JP2008026960A - Guide information providing system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently distribute guide information including advertisements to a user intended by an advertiser in a guide information providing system using a route guiding device. <P>SOLUTION: A server 200 registers advertising data for distribution in an advertisement DB 203 by associating the advertising data with distribution conditions set by an advertiser. As distribution conditions, an area and a route as the object of the distribution of advertisements, the group of users targeted by advertisements and their purposes of drop-by to a store or the like are designated. In designating the area and route, the traveling direction of a user may be added to the conditions. The server 200 is provided with a function for presenting a recommended route based on a route retrieval result with a candidate destination in the vicinity of a store as a start point in route setting. When a user receives route guidance in this system, the server 200 extracts advertisements matched with the distribution conditions in consideration of the location, traveling direction and destination of the user, and distributes the advertisements to the user matched with the intention of the advertiser. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a guide information providing system that provides a user with guide information corresponding to a specific point.

  An advertisement distribution system that distributes advertisement data registered in advance by a store to a user is widely used. There has also been proposed a technique for distributing an advertisement to a user who is moving in a vehicle by using a car navigation as a distribution target by the advertisement distribution system. Unlike the distribution to a normal personal computer, the amount of information that can be viewed by the user is limited in the distribution to the car navigation, and the user using the car navigation is moving for some purpose. In many cases, the information content desired by the user is limited to some extent according to the purpose.

  Based on such characteristics, various techniques for providing information desired by users in a timely manner have been proposed for advertisement distribution to car navigation systems. For example, in Patent Document 1, by setting distribution conditions based on an advertisement distribution target area, a distribution period, and a distribution time zone, the advertisement can be efficiently aggregated to users who are thought to be able to effectively obtain the PR effect by the advertisement. Disclosed is a technology to be distributed. Patent Document 2 compares personal information such as the user's age, sex, and occupation with the delivery conditions set by the advertiser, that is, conditions such as the time zone in which the advertisement should be delivered and the age of the delivery target person. A technology for efficient advertisement distribution is disclosed.

JP 2003-99670 A JP 2002-77464 A

  However, the conventional refinement has not been sufficient. In the route guidance device including the car navigation, the user browses various information while moving, so that the amount of information that can be browsed by the user is limited as described above. Therefore, when many pieces of information that the user feels useless are distributed, the user ignores the entire information, and there is a possibility that the usefulness of information such as advertisements may be lost at once. In addition, since the distribution of advertisements is often charged to advertisers on a pay-as-you-go basis according to the distribution, distributing information that the user does not need also places unnecessary costs on the advertiser. Become. That is, in the distribution of advertisements and other information to the route guidance device including the car navigation, it is an important issue to aggregate and distribute the information by a person who may use the information.

  From this point of view, the prior art has not yet been sufficiently narrowed down. As an example, consider the case where an advertisement for a certain store is distributed. At this time, in the conventional technique, a technique for specifying a range to be distributed has been proposed (see Patent Document 1). However, even if the user is within this range, the usefulness of the advertisement is naturally different between the person moving in the direction approaching the store and the person moving in the direction away from the store. In addition, since the user is often moving for some purpose, the usefulness of the advertisement varies depending on whether or not the advertisement is distributed in accordance with the moving purpose. In the prior art, narrowing down reflecting these conditions could not be performed.

  The above-described problems are not limited to advertisements, but are common to various types of guide information provided in relation to tourist information and other specific points. In view of these problems, an object of the present invention is to more efficiently provide guide information to a user who is using a route guidance device.

  The present invention can be configured as a guide information providing system that provides guide information corresponding to a specific point to the route guidance device. The guide information includes various information registered in advance in relation to a specific point, such as advertisements, sightseeing guides, administrative and other regional information. Guide information is registered in advance as a guide information database. The route guidance device is a device that presents a user's current position on a map, and can be provided using, for example, a mobile phone, a car navigation device, a notebook computer, a PDA, or the like. The user may perform route guidance in which a route to be taken in the future is presented on a map. The guide information providing system may be configured to operate stand-alone using these devices, or may be configured by connecting a terminal using these devices and a server or the like via a network. The guide information providing system of the present invention realizes efficient provision of guide information with various configurations shown below.

  In the first configuration, the guide information database includes guide information and provision conditions determined based on an approach situation such as whether or not the user is approaching a specific spot (hereinafter referred to as “registered spot”). Register in advance. The guide information providing system selects and provides guide information to be provided to the user by detecting the approaching state of the user and referring to the guide information database based on the detected approaching state. For the approach situation, for example, a method can be used in which the current position is detected at a plurality of times and obtained from the movement situation. Further, when the user is moving according to route guidance, it can be obtained based on the route to be guided and the current position. When a large number of pieces of guide information are selected in the first configuration, the narrowing may be further performed according to additional conditions.

  According to the first configuration, whether or not the guide information can be provided can be determined based on whether or not the user is approaching the registration point by using the approaching condition of the user as a narrowing condition. By doing so, for example, it is possible to provide guide information that conveys the appeal of the registration point itself to a user who is approaching the registration point. Information useful for the next opportunity, for example, event information scheduled to be performed at the registration point in the future, can be provided to the user who is moving away from the registration point. In addition, by providing guide information that conveys the appeal of the entire region, including not only registered points but also the surrounding points, to users who are moving a certain distance from the registered points, Interest can also be directed to the registration point. Thus, by selecting the guide information to be provided in consideration of the approach situation of the user, the usefulness of the guide information, that is, the possibility that the user uses the guide information can be improved. By improving the usefulness of the guide information, the convenience of the guide information providing system for the user is improved and the use frequency is improved. Therefore, a synergistic effect for further improving the usefulness of the guide information can be brought about. Further, even when the user is charged on a pay-as-you-go basis according to the distribution amount of guide information, the economic burden can be reduced.

  In the first configuration, the providing condition may include an area condition that defines an area where the user who should provide the guide information exists. The guide information providing system can detect not only the traveling direction of the user but also the current position of the user, and selects guide information when the detected current position satisfies the area condition. The area condition can be set, for example, in the form of a circular area having a predetermined radius centered on the registration point or other arbitrary shape area, an administrative boundary including the registration point, and the like. Since the guide information of a registered point is often less useful for users who are away from the point, the usefulness of the provided guide information can be improved by considering the area conditions in this way. Can do.

  In the said aspect, you may designate the area which does not contain a registration point as an area condition. In this way, it is possible to aggregate and provide guide information to users away from the registration point. For example, guide information that conveys the charm of a certain area including the registration point in general, Usefulness of information for directing interest to a registration point can be improved.

   In the second configuration, a map database that records roads on which the user can move is used. The map database may be a database that can determine whether each point is a point on any road, such as a road represented by nodes and links, or a polygon. In the guide information database, provision conditions for specifying a provision range of guide information in units of roads and guide information are registered in association with each other. The “unit” of the road can be arbitrarily set so that the provision conditions can be uniquely identified. For example, if a name is given to the road, such as “National Route ○ Line”, the road may be specified by the name. Further, when road polygons are stored in the map database, the roads may be specified in units of the polygons. When roads are represented by nodes and links, the roads may be specified on a link basis. The guide information providing system detects the current position of the user on a road basis. And the guide information which should be provided to a user is selected and provided with reference to the provision conditions registered into the guide information database based on the detected link.

  In the second configuration, since the provision range of the guide information is specified in units of roads, it is possible to efficiently provide the guide information to users who have a closer positional relationship with the registered points. Compared to simply specifying a circular area centered on the registration point as the provision range of guide information, the provision range is specified by identifying roads where people who come to the registration point or who return from the registration point frequently pass Because it can. Also, depending on the registration point, it is possible to substantially narrow down the user's purpose of movement by designating a road. For example, by designating the road corresponding to the main road near the hot spring as the provision range, it is possible to increase the possibility that the guide information is provided to the user who is returning from the hot spring or the user who goes to the hot spring. As described above, specifying the provision range in units of roads has an advantage that the possibility of providing information to the user according to the assumption that the guide information is a provision target can be substantially improved.

  In the second configuration, the provision condition may include a traveling direction on the road. The guide information providing system detects the traveling direction of the user and selects guide information including the detected traveling direction. In this way, for example, it is possible to provide guide information only to a user who is traveling either up or down a certain road. As a result, for example, it is possible to provide guide information only for a user who goes to a registration point through a specific road or a user who is away from the registration point. Since provision conditions for guide information can be further narrowed down, it is possible to further improve the usefulness of guide information.

  In the second configuration, when a map database in which roads are represented by nodes and links is used, at least a part of the roads may be represented by links composed of up and down two lines. In this case, if the provision range of the guide information is specified in units of links, the current position and the traveling direction of the user can be included in the provision conditions at the same time. The guide information providing system needs to identify which link of the two articles the user is on. When a map database link is used to guide a route to be taken from the departure point designated by the user to the destination, the guide information providing system displays the route to be guided and the current position of the user. Thus, the current position can be detected in link units. According to this aspect, the traveling direction can be easily included in the provision conditions, and the traveling direction of the user can be detected with high accuracy, so that the guide information can be provided more efficiently.

  In the second configuration, the provision condition may include a condition for specifying whether or not the guide information should be provided based on at least one of the user's departure place and destination. The guide information providing system inputs at least one of the user's starting point and destination, and selects guide information to be provided depending on whether or not the input starting point or the like meets the providing conditions. Even if the user is on a specified road or link, the purpose of travel is diverse, but the user who departs from a specific departure point or a specific destination by setting the starting point and destination as the provision conditions Guide information can be provided for users who are on their way home from their destination. Therefore, it is possible to improve the possibility that guide information is provided to a user who has the purpose of travel assumed by the guide information among the users on the designated road or link, and further improve the usefulness of the guide information. It becomes possible to make it.

  In the third configuration, the guide information providing system can hold the past movement status of the user. For example, the movement situation after the departure may be held in a limited manner, or the movement situation before the departure may be held. In any case, it is possible to limit the object to be held to only a certain period in the past. The movement status can include, for example, a movement time and a movement route from a certain point in the past including the time of departure, a place where the user stopped in the middle, and the like. As the travel time, the elapsed time may be simply retained, or the net travel time may be retained except when the signal does not move for a certain time due to a signal wait or the like. As for the place where you stop by, you can take a method of judging that you have stopped at the stop location when you have departed from the road and stopped at any point for a certain period of time. In the guide information database, guide information is registered in association with provision conditions determined based on movement conditions.

  The guide information providing system selects and provides guide information to be provided to the user with reference to the provision conditions registered in the guide information database based on the held movement situation. In this way, guide information can be provided in consideration of the movement history of the user. Therefore, it is possible to provide information narrowed down to users according to the intention of the guide information, and the usefulness of the guide information can be improved.

  In the third configuration, a map database including the position of the feature and the attribute of the feature may be used. When the current position of the user is detected, the guide information providing system can identify the feature on which the user has stopped by referring to the map database based on the detected current position. In addition, when the attribute includes a feature type, the feature type may be specified based on the attribute. These identified features and the like can be held in the guide information providing system as a movement situation. In the guide information providing system, conditions determined based on the purpose of visiting the registration point are registered as providing conditions. By doing so, it is possible to narrow down the users to whom the guide information is to be provided, for example, depending on the purpose of visiting the registration point such as meals and shopping. The guide information providing system further specifies the purpose of visiting the place based on the type of the feature visited by the user. For example, it may be specified by associating the type of the visited feature with the purpose of visit in advance, or the purpose of visit may be registered in the map database as an attribute of the feature. Then, when selecting guide information to be provided, the guide information providing system lowers the priority of the guide information corresponding to the same visit purpose as the visit purpose specified from the feature visited.

  The purpose of the visit identified from the feature you stopped by can be said to be a goal that may have already been completed for that feature. Therefore, even if guide information corresponding to the same visit purpose is provided, there is a possibility that the usefulness for the user is low. According to the said aspect, provision of the guide information corresponding to the visit purpose with high possibility that the user has completed can be suppressed, and the guide information corresponding to the uncompleted visit purpose can be provided preferentially. Therefore, the usefulness of guide information can be improved. In the above aspect, as a method of lowering the priority of guide information corresponding to the same visit purpose, for example, a method of excluding such guide information from selection targets may be adopted. Further, the priority may be lowered by sorting the guide information corresponding to the provision conditions based on whether or not the guide information matches the purpose of visiting the place where the user visited.

  In the guide information providing system of the present invention, various provision conditions are set for the guide information. It is also important to set the provision condition so as to meet the intention of the guide information provider in order to obtain the effect of the present invention. From this point of view, the present invention can also be configured as a support device that supports setting of provision conditions for providing guide information for a guide information providing system. This support apparatus may be incorporated as one function of the guide information providing system, or may be configured as a separate apparatus.

  Among the various provision conditions described above, in the second configuration, setting of a road or a link that defines the provision range requires the most assistance. For example, even if the road closest to the registration point is designated as the provision range, if the road hits a narrow street, such as when the road hits a narrow street, the guide information will be hardly used effectively. . Below, the structure in the case of assisting the setting of the provision conditions for each road will be described first. For this setting support, route search is used. Therefore, in the following, the case where provision conditions are specified in units of links is targeted.

  The support apparatus of the present invention presents link candidates that should be provided by the following procedure. First, the support device sets a destination to be associated with the guide information as one end of the route search. For example, when the guide information provides information for a user who goes to a ski resort or a hot spring, or a user who is on the way back from these locations, the ski resort or the hot spring can be set as the destination. The destination to be associated with the guide information may be arbitrarily designated by the guide information provider, or may be automatically determined from terms included in the guide information. In the latter case, for example, a table for associating a predetermined keyword with a destination is prepared, and a method of specifying by referring to this table based on terms included in the guide information can be adopted. .

  When the destination is set, the support device refers to the map database and performs a route search with the destination as one end and the other end as any point different from the destination. The other end of the route search can be arbitrarily set. The support device presents link candidates that are to be provided based on the route search result thus obtained. That is, a candidate link is set based on a route having the destination as one end. By doing so, it is possible to set as a provision range a link that is likely to pass by a user heading to the destination related to the guide information and a user on the return path from the destination.

  In the route search, for example, a method of selecting one of nodes that has been set as a base point candidate in advance based on the positional relationship with the destination, and setting this as the base point that should be the other end of the route search Can also be taken. In this case, the route search is performed between the destination and the base point. Base points include, for example, highway interchanges, intersections at the entrance to main roads such as bypasses, points where many users are likely to pass on the way to or from the destination, drive-ins, and prominent firsts. A point such as a food store that many users can use for a break can be used. Individual points may be set in advance as base point candidates, or base point candidates may be set comprehensively according to types or attributes such as interchanges. The support device can set a base point to be used for route search based on a positional relationship with the destination, for example, a distance from the destination or a distance from a straight line connecting the destination and the main city. .

  According to the above aspect, link candidates can be provided based on the result of the route search performed between the destination and the base point. By using a place that many users are likely to use as a base point, it is possible to provide link candidates based on a route that many users will use on the way to the destination and on the return trip. Therefore, according to the said aspect, the candidate link which can implement | achieve provision of more efficient guide information can be shown.

  A specific point, that is, a registered point may be set as the other end of the route search, and the route search may be performed between the destination and the registered point. By doing so, a link on the route from the destination to the registered point can be cited as a candidate. Therefore, a candidate link that can efficiently provide guide information can be presented for a user who is convenient for heading to the registration point on the return trip from the destination.

  In any of the above-described aspects, a plurality of destinations may be set, and a plurality of route searches may be performed with each destination as one end. For example, when considering providing guide information for users going to and from a ski resort, a plurality of ski resorts existing around the registration point are extracted as destinations, and a plurality of ski resorts are used as one end. A route can be obtained. Although a method of presenting links on all routes obtained in this way as candidate links can be adopted, it is preferable to preferentially present links on which two or more routes overlap as candidates. By doing so, links on a route common to a plurality of destinations can be presented as candidates, and candidate links that can provide guide information efficiently can be presented.

  Similarly, a plurality of base points to be the other end of the destination may be set. The other end may include a registration point. In these cases, a route search may be performed using a plurality of combinations of a plurality of base points and registration points and a plurality of destinations. Also in this case, it is preferable to present a link on a route that overlaps in a plurality of search results as a candidate.

  In addition to providing candidate links, the support device can provide various functions that support setting of provision conditions. For example, when the guide information is distributed on a pay-per-use basis, the cost estimation result may be presented for the provision conditions set by the guide information provider. In this case, it is preferable that a part of the provision condition set by the provider and a part of the condition affecting the cost are changed and a plurality of estimation results are automatically presented. This makes it possible for the guide information provider to find provision conditions that match the budget relatively easily.

  The present invention does not necessarily have all the various features described above, and may be configured by omitting some or combining them appropriately. The present invention can be configured as a guide information providing method and a support method for providing guide information by a computer, in addition to the guide information providing system and the support device described above. Further, it can be configured as a computer program for supporting provision of guide information and setting of provision conditions, or can be configured as a recording medium on which at least a part of the computer program is recorded. In this case, as a recording medium, a flexible disk, a CD-ROM, a magneto-optical disk, an IC card, a ROM cartridge, a punch card, a printed matter on which a code such as a barcode is printed, an internal storage device of a computer (RAM, ROM, etc. Various types of computer-readable media such as a memory) and an external storage device can be used.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following order.
A. System configuration:
B. data structure:
C. Advertising registration process:
C1. Delivery target setting process:
C2. Area / route selection processing:
C2-1. Route selection process:
C2-2. Route selection example:
C3. Date specification processing:
C4. Time zone specification processing:
C5. Advertisement content specification processing:
C6. Cost estimation process:
D. Outline of route guidance:
E. Route search and route guidance processing:
E1. Route search process:
E2. Route guidance process:
E3. Ad selection process:
F. Variation:

A. System configuration:
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a guide information providing system as an embodiment. The guide information providing system is a system that provides guide information registered in advance to a user in relation to a specific point (hereinafter referred to as “registered point”). In this specification, the configuration, functions, and the like of the system will be described by taking as an example a case where an advertisement for a registered point is provided as guide information.

  The guide information providing system of the embodiment is configured by connecting an information providing server 200 (hereinafter also simply referred to as “server”) and a terminal 100 via the Internet INT. In the example in the figure, the terminal 100 is a car navigation device. In addition, various portable devices such as a mobile phone, a notebook PC, and a PDA can be used as the terminal.

  The terminal 100 is required to have a communication function with the Internet INT in order to acquire an advertisement provided from the information providing server 200. However, by acquiring guide information in advance, an advertisement can be provided offline. Is possible. Only when communication with the server 200 cannot be secured, the advertisement may be provided offline. In the example of the figure, an example in which the Internet INT is applied is shown, but a limited network such as an intranet may be used instead of the Internet INT.

  As described above, the guide information providing system is configured with the server 200 and the terminal 100 as the center, but in addition to this, the personal computer 300 and many Web servers 400 [1] and 400 [2] can be included. The personal computer 300 is a device for registering advertisements and distribution conditions in the server 200. In this embodiment, these functions are realized by a Web page provided from the server 200. Therefore, in order to realize the above-described function, the personal computer 300 only needs to have a browser. The above-described functions can also be realized by the terminal 100. In this sense, the personal computer 300 can also be called a type of the terminal 100, but functions such as schedule registration can also be realized by a device that cannot be carried such as a desktop personal computer. Separately shown.

  Web servers 400 [1] and 400 [2] (hereinafter, both may be collectively referred to as Web server 400) are servers that provide various types of information through Web sites on the Internet. In the figure, the Web server 400 [1] provides weather information, and the Web server 400 [2] provides traffic jam information. The provided information is not limited to these, and includes a wide variety of information such as shopping information and administrative information. The Web server 400 need not be a server specialized for the guide information providing system. However, if the server is affiliated with the guide information providing system, a more convenient system can be constructed. For example, the information collection efficiency of the present system can be improved by providing information according to a prescribed format by the Web server 400. Further, by making it possible to include unique parameters in the information, it is possible to control the use mode of information in the guide information providing system from the Web server 400 side.

  In the figure, functional blocks of the information providing server 200 for providing a function as a guide information providing system are also shown. In the present embodiment, these functional blocks are realized in software by installing a computer program configured with CGI (Common Gateway Interface) for realizing these functions in the information providing server 200. At least a part of the functional blocks in the figure can also be configured in hardware by a circuit such as an ASIC.

  The server 200 includes four databases shown in the figure. The map DB 201 is a database used for route search and guidance, and stores road network data representing roads as a set of nodes and links and drawing data for displaying a map. The drawing data stores polygon data representing the topography and the shape of the feature, and data of the position and attribute of the feature. Road network data should include network data for vehicles that can be used when traveling by vehicle, network data for pedestrians that can be used when walking, network data for transportation that can be used when using transportation, etc. Can do. A data example of the map DB 201 will be described later.

  The user DB 202 holds the user's personal identification information such as user ID, name, date of birth, etc., as well as search conditions specified by the user at the time of route search, the result of route search, and the like. Also, during route guidance, a movement history after departure is also held. The user DB 202 may further store information such as the user's hobbies and preferences, and customization information related to screens and audio output, as information that can be used when distributing advertisements.

  The advertisement DB 203 stores advertisements provided to the user by the guide information providing system and their distribution conditions in association with each other. In addition to advertisements, information collected from the Web server 400 such as weather forecasts, traffic jam information, and news may be stored. The advertiser DB 204 stores the advertiser's ID, personal information such as name, the advertiser's type of business, the default setting value of the advertisement distribution condition, and billing data for each advertiser. The advertisement registered in the advertisement DB 203 is associated with the registered content of the advertiser DB 204 by the advertiser ID.

  Each functional block performs the following functions. The communication unit 210 controls information exchange via the Internet INT. The advertisement registration unit 240 provides an interface for registering an advertisement in the advertisement DB 203 while referring to the advertiser DB 204. In this embodiment, this interface screen is generated in the form of a Web page using HTML or XML and provided to the terminal 300 via the output data generation unit 220. When the advertiser specifies the content and distribution conditions of the advertisement on the terminal 300, the advertisement registration unit 240 registers these data in the advertisement DB 203.

  The advertisement distribution unit 242 selects an advertisement to be distributed to the user's terminal 100 from the advertisements registered in the advertisement DB 203 while referring to the user DB 202. The selected advertisement is provided to the terminal 100 via the output data generation unit 220.

  When the advertisement processing unit 250 registers an advertisement, it calculates and presents the advertisement distribution cost according to the distribution conditions. Also, the advertisement distribution status is received from the advertisement distribution unit 242, the cost is calculated on a pay-per-use basis according to the distributed advertisement, and the result is registered in the advertiser DB 204.

  The route search unit 232 refers to the map DB 201 and performs a route search between the departure point and the destination specified by the user on the terminal 100. It can be realized by referring to the road network data in the map DB 201 and applying a known method such as the Dijkstra method. The result of the route search is held in the user DB 202.

  In addition, the route search unit 232 also performs route search for providing support information when the advertiser sets advertisement distribution conditions. In this embodiment, as will be described later, advertisement distribution conditions can be set in units of links, and the advertisement registration unit 240 presents recommended links to the advertiser. The route search unit 232 provides a route search result to the advertisement registration unit 240 as information used to identify the recommended link. The route guidance unit 230 displays a map while referring to the route search result registered in the user DB 202 and the map DB 201 according to the current position of the user, and also displays a moving route on the map.

  The output data generation unit 220 generates display data to be displayed on the terminal 100 based on data provided from the advertisement distribution unit 242 and the route guide unit 230. In this embodiment, display data is generated using HTML and XML so that a wide variety of terminals 100 can be used. As described above, the output data generation unit 220 generates display data of various screens required for the guide information providing system, such as an advertisement registration interface screen and a menu screen for selecting an operation.

  In the figure, functional blocks provided in the terminal 100 are also illustrated. In the terminal 100, each functional block shown in the figure operates under the management of the main control unit 110. In this embodiment, these functional blocks are configured in software by a program for realizing the function as the terminal 100, but may be configured in hardware.

  The communication unit 120 controls transmission / reception of information via the Internet INT. The command input unit 130 inputs various commands such as selection of a menu, start of guidance, and selection of information to be displayed according to a user operation. The display control unit 150 has a function of performing screen display according to data from the information providing server 200. In this embodiment, it is provided by a browser. A GPS (Global Positioning System) 140 detects the current position of the user. The current position is transmitted to the server 200 and used for display control of guide information and route guidance.

  What is shown here is only an example of a guide information providing system. Each functional block shown in FIG. 1 is not necessarily provided in the information providing server 200 or the terminal 100, and may be realized by cooperation of a plurality of servers by distributed processing. In addition, by providing all the functional blocks in the terminal 100, it is possible to construct a guide information providing system that operates stand-alone.

B. data structure:
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the data structure of the map DB 201. FIG. 2A illustrates the contents of the drawing data. The drawing data stores polygon data representing roads, features, and the like, and each polygon data stores an ID, a shape, an attribute thereof, and the like. For example, the building BLD is represented by a rectangular polygon with hatching as shown in the figure. This polygon is given “POL1” as an ID. The shape is represented by listing the position coordinates (latitude, longitude) of the vertices P1, P2, P3, and P4 of the polygon. In addition, attributes such as the type and height of the building are also attached to the polygon POL1. In addition to the type and height, various information can be registered in the attribute. For example, it may be possible to register events that can be completed in the building, such as accommodation, meals, breaks, shopping, and sports.

  The road RD stores ID data “POL2”, shape data representing a rectangular area with cross hatching in the figure, and attribute data such as type and lane. The shape is expressed by enumerating the position coordinates of the vertices as in the building. In this embodiment, the road polygon is formed corresponding to a link to be described later, and is formed as a unit between the intersections.

  FIG. 2B illustrates road network data. The road shown to Fig.2 (a) is represented by the node link. Nodes N1, N2, etc. are points corresponding to intersections. Each node stores a position coordinate together with an ID. In addition, attributes such as traffic restrictions when passing through a node may be stored.

  A link is a line segment connecting nodes so as to represent a road. In the present embodiment, a wide road is represented by two up / down lines such as links L1 and L2, and a narrow road is represented by one line up and down like a link L3. For each link, a link ID, shape, and direction of travel are registered. The shape of the link is represented by listing the position coordinates of the passing point of the link. The direction of travel is registered as “unidirectional” for two roads such as links L1 and L2, and “bidirectional” for one road such as link L3. In the case of a single direction, only passage in the direction from the start point to the end point of the point sequence representing the shape is allowed. For the link, in addition to the data described above, attributes such as a road type such as a national road and a prefectural road, a road width, and traffic restrictions may be registered.

  In this embodiment, two roads and one road are mixed, but all roads may be unified with two or one. For example, in the case of unifying the two items, two links may be set at the same position on a narrow road such as the link L3.

C. Advertising registration process:
FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the advertisement registration process. This is a process executed by the advertisement registration unit 240 of the server 200, and registers advertisements and distribution conditions for points such as the advertiser's store (hereinafter referred to as "registration points") in accordance with the operation of the terminal 300 by the advertiser. Process.

  When the process is started, the server 200 accepts login by inputting the ID and password from the advertiser (step S10), and presents a registration interface screen (step S12). An example of the registration interface screen DISP is shown in the figure. In this example, “1. delivery target setting”, “2. area / route selection”, “3. date designation”, “4. time zone designation”, “5. advertisement content designation”, “6” .. Estimated cost ”menu. The server 200 executes processing corresponding to each menu according to the selection result from the advertiser (step S14). Detailed contents of each processing will be described later.

  When “1. schedule registration / change” is selected, the server 200 performs a distribution target setting process (step S100). This is a process of setting a condition for narrowing down users to whom an advertisement should be provided as one of the delivery conditions. For example, when an advertiser registers an advertisement for a family with a ski resort, in order to increase the usefulness of the advertisement, “return to ski resort”, “with family”, etc. are set as distribution conditions, and the distribution target It narrows down the users (hereinafter also referred to as “distribution targets”) to be.

  When “2. Select area / route” is selected, the server 200 performs an area / route selection process (step S200). This is a process of designating a range to be distributed as an advertisement as one of the distribution conditions. In this embodiment, there are provided a method of designating in a certain area (area) and a method of designating in units of routes (links).

  If “3. Date specification” is selected, the server 200 performs date specification processing (step S300). This is a process for specifying a date on which an advertisement should be distributed as one of the distribution conditions.

  When “4. Designation of time zone” is selected, the server 200 performs time zone designation processing (step S400). This is a process for specifying a time zone in which an advertisement should be distributed as one of the distribution conditions.

  When “5. Advertisement content designation” is selected, the server 200 performs advertisement content designation processing (step S500). This is a process for registering an advertisement to be provided.

  When “6. Cost estimation” is selected, the server 200 performs a cost estimation process (step S600). This is a process of estimating the cost imposed on the advertiser under specified conditions and presenting the result. Based on this result, the advertiser can adjust the delivery conditions so that the cost is within the allowable budget range of the advertiser.

  When the “Register” button (corresponding to the menu 7) is pressed on the registration interface screen DISP, the server 200 registers advertisement data and distribution conditions in the advertisement DB 203 (step S700), and ends the advertisement registration process. When a “cancel” button (corresponding to the menu 8) is pressed on the registration interface screen DISP, the server 200 skips these registrations and ends the advertisement registration process as it is.

C1. Delivery target setting process:
FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the distribution target setting process. This process corresponds to step S100 of the advertisement registration process (FIG. 3). In this process, although the terminal 100 can be used, the following description will be made assuming that the personal computer 300 is used for convenience of explanation.

  When this process is started, the server 200 reads preset data regarding the distribution target from the advertiser DB 204 (step S102), provides an interface screen, and accepts input from the advertiser (step S104). When a new setting is made, the advertiser can usually display the default setting on the interface screen by reading the default setting registered as the setting data to be used. In addition, when the delivery target setting process is executed again after setting the delivery target, the interface screen for modifying the set data is provided by reading the data set up to the previous time. It becomes possible.

  An example of the interface screen is shown in the figure. In the present embodiment, the distribution target is narrowed down by the target person, the destination, and the stop-off purpose. The “target person” is an item for specifying in which group the user who is moving is a distribution target. It is now possible to designate people who are acting alone, those who are traveling on business, families, couples, and children.

  The “destination” is an item for narrowing a distribution target according to a user's destination, such as a ski resort, a hot spring, and a shopping center. By making it possible to designate “going”, “returning”, and “no designation” to the destination, it is possible to further narrow down the details. For example, when an advertiser intends to deliver an advertisement for inviting a user returning to a ski resort to eat, it is efficient by specifying the conditions of “ski resort” and “return” as shown in the figure. Can be realