JP2004070780A - Information providing method and information providing system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a user that is the address of a secondary content to easily confirm the text of the content even if he/she is an aged person or physically handicapped person difficult to read a large quantity of character information. <P>SOLUTION: When the secondary content is formed, a voice delivery server delivers read-out voice data of the text of the secondary content to the designation of the secondary content (step S303). When the user of the designation performs a prescribed key operation in a terminal device at the time of reading-out (Y in step S304), a disclosure content present in the location attached to a keyword in the text of the secondary content is acquired (step S305), and read-out voice data of the text is delivered to the address of the secondary content (step S306). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an information providing method and an information providing system for providing information on public content accessible from a network and providing access to the public content.
[0002]
[Prior art]
With the explosive spread of the Internet, the information handled there is also diversifying. In particular, as the number of users increases, the value of advertising as an alternative to television and paper media is increasing. As a method of displaying an advertisement to a consumer user on the Internet, it is common to provide an advertisement area in content and attach an advertisement to the advertisement area, as in newspapers and magazines. In many cases, the content is hypertext described in HTML, distributed with WWW (World Wide Web) technology together with advertisements, and a user browses the content using a browser. When the user clicks a text or image attached to the advertisement area with a mouse device or the like, the advertisement is anchored so that the user can access a location on the Internet where the service being advertised exists (advertisement). Link to the service).
[0003]
In a general form of Internet advertisement, a reading material (a travel document or the like) is provided as the original content, and an advertisement area is provided around the reading material, and each advertisement is provided with a link to an advertiser's website. In order for the user who has acquired the content to enjoy the reading material, which is the original content, it is necessary to search for an area corresponding to the reading material from the distributed information. If an ad that catches the user's attention in the process draws the user's attention and engages them well, the user will click on the ad and browse to the linked website.
[0004]
The content provider or the site operator receives from the service provider an advertisement fee of an amount determined based on the area of the advertisement, the number of times the page has been viewed, the number of times the advertisement has been viewed, and the like. Advertisers want ads that attract as many users as possible to the services they offer. To that end, we want to improve aspects such as giving users who have viewed the content a favorable impression, placing advertisements on as many contents as possible, and placing advertisements targeting a user segment that is likely to be interested in the service. However, the conventional method described above has the following disadvantages.
[0005]
That is, the user cannot concentrate on the original content due to the attached advertisement. If an ad is perceived as extra information, it may be less favorable to advertisers. In addition, since the content creator attaches or updates the advertisement, the burden on the content creator is large. There are not many ambitious content creators who are willing to do this, and it is difficult to dramatically increase the content that can be advertised. To solve this problem, the content created by the content creator is automatically modified. However, there is a problem that the content is distributed with an impression that the creator does not intend. Furthermore, there is a problem that it is difficult to identify users who are likely to be interested in the service and contents to be browsed by these users.
[0006]
Also, in the technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-306462, a voice message distribution method considering insertion of an advertisement has been proposed.
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In order to solve these problems, the present applicant analyzes primary content including character information, refers to a database that registers the location of public content in association with a keyword, and registers the primary content in the database. A keyword is extracted, a database is searched using the extracted keyword as a key, a location of the public content associated with the extracted keyword is obtained, and the obtained location is accessed for the keyword in the primary content. For creating secondary contents with the use of such an anchor (see Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-301016).
[0008]
According to this technology, it is possible to create secondary content that is provided as an anchor of public content to a location corresponding to a keyword in the primary content and transmit the secondary content to a destination of the primary content. Then, by accessing the public content service, the secondary content receiver can be provided with an advertisement that matches the content of the primary content (that is, the content desired by the secondary content receiver) without disturbing the secondary content receiver. be able to.
[0009]
In recent years, fixed network connections have been speeded up by ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line), FTTH (Fiber To The Home), and the like, so that multimedia data that requires transmission of a large amount of information can be easily transmitted. It is becoming. It is said that the so-called broadband era has arrived. Until now, content provision has often been performed only for characters and restricted images, but it has become possible to simultaneously provide a variety of data including audio and moving images. Also, in mobile communication devices, it is possible to use both voice communication and high-speed data communication from conventional voice communication or character communication using low-speed data transfer, and to transmit multimedia information in both directions. It has become easier to interact.
[0010]
Although technological innovation is progressing in this way, developed countries are entering the age of global aging. In Japan, in particular, the proportion of elderly people aged 65 and over is artificially estimated to reach 27% by 2020. In addition, there are quite a few persons with disabilities who have visual impairment, hearing, or other dysfunction of each part of the body. As the users of communication technology and the target of advertising sales, the proportion of these elderly and disabled people has already become ignorable, and there are many types of information that are not limited to those who provide information in all technologies. There is a need to propose various means.
[0011]
In the technology disclosed in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-301016, whether or not an advertisement effect can be obtained from content to be transmitted / received can be determined by a visual approach of finding a keyword having an anchor from the content, or by a client side. Software ingenuity forced the user to learn the content by another means, for example, aloud aloud, and to actively search for anchors. It can be said that the latter can be used for the elderly and the disabled, but especially when considering mobile communication devices and visually impaired people, since mobile devices do not have very large processing capabilities, Use was difficult. Given that the keyword-linked advertising model is expected to be used during idle time, such as while on the move, providing an alternative means to expand the advertising market.
[0012]
On the other hand, in the technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-306462, although a voice message delivery method considering insertion of an advertisement is proposed, a recipient of a message selects linked advertisement information. No specific measures are suggested. Also, regarding the insertion of the advertisement, the selection of the advertisement according to the content of the message such as extracting the keyword as in the technique of Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-301016 is not considered at all. That is, an advertisement irrelevant to the received message is inserted.
[0013]
An object of the present invention is to provide a destination where an appropriate word in a sentence of a primary content such as an e-mail sent by a user is attached to an anchor of a related public content such as an advertisement and provided to the destination. Even if it is difficult or impossible to read a large amount of character information such as a person or a disabled person, the content of the content can be easily confirmed.
[0014]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The invention according to claim 1 analyzes primary content including character information via a network, and refers to a database for registering the location of public content in association with a keyword, and from the primary content. Extracting a keyword registered in the database, searching the database using the extracted keyword as a key, and acquiring a location of public content associated with the extracted keyword; A step of creating a secondary content from the primary content by providing an anchor for accessing the acquired location, and a step of generating voice data reading character information of the secondary content. , This audio data Transmitting the content to a destination of the content via a network, and detecting that an operation of specifying the keyword in the audio data is performed at the destination of the primary content, the location associated with the keyword in the database. And a step of transmitting the information of the acquired public content to a destination of the primary content.
[0015]
Therefore, the voice reading service of the primary content such as e-mail can be provided without placing a burden on the service provider of the public content and the user of the secondary content, and without requiring the terminal device to have a special high performance. Can be provided. By reading out the secondary content created from the primary content such as e-mail by voice, even if it is difficult or impossible for the user to read a large amount of text information such as the elderly and the disabled, the content of the primary content Can be confirmed, and the primary content such as an e-mail can be checked even while other work is being performed.
[0016]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the information providing method according to the first aspect, in the step of generating the audio data, the character information to which the anchor is added when reading out the character information of the secondary content For, change the type of voice with other character information.
[0017]
Therefore, it is possible to determine from the ear what the character information with the anchor is.
[0018]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the information providing method according to the first aspect, in the step of generating the audio data, when reading out the character information of the secondary content, Layer another sound.
[0019]
Therefore, the character information to which the anchor is attached can be discriminated by ear, and the reading of the secondary content is not affected by a difference in accent or the like.
[0020]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the information providing method according to any one of the first to third aspects, the step of acquiring the public content includes the step of detecting the audio data at a destination of the primary content. During the reading of the text, a specific operation was performed at the destination of the primary content between the start of the pronunciation of the preceding keyword provided with the anchor and the start of the pronunciation of the subsequent keyword provided with the anchor. This is done by detecting that
[0021]
Therefore, it is not necessary to force the user to determine whether or not to refer to the linked location when the user notices the appearance of the keyword, and since there may be time between the decision and the operation, the reception can be performed. It is possible to cope with a case in which the user listens to the reading of the secondary content while performing other work while away from the terminal device for use. Further, it is not necessary to interrupt the reproduction of the secondary content in order to secure the reaction time, and it is possible to reduce dissatisfaction with the service due to preventing the receiver from concentrating on the secondary content.
[0022]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the information providing method according to any one of the first to third aspects, the step of acquiring the public content includes the step of detecting the audio data at a destination of the primary content. When reading out a keyword, a silence portion is provided for a predetermined time after the keyword attached with the anchor is pronounced, and the operation is performed by detecting that a specific operation is performed at the destination of the primary content during the silence time. .
[0023]
Therefore, the user can be given time to determine whether to refer to the linked location after noticing the appearance of the keyword.
[0024]
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the information providing method according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the step of transmitting the information of the public content includes: Then, the audio data is generated and transmitted to the destination of the primary content via the network.
[0025]
Therefore, the public content can be read aloud, so that it is possible for the elderly and the disabled to take advantage of the convenience and to exhibit the advertising effect.
[0026]
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the information providing method according to the sixth aspect, in the step of transmitting the information of the public content, when it is detected that a predetermined operation is performed at a destination of the primary content, The transmission of the audio data in which the character information of the public content is read out is stopped.
[0027]
Therefore, when the user listens to the public content and finds it unnecessary, the user can immediately stop reading the content and use it for the convenience of the user.
[0028]
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the information providing method according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, in the step of transmitting the audio data of the secondary content, the secondary content that has been read out in the past is read. The information of the published content at the location associated with the keyword in the content is recorded in advance for each destination of the primary content, and the degree of acquisition of the published content for each destination of the primary content When the degree is less than a predetermined value, voice data obtained by reading out the voice of the character information of the primary content, which has been recorded in advance before transmitting the voice data of the secondary content, The voice data is transmitted to the destination of the next content and the voice data is forcibly read out for a predetermined time.
[0029]
Therefore, it is possible to prompt the user to voluntarily access the public content at the location associated with the keyword, and it is possible to exhibit an advertising effect or the like.
[0030]
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the primary content including character information is analyzed through a network, and the primary content is referenced from a database in which the location of the public content is registered in association with a keyword. Means for extracting a keyword registered in the database, means for searching the database using the extracted keyword as a key, and means for obtaining a location of public content associated with the extracted keyword, and a keyword in the primary content Means for providing an anchor for accessing the acquired location to thereby create secondary content from the primary content, and means for generating voice data that reads character information of the secondary content. And the destination of the primary content Means for transmitting via the network, and upon detecting that an operation for specifying the keyword in the audio data has been performed at the destination of the primary content, the database existing at the location associated with the keyword in the database. An information providing system comprising: means for acquiring public content; and means for transmitting information of the acquired public content to a destination of the primary content.
[0031]
Therefore, the voice reading service of the primary content such as e-mail can be provided without placing a burden on the service provider of the public content and the user of the secondary content, and without requiring the terminal device to have a special high performance. Can be provided. By reading out the secondary content created from the primary content such as e-mail by voice, even if it is difficult or impossible for the user to read a large amount of text information such as the elderly and the disabled, the content of the primary content Can be confirmed, and the primary content such as an e-mail can be checked even while other work is being performed.
[0032]
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the information providing system according to the ninth aspect, the means for generating the audio data includes the character information to which the anchor is added when reading out the character information of the secondary content. For, change the type of voice with other character information.
[0033]
Therefore, it is possible to determine from the ear what the character information with the anchor is.
[0034]
According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the information providing system according to the ninth aspect, the means for generating the audio data, when reading out the character information of the secondary content, Layer another sound.
[0035]
Therefore, the character information to which the anchor is attached can be discriminated by ear, and the reading of the secondary content is not affected by a difference in accent or the like.
[0036]
According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the information providing system according to any one of the ninth to eleventh aspects, the means for acquiring the public content performs the detection by detecting the audio data at a destination of the primary content. During the reading of the text, a specific operation was performed at the destination of the primary content between the start of the pronunciation of the preceding keyword provided with the anchor and the start of the pronunciation of the subsequent keyword provided with the anchor. This is done by detecting that
[0037]
Therefore, it is not necessary to force the user to determine whether or not to refer to the linked location when the user notices the appearance of the keyword, and since there may be time between the decision and the operation, the reception can be performed. It is possible to cope with a case in which the user listens to the reading of the secondary content while performing other work while away from the terminal device for use. Further, it is not necessary to interrupt the reproduction of the secondary content in order to secure the reaction time, and it is possible to reduce dissatisfaction with the service due to preventing the receiver from concentrating on the secondary content.
[0038]
According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the information providing system according to any one of the ninth to eleventh aspects, the means for acquiring the public content performs the detection by detecting the audio data at a destination of the primary content. When reading out a keyword, a silence portion is provided for a predetermined time after the keyword attached with the anchor is pronounced, and the operation is performed by detecting that a specific operation is performed at the destination of the primary content during the silence time. .
[0039]
Therefore, the user can be given time to determine whether to refer to the linked location after noticing the appearance of the keyword.
[0040]
According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the information providing system according to any one of the ninth to thirteenth aspects, the means for transmitting the information of the public content includes: Then, the audio data is generated and transmitted to the destination of the primary content via the network.
[0041]
Therefore, the public content can be read aloud, so that it is possible for the elderly and the disabled to take advantage of the convenience and to exhibit the advertising effect.
[0042]
According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in the information providing system according to the fourteenth aspect, when the means for transmitting the information of the public content detects that a predetermined operation is performed at a destination of the primary content, The transmission of the audio data in which the character information of the public content is read out is stopped.
[0043]
Therefore, when the user listens to the public content and finds it unnecessary, the user can immediately stop reading the content and use it for the convenience of the user.
[0044]
According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, in the information providing system according to any one of the ninth to fifteenth aspects, the means for transmitting the audio data of the secondary content includes the secondary The information of the published content at the location associated with the keyword in the content is recorded in advance for each destination of the primary content, and the degree of acquisition of the published content for each destination of the primary content If the degree is less than a predetermined value, the voice data obtained by reading out the voice of the character information of the primary content, which has been recorded in advance before transmitting the voice data of the secondary content, is output to the 1st. The voice data is transmitted to the destination of the next content and the voice data is forcibly read out for a predetermined time.
[0045]
Therefore, it is possible to prompt the user to voluntarily access the public content at the location associated with the keyword, and it is possible to exhibit an advertising effect or the like.
[0046]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[Overall schematic configuration]
An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. This basic system configuration example is a configuration example using the Internet.
[0047]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall schematic configuration. In FIG. 1, the Internet 101 functioning as a network serving as a communication network for electronic data is virtually shown, and via the Internet 101, a content transmission client 102, a secondary content reception client 103, an information mediation server 104, An information providing site 105 and a service providing site 106 can be connected.
[0048]
Here, the content transmission client 102 is a client terminal used by the creator of the content. The information mediation server 104 is a server for information mediation operated by an information mediator, and processes the primary content 201 such as an e-mail transmitted from the content transmission client 102 via the Internet 101 to the secondary content 202. (See FIGS. 6 to 8). The secondary content reception client 103 is a client terminal to which the content created by the information mediation server 104 is distributed. Depending on the system configuration, the content transmission client 102 and the secondary content reception client 103 are the same client terminal. It is possible. The information providing site 105 and the service providing site 106 are web sites operated by information providers and service providers published on the Internet 101 that provide the public contents 203 (see FIG. 8). Regardless of the type of the public content 203, whether the content is closed for members or is widely open to the general public, as long as it can be browsed on the Internet 101, it does not matter.
[0049]
Here, the information mediation server 104 receives the content such as an e-mail transmitted from the content transmission client 102 via the Internet 101, processes the content, creates a secondary content, and processes the secondary content. Send the content to the destination. In order to execute such processing, the information mediation server 104 is connected to a keyword database 108 as a database, and obtains necessary data from the keyword database 108. The process of creating the secondary content 202 in the information mediation server 104 will be described later, but FIG. 1 shows a functional block diagram for executing the process. That is, the information mediation server 104 has a keyword extraction unit 109 and a secondary content creation unit 110, and the keyword database 108 has a keyword search unit 111, a data storage unit 112, and a data registration unit 113.
[0050]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of a computer used in each unit. The content transmission client 102, the secondary content reception client 103, the information mediation server 104, the keyword database 108, the information providing site 105, and the service providing site 106 are all computers. As a schematic structure, as shown in FIG. 2, a microcomputer mainly comprising a CPU 114 and a memory 115 for centrally controlling various units by executing various arithmetic processing, and a communication device 116, a hard disk 117, a display device 118, an input device 119, and a CD-ROM drive 120 are connected by a bus. The hard disk 117 has installed therein a program 121 that describes a data code for causing a microcomputer having the CPU 114 and the memory 115 as a basic configuration to execute a predetermined process. The program 121 is generally packaged in a form stored in a CD-ROM or the like, and is installed on the hard disk 117 by a read operation of the CD-ROM drive 120. However, the CD-ROM is an example, and the storage medium for storing the program may be a magnetic recording medium such as a flexible disk, or an optical storage medium such as a CD-R, DVD-ROM, or DVD-RAM. However, it may be anything. Furthermore, the program 121 may be fetched via the communication device 116 via a network such as the Internet 101 and installed on the hard disk 117. What stores the program 121 can be any storage medium for storing the program.
[0051]
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the database. The database 122 is stored in the data storage unit 112 in the keyword database 108, and stores a URL 122b as a location of the public content 203 in association with the keyword 122a. Here, the correspondence between the keyword 122a and the URL 122b can be appropriately defined according to the usage of the present system. For example, when the information providing system is configured as a search information providing system, the URL 122b of the public content 203 including information that can be a metaphor of the keyword 122a is stored. As an example, the URL 122b of “WEB animal picture book” is stored for the keyword 122a of “Grus” (see FIGS. 3 and 8). On the other hand, when the information providing system is configured as an advertisement information providing system, the URL 122b of the public content 203 related to the advertisement is stored for the keyword 122a. In this case, the relationship between the keyword 122a and the public content 203 is motivated such that the advertiser has purchased the desired keyword 122a, even if the public content 203 forms a metaphor for the keyword 122a. Such a relationship or any relationship may be used. For example, for the keyword 122a of "tour", the public content 203 of "ABC Tourism Co., Ltd.", for the keyword 122a of "ski", the public content 203 of "Niigata ski resort", and the keyword of "night bus" The public content 203 of “XYZ traffic” constitutes a metaphor for 122a (see FIG. 12).
[0052]
FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating another example of the database 122. In the database 122, the URL 122b and the area information 122c are stored in association with the keyword 122a. For example, when the local information 122c of “Kamakura / Shonan” is stored for the keyword 122a of “wild bird”, the URL 122b of the public content 203 of “Kamakura Wild Bird Lovers Association” is stored as the public content 203. ing.
[0053]
Here, FIG. 1 shows a functional block diagram for executing the creation processing of the secondary content 202 in the information mediation server 104, but the functions shown in this functional block diagram are actually 2 is realized by the hardware configuration shown in FIG. Specifically, the keyword extracting unit 109 extracts a keyword from the mail text that is the primary content 201 transmitted from the content transmitting client 102 (keyword extracting means, keyword extracting process). At this time, the CPU 114 and the memory 115, which perform information processing according to the program 121 installed on the hard disk 117 of the information mediation server 104, perform a morphological analysis on the mail text and extract keywords. In the keyword database 108, the CPU 114 and the memory 115 that perform information processing according to the program 121 installed on the hard disk 117 execute predetermined processing. That is, the keyword database 108 stores a database 122 as shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 9 registered via the data registration unit 113 in the data storage unit 112. Therefore, in the keyword database 108, the keyword search unit 111 searches the database 122 stored in the data storage unit 112 for the keyword 122 a extracted in the information mediation server 104 in accordance with an instruction from the information mediation server 104 that has extracted the keyword. The URL 122b associated with the keyword 122a is acquired (location acquisition means, location acquisition processing). Then, the keyword database 108 transmits the obtained URL 122b to the information mediation server 104. The information mediation server 104 gives the received URL 122b to the mail text as the primary content 201 transmitted from the content transmission client 102 in the secondary content creation unit 110. In this process, a process of converting the mail text into HTML text and adding a URL 122b as an anchor therein is performed (see FIG. 7). Thus, the secondary content 202 is created (secondary content creation means, secondary content creation processing).
[0054]
The information mediation server 104 can publish the created secondary content 202 on the Internet 101, return the created secondary content 202 to the content transmission client 102 via the Internet 101, or receive the secondary content reception client 103 via the Internet 101. You can also distribute to. These functions of disclosure, return, and distribution are realized by well-known techniques, and a description thereof will be omitted.
[0055]
[First Basic System Configuration Example]
A first basic system configuration example using the above technology will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0056]
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a business method involving exchange of data and money. This example is configured as an information providing system in which the information mediation server 104 provides search information to a content creator who creates primary content using the content transmission client 102. That is, in this example, the content creator is the recipient of the secondary content, and this person pays the membership fee to the information broker who conducts business using the information broker server 104. The payment of the membership fee here can also be realized by data processing, such as a transfer process from a bank using information processing, a deposit amount withdrawal process using information processing, and the like. The information mediator pays a reward to the information provider who conducts business using the information providing site 105, and supports the information provider in maintaining and improving the quality of his or her website. Then, the information mediator creates secondary content based on the primary content transmitted from the content creator, and returns this to the content recipient who is also the content creator.
[0057]
As a result, the content creator / content receiver is given an anchor to the noun extracted as a keyword from the mail text to the URL of the mail text as the primary content 201 created by the content creator / content receiver. By clicking the keyword of the secondary content 202 with, for example, a mouse device as the input device 119, the user can access the URL specified by the anchor assigned to the keyword. .
[0058]
In such a system configuration, the data storage unit 112 of the keyword database 108 used in combination with the information mediation server 104 stores a database 122 in which the URL 122b of the information providing site 105 is associated with the keyword 122a (FIG. 3). In this case, since the purpose is to provide information, the keyword 122a and the public content 203 whose location is specified by the URL 122b are selected such that the public content 203 forms a metaphor relationship with the keyword 122a. For example, the URL 122b of “Hokkaido Promotion Association Page” is associated with the keyword 122a of “Hokkaido”, and the URL 122b of “Dongdong Tourism Information” is associated with the keyword 122a of “Kushiro Marsh”. The URL 122b of “WEB animal picture book” is associated with the keyword 122a of “Grus”.
[0059]
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of the secondary content creation process, FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the flow of the keyword extraction process, FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the HTML document creation procedure when creating the secondary content, and FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the completed secondary content.
[0060]
Here, the flow of processing executed by the information mediation server 104 according to the program 121 installed on the hard disk 117 will be described with reference to FIG. First, the information mediation server 104 receives the original sentence, that is, the primary content 201 (see FIG. 6A) transmitted from the content transmission client 102 via the Internet 101, and stores it in the memory 115 ( Step S101). This text, for example,
"I'd like to travel to Hokkaido next time, especially around Kushiro Marsh to see the Japanese crane."
It is a text sentence like this. Then, a known morphological analysis is performed on the original text (step S102), and the text data is divided into small phrases having part of speech information. In other words, in the text sentence above,
"This time / no / rest / ha / Hokkaido / tour / travel / do / tai /./ especially / Kushiro Marsh / turn / te /, / cruciform / see / see / tai /."
Is obtained (see FIG. 6B). Therefore, in order to extract keyword candidates from these phrases (see FIG. 6C), the first phrase is extracted from the divided phrases (step S103), and it is determined whether the phrase is a noun (step S103). S104). Determining that the phrase is a noun means subsequently determining that the phrase is a keyword candidate. Therefore, if it is determined that the phrase is a keyword candidate (Y in step S104), next, a determination process is performed to determine whether or not it is the keyword 122a (step S105). The determination as to whether or not the keyword is the keyword 122a means determining whether or not the phrase as the keyword candidate is registered in the database 122 shown in FIG. Therefore, the process in step S105 is performed by giving a search instruction to the keyword search unit 111 of the keyword database 108. The information mediation server 104 recognizes from the response from the keyword database 108 whether the phrase is the keyword 122a. The response from the keyword database 108 includes the URL 122b associated with the keyword 122a. Therefore, when the keyword 122a is the keyword 122a (Y in step S105), the word is sandwiched between HTML anchor tags, and the URL 122b transmitted from the keyword database 108 is inserted into the anchor tag together with the keyword 122a. Output to the middle buffer area (step S107). On the other hand, when it is determined in step S104 that the keyword candidate is not a noun (N in step S104), or when it is determined in step S105 that the keyword candidate is not the keyword 122a (N in step S105). Outputs the word as it is to the buffer area in the memory 115 (step S106). Thereafter, the presence or absence of the next word in the keyword candidates is determined (step S108). If the next word is present, the next word is extracted (step S109), and the process returns to the determination process of step S104.
[0061]
Here, the words output to the buffer area in the memory 115 by the execution of steps S106 and S107 and the keyword 122a sandwiched between the anchor tags constitute an HTML document as shown in FIG. Therefore, when the processing shown in FIG. 5 is completed, an HTML document as illustrated in FIG. 7 is completed in the buffer area in the memory 115, whereby the secondary content 202 is created based on the primary content 201. Is done.
[0062]
The information mediation server 104 distributes the secondary content 202 thus created to the secondary content receiving client 103 via the Internet 101. In the basic system configuration example, the secondary content receiving client 103 is the content transmitting client 102. However, the secondary content receiving client 103 and the content transmitting client 102 may be different computers. This can be easily realized when the transmission information includes transmission destination instruction information indicating the distribution destination of the secondary content 202 when transmitting the primary content 201 from the content transmission client 102 to the information mediation server 104. .
[0063]
In the secondary content receiving client 103, when the distributed secondary content 202 is displayed on the browser, the keyword 122a sandwiched between the anchor tags in the secondary content 202 is highlighted by a method such as underlining or another color display. (See FIG. 8). When these keywords 122a are clicked with a mouse device or the like, the URL 122b sandwiched between the anchor tags is transmitted to the Internet provider via the Internet 101, and the user can access the public content 203 having the URL 122b. The content of the content 203 can be browsed in the secondary content receiving client 103. Thus, the information is provided to the content creator / secondary content receiver.
[0064]
Here, as apparent from FIG. 8, the secondary content 202 does not significantly change in appearance from the primary content 201 shown in FIG. For this reason, the display content of the content is easy to see. Further, since the secondary content 202 is merely added with an anchor for specifying the URL 122b to the primary content 201, the data size does not increase drastically as compared with the primary content 201. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the content creator who is the viewer of the secondary content 202 and the secondary content receiver from feeling unpleasant both in view of ease of viewing and data size.
[0065]
Further, from the aspect of information search, unlike a simple keyword search, a search method in which a URL is added to a keyword in a natural language is employed, so that information search applicants can provide information according to their wishes. It becomes possible.
[0066]
[Second basic system configuration example]
A second basic system configuration example performed using the above-described technique will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the database 122, and FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the primary content 201 and the completed secondary content 202. The same parts as those in the first basic system configuration example are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.
[0067]
In this example, the database 122 including the above-described area information 122c is used. Therefore, in searching for the URL 122b based on the keyword 122a, the regional information 122c is considered.
[0068]
That is, in the transmission text as the primary content 201 transmitted from the content transmission client 102 to the information mediation server 104, the name of the area is written after "local:". Then, the information mediation server 104 searches the database 122 illustrated in FIG. 9 in which the URL 122b and the area information 122c are stored in association with the keyword 122a, and searches the keyword 122a from both the keyword 122a and the area information 122c. . For example, in FIG. 9, the keyword 122a of "wild bird" includes the local information 122c of "Shin Yokohama / Kohoku" and the local information 122c of "Kamakura / Shonan". Therefore, assuming that the primary content 201 includes an area designation name of “local: Shin-Yokohama”, the information mediation server 104 sends the keyword 122a of “wild bird” including the area information 122c of “Shin-Yokohama / Kohoku”. Search only. As a result, the information mediation server 104 stores only the URL 122b associated with the keyword “wild bird” 122a including the local information 122c “Shin Yokohama / Kohoku” in the keyword 122a “wild bird” in the primary content 201. The secondary content 202 is created by providing an anchor (see FIG. 10). As a result, in the basic system configuration example, the anchor of the public content 203 that the viewer of the secondary content 202 is likely to be more interested in can be added to the keyword, so that the utility value of the public content 203 is further enhanced. be able to.
[0069]
[Third basic system configuration example]
A third basic system configuration example performed using the above technique will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a business method involving exchange of data and money, and FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a primary content and a completed secondary content. The same parts as those in the first and second basic system configuration examples are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description is omitted.
[0070]
As shown in FIG. 11, in this example, the information mediator is, for example, an Internet provider. The content creator makes an Internet connection contract with an information intermediary, which is an Internet provider. In this contract, instead of giving a privilege such as a free Internet connection fee to the content creator, an advertisement is attached to the e-mail of the content creator. In this case, assuming that the information mediation server 104 has a billing system based on data processing, the information mediation server 104 executes data processing such that the connection fee of the content creator is free. The advertisement is an advertisement of a service provider who pays an advertisement fee to an information agent. In other words, the information intermediary receives the advertising fee from the service provider, and instead makes a free Internet connection contract with the content creator, and always sends the content creator's e-mail to the secondary content recipient via the information intermediary. This is a system configuration for distribution. The payment of the advertising fee here can also be realized by data processing such as a bank transfer process using information processing, a deposit amount debiting process using information processing, and the like. Therefore, the information intermediary performs a process of attaching an advertisement of the service provider to the primary content called e-mail transmitted from the content creator and distributing the advertisement to the secondary content receiver. In this case, the content creator and the secondary content recipient are basically different people.
[0071]
As a more specific example, as shown in FIG.
"Going to skiing, did you find a good tour? If you take a night bus, it will be cheaper."
It is assumed that a mail text is created and transmitted as primary content from the content transmission client 102 to the information mediation server 104. In this case, if “ski”, “tour”, and “night bus” are searched as keywords 122a in step S105 shown in FIG. 5, the information mediation server 104 causes “Niigata ski” associated with each keyword 122a. , "ABC Tourism Co., Ltd." and "XYZ Kotsu" are created as secondary contents 202 in which URLs 122b for accessing the public contents 203 are assigned to the keywords 122a as anchors, respectively. Is transmitted to the secondary content receiving client 103 of the user via the Internet 101. In this case, the content transmission client 102 and the secondary content reception client 103 are basically computers owned by different owners.
[0072]
Therefore, the display device 118 of the secondary content receiving client 103 that has received such secondary content 202 can browse a display as a mail with an advertisement in FIG. Then, the secondary content receiving client 103 can browse the public content 203 specified by the URL 122b assigned as an anchor by clicking each keyword of “ski”, “tour”, and “night bus”. .
[0073]
How the above processing is executed on the hardware is as described in the first and second basic system configuration examples described above, and a description thereof will be omitted.
[0074]
[About services with voice]
Next, an example in which a service involving voice is performed using the above-described basic system will be described.
[0075]
First, in the example of FIG. 11, the information intermediary recruits a service provider to be an advertiser, and as a price for collecting an advertisement fee from the service provider, the URL 122b of the content of the service desired by the service provider and the related URL 122b. The keyword 122a is stored in the information mediator database 122 in association with the keyword 122a. Here, the advertisement fee is desirably determined according to the appearance probability calculated from the general document or the electronic mail of the keyword 122a.
[0076]
Then, the information mediator further gathers members who will be secondary content recipients. These members will be given the privilege of being able to check their emails for free and a new email address with a unique domain name.
[0077]
When an e-mail is sent from another member or another person to the new e-mail address of the secondary content recipient who has become a member in this way, this e-mail address contains a unique domain name, so this e-mail Via the information mediation server 104 of the information mediator. Therefore, as described above, the morphological analysis is performed on the server 104, the words are decomposed into constituent words, and the keyword 122 associates the words included in the database 122 in the word string with the corresponding URLs 122b in the database 122. Thereby, the secondary content 202 with the anchor is created.
[0078]
FIG. 13 shows an example of the text of the electronic mail in this case. It is assumed that the entries shown in FIG. 14 exist in the database 122. Then, when the text of FIG. 13 is subjected to morphological analysis under the information mediation server 104 and an anchor is attached, the sentence example of FIG. 13 becomes the secondary content 202 having the content as shown in FIG.
[0079]
The secondary content 202 thus converted is attached to an electronic mail as a MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) part, and is transmitted from the information mediation server 104 to the information mediator's voice distribution server 301 as shown in FIG. Is done. In the audio distribution server-301, the setting of the content reception mode by the secondary content receiver is possible. One of the options in that case is to store in a mailbox for each secondary content recipient in order to receive it from an electronic mail viewing program using a standard protocol such as POP3 (PostOffice Protocol 3). . Another option is to deliver audio to secondary content recipients.
[0080]
In the former case, the secondary content receiver can receive the secondary content 202 by ordinary means using an electronic mail viewing program.
[0081]
The latter case of delivering by voice will be described. FIG. 17 is a flowchart of a series of processes performed by the audio distribution server-301 in such a case. That is, first, to notify the secondary content receiver of the arrival of the secondary content 202, which is an electronic mail, a mail message to which the URL of the content in which the voice message flows is attached, or the secondary content is received using the voice communication line. The call is transmitted to the client 103 (step S301). At the same time, the number of anchors assigned to the secondary content 202 is calculated and added to the location selection counter 303 unique to each secondary content receiver prepared in the aggregation server 302 of the information mediator. Thus, the total number of anchors assigned to the secondary content 202 is counted for each secondary content receiver.
[0082]
As described above, the secondary content recipient receives a mail message indicating that the secondary content 202, which is an electronic mail, has arrived. A URL indicating a specific location in the audio distribution server 301 is added to this. The secondary content receiver can receive the audio data from the audio distribution server 301 by calling the URL by the browser function of the secondary content receiving client 103 (step S302). The above operation can be an operation method without a complicated selection operation depending on the configuration of the secondary content receiving client 103. Therefore, the secondary content receiving client 103 does not necessarily need to have an audio guide function or the like. . In addition, the operation up to this point can be substituted by calling from the voice distribution server 301 to the secondary content receiving client 103 via a voice communication line. However, since the use of a voice communication line is generally more expensive than a computer network, it is desirable. Absent.
[0083]
As described above, when the voice can be transmitted from the voice distribution server-301 to the secondary content receiving client 103 (Y in step S302), the voice distribution server 301 transmits the character information such as the title, sender, and text of the e-mail. The text-to-speech synthesis program 305 is read out at an appropriate speed set in advance by the secondary content receiver. Then, the text-to-speech synthesis program 305 reads the secondary content 202, and starts reading aloud by changing the type of voice (it should be a type that can be easily distinguished) at the location where the anchor is present (step S303). For example, a form in which a normal part is read out by a male voice and an anchor part is read out by a female voice may be considered. Alternatively, another sound indicating the anchor is superimposed at the start position of the anchor portion, at the stage where "S" of "Shinjuku" was pronounced in the above example, and at the stage where "O" of "souvenir" was pronounced. In this case, there is no need to switch the type of audio.
[0084]
As described above, the voice data from which the secondary content 202 is read out by the text-to-speech synthesis program 305 is transmitted to the secondary content receiving client 103. When the secondary content receiver is interested in the keyword 122a to which a specific anchor is attached while listening to the voice reading out the secondary content 202 by the voice data, the secondary content receiver is not heard until the keyword 122a is pronounced. Until the keyword 122a is pronounced, a predetermined key operation of the secondary content receiving client 103, for example, input of a ten-key "@" is performed. In the above example, if you want to select "Shinjuku", you will operate while reading "Would you like to drink around Shinjuku? Then it's good to take back to Nagasaki."
[0085]
Alternatively, at the time of reading out the voice data in the secondary content receiving client 103, a silence portion is provided for a predetermined time after the sound of the keyword 122a provided with the URL 122b, and a predetermined key operation of the secondary content receiving client 103 is performed during the silent time. For example, a ten-key "@" may be input.
[0086]
The information entered by these keys is a DTMF (Dual Tone MultiFrequency) signal when using a voice communication line, and data commonly understood by the software of the secondary content receiving client 103 and the voice distribution server 304 when passing through the network 101. The packet is transmitted to the voice distribution server 304 by a packet.
[0087]
Upon detecting this operation (Y in step S303), the voice distribution server 304 specifies the specific information providing site 105 or the service providing site 106 from the URL 122b of the keyword 122a specified by the secondary content receiver by the key operation described above. Of the public content 203 is obtained (step S305), and information on the public content 203 is transmitted to the secondary content receiving client 103. In this case, for example, the text-to-speech process similar to that described above is performed on the text of the public content 203 (step S306). Thereafter, it is possible to read the information by the same navigation method, and by terminating the reading of the secondary content 202 (Y in step S307), a series of processing ends. From this state, the secondary content receiver can also cancel the reading by a simple operation (for example, the “*” key on the numeric keypad) and return to the corresponding portion of the reading of the original secondary content 202.
[0088]
As described above, when receiving the request for selecting the URL 122b from the secondary content receiver, the aggregation server 302 on the information mediator side decrements the location selection counter 303 for the secondary content receiver by one. When the value of the location selection counter 303 of the secondary content receiver in the aggregation server 302 exceeds a predetermined value before the secondary content 202 is delivered by voice, that is, the degree of acquisition of the public content 203 is If the value is smaller than the value, the character information of the public content 203 associated with the keyword 122a before that is reproduced by voice prior to the distribution of the voice. For this purpose, the information on the public content 203 such as the URL 122b of the past public content 203 and the voice data (or the text data of the read character) when the text has been read aloud in the past is transmitted to each secondary content recipient. The information is recorded in the voice distribution server 304 (or the aggregation server 302) for each (member). This may include, for example, targeting only the latest past public content 203. However, in these cases, the cancellation of the reproduction in the middle is prohibited for a certain time (10 seconds, for example), and the reproduction of the sound is forcibly performed. Since the secondary content receiver has a longer waiting time until he / she can hear the text information of the target public content 203 by voice, a voluntary selection operation of the URL 122b is performed so that the count value of the location selection counter 303 does not increase. It is expected that will be performed.
[0089]
【The invention's effect】
The inventions described in the first and ninth aspects do not impose a burden on both the service provider of the public content and the user of the secondary content, and do not require a special high performance for the terminal device, and can use the electronic mail or the like. Of the primary content can be provided. By reading out the secondary content created from the primary content such as e-mail by voice, even if it is difficult or impossible for the user to read a large amount of text information such as the elderly and the disabled, the content of the primary content Can be confirmed, and the primary content such as an e-mail can be checked even while other work is being performed.
[0090]
According to the second and tenth aspects of the invention, in the first and ninth aspects of the invention, it is possible to determine the character information to which the anchor is attached by ear.
[0091]
According to the third and eleventh aspects of the invention, in the invention of the first and ninth aspects, the character information to which the anchor is attached can be discriminated by ear, and the difference in accent between the reading of the secondary content and the secondary content can be determined. Does not affect.
[0092]
The invention according to claims 4 and 12 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3 and 9 to 11, wherein it is determined whether or not to refer to the location of the link destination immediately when the appearance of the keyword is noticed. Without having to force the user to do so, and since there may be time between the decision and the operation, the user can listen to the reading of the secondary content while performing other tasks while away from the receiving terminal device. It is possible to respond to such cases. Further, it is not necessary to interrupt the reproduction of the secondary content in order to secure the reaction time, and it is possible to reduce dissatisfaction with the service due to preventing the receiver from concentrating on the secondary content.
[0093]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of any one of the first to third and ninth to eleventh aspects, a time for deciding whether to refer to a linked location after noticing the appearance of a keyword. Can be given to the user.
[0094]
According to the invention described in claims 6 and 14, in the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 5 and 9 to 13, public contents are read aloud. Etc. can be exhibited.
[0095]
According to the inventions described in claims 7 and 15, in the inventions described in claims 6 and 14, when the user listens to the published content and thinks it is unnecessary, immediately stop reading the content out for convenience of the user. Can be.
[0096]
The invention according to claims 8 and 16 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 7 and 9 to 15, wherein the voluntary access to the public content at the location associated with the keyword. The user can be encouraged, and an advertisement effect can be exhibited.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an overall schematic configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a basic configuration of a computer used in each unit.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a database as a first basic system configuration example.
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a business method involving exchange of data and money.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of a secondary content creation process.
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a flow of a keyword extraction process.
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an HTML document creation procedure when creating secondary content.
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a completed secondary content.
FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a database used in a second basic system configuration example.
FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a primary content and a completed secondary content.
FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a business method involving exchange of data and money as a third basic system configuration example.
FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a primary content and a completed secondary content.
FIG. 13 is a sentence example describing a service accompanied by voice.
FIG. 14 is an example of a set of a keyword and a URL for explaining a service accompanied by voice.
FIG. 15 is a sentence example with an anchor for explaining a service accompanied by voice;
FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of an information mediator used in a service accompanied by voice.
FIG. 17 is a flowchart of a basic process performed by the audio distribution server.
[Explanation of symbols]
104 Information distribution system
122 database
122a Keywords
122b Location (URL)
201 Primary content
202 Secondary content
203 Published Content
301 Information distribution system
302 Information distribution system

Claims (16)

Analyze primary content including character information via a network, and extract a keyword registered in the database from the primary content by referring to a database in which the location of public content is registered in association with a keyword. Steps to
Searching the database using the extracted keyword as a key, and acquiring a location of the public content associated with the extracted keyword;
Assigning an anchor for accessing the acquired location to the keyword in the primary content, thereby creating secondary content from the primary content;
Generating voice data reading out the character information of the secondary content;
Transmitting the audio data to a destination of the primary content via a network;
Upon detecting that an operation for specifying the keyword in the audio data has been performed at the destination of the primary content, acquiring the public content existing at the location associated with the keyword in the database;
Transmitting the acquired information of the published content to the destination of the primary content;
An information providing method comprising: 2. The information according to claim 1, wherein in the step of generating the audio data, when reading out the character information of the secondary content, the type of sound is changed from the other character information for the character information to which the anchor is added. 3. Delivery method. 2. The information providing method according to claim 1, wherein in the step of generating the audio data, when reading out the character information of the secondary content, a sound different from the read-out voice indicating an anchor is superimposed. In the step of obtaining the public content, the detection is performed by reading the sound data at the destination of the primary content from the start of the sounding of the preceding keyword to which the anchor has been assigned and the subsequent to which the anchor has been assigned. The information providing method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the method is performed by detecting that a specific operation has been performed at a destination of the primary content before the start of pronunciation of the keyword. In the step of obtaining the public content, the detection is performed by setting a silence portion for a predetermined time after the sound of the keyword provided with the anchor when reading out the audio data at the destination of the primary content, The information providing method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the method is performed by detecting that a specific operation is performed at a destination of the primary content during the operation. 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein, in the step of transmitting the information of the public content, audio data in which character information of the public content is read out is generated, and the audio data is transmitted to a destination of the primary content via a network. The information providing method according to any one of the above. 7. The method according to claim 6, wherein, in the step of transmitting the information of the public content, when it is detected that a predetermined operation is performed at the destination of the primary content, the transmission of the voice data reading the character information of the public content is stopped. Information provision method described. In the transmitting of the audio data of the secondary content, the information of the public content at the location associated with the keyword in the secondary content that has been read out in the past is transmitted to the destination of the primary content. The degree of acquisition of the public content is counted for each destination of the primary content, and when the degree is less than a predetermined value, the audio data of the secondary content is transmitted before transmission. And transmitting the voice data obtained by reading the voice of the character information of the primary content recorded in advance to a destination of the primary content, and forcibly reading the voice data for a predetermined time. 8. The information providing method according to any one of items 7 to 7. Analyze primary content including character information via a network, and extract a keyword registered in the database from the primary content by referring to a database in which the location of public content is registered in association with a keyword. Means to
Means for searching the database using the extracted keyword as a key, and acquiring a location of public content associated with the extracted keyword;
Means for assigning an anchor for accessing the acquired location to the keyword in the primary content, thereby creating secondary content from the primary content;
Means for generating voice data reading out the character information of the secondary content;
Means for transmitting the audio data to a destination of the primary content via a network;
Upon detecting that an operation for specifying the keyword in the audio data is performed at the destination of the primary content, acquiring the public content existing at the location associated with the keyword in the database;
Means for transmitting the acquired information of the published content to a destination of the primary content;
An information providing system comprising: The information according to claim 9, wherein the voice data generating unit changes the type of voice with respect to the text information to which the anchor is added when reading the text information of the secondary content. Offer system. 10. The information providing system according to claim 9, wherein the means for generating the audio data, when reading out the character information of the secondary content, superimposes a sound different from the read-out voice indicating an anchor. The means for acquiring the public content, the detection, when reading out the audio data at the destination of the primary content, from the start of the sounding of the preceding keyword to which the anchor has been attached to the subsequent to which the anchor has been attached The information providing system according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the information providing system is performed by detecting that a specific operation has been performed at a destination of the primary content before the pronunciation of the keyword is started. The means for acquiring the public content includes detecting the silent portion for a predetermined time after the sound of the keyword provided with the anchor when reading out the audio data at the destination of the primary content. The information providing system according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the information providing system performs the operation by detecting that a specific operation is performed at the destination of the primary content. 14. The method according to claim 9, wherein the means for transmitting the information of the public content generates audio data in which character information of the public content is read out, and transmits the audio data to a destination of the primary content via a network. The information providing system according to any one of the above. 15. The method according to claim 14, wherein, when detecting that a predetermined operation is performed at a destination of the primary content, the means for transmitting information of the public content stops transmission of voice data in which character information of the public content is read out. Information providing system described. The means for transmitting the audio data of the secondary content includes: information of the public content at the location associated with the keyword in the secondary content that has been read out in the past; The degree of acquisition of the public content is counted for each destination of the primary content, and when the degree is less than a predetermined value, the audio data of the secondary content is transmitted before transmission. 10. A voice data read aloud the voice of the character information of the primary content recorded in advance to the destination of the primary content, and forcibly read out the voice data for a predetermined time. 15. The information providing system according to any one of Items 15 to 15.

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