JP2005063145A - Information providing system and method, program for making computer implement this method, and information recording media for recording this program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information providing system capable of enhancing the usability of services providing information contents related to articles that users are actually viewing. <P>SOLUTION: As a user operates a reader-writer 3, the reader-writer 3 reads electromagnetically and without contact the advertisement identification information of an RF tag 5 attached to an advertising medium 4, and sends the read advertisement identification information to a satellite server 1. A search means 14 of the satellite server 1 searches a data storage means 11 for information contents specified by the advertisement identification information, and sends the information contents found to a mobile terminal 6. If no information contents were found, the satellite server 1 obtains corresponding information contents from a content server 2 and sends them to the mobile terminal 6. The information contents sent to the mobile terminal 6 are displayed by the display means 62 thereof. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an information providing system for providing information desired by a user, an information providing method, a program for causing a computer to execute the method, and an information recording medium on which the program is recorded. In particular, an information providing system, an information providing method, a program for causing a computer to execute the method, and an information recording medium on which the program is recorded, for providing information related to an article such as a product or an advertisement actually viewed by a user It is about.

  With the spread of mobile terminals such as mobile phones and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) in recent years, users can be provided with desired information everywhere, and their needs are also expanding. Accessing a desired home page through the Internet and downloading information content are an example of a typical example.

  As the locational constraints on information provision have become smaller, the form of advertising services for consumers has begun to show signs of change. For example, a service for providing more detailed advertising information through a network through an advertising medium installed in a public space such as a train or on a street is being developed.

  As an example of such a service, an information providing system disclosed in Patent Document 1 below is known. This information providing system provides information content associated with a paper medium in a moving environment, and includes a means for photographing the visibility identification information formed on the paper medium, and the visibility identification information. Means for recognizing / analyzing a photographed image and converting it into an identification code; and means for providing relevant information content based on the converted identification code.

  Specifically, for example, when a cyber code or bar code is provided on a hanging advertisement in a train, and this is photographed with a mobile phone with a built-in digital camera, etc., and a local server is requested to provide information content based on the photographing information An information providing system configured such that a local server provides information content corresponding to the photographing information to the mobile phone or the like is disclosed in this document.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a communication method including the following steps in the following order as a communication method for transmitting and receiving information content: a step of receiving a signal from a server, a step of forming a communication link, and information Transmitting the content to the client computer; receiving the information content from the client computer; receiving a signal from the server; forming the communication link; transmitting the information content; and Step to receive. In particular, each of these steps is configured to be performed using wireless communication.

  Further, the step of receiving a signal from the server is configured to be performed following the following steps: forming a communication link between the server and the second server; Transmitting information content to the server, and receiving the information content from the second server.

  As a result, information content can be provided via the server (satellite server), so that communication speed to the second server can be prevented from being reduced, and communication can be freed or reduced in price. It is possible. Moreover, the interactive advertisement means from the portable terminal which receives information provision is realized.

  However, the conventional systems as disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 have the following problems. First, the system described in Patent Document 1 requires time and effort to photograph identification information on an advertisement in a vehicle. In addition, the use of a mobile phone or the like is often restricted on the train, and there is no denying that the act of taking pictures may be a nuisance to other passengers. Furthermore, especially in urban areas, trains are often congested, so it is assumed that there are many cases where photographing cannot be performed easily. Therefore, it is considered that the information providing system described in Patent Document 1 has a problem in usability.

  Moreover, in the system which implement | achieves the communication method of patent document 2, the user of a portable terminal can only select whether to receive the content transmitted from a satellite server, and a plurality of advertisements around the user, etc. Of these, the information content cannot be acquired after selecting in advance which information content is desired. In other words, there are usually a wide variety of advertisements and products in vehicles, streets, stores, etc., but users who want to acquire information content related to which advertisements and products cannot actively request from the satellite server. Therefore, it is considered that there is a difficulty in usability.

  On the other hand, the movement to apply the information providing system as described above to the field of merchandise management is also increasing. Here, merchandise management means managing merchandise delivery status, inventory status, and sales status, and POS systems using bar codes are widely used as an example.

  In this merchandise management system using bar codes, it is generally troublesome to read the bar codes assigned to each article, so that the scanner is almost in contact with the bar codes. Since only the code can be read, inconvenience arises in managing a large number of articles.

  In recent years, in response to such inconvenience, RF tags that can be read and written in a non-contact state have come to be used instead of barcodes. In particular, system development is progressing in the field of product management and security fields such as shoplifting prevention.

  The RF tag uses an automatic recognition technology called RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification), and is configured as a plate (tag) in which a storage medium using a non-contact IC chip and an antenna are embedded. Product information related to a product to which the RF tag is attached is written in the storage medium of the RF tag.

  The RF tag having such a configuration is characterized in that information can be read / written instantaneously in a non-contact state (interval of about 1 meter at maximum) by a reader / writer equipped with an antenna. In particular, data can be exchanged even when a non-conductor such as a human body, glass, or wood exists between the RF tag and the reader / writer. Therefore, there is an advantage that, for example, inspection can be performed without taking out a product from a box or bag at a site such as logistics.

  In addition, since the barcode is a paper medium, the RF tag is made of plastic or the like, so that it is practically convenient in that it is not easily affected by water, dirt, or scratches. Furthermore, it is advantageous from the viewpoint of protection of stored information that it is not easily affected by magnetism. Furthermore, since a plurality of RF tags can be read at the same time, it is suitable for use in the field where a large amount of various products are handled.

  Due to the various advantages as described above, the RF tag is expected to spread in the future as an automatic recognition medium replacing the barcode.

JP 2002-318744 A (Description [claims], paragraphs [0043]-[0046], FIG. 1) JP 2002-74017 A (specification [claims], paragraph [0013])

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and is an information providing system capable of improving the usability of an information content providing service related to an article actually viewed by a user. It is an object to provide an information providing method, a program for causing a computer to execute the method, and an information recording medium on which the program is recorded.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 1 is a mobile terminal having communication means for performing short-distance wireless data communication, and identification information attached to a predetermined article, the identification information specifying the article being electromagnetic. Identification information storage medium stored in a readable manner, reading means operated by a user of the portable terminal and electromagnetically reading the identification information stored in the identification information storage medium, and information related to the article Data storage means for storing content; search means for searching the data storage means for the information content specified by the identification information read by the reading means; and the information content searched for by the search means And a satellite server including first communication means for transmitting to the portable terminal by short-range wireless data communication. It is an information providing system.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 2 is the information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the reading unit reads the identification information read from the identification information storage medium. Communication means for transmitting to the satellite server by distance wireless data communication, wherein the first communication means of the satellite server receives the identification information transmitted by the communication means of the reading means, and the search means Is characterized in that the information content specified by the identification information received by the first communication means is retrieved from the data storage means.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 3 is the information providing system according to claim 2, wherein the portable terminal receives terminal identification information for identifying the portable terminal in the reading unit. The communication means of the reading means transmits the terminal identification information received from the portable terminal together with the identification information to the satellite server, and the search means of the satellite server receives the received from the reading means The information content specified by the identification information is searched from the data storage means, and the first communication means transmits the information content searched by the search means to the portable terminal specified by the terminal identification information It is characterized by.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 4 is the information providing system according to claim 2, wherein the portable terminal receives terminal identification information for identifying the portable terminal, the satellite server, and The communication means of the reading means transmits the terminal identification information received from the portable terminal together with the identification information to the satellite server, and the satellite server receives the received from the portable terminal. The apparatus further includes a collating unit that collates the terminal identification information with the terminal identification information received from the reading unit, wherein the first communication unit of the satellite server performs the search based on the identification information from the reading unit. Transmitting the information content retrieved by means to the portable terminal identified by the terminal identification information collated by the collating means; And wherein the door.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 5 is the information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the reading means reads the identification information read from the identification information storage medium. Communication means for transmitting to the portable terminal by distance wireless data communication, wherein the portable terminal receives the identification information from the reading means and transmits the identification information to the satellite server; The search means searches the data storage means for the information content specified by the identification information from the portable terminal received by the first communication means.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 6 is the information providing system according to claim 5, wherein the portable terminal receives the identification information received from the reading unit. The first communication means of the satellite server transmits the information content searched by the search means to the portable terminal specified by the terminal identification information. Is transmitted.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 7 is the information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, which communicates with the satellite server via a network. A content server further comprising: a communication unit for performing information processing; a database for storing information content related to the predetermined article; and a search unit for searching the information content specified by the identification information from the database. The satellite server further includes a second communication unit for communicating with the content server via the network, and the second communication unit is configured to search the information content specified by the identification information. When the search is not performed by the means, the identification information is transmitted to the content server, and the content server is transmitted. The search means of the server searches the database for the information content specified by the identification information from the satellite server, and the communication means of the content server searches for the information content searched by the search means. Transmitting to a satellite server, the first communication means of the satellite server transmits the information content from the content server received by the second communication means to the portable terminal.

  In order to achieve the above object, an invention according to claim 8 is the information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the identification information storage medium is the identification information storage medium. An RF tag including a non-contact IC chip for storing information and an antenna embedded for performing communication for reading / writing of the identification information stored in the non-contact IC chip, the reading means Is a reader / writer for accepting an operation of a user of the portable terminal and reading / writing the identification information stored in the RF tag.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 9 is the information providing system according to claim 8, wherein the reader / writer is configured to store a plurality of different identifications stored in a plurality of the RF tags. When the information is read, the search unit of the satellite server searches the information content specified by the identification information received by the first communication unit, and the first communication of the satellite server. The means transmits selection information for allowing the user to select the information content desired to be provided from the plurality of information contents searched by the search means to the portable terminal, and the selection result of the user based on the selection information Is received from the portable terminal, and the selected information content is transmitted to the portable terminal.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 10 is the information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the reading means is directly connected to the portable terminal. Or is built in the portable terminal.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, a satellite server provides information content related to a predetermined article stored in the data storage means to a portable terminal capable of short-range wireless data communication. In the information providing method, the reading means electromagnetically reads identification information for identifying the article from an identification information storage medium attached to the article by an operation of a user of the portable terminal, and the satellite server includes A search step of searching the data storage means for the information content specified by the identification information read in the reading step, and the satellite server searches the information content searched in the search step for the short-range wireless Providing information to be transmitted to the mobile terminal by data communication. To.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 12 provides a process for providing information content related to a predetermined article stored in the data storage means to a portable terminal capable of short-range wireless data communication. A program to be executed by a computer, wherein the information content is specified by the identification information received from the identification information storage medium attached to the article by receiving identification information for identifying the article electromagnetically read by a reading unit A search step of searching the data storage means, and an information providing step of transmitting the information content searched in the search step to the portable terminal by the short-range wireless data communication. And

  In order to achieve the above object, a thirteenth aspect of the present invention is a computer-readable information storage medium storing the program according to the twelfth aspect.

  According to the present invention configured as described above, a user of a mobile terminal attaches information content related to an article such as an advertisement or a product noticed in a vehicle such as a train, a street, or a store to the article. The identification information stored in the identification information storage medium thus obtained can be easily obtained simply by reading it using the reading means. Further, since the information providing service can be received from the satellite server by short-range wireless data communication, the information provision does not take a long time due to the congestion of the line traffic as in the case of via the Internet. Furthermore, since the identification information stored in the identification information storage medium is electromagnetically read using the reading means, the identification information can be obtained without causing trouble to others, particularly in the vehicle. As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to improve the usability of a service for providing information content related to an article actually viewed by a user of a mobile terminal.

  In particular, according to the present invention described in claim 3, claim 4, or claim 6, since the mobile terminal that is the transmission destination of the information content is specified based on the terminal identification information, the information content Can be reliably provided to the server as the transmission destination. In particular, even when a plurality of portable terminals can communicate with the satellite server, the information content can be reliably provided to the transmission destination.

  According to the present invention as set forth in claim 7, when the information content to be provided is not stored in the satellite server, the information content can be acquired from the content server and provided to the mobile terminal. Is improved.

  Hereinafter, an example of the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[Definition of terms]
First, terms in the specification are defined. First, “short-range wireless data communication” means a communication method with a maximum communication distance of about 10 to 100 meters, such as PAN (Personal Area Network) such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or a wireless LAN. “Articles” refers to displayed products, exhibits, storage boxes for bags that store products, and bag storage materials, as well as paper for advertising advertisement items such as products and events, and similar items. It is assumed that the advertisement medium made of the selected material is included. The advertising media mentioned here include all forms of advertising media such as billboards installed on streets, posters installed in vehicles such as trains and public buses, and advertisements published in newspapers or magazines. Contains.

  In addition, “information content” means information including contents related to an article. For example, the information content related to a product or an exhibition includes detailed specifications of the product, information about a store, and the like. The information content related to the storage member includes management information for product management such as inventory management and sales management of the products stored in the storage member. Further, the information content related to the advertising medium includes advertising information about detailed use and contents regarding the advertising target of the advertising medium.

[Configuration of information provision system]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of the information providing system of the present invention. The information providing system provides information content related to an advertising medium among the defined articles.

[Overall system configuration]
As shown in FIG. 1, the information providing system of the present embodiment includes a satellite server 1 that provides information content to the mobile terminal 6, a content server 2 that can communicate with the satellite server 1 via the Internet N, and the present invention. The reader / writer 3 is an example of the reading means, and the RF tag 5 attached to the advertisement medium 4 is configured.

  The RF tag 5 stores advertisement identification information for specifying the advertisement medium 4 in advance. This advertisement identification information forms “identification information” according to the present invention, and the RF tag 5 constitutes an identification information storage medium of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, only one satellite server 1 is shown to simplify the description and explanation, but a configuration in which a plurality of satellite servers are connected to one content server 2 is actually preferable. is there. Other satellite servers have the same configuration as the satellite server of FIG. Here, each satellite server may be configured to provide information content related to different articles. A plurality of content servers may be connected on the Internet N so that each satellite server can communicate with each content server.

  Although only one advertising medium 4 is shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of advertising media (each with an RF tag attached) may be provided. In addition to the advertisement medium, a plurality of the various articles described above may be installed.

  Here, the arrangement relationship between the two server devices constituting the information providing system of the present embodiment will be described. First, the content server 2 is installed in, for example, an advertising company that handles the advertising medium 4. The satellite server 1 is installed as a local server in the installation environment of the advertising medium 4 such as a street, a storefront of a store, or a vehicle such as a train.

[Configuration of satellite server]
The satellite server 1 includes a data storage unit 11 for storing various data and programs, and a first communication unit 12 and a second communication unit 13 for communicating with external devices.

  The data storage means 11 is composed of various storage devices such as a RAM and ROM built in the satellite server 1 and a hard disk drive (HDD). The data storage means 11 stores identification information stored in the RF tag 5, information contents related to various articles including the advertisement medium 4 (all of which will be described later), and the like. The advertisement identification information and the information content are stored in association with each other.

  The first communication means 12 includes a Bluetooth chip for the satellite server 1 to perform data communication with the reader / writer 3 and the portable terminal 6 by Bluetooth, and an arithmetic control circuit such as a CPU for controlling communication processing by Bluetooth. Consists of. In addition to Bluetooth, the communication environment between the three devices can be formed by any short-range wireless data communication method such as IEEE802.11b.

  The second communication means 13 includes an interface for connecting to the Internet N and an arithmetic control circuit such as a CPU for controlling communication processing by the Internet N. The satellite server 1 communicates with the content server 2 by the second communication means 13.

  The satellite server 1 further includes a search unit 14 that searches for information content stored in the data storage unit 11, and a verification unit 15 that performs a verification process for specifying a portable terminal that provides the information content. ing. The search means 14 and the collation means 15 are comprised by arithmetic control circuits, such as CPU.

  An arithmetic control circuit such as a CPU operates as the first communication unit 12, the second communication unit 13, the search unit 14, and the verification unit 15 according to the computer program stored in the data storage unit 11.

[Content Server Configuration]
The content server 2 includes a database 21 for storing information content related to the advertisement medium 4, a communication unit 22 for connecting to the Internet N, and a search unit 23 for searching for information content in the database 21. ing.

  The information content of the database 21 is stored in association with the advertisement identification information. Further, the communication unit 22 and the search unit 23 have the same configuration as the second communication unit 13 and the search unit 14 of the satellite server 1, respectively.

  The information content stored in the database 21 is appropriately updated by employees of the advertising company. The updated information content is transmitted to the satellite server 1 regularly or irregularly by the communication means 22 together with the advertisement identification information. The second communication unit 13 of the satellite server 1 updates the information content in the data storage unit 11 with the information content from the content server 2. That is, since the information contents in the data storage means 11 and the database 21 are stored in association with the advertisement identification information, the satellite server 1 determines the corresponding information contents via the advertisement identification information and performs update processing. Can be done. Therefore, the latest information content related to the advertisement medium 4 is stored in the satellite server 1.

[Configuration of Reader / Writer]
The reader / writer 3 is an example of the “reading unit” of the present invention, and is a device for reading and writing the advertisement identification information stored in the RF tag 5. The reader / writer 3 is preferably configured as a portable type that can be carried. The reader / writer 3 is provided with a reading / writing unit 31 that performs reading / writing processing of advertisement identification information of the RF tag, and a communication unit 32 for performing communication by Bluetooth.

  The reading / writing unit 31 can read and write the advertisement identification information at a distance of several centimeters to 50 centimeters from the RF tag 5. The communication unit 32 has the same configuration as the first communication unit 12 of the satellite server 1.

[Configuration of mobile terminal]
The mobile terminal 6 is a terminal device configured to be portable and communicable, and examples thereof include a mobile phone, a PDA, and a laptop computer. The portable terminal 6 includes a communication unit 61 for performing communication by Bluetooth, a display unit 62 including a display screen and a display interface (GUI; graphic user interface), a button group for receiving various input operations by a user, And input means 63 such as a keyboard. Note that the display unit 62 and the input unit 63 may be integrated by using an LCD capable of touch panel input.

  The communication unit 61 has the same configuration as the first communication unit 12 of the satellite server 1. In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, you may provide the connection function to the internet N. FIG.

  In addition, a terminal ID that identifies the mobile terminal 6 is assigned to the mobile terminal 6 in advance. This terminal ID forms terminal identification information referred to in the present invention.

[Operation and action of information provision system]
Next, the operation and action of the information providing system according to the present embodiment having the above-described configuration will be described together with usage patterns by users of the system. The units constituting the satellite server 1, the content server 2, the reader / writer 3 and the portable terminal 6 are controlled by an arithmetic control circuit such as a CPU, so that operations described below are interlocked. Do.

  A program is installed in each of these devices, and the arithmetic control circuit of each device executes control processing according to the program. In addition, such a program is usually recorded on any computer-readable information recording medium such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, or floppy (registered trademark) disk, and is installed via the information recording medium. However, the installation may be performed via the Internet N or the like.

  Hereinafter, four types of information provision processing executed by the information provision system will be described as first to fourth operation modes. Of these four types of processing, only one to three types may be executed, or a plurality of information providing processing may be automatically or manually switched and executed. It is also possible to add another information providing process to at least one of these four types of processes and switch them to execute.

[First operation mode]
First, the first operation mode of the information providing system will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, when the reading / writing unit 31 of the reader / writer 3 reads the advertisement identification information of the RF tag 5 attached to the advertisement medium 4 according to the user's operation (S1), the read advertisement identification information is read from the reader / writer 3. The communication means 32 transmits to the satellite server 1 (S2).

  When the first communication means 12 of the satellite server 1 receives the advertisement identification information from the reader / writer 3 (S3), the search means 14 searches the data storage means 11 for information content specified by the advertisement identification information of the RF tag 5. (S4).

  When the information content associated with the advertisement identification information is searched (S5; Y), the first communication means 12 transmits the searched information content to the mobile terminal 6 (S11). In the portable terminal 6, the communication means 61 receives the information content from the satellite server 1, and this information content is displayed on the display means 62 (S12). This completes the information provision processing when the information content associated with the advertisement identification information stored in the RF tag 5 is retrieved from the data storage unit 11 by the retrieval unit 14.

  On the other hand, when the information content associated with the advertisement identification information stored in the RF tag 5 is not retrieved by the retrieval means 14 (S5; N), the second communication means 13 of the satellite server 1 uses the advertisement identification information. It transmits to the content server 2 (S6).

  When the communication unit 22 receives the advertisement identification information from the satellite server 1 (S7), the content server 2 searches the database 21 for information content specified by the advertisement identification information (S8). Here, it is assumed that the database 21 stores information content related to the advertisement medium 4 currently installed. If there is no corresponding information content in the database 21, information notifying that is transmitted from the communication means 22 to the satellite server 1, and this information may be transmitted to the portable terminal 6.

  The information content searched by the search means 23 is transmitted to the satellite server 1 by the communication means 22 (S9).

  The satellite server 1 receives the information content from the content server 2 by the second communication means 13 (S10), and the first communication means 12 transmits the received information content to the portable terminal 6 (S11). The transmitted information content is received by the communication means 61 of the portable terminal 6 and displayed by the display means 62 (S12). This completes the information providing process when the information content is not searched by the search means 14 of the satellite server 1.

  The above is the first operation mode of the information providing process by the information providing system. According to this mode of operation, the user of the portable terminal 6 is stored in the RF tag 5 attached to the advertisement medium 4 when the advertisement medium 4 is noticed in a vehicle such as a train, on the street or in a store. By simply reading the advertisement identification information using the reader / writer 3, it is possible to easily obtain information content related to the advertisement medium 4. In addition, since the information content is transmitted from the satellite server 1 to the mobile terminal 6 via Bluetooth, the information provision does not take a long time due to congestion of the line traffic as in the case of downloading via the Internet. Further, since the reader / writer 3 reads the advertisement identification information stored in the RF tag 5 electromagnetically in a non-contact state, the advertisement identification information can be used without causing any inconvenience to others even in a vehicle where the use of a mobile phone is restricted. And information content can be acquired. Therefore, according to the said operation | movement form of this invention, the usability of the provision service of the information content relevant to the advertising medium 4 which the user of the portable terminal 6 actually sees improves.

[Second operation mode]
Next, a third operation mode of the information providing system will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, according to a user's operation, the communication means 61 of the portable terminal 6 transmits a terminal ID to the reader / writer 3 (S21).

  When the terminal ID from the portable terminal 6 is received by the communication unit 32 (S22), the reader / writer 3 reads the advertisement identification information stored in the RF tag 5 by the reading / writing unit 31 (S23). Then, the communication unit 32 transmits the read advertisement identification information to the satellite server 1 together with the terminal ID received from the mobile terminal 6 (S24).

  The satellite server 1 receives the advertisement identification information and the terminal ID from the reader / writer 3 through the first communication unit 12, stores them in the data storage unit 11 in association with each other (S25).

  Next, the search unit 14 of the satellite server 1 searches the data storage unit 11 for information content specified by the advertisement identification information received from the reader / writer 3 (S26).

  When the information content corresponding to the advertisement identification information is not searched (S27; N), the processing of S6 to S10 in the flowchart of the first operation mode is performed, and the corresponding information content is acquired from the content server 2 (S28). ). This information content acquired from the content server 2 becomes the information provision content for the portable terminal 6. On the other hand, when the information means specified by the advertisement identification information received from the reader / writer 3 is searched from the data storage means 11 by the search means 14 (S27; Y), the searched information content is the portable terminal 6 It becomes information offer contents to.

  The first communication means 12 of the satellite server 1 refers to the information content that is the information provision content described above as a portable terminal (referred to as a transmission destination terminal) identified by the terminal ID received from the reader / writer 3 in S25. 6) (S29). The transmitted information content is received by the communication means 61 of the portable terminal 6 and displayed by the display means 62 (S30).

  The above is the second operation mode of the information providing process by the information providing system of the present embodiment. According to this operation mode, as in the first operation mode, it is possible to improve the usability of a service that provides information content related to the advertisement medium 4 that is actually viewed by the user of the mobile terminal 6.

  Further, if the information providing service is made into a membership system, the terminal ID of the mobile terminal of the subscriber is made into a database and stored in the satellite server 1 and / or the content server 2, so that the destination terminal can be quickly and It can be determined reliably (see S29 above).

  Thus, in this operation mode, by associating the advertisement identification information of the advertising medium with the terminal ID of the mobile terminal, it becomes possible to reliably transmit the information content of the desired advertising medium to the mobile terminal. . In particular, even if there are a plurality of mobile terminals within a short distance from the advertising medium 4, that is, within a range where communication with the satellite server 1 via Bluetooth is possible, the information content is reliably transmitted to the mobile terminal that is the transmission destination.

[Third operation mode]
Next, a third operation mode of the information providing system will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, in response to a user operation, the communication means 61 of the portable terminal 6 transmits a terminal ID to both the satellite server 1 and the reader / writer 3 (S31).

  The satellite server 1 receives the terminal ID transmitted by the portable terminal 6 by the first communication unit 12 and stores it in the data storage unit 11 (S32).

  On the other hand, when the communication unit 32 receives the terminal ID from the portable terminal 6 (S33), the reader / writer 3 reads the advertisement identification information stored in the RF tag 5 by the reading / writing unit 31 (S34). And the communication means 32 transmits this advertisement identification information to the satellite server 1 with the terminal ID from the portable terminal 6 (S35).

  The satellite server 1 receives the advertisement identification information and the terminal ID from the reader / writer 3 through the first communication unit 12, stores them in the data storage unit 11 in association with each other (S36).

  Next, the search unit 14 of the satellite server 1 searches the data storage unit 11 for information content specified by the advertisement identification information from the reader / writer 3 (S37).

  When the information content corresponding to the advertisement identification information is not searched (S38; N), the processing of S6 to S10 in the flowchart of the first operation mode is performed, and the corresponding information content is acquired from the content server 2 ( S39), the content of information provision. On the other hand, when the retrieval unit 14 retrieves the information content from the data storage unit 11 (S38; Y), the retrieved information content becomes the provided content.

  Subsequently, the collation unit 15 of the satellite server 1 specifies a portable terminal (transmission destination terminal) that transmits the information content (S40). Specifically, the collation unit 15 collates the terminal ID (first terminal ID) received from the portable terminal 6 in S31 with the terminal ID (second terminal ID) received from the reader / writer 3 in S35. Thereby, the transmission destination terminal of the information content associated with the second terminal ID in S36, that is, the mobile terminal 6 having the first terminal ID is specified.

  When the transmission destination terminal is specified, the first communication means 12 of the satellite server 1 transmits the information content to the transmission destination terminal (portable terminal 6) (S41). The transmitted information content is received by the communication means 61 of the portable terminal 6 and displayed by the display means 62 (S42).

  The above is the third operation mode of the information providing process by the information providing system of the present embodiment. According to this operation mode, as in the first operation mode, it is possible to improve the usability of a service that provides information content related to the advertisement medium 4 that is actually viewed by the user of the mobile terminal 6. Further, similarly to the second operation mode, the information content can be reliably transmitted to the mobile terminal that is the transmission destination.

  Further, according to the third operation mode, the information providing service can be suitably implemented without using the membership system as described in the second operation mode. That is, the portable terminal transmits the terminal ID to the satellite server 1 (S31), and the satellite server 1 collates the terminal ID with the terminal ID (S35) from the reader / writer 3 to specify the destination terminal. This is because it is not necessary to create a database of member terminal IDs in advance. Therefore, the use of the information providing service can be widely released to the general public.

  Further, in a situation where information content of a certain advertising medium needs to be transmitted to a plurality of specific persons, the terminal IDs of the mobile terminals of all the specific persons are transmitted from the mobile terminal of one representative (S31). The satellite server 1 can be configured to request the provision of information content for all the portable terminals.

[Fourth operation mode]
Next, a fourth operation mode of the information providing system will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, the reading / writing unit 31 of the reader / writer 3 reads the advertisement identification information of the RF tag 5 attached to the advertisement medium 4 according to the user's operation, and the communication means 32 transmits the advertisement identification information to the portable terminal 6. (S51).

  When the communication means 61 receives the advertisement identification information from the reader / writer 3, the portable means 6 transmits the advertisement identification information together with the terminal ID of the portable terminal 6 to the satellite server 1 (S52).

  The satellite server 1 receives the advertisement identification information and the terminal ID from the portable terminal 6 through the first communication unit 12, and stores them in the data storage unit 11 in association with each other (S53).

  Next, the search means 14 of the satellite server 1 searches the data storage means 11 for information content specified by the advertisement identification information from the portable terminal 6 (S54).

  When the information content corresponding to the advertisement identification information is not searched (S55; N), the processing of S6 to S10 in the flowchart of the first operation mode is performed, and the corresponding information content is acquired from the content server 2 ( S56), providing information. On the other hand, when the retrieval unit 14 retrieves the information content from the data storage unit 11 (S55; Y), the retrieved information content becomes the information provision content.

  The first communication means 12 of the satellite server 1 transmits the information content as the information provision content to the mobile terminal (mobile terminal 6) specified by the terminal ID received in S53 (S57). The transmitted information content is received by the communication means 61 of the portable terminal 6 and displayed by the display means 62 (S58).

  The above is the fourth operation mode of the information providing process by the information providing system of the present embodiment. According to this operation mode, as in the first operation mode, it is possible to improve the usability of a service that provides information content related to the advertisement medium 4 that is actually viewed by the user of the mobile terminal 6. Further, similarly to the second operation mode, the information content can be reliably transmitted to the mobile terminal that is the transmission destination.

[Various modifications]
Hereinafter, various modifications of the information providing system of the present embodiment will be described.

  As a first modification, an example of a configuration for performing the process of writing the advertisement identification information of the advertisement medium 4 via the satellite server 1 will be described. For this purpose, the satellite server 1 first acquires advertisement identification information from the content server 2 by the second communication means 13. Then, the advertisement identification information is transmitted to the reader / writer 3 by the first communication means 12. The reader / writer 3 receives the advertisement identification information by the communication means 32 and writes it in the RF tag 5 by the reading / writing unit 31. The processing by the satellite server 1 is performed by an arithmetic control circuit such as a CPU that executes processing according to a program stored in the data storage unit 11. The processing by the reader / writer 3 is similarly executed by the arithmetic control circuit.

  In such a first modification, management of updating of information content and the like is performed using the content server 2, and therefore it can be effectively used when the information content of the advertising medium 4 is updated. is there. That is, the advertisement identification information for specifying the updated information content is automatically transmitted from the content server 2 to the reader / writer 3 via the satellite server 1 and written in the RF tag 5. Since it is not necessary to perform a troublesome operation for acquiring the advertisement identification information written in the RF tag 5, management becomes easy. Further, by executing the process of the first modification simultaneously with the update of the information content, the user can always obtain the updated information content. Therefore, in addition to the user's merit that the latest information content can always be obtained, the advertising side can be attracted by the latest information content for the advertising side, thereby improving the advertising effect.

  Next, a second modification example based on the feature of the RF tag that can simultaneously read a plurality of RF tags will be described. When the reading / writing unit 31 of the reader / writer 3 simultaneously reads advertisement identification information of RF tags attached to a plurality of different advertisement media, the communication unit 32 reads the advertisement identification information directly or via a mobile terminal. Send to server 1.

  The search means 14 of the satellite server 1 searches for information content specified by each advertisement identification information. Then, image information for displaying a selection screen for allowing the user to select one or more of the searched information contents is transmitted from the first communication unit 12 to the portable terminal 6. The selection screen includes, for example, a plurality of searched information content themes (that is, advertisement medium advertisement target names, etc.) and a check column for allowing the user to select desired information content. This is selection information according to the present invention formed as a screen.

  The portable terminal 6 receives the image information through the communication unit 61, displays the selection screen through the display unit 62, and prompts the user to select information content. When the input unit 63 receives a selection input by the user, the communication unit 61 transmits the selection result to the satellite server 1.

  The satellite server 1 receives the selection result by the first communication unit 12 and transmits information content corresponding to the selection result to the portable terminal 6. Thereby, the information content desired by the user is displayed on the display means 62 of the portable terminal 6.

  According to the second modification, it is possible to efficiently provide only the information content desired by the user among the information contents related to the plurality of advertisement media.

  It is obvious that this modification can be applied not only when the reader / writer 3 reads a plurality of RF tags “simultaneously” but also when a plurality of RF tags are read at intervals.

  Also, the same operation as in the second modification can be realized by the following processing. That is, the satellite server 1 transmits image information for displaying a selection screen in response to receiving a plurality of pieces of advertisement identification information from the reader / writer 3, and responds to the selection result from the mobile terminal 6. The information may be provided by searching for the information content selected by the user and transmitting the searched information content to the mobile terminal 6.

  Further, instead of using the reader / writer 3, the portable terminal 6 may be provided with reading means for reading and writing information stored in the RF tag 5. As a method for installing the reading means, it may be directly connected via an input / output connector of the portable terminal 6 or may be built in the portable terminal 6. When the reading means is built in the mobile terminal 6, the data communication antenna of the mobile terminal 6 can be used for data exchange with the RF tag 5. It is also possible to use the communication circuit constituting the communication means 61 of the mobile terminal 6 as it is for processing data exchanged with the RF tag 5.

[Other usage modes of information providing system]
In the above, the information provision system of this embodiment was applied to the information content provision service related to the advertising medium. Hereinafter, an example of a usage pattern in another information providing service of the information providing system will be described.

[Provision of information content related to products and exhibits]
First, as mentioned in the above embodiment, application to a service that provides explanatory information for explaining products and exhibits will be described. In the service, an RF tag storing identification information for identifying the product or the exhibit is attached to a store product or an exhibition such as an exhibition or an exposition, and explanation information about the product or the exhibit is also sent to the satellite server. The data is stored in one data storage unit 11.

  Moreover, the information provision system of this embodiment can also be utilized for merchandise management. For this purpose, an RF tag is attached to a product or a storage member such as a box or bag in which the product is stored, and identification information for specifying the product is stored in the RF tag. Furthermore, management information such as the number and unit price of the product (unit price of purchase, retail unit price, etc.), delivery date and time, etc. is stored in the data storage means 11 of the satellite server 1. In addition, when attaching to a storage member, the information etc. which show the number of goods stored in the said storage member may be memorize | stored in RF tag.

[Appendix]
Hereinafter, the characteristic structure with which the said embodiment is provided is described as an additional remark. Each feature is described as [Additional Item]. In addition, the claims described in the claims are cited as appropriate.

[Additional Item 1]
The communication means of the content server transmits the information content stored in the database to the satellite server regularly or irregularly,
The satellite server stores the information content from the content server received by the second communication unit in the data storage unit, and updates the information content stored in the data storage unit.
The information providing system according to claim 7.

[Appendix 2]
The identification information storage medium is capable of electromagnetically writing the identification information,
The first communication means of the satellite server transmits the identification information to the reading means;
The reading means includes writing means for electromagnetically writing the identification information from the satellite server received by the communication means to the identification information storage medium.
The information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, or the supplementary note 1.

[Additional Item 3]
The information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the short-range wireless data communication is Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[Additional Item 4]
The information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, or the appendix 1 to the appendix 3, wherein the portable terminal is a cellular phone.

[Additional Item 5]
11. The appendix according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined article is a predetermined advertisement medium, and the information content includes advertisement information related to an advertisement target of the advertisement medium. Item 5. The information providing system according to any one of Items 1 to 4;

[Additional Item 6]
The said predetermined | prescribed article | item is a predetermined | prescribed goods or an exhibit, and the said information content contains the explanatory information explaining the information relevant to the said goods or an exhibit. Or an information providing system according to any one of the supplementary items 1 to 4.

[Additional Item 7]
The predetermined item is a predetermined product or a storage member storing the product, and the information content includes management information for product management such as inventory management and sales management of the product. The information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 10 or any one of supplementary items 1 to 4.

[Additional Item 8]
The reading means includes an identification information transmission step of transmitting the identification information read in the reading step to the satellite server by the short-range wireless data communication;
The searching step by the satellite server searches the data storage unit for the information content specified by the identification information transmitted from the reading unit in the identification information transmitting step.
The information providing method according to claim 11, wherein:

[Additional Item 9]
The portable terminal includes a step of transmitting terminal identification information for identifying the portable terminal to the reading unit;
The identification information transmitting step by the reading means transmits the terminal identification information received from the portable terminal together with the identification information to the satellite server,
The searching step by the satellite server searches the data storage means for the information content specified by the identification information received from the reading means,
The information providing step transmits the information content searched in the search step to the portable terminal specified by the terminal identification information received from the reading unit.
The information providing method according to appendix 8, wherein the information is provided.

[Additional Item 10]
The portable terminal includes transmitting terminal identification information for identifying the portable terminal to the satellite server and the reading unit;
The identification information transmitting step by the reading means transmits the terminal identification information received from the portable terminal together with the identification information to the satellite server,
The searching step by the satellite server searches the data storage means for the information content specified by the identification information received from the reading means,
The satellite server further includes a collation step of collating the terminal identification information received from the portable terminal with the terminal identification information received from the reading unit,
The information providing step transmits the information content searched in the searching step to the portable terminal specified by the terminal identification information checked in the checking step.
The information providing method according to appendix 8, wherein the information is provided.

[Additional Item 11]
Transmitting the identification information read in the reading step to the portable terminal by the short-range wireless data communication;
A transmitting step in which the portable terminal transmits the identification information received from the reading means to the satellite server;
Including
The searching step by the satellite server searches the data storage means for the information content specified by the identification information received from the portable terminal.
The information providing method according to claim 11, wherein:

[Additional Item 12]
The transmitting step by the portable terminal transmits terminal identification information for identifying the portable terminal together with the identification information to the satellite server,
The information providing step of the satellite server transmits the information content searched in the search step to the portable terminal specified by the terminal identification information.
An information providing method according to item 11, wherein the information is provided.

[Additional Item 13]
13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a content server that is communicable with the satellite server via a network and includes a database that stores information content related to the predetermined article. A method for providing information according to claim 1,
When the information content specified by the identification information read in the reading step is not searched by the search step, the satellite server transmits the identification information to the content server through the network;
The content server searching the database for the information content specified by the identification information received from the satellite server;
The content server transmitting the retrieved information content to the satellite server;
Further including
The information providing step by the satellite server transmits the information content received from the content server to the mobile terminal;
An information providing method characterized by the above.

[Additional Item 14]
Transmitting the information content stored in the database to the satellite server periodically or irregularly;
The satellite server updating the information content stored in the data storage means with the information content received from the content server;
The information providing method according to additional item 13, further comprising:

  The present invention is not limited to the configuration or use form described in detail above, and can be used in any field where the functions and effects of the present invention are considered to be exhibited.

It is a functional block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the information provision system which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the operation | movement form of the information provision system which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the operation | movement form of the information provision system which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the operation | movement form of the information provision system which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the operation | movement form of the information provision system which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Satellite server 11 Data storage means 12 1st communication means 13 2nd communication means 14 Search means 15 Collation means 2 Content server 21 Database 22 Communication means 23 Search means 3 Reader / writer 31 Reading / writing part 32 Communication means 4 Advertisement Medium 5 RF tag 6 Mobile terminal 61 Communication means 62 Display means 63 Input means

Claims (13)

A portable terminal having a communication means for performing short-range wireless data communication;
An identification information storage medium attached to a predetermined article and having identification information for identifying the article stored in an electromagnetically readable manner;
Reading means that is operated by a user of the portable terminal and electromagnetically reads the identification information stored in the identification information storage medium;
Data storage means for storing information content relating to the article, search means for searching the information content specified by the identification information read by the reading means from the data storage means, and search by the search means A satellite server comprising: a first communication means for transmitting the information content to the portable terminal by the short-range wireless data communication;
An information providing system comprising: The reading means has communication means for transmitting the identification information read from the identification information storage medium to the satellite server by the short-range wireless data communication,
The first communication unit of the satellite server receives the identification information transmitted by the communication unit of the reading unit;
The search means searches the data storage means for the information content specified by the identification information received by the first communication means;
The information providing system according to claim 1. The portable terminal transmits terminal identification information for identifying the portable terminal to the reading unit,
The communication means of the reading means transmits the terminal identification information received from the portable terminal together with the identification information to the satellite server,
The search unit of the satellite server searches the data storage unit for the information content specified by the identification information received from the reading unit;
The first communication means transmits the information content searched by the search means to the portable terminal specified by the terminal identification information.
The information providing system according to claim 2. The portable terminal transmits terminal identification information for identifying the portable terminal to the satellite server and the reading unit,
The communication means of the reading means transmits the terminal identification information received from the portable terminal together with the identification information to the satellite server,
The satellite server further includes collation means for collating the terminal identification information received from the portable terminal and the terminal identification information received from the reading means,
The first communication unit of the satellite server is specified by the terminal identification information collated by the collating unit for the information content retrieved by the retrieval unit based on the identification information from the reading unit. Send to the mobile terminal;
The information providing system according to claim 2. The reading means has a communication means for transmitting the identification information read from the identification information storage medium to the portable terminal by the short-range wireless data communication,
The portable terminal receives the identification information from the reading means, and transmits the identification information to the satellite server,
The search unit of the satellite server searches the data storage unit for the information content specified by the identification information from the portable terminal received by the first communication unit;
The information providing system according to claim 1. The portable terminal transmits the identification information received from the reading means to the satellite server together with terminal identification information for specifying the portable terminal,
The first communication unit of the satellite server transmits the information content searched by the search unit to the portable terminal specified by the terminal identification information;
The information providing system according to claim 5. Communication means for communicating with the satellite server via a network, a database for storing information content related to the predetermined article, and a search means for searching the information content specified by the identification information from the database And a content server comprising:
The satellite server further includes second communication means for communicating with the content server via the network,
The second communication means transmits the identification information to the content server when the information content specified by the identification information is not searched by the search means,
The search means of the content server searches the database for the information content specified by the identification information from the satellite server,
The communication means of the content server transmits the information content searched by the search means to the satellite server;
The first communication means of the satellite server transmits the information content from the content server received by the second communication means to the portable terminal;
The information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the system is provided. The identification information storage medium includes a non-contact IC chip that stores the identification information, and an antenna embedded to perform communication for reading / writing the identification information stored in the non-contact IC chip. Including an RF tag,
The reading unit is a reader / writer for receiving an operation of a user of the mobile terminal and reading / writing the identification information stored in the RF tag.
The information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the information providing system is characterized in that: When the reader / writer reads a plurality of different identification information stored in a plurality of the RF tags,
The search means of the satellite server searches the information contents specified by the identification information received by the first communication means, respectively.
The first communication means of the satellite server is:
Transmitting selection information for allowing the user to select the information content desired to be provided from the plurality of information contents searched by the search means, to the mobile terminal;
Receiving a selection result of the user based on the selection information from the mobile terminal, and transmitting the selected information content to the mobile terminal;
The information providing system according to claim 8.   The information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the reading unit is directly connected to or built in the portable terminal. In an information providing method in which a satellite server provides information content related to a predetermined article stored in the data storage means to a portable terminal capable of short-range wireless data communication.
A reading step in which reading means electromagnetically reads identification information for identifying the article from an identification information storage medium attached to the article by an operation of a user of the portable terminal;
A search step in which the satellite server searches the data storage means for the information content specified by the identification information read in the reading step;
An information providing step in which the satellite server transmits the information content searched in the search step to the portable terminal by the short-range wireless data communication;
An information providing method comprising: A program that causes a computer to execute processing for providing information content related to a predetermined article stored in a data storage means to a portable terminal capable of short-range wireless data communication,
Retrieval in which identification information for identifying the article electromagnetically read by the reading means is received from the identification information storage medium attached to the article, and the information content specified by the identification information is retrieved from the data storage means Steps,
An information providing step of transmitting the information content searched in the searching step to the portable terminal by the short-range wireless data communication;
That causes the computer to execute the program. A computer-readable information storage medium storing the program according to claim 12.

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