JP2006065600A - Content providing system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a user with a content in an appropriate mode by transmitting the content depending on the status of a user device 50 and the user M. <P>SOLUTION: The user M inputs his/her status and the status of the user device 50 from an operation part 56, or a sensor 57 detects the user status and the device status, to notify the statuses to a management apparatus 30. The management apparatus 30 records and manages the notified user status and the device status in a status management part 33. When a content to be transmitted is specified, a transmission control part 32 transfers the content to the user device 50 in a mode suitable for the user status and the device status by reference to a pattern table 34 according to the statuses recorded in the status management part 33. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a technology for transmitting content to an information processing device having a data communication function and an output function for outputting received data, and in particular, controls content transmission according to the status of the device or a user who uses the device. Regarding technology.

In addition to information such as text and images acquired from a server on the network, the content includes various information such as electronic mail transmitted through the network.
Such content is received via a wired or wireless network by a device having a data communication function such as a personal computer, a PDA, a mobile phone, a printer, etc., and a screen display or printing on a medium by the device. Is output for use by the user.

  In recent years, electronic paper having a data communication function and an output function for outputting received data has been developed. This electronic paper can be used as a device as described above, has the advantage that the content can be displayed and held in a non-powered state, and is thin and portable like paper, Can be used as follows.

Here, regarding a device having such a communication function and an output function, an invention has been proposed in which electronic paper can be attached to and detached from an electronic paper file, and image display processing is performed on a display unit in accordance with the attached or detached state. (See Patent Document 1).
Further, an invention has been proposed in which a plurality of pre-associated data is wirelessly transmitted to a plurality of electronic papers and an image is displayed on each electronic paper (see Patent Document 2).

In addition, an invention has been proposed in which electronic paper for transmission and electronic paper for reception are attached to an electronic paper file and content is transmitted between the electronic papers (see Patent Document 3).
In addition, an invention has been proposed in which data is wirelessly displayed on each electronic paper from a file device capable of mounting a plurality of electronic papers (see Patent Document 4).
Further, an invention has been proposed in which the content displayed on the display device is updated every time the user holding the display device such as electronic paper passes the vicinity of the writing device by the writing device provided in the user's action range (patent) Reference 5).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-31227 JP 2002-91749 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-300333 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-22257 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-24865

By using a device as described above, a user can acquire and browse various contents, and by using a portable device having a wireless communication function, the user can quickly select without selecting a location. You can acquire and browse content.
On the other hand, the situation of the user and the device used by the user may not be appropriate for acquiring or outputting content. For example, in a situation where an unspecified number of people are around the user or the device, it is not appropriate to browse highly confidential information, and when the user carries only a device with a low display capability, There is a situation that it is not appropriate to browse large size image information.

In other words, since the situation of the device and the user who uses the device fluctuates, the conventional method of simply transmitting content to the device cannot manage the confidentiality of the content and is easy for the user to use. There are problems such as being unable to provide content in a manner, and being unable to provide content in a manner that can be perceived by a user reliably and quickly.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to reasonably solve the above problem by transmitting content to a device in an appropriate manner.

According to the present invention, a device having a data communication function and an output function for outputting received data notifies a management apparatus of a situation of a user who uses the device or a situation where the device is placed, and the management apparatus receives the notification. Based on this, the content transmission to the device is controlled.
Therefore, the management apparatus is notified of the user's situation or the situation where the device is placed from the device at an appropriate time such as constantly, regularly, when necessary, etc., and the content is sent to the device in a manner corresponding to these situations. Is sent and output.

  Here, as a situation of the user who uses the device, for example, a situation related to a place where the user is in a car or a meeting room, a situation related to an operation such as a user driving or walking, an unspecified number of people around the user A situation related to the surrounding environment in which there is a person, a situation related to time such as time on the user side, and the like are employed.

  In addition, the situation where the device is placed includes the situation where the device is left in the bag or the surrounding environment, the situation regarding the positional relationship between the device and the user who uses the device, When there are a plurality of devices to be used, the situation regarding the positional relationship between these devices is adopted.

The status of the user who uses these devices and the status where the device is placed may be detected by the device using a sensor to notify the management apparatus of the user status or the device itself. May be used to notify the management apparatus of its own status or device status.
Also, this information may be notified constantly or periodically, but when a change in state is detected by a sensor or when the device is near the user and may be read. Notification may be made only when certain specific conditions are met.
Furthermore, when information is to be transmitted from the management apparatus side to the device, the status of the device or user may be notified to the management apparatus in response to a request from the management apparatus side.

  Content transmission control is a process of transmitting content to the device in an appropriate manner and outputting it. For example, it is said that content transmission is controlled, such as delaying the content transmission timing, and content transmission is canceled. For example, it is possible to select a device that transmits content from a plurality of devices, process content into a format suitable for the selected device, and divide content into selected devices.

According to the present invention, the content is transmitted according to the status of the device and the user who uses the device, so the content is provided to the user in an appropriate manner and used.
As a result, it is possible to manage the confidentiality of the content, provide the content in a manner that is easy for the user to use, and provide the user with the content reliably and quickly.

The present invention will be specifically described based on examples.
FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of a content providing system according to an example of the present invention.
In the content providing system of this example, the management apparatus 30 and one or more devices 50 used by the user M are connected by a wired or wireless network N, and the content to be transmitted to the user device 50 through the network N is managed by the management apparatus 30. Mediates transmission control processing.
Note that the content is, for example, information transmitted from a content server on the network N or an electronic mail transmitted from a mail server on the network N.

The user device 50 is an electronic device used by the user M, and as shown in FIG. 2, a notebook or desktop personal computer PC that displays and outputs received content on a screen, and a mobile phone PF that displays and outputs received content on a screen. A printer PT that prints and outputs received content on a recording medium such as paper, and an electronic paper EP that displays and holds the received content on the display unit in a non-powered state.
As will be described later, these user devices 50 have a function of performing data communication with the management apparatus 30 via the network N, and a function of outputting content received from the management apparatus 30. It has functional means for executing such processing.

Here, user devices such as a personal computer PC, a cellular phone PF, and a printer PT having a data communication function have a basic configuration as already known, but the electronic paper EP used in this example is shown in FIGS. This will be described with reference to the example shown in FIG.
The illustrated electronic paper EP is a self-writing type in which content is written and held on the display unit 2 by itself based on content data, and is a thin device like paper as it is called electronic paper.
The various functions of the electronic paper EP described below may be selected according to the mode of the user device 50 that implements the present invention to be described later and provided in the electronic paper EP.

FIG. 7A shows the self-writing electronic paper EP as viewed from the front, and FIG. 7B shows the electronic paper EP as viewed from the side. The electronic paper EP has a display unit 2 that displays and holds content images and a processing unit 3 that controls communication and various processes according to the present invention. The electronic paper EP is built in the processing unit 3 in FIG. Various functional parts are also shown.
The electronic paper EP is, for example, a flexible thin display device as large as A4 size paper, and the processing unit 3 is provided on one piece of the display unit 2 that occupies most of the area. In addition, the magnitude | size of the display part 2 shall be a thing according to a use, and it can also be set as the structure which made the display part 2 and the process part 3 detachable so that it may mention later.

The processing unit 3 includes a driver 4 that drives the display unit 2, a communication unit 5 for wirelessly communicating data, a memory 6 that holds electronic data in a readable and writable manner, a processor 7 that performs various processes according to the present invention, a communication An operation unit 9 such as a battery 8 for supplying driving power to the unit 5 and the processor 7 and a button for receiving a user operation input is provided.
The electronic paper EP transmits and receives electronic data (content data) stored in the memory 6 by wirelessly communicating with an external device having a wireless communication function by the communication unit 5, and holds the electronic data in the memory 6. be able to.

The electronic paper EP allows the driver 4 to write an image on the display unit 2 based on data such as content held in the memory 6, and displays image information on the display unit 2 even if the driving power of the driver 4 is removed. It has a function to keep it in a state.
The electronic paper EP has at least the surface of fine colored particles (white particles 11 and black particles 12 in the illustrated example) used as toner in the copying machine, as shown in FIG. The electrode 13 is sealed between a pair of front and back electrodes 13 whose side is transparent, and is sandwiched between a pair of front and back film substrates 14 whose front side is transparent. An air layer is formed between the electrode layers 13 so that the colored particles 11 and 12 can freely move, and an insulating layer 15 for preventing contact with the colored particles 11 and 12 is provided on the matrix electrode layer 13. It has been. Note that a color display can be realized with a simple structure by using a color filter.

The electronic paper EP is in a state where no voltage is applied to the electrode 13 as shown in FIG. 8 showing the operating principle of the display unit 2 (however, the electrode 13 is charged to the polarity at the previous driving). In this case, the negatively charged white particles 11 accumulate on the back side, while the positively charged black particles 12 accumulate on the front side. When the display unit 2 is viewed from the front side, the display unit 2 is black. It becomes a state. And if the electrode polarity of the required part of the matrix according to the image information displayed by the operation of the driver 4 based on the data stored in the memory 6 is reversed, the positional relationship between the white particles 11 and the black particles 12 is switched. Thus, a content image based on the contrast between the white particles 11 and the black particles 12 is displayed on the display unit 2.
Note that by operating the driver 4 based on different data, the image information displayed on the display unit 2 can be switched (that is, the previous image is erased) based on the contrast between the white particles 11 and the black particles 12. Can be reused many times.

Therefore, the electronic paper EP has the property of holding the image information displayed on the display unit 2 with no power supply in addition to the property of being thin and flexible like paper, so that it is a portable device that can be used like paper It is. Furthermore, since the self-writing electronic paper EP of this example can be provided with a wireless communication function, a memory function, a control processing function, and the like, the processing according to the present invention can be performed as described later.
The management device 30 that displays and holds a document on the electronic paper EP has a communication function for wirelessly transmitting content data. The content data is wirelessly transmitted to the electronic paper EP and stored in the memory 6. The content image is written on the display unit 2.

  Here, an additional device (clip) that selectively stores the functional units of the processing unit 3 such as a communication unit, a processor, and a memory is configured, and the clip is detachably connected to the electronic paper PE. Also good.

The present invention can of course also use various types of self-writing electronic paper, for example, in a format in which image information is electronically written in a display unit like a self-writing type by loading it in an external writing device. There may be. That is, it can be said that the self-writing electronic paper is an example of electronic paper that does not require an external image writing device.
In addition, as the display unit 2 of the electronic paper EP, a liquid crystal having a memory property represented by a ferroelectric liquid crystal, an electrophoretic method in which charged particles are moved to switch a display, and rotating charged particles for display. A particle rotation method for switching the display, a magnetophoresis method for switching display by moving particles by magnetism, a small battery-driven thin liquid crystal or an EL element may be used.

FIG. 3 shows a functional configuration of the content providing system according to the present example.
In order to perform transmission control processing on the content input from the network N and transmit it to the user device 50, the management device 30 transmits the content to the device 50 in an optimal manner. A transmission control unit 32 that performs a transmission control process, a status management unit 33 that manages the status of the user M and the device 50 notified from the user device 50, and a pattern table 34 that the transmission control unit 32 refers to. .

The communication unit 31 transmits / receives content and receives a status notification from the user device 50 via the network N.
The status management unit 33 holds and manages the status notification received from the user device 50, and updates and manages the user status and the type and status of the user device of the user for each user.

  The pattern table 34 includes a pattern 34a serving as a rule for determining what kind of transmission control processing the transmission control unit 32 performs on the content, a user status 34b serving as an element of the rule, a device status 34c, and content An attribute 34d is recorded.

As the user situation 34b, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, the location (during a train, meeting room, personal table, etc.), operation (driving, walking, sleeping, etc.), surrounding situation (single, unspecified many around) Items related to the user's situation, such as the user's time, etc. are recorded as determination factors.
As the device status 34c, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, the location (on the table, in the bag, in the pocket, in the user's hand, etc.), the positional relationship with the user (the distance between the user and the device, etc.), etc. Items relating to the status of the user device, such as the positional relationship with the device (distance between devices, positional relationship between devices), and the like are recorded as determination elements.

As the content attribute 34, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, importance, urgency, sensitivity, type (color / monochrome, video / still image, data amount, display size, data format, etc.), content owner, content Items relating to content attributes such as creator, date and time of content creation are recorded as determination elements.
In the pattern 34a, a rule is recorded in which the content is processed by the combination of these determination elements and transmitted to which type of user device in which situation and at which timing.
The items notified from the user device 50 and recorded in the status management unit 33 are the same items as the items of the user status 34b and the device status 34c.

