connect to the Internet anytime, anywhere. Furthermore, by utilizing the characteristics of wireless, it is possible to perform broadcasting and conferences extremely easily, and the same terminal can be used for various purposes as mobile communication.

The inter-portal backbone communication network 11
Alternatively, the satellite communication network 12 via the communication satellite 8 may be used. As a result, a backbone communication network can be easily constructed between a large number of regional portals 2 and a central portal 1 distributed over a wide area. Especially Central Portal 1 to Local Portal 2
Establishing synchronization of wide area information that is distributed and stored in the is extremely easy to achieve. The actual configuration is VSAT
(Very Small Aperture Terminal) system could be used to build a fully interactive satellite communication network.
It is also possible to use satellite communication for the forward line from the central portal 1 to the regional portal 2 and use the terrestrial network for the reverse line. In that case, there is an advantage that a simple and inexpensive communication network such as direct satellite broadcasting can be used in the forward direction.

Next, a third embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 shows the third aspect of the present invention.
It is a basic block diagram which shows the internet information provision system concerning embodiment of this. In the first embodiment described above,
In the case of performing local broadcasting or wide area broadcasting, a case has been described as an example where various information is distributed from the local portal 2 to the subscriber terminal 4 in a broadcasting format via the public line connection network 6, but as in the present embodiment, Various types of information may be distributed using the local broadcasting station 3C that performs television broadcasting or radio broadcasting in the area. At this time, the information from the subscriber terminal 4 may be transmitted to the local portal 2 in the same manner as described above.

As a result, the range covered by one broadcasting station is much narrower than that of satellite communication, so that it is suitable not only for conducting information business peculiar to a specific area, but also for the entire system by frequency reuse. As a result, an extremely large communication capacity can be obtained. In addition, it is possible to cover a much wider area than a cell for mobile communication (typically within several kilometers). Of course, in mobile mobile communication, several cells are collectively treated as one area, so that an area of several tens of kilometers can be configured, but if terrestrial digital broadcasting is used, it is possible to cover an area that is many times wider than that. The range that can be covered by a single broadcasting station ranges from several tens of kilometers to several hundreds of kilometers, and there is a wide range of choices for the range of regions that can provide business.

Further, it is easy to connect a plurality of broadcasting stations to broadcast the same program or hold a conference in a wide area.
In addition, it is possible to receive while moving by car or train. In Japan, terrestrial digital broadcasting will soon be started, and all broadcasting will be digitized. Therefore, not only high-quality sound but also images of FAX, TV, etc. can be broadcast by digitizing the broadcast.

Further, in the present embodiment, if the broadcast communication is used as the wireless communication, the broadcasting and the conference can be easily realized. For example, in the case of broadcasting for the general public, it may be left in one direction like conventional radio broadcasting. In order to realize broadcasting for a specific group, a common group address is assigned to all members, and the broadcast signal is transmitted in packet format with the group address.

The receiver selectively receives only packets to which a preset target group address is added. Further, in order to prevent unauthorized reception, the broadcast signal may be transmitted after being encrypted by a receiver of a member of this organization in correspondence with a preset decryption key. In the case of audio broadcasting, this is sufficient, but in the case of broadcasting important data, reception confirmation signals may be individually returned from each receiver. For members who do not receive a confirmation signal, the data can be stored in the member's mailbox, and the member can later connect to their mailbox and retrieve it.

Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 shows the fourth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a detailed configuration diagram showing the Internet information providing system according to the embodiment of the present invention. The Internet information providing system of the present invention can provide Internet benefits in various ways by installing a local portal close to the subscriber's area. For example, without using a personal computer or a mobile communication terminal, it is possible to connect to the Internet using a radio, a telephone, a FAX, or a videophone. The method will be described below.

The local portal 2 includes a backbone interface (backbone I / F) 21 for connecting to the inter-portal backbone communication network 11, a packet switch for performing a required operation of the local portal communication network, that is, a local portal router 22, A local portal information server 24 for accumulating information provided by local portals and an ISP router 23 for providing Internet connection service are provided. In addition, the mobile portal communication network 6B and the local broadcast network 6C are connected to the local portal router 22 of the local portal 2.

The connection point device 3 includes a packet multiplexing device 31 for connecting to the local portal 2, an IP / personal computer M conversion device 34, a modem device 33, an IP packet format and a high-speed digital format line such as ISDN and ADSL. An IP / CS converter 32 for converting a connection (Circuit Switched, CS) signal and a connection multiplexer 35 for connecting to the public line connection network 6 are provided.