The transmission control unit 32 identifies a corresponding rule from the panic 34a based on the user status or device status recorded in the status management unit 33, and performs transmission control processing according to the rule.
The transmission control unit 32 includes a device determination unit 32a that determines which user device 50 the content to be transmitted is transmitted to, a content processing unit 32b that performs division and format conversion, and a transmission restriction unit that sets transmission timing and transmission availability. 32c.
Therefore, for example, by the transmission control processing of the transmission control unit 32 based on the user situation and the device situation, the content to be transmitted is transmitted to the appropriate user device 50, and the content to be transmitted is transmitted to the user device 50 that is the transmission destination. It is converted into a format suitable for the capability and transmitted, and the content to be transmitted is divided into a plurality of parts and transmitted to the appropriate user device, and the content to be transmitted is transmitted to the user device at an appropriate timing. The

On the other hand, the user device 50 transmits a status notification to the management apparatus 31 via the network N, and also receives a content from the management apparatus and outputs a communication unit 51 that performs wired or wireless data communication. Other methods such as a communication control unit 52 having a processing function 52a, an output processing unit 53 that performs output processing of received content, a display unit 54 that displays and outputs received content, a print output of received content, and a notification output of content reception, etc. It has an output unit 55 that performs output, an operation unit 56 that receives input from the user M such as user status and device status, and a sensor 57 that detects user status and device status.
The user device 50 is configured by providing these functional units in the personal computer PC, printer PT, electronic paper EP, and mobile phone PF, and the communication control unit 52 is configured by processor processing of these devices.

Here, the notification processed by the notification processing function 52a and transmitted from the communication unit 51 to the management device 30 includes items recorded in the situation management unit 33. These notification items are operated by the user from the operation unit 56. It is input from the sensor 57 by automatic detection.
For example, as shown in FIG. 4A, the user M is wearing a wireless tag, and the sensor 50 can detect the positional relationship between the user device 50 and the user M from the communication distance with the tag. Also, for example, as shown in FIG. 4A, a plurality of user devices 50 can recognize each other with a sensor 57 and detect a mutual positional relationship such as a distance and a vertical relationship.

According to the content providing system of this example, the content can be transmitted to the user device 50 and output in an appropriate manner as follows.
First, the user M inputs his / her situation and the situation of the user device 50 from the operation unit 56 of the user device 50, or detects the situation of the user M and the situation of the user device 50 from the sensor 57. To the management device 30.
The management apparatus 30 receives the notification from the user device 50, updates and records the user status and device status included in the notification in the status management unit 33, and the content to be transmitted to the user M and the user device 50 is received from the network N. Prepare for input.

  Then, when the content to be mediated and transmitted is input, the management device 30 refers to the pattern table 34 based on the situation recorded in the situation management unit 33 by the transmission control unit 32 and stores the content in the user situation or Transfer and transmission to the user device 50 as an aspect appropriate for the device status. That is, the device determination unit 32a determines one or more user devices 50 that transmit the content, the content processing unit 32b processes the content to the determined user device 50, and the transmission restriction unit 32c. Determines the content transmission timing, and transmits the processed content to the determined user device 50.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 6, in a situation where a user M carries a mobile phone PF in a pocket and carries an electronic paper EP having a high display capability in a bag, the user M can display highly urgent content. When transmitting, the title 61 and the text 62 in the content are divided, the title 61 is transmitted to the mobile phone PF, and the text 62 is transmitted to the electronic paper EP.

  Thereby, the user M can immediately recognize that the content has been received by the reception notification output of the mobile phone PF, and what kind of content may be obtained by operating the mobile phone PF to read the title. It can be recognized immediately, and the contents can be grasped by taking out and reading the electronic paper EP. Such an aspect is effective in a situation where the user M is in the train and there are many people around when transmitting highly confidential content, and the content body 62 is inadvertently seen by others. The situation where it is exposed can be prevented.

Such transmission control processing is performed in various modes according to the user situation, the device situation, and a combination of these situations.
For example, in the case of a user situation where the user M is driving, the content is not transmitted to the user device 50, and in the case of the user situation where the user M is in a conference room, no private content is transmitted. In the case of a user situation where there are no people in the personal table, it is possible to perform transmission processing such as transmitting sensitive content.

  Also, for example, in the case of a device situation where the electronic paper EP is overlapped with another electronic paper EP, the content is transmitted to the above electronic paper EP to make it easy for the user M to see, and the user device in the bag 50 and the user device 50 held in the hand of the user M, the content of the two user devices 50 is transmitted to the user device 50 held in the hand of the user M. In the case of a device situation where there is a difference in display capability, content with a large amount of data is transmitted to the user device 50 having a high capability, and in the case of a device situation where the content display capability of the user device 50 is low, the content format is adapted to the device capability. It is also possible to perform transmission processing such as converting to the format and transmitting.

  In addition, for example, in the case of a user situation where there is a person around the user M and there is a difference in the distance between the two user devices 50 and the device situation, a user device closer to the user M is a highly sensitive or urgent content. When the user M is in a meeting and the user situation and the device situation of the two user devices 50 are low, the content of high urgency is divided into two and transmitted to each user device 50. Then, you can also perform the transmission process.

1 is a schematic diagram of a content providing system according to an example of the present invention. It is a figure explaining the user device which concerns on an example of this invention. It is a functional block diagram of the content provision system which concerns on an example of this invention. It is a figure explaining the positional relationship detection which concerns on an example of this invention. It is a figure explaining the method determination of the transmission control process which concerns on an example of this invention. It is a figure explaining the content transmission aspect which concerns on an example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the electronic paper which concerns on an example of this invention. It is a figure explaining the principle of operation of electronic paper concerning an example of the present invention. It is a figure explaining the structure of the electronic paper which concerns on an example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

EP: electronic paper, PC: personal computer,
PF: mobile phone, PT: printer,
M: user, N: network,
2: display unit, 3: processing unit,
4: Driver, 5: Wireless communication unit,
6: Memory, 7: Processor,
8: Battery, 9: Operation part,
30: Management device, 31: Communication unit,
32: Transmission control unit, 32a: Device determination unit,
32b: content processing unit, 32c: transmission regulation unit,
33: Situation management unit 34: Pattern table
50: User device 51: Communication unit
52: Communication control unit 52a: Notification processing unit
53: Output processing unit, 54: Display unit,
55: output unit, 56: operation unit,
57: Sensor,

Claims (18)

A content providing system that causes a device having a data communication function and an output function to output received data to transmit and output content under management by a management apparatus,
The device is
It has a function to notify the status of the user who uses the device,
The management device
A content providing system having a transmission control function for controlling content transmission to the device based on the notification. The content providing system according to claim 1,
The content providing system, wherein the transmission control function performs a process of controlling a timing of transmitting content. The content providing system according to claim 1,
The content providing system, wherein the transmission control function performs processing for restricting content transmission. A content providing system that causes a device having a data communication function and an output function to output received data to transmit and output content under management by a management apparatus,
The device is
Has a function to notify the status of the device,
The management device
A content providing system having a transmission control function for controlling content transmission to the device based on the notification. A content providing system that causes a device having a data communication function and an output function to output received data to transmit and output content under management by a management apparatus,
The device is
It has a function to notify the status of the device and the status of the user who uses the device.
The management device
A content providing system having a transmission control function for controlling content transmission to the device based on the notification. The content providing system according to claim 5,
The content provision system characterized in that the situation where the device is placed is a positional relationship between the device and a user who uses the device. The content providing system according to claim 5,
A plurality of devices used by the user are provided,
The content provision system, wherein the device is placed in a positional relationship between a plurality of devices. The content providing system according to claim 5,
A plurality of devices used by the user are provided,
The content providing system, wherein the transmission control function performs a process of selecting a device that transmits content from a plurality of devices. The content providing system according to claim 8,
The transmission control function further performs processing for processing the content into a format suitable for the selected device. The content providing system according to claim 8,
The transmission control function further performs a process of dividing the content into selected devices. The content providing system according to claim 8,
The content providing system, wherein the transmission control function performs a process of controlling a timing of transmitting content. The content providing system according to claim 8,
The content providing system, wherein the transmission control function performs processing for restricting content transmission. A management apparatus for managing content transmission to a device having a data communication function and an output function for outputting received data,
A management apparatus having a transmission control function for controlling content transmission to a device based on a situation of a user using the device notified from the device. A management apparatus for managing content transmission to a device having a data communication function and an output function for outputting received data,
A management apparatus having a transmission control function for controlling content transmission to a device based on a situation where the device notified from the device is placed. A management apparatus for managing content transmission to a device having a data communication function and an output function for outputting received data,
A management apparatus having a transmission control function for controlling content transmission to a device based on a status of the device notified from the device and a status of a user using the device . A device having a data communication function and an output function for outputting received data notifies the management apparatus of the status of the user who uses the device,
The content providing method, wherein the management apparatus controls content transmission to the device based on the notification. A device having a data communication function and an output function for outputting received data notifies the management apparatus of the status of the device,
The content providing method, wherein the management apparatus controls content transmission to the device based on the notification. A device having a data communication function and an output function for outputting received data notifies the management apparatus of the status of the device and the status of the user who uses the device.
The content providing method, wherein the management apparatus controls content transmission to the device based on the notification.

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