A subscriber belonging to the area of the regional portal 2 connects to the nearest connection point device 3 by a dial-up method using a subscriber terminal 4 such as a personal computer or a telephone. Normally, the connection point device 3 is connected by a single telephone number, but the connection multiplex device 35 can simultaneously make a line connection with a large number of subscriber terminals. The signal format of the connection may be a direct digital format such as ISDN or a data modulation format or a voice format. Therefore, the connection multiplexer 35 distributes the signal to a conversion circuit for converting the signal into a predetermined digital system according to the signal form.

For example, in the case of a voice signal, the IP / personal computer M conversion device 34 encodes the voice signal into a predetermined digital format. In the case of a modulated signal, the data is demodulated through the modem device 33 and converted into a predetermined packet format. These signals are multiplexed in the IP packet format by the packet multiplexer 31 and sent to the local portal 2. The connection from the local broadcast network 6C or the mobile mobile communication network 6B to the local portal 2 also follows the same IP format.

In the local portal 2, for the area, the packet multiplexing device 31 at the connection point 14, the local broadcasting network 6C, the portable mobile communication network 6B, and the like are connected via the local portal router 22 to the connected communication network in the IP packet format. Connecting. For the outside of the area, the backbone portal I / F 21 and the backbone communication network 11 are used to connect to the central portal 1 and other regional portals 2 and the ISP router 23.
To connect to the general Internet 5.

The local portal router 22 is connected to the local portal information server 24 inside the local portal 2. As a result, the local portal 2 makes a line connection between the local portal information server 24 and the subscriber terminal 4 in response to a connection request from a local subscriber, and provides the subscriber with the requested information benefit. Also, a line connection to the central portal 1 or another ISP router 2 through the backbone I / F 21
3 has the function of providing a connection to the general Internet.

The local portal information server 24 provides various information benefits in response to requests from subscribers. Among them, the method of providing the typical Internet benefits provided by using the personal computer based on the HTML format has been described above, and therefore, the case of using the telephone / FAX will be described here.

When a telephone / FAX is used as the subscriber terminal 4, first, the IP packet from the subscriber terminal 4 is decrypted by the local portal information server 24. Then, when it is recognized that the form of the information is telephone / fax, the telephone / fax inside the local portal information server 24 is used.
It is connected to the X information providing unit 25. The telephone / FAX information providing unit 25 distinguishes whether the request is a telephone call or a FAX by decoding the signal or detecting the tone.
If a tone is detected in the voice state, it shifts to the FAX state and F
In the AX state, the voice state can be entered by decoding the data.

In this way, the subscriber can switch between the voice state and the FAX state as needed. The currently popular telephone and FAX terminal are integrated, and the telephone and FAX can be alternately or simultaneously transmitted and received. The FAX can be displayed as an image on the telephone and printed on paper if necessary. Such telephone / FAX terminals are already in widespread use today.

Further, with the development of high-speed digital connection such as ISDN or ADSL, a videophone capable of simultaneously transmitting voice and image is becoming popular. As described above, the telephone terminal is also rapidly evolving at present, but since the operation is similar from the viewpoint of the communication network, it will be described below as collectively as possible.

The telephone / FAX information providing section 25 returns the information list in voice, FAX or image format in accordance with the request of the subscriber. Specifically, in the IP / personal computer M conversion device 34 in the connection point device 3, the IP packet format used in the local portal router 22 is converted into a voice or FAX signal and sent to the subscriber through the public telephone network 6A. IP packet format and I for videophone
IP / C conversion with line connection formats such as SDN and ADSL
It is executed in the S conversion device 32. Then the subscriber
Select the information item you want based on the given information list and use the DTMF or other operation signal to call / fax information provider 2
Return to 5. The telephone / FAX information providing unit 25 transmits the information requested by DTMF or the like to the subscriber. The subscriber receives the information specified by telephone or FAX.

Also, a broadcasting service and a conference service can be provided by using the telephone / FAX. If the subscriber selects a specific "broadcast" by the above method, the designated regional broadcast is called / F
You can see and hear on AX. By selecting a specific conference by the above method, you can join the designated conference by telephone / fax. The subscriber can join the conference by connecting to the specific conference unit 26 in the local portal information server 23. The function of the conference is almost the same as that of broadcasting, but a specific subscriber acts as the chairperson and chairs the proceedings of the proceedings by remote control such as DTMF.
Signals from the chair are always given priority in broadcasting. When the chairperson sets the speaking permission state, the conference unit 26 also broadcasts a telephone signal sent from a participant other than the chairperson. The conference is held in this way.

It is also possible to provide a conference service by using a telephone and a broadcasting network. Although the broadcasting network is another system by itself, the system of the present invention is an information providing business conducted by a local portal using a part of the broadcasting channel. The above-mentioned telephone / FAX broadcast is also broadcast wirelessly via a regional broadcast. Further, the above-mentioned telephone / FAX conference is also broadcast wirelessly via a regional broadcast. Therefore, it can be carried out in the same manner as telephone / fax broadcasting and conferences.

[0055]

As explained above, the first effect of the present invention is that the system configuration consisting of a small number of central portals and a large number of regional portals enables quick connection by load balancing and the entire communication network. Can reduce congestion. Therefore, the concentration of access from subscribers can be eased, wide area information and local information can be promptly provided in response to a request from the subscriber, and various useful information benefits can be provided.

In particular, the regional portal can not only provide the area-related information to the subscribers by the normal IP method but also distribute the information in the broadcast format, and easily provide the benefits of the conference format by combining the broadcast and the communication. it can. In addition, wide area communication, broadcasting, and conferences can be easily provided by connecting an inter-portal backbone communication network connecting a local portal and a central portal with a regional communication network provided by each local portal.

Broadcasting to members of a specific organization through the Internet network is called IP multicast. However, in general multicast over a wide area Internet network, the function of a packet switch, that is, a router is complicated, so that the main purpose is It has not been put to practical use. However, if the demand is carefully examined, it is thought that the information that is most necessary for Internet broadcasting is the information in the immediate area. On the other hand, the conventional public broadcasting is a wide area broadcasting on a nationwide scale like the Internet, so it is difficult to use information on familiar areas.

In addition, it is necessary to secure sufficient quality in Internet broadcasting through a wide area communication network which is becoming popular nowadays because of variable delay due to congestion of routes on the way, signal loss due to buffer overflow and the like. Have difficulty.
The broadcasting according to the present invention is performed by the local portal directly through the terminal communication network, and unlike the conventional wide area Internet broadcasting, sufficient quality can be easily ensured.

Further, according to the system of the present invention, a regional conference can be easily provided. Conventionally, the usage of the Internet is a pull-type usage method in which a subscriber connects to a specific HP and selectively acquires data stored therein, and is basically one-way communication. There are two-way applications in which participants can talk by voice, such as chat and internet education, but the number of practical participants is at most a few in the conventional method. The conference conducted in the present invention is conducted in a specific area by the regional portal, and can be carried out quite easily among a large number of participants by the method described above.

Further, according to the configuration of the present invention, the broadcasting and the conference can be executed not only in the area but also in the wide area. Wide area broadcasting and conferences can be easily executed by connecting the regional portals by the backbone communication network between the regional portals and the central portal. For example, in wide area broadcasting and wide area conference, a group destination is defined by a central portal, and each group destination (group address) is treated as if it were an individual destination on the inter-portal backbone communication network. Each regional portal broadcasts the received packet within the area by the method described above if the member of the group destination is in the area. On the contrary, if the destination of the packet transmitted from the area is a wide area broadcast or a wide area conference, the packet is transmitted to the central portal and distributed from the central portal to all relevant local portals.

The second effect of the present invention is that various communication networks such as a telephone network, a mobile mobile, and a regional digital broadcasting network are used as the end communication network, and the optimum benefits can be provided to the subscribers. For example, even without using a personal computer, the benefits of the Internet connection, broadcasting, conference, etc. provided by the system of the present invention can be obtained by using a mobile communication terminal or a radio and a telephone. Among them, the business using the telephone / FAX does not require specialized knowledge like a personal computer, and has a feature that a large number of subscribers can use it very easily and inexpensively.

At present, the Internet business using a mobile communication network or satellite broadcasting is mobile Internet or T-
Although they are provided as modes, they are merely used as a connecting means to the Internet network, and broadcasts and conferences provided by the present invention are not provided. Furthermore, they are separate systems and are not connected to each other. On the other hand, in the system of the present invention, the terminal network is diverse, such as a public line connection network, a terrestrial or satellite broadcasting network, and a mobile communication network, but the regional portal 4 or central portal
The information providing unit in is the same, and various different communication and broadcasting networks can be easily integrated. For example, telephone /
Using the FAX network, ISDN, ADSL network, and satellite broadcasting network, it is possible to receive the same broadcasting outdoors and participate in the same conference through a radio or a mobile communication network.

The third effect of the present invention is that it can bring about great social improvement. The reason is that the system of the present invention not only allows a large number of subscribers to easily access information sources around the world via the Internet, but also to access information in familiar areas, and also to set up a homepage to disseminate information and more directly. By participating in regional or wide-area meetings, it is expected that not only the world but also the region will become more familiar and will contribute to the improvement of society. For example, at-home education can be cited as the social effect of the present invention. Students who cannot attend school classes due to illness, injury, refusal to attend school, etc. can attend classes at local schools while staying at home.

In Japan, the number of school refusal children reaches 130,000, which is a big social problem. However, the system of the present invention has a possibility of great improvement. The cause of regional conflicts, heinous crimes, child abuse, etc. occurring in various parts of the world today is the collapse of society, and if the system of the present invention is widely used, many social problems will be solved by the restoration of wide areas and local communities. Because it can be considered.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a basic configuration diagram showing an Internet information providing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a browser screen display example of the subscriber terminal 4.

FIG. 3 is a basic configuration diagram showing an Internet information providing system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a basic configuration diagram showing an Internet information providing system according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a detailed configuration diagram showing an Internet information providing system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a detailed configuration diagram showing a conventional Internet information providing system.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Central portal, 2 ... Local portal, 3 ... Connection point device, 3B ... Radio base station, 3C ... Local broadcasting station, 4 ... Subscriber terminal, 4B ... Portable mobile terminal, 5 ... Internet, 6 ...
Public line connection network, 6A ... Public telephone network, 6B ... Portable mobile communication network, 6C ... Regional broadcasting network, 8 ... Communication satellite, 11 ... Inter-portal backbone communication network, 12 ... Satellite communication network, 21 ... Backbone interface, 22 ... Local portal router, 23 ... ISP router, 24 ... Local portal information server, 25 ... Telephone / FAX information providing section, 26 ... Conference section, 3
1 ... Packet multiplexer, 32 ... IP / CS converter, 3
3 ... Modem device, 34 ... IP / personal computer M conversion device, 35 ... Connection multiplexing device.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) H04M 11/08 H04M 11/08 H04N 1/00 107 H04N 1/00 107Z F term (reference) 5C062 AA02 AA13 AA25 AA29 AA30 AB38 AC34 AE02 BD07 BD09 5K015 AB00 AD05 GA01 5K024 AA71 BB05 DD01 DD02 5K030 GA13 HC01 HC02 HC09 HD05 KA01 KA06 LD02 LD07 5K101 KK02 KK18 LL01 NN01 NN12 NN18

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An Internet information providing system for providing information benefits to subscribers using the Internet, which is provided for each area, is connected to the Internet, and is a plurality of subscribers to the area via a public line connection network. A plurality of regional portals connecting the personal terminals, and a central portal that is connected to the Internet and is also connected to each of the regional portals via an inter-portal backbone communication network, wherein the regional portals are from the subscriber terminal. Providing area-related information related to the area in response to the request, connecting the subscriber terminal to the Internet as necessary, or sending the subscriber terminal to the central portal via the inter-portal backbone communication network. Connect, the central portal is the backbone between the regional portal and the portal Internet information providing system characterized in that to provide a national or worldwide global information to the subscriber terminal connected via a signal network, connecting the subscriber terminal to the Internet as needed. 2. The Internet information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the local portal stores wide area information obtained from the central portal via the inter-portal backbone communication network, and stores the wide area information as necessary. An Internet information providing system characterized by providing wide area information to subscriber terminals. 3. The Internet information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the local portal transmits information in a broadcast format to each specific subscriber terminal among subscriber terminals connected via the public line connection network. An Internet information providing system characterized by providing an information broadcasting service for distribution. 4. The Internet information providing system according to claim 3, wherein the local portal uses the information broadcasting service to provide a conference service for exchanging video and audio between specific subscriber terminals. An Internet information providing system characterized by that. 5. The Internet information providing system according to claim 3, wherein the local portal provides the information broadcasting service,
An Internet information providing system characterized in that information is distributed to each subscriber through a regional broadcasting network that performs television broadcasting and radio broadcasting in the area. 6. The Internet information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the inter-portal backbone communication network is the Internet, a virtual dedicated communication network, a frame relay, a terrestrial wireless relay network such as a microwave relay circuit, or a satellite communication network. An internet information providing system characterized by using the. 7. The Internet information providing system according to claim 1, wherein a wired public telephone network or a wireless portable mobile communication network is used as the public line connection network. 8. The Internet information providing system according to claim 1, wherein a telephone or a facsimile device is used as the subscriber terminal, and the local portal provides information according to a voice signal or a facsimile signal from the subscriber terminal. An Internet information providing system having a telephone / FAX information providing unit for providing the subscriber terminal with a voice signal or a facsimile signal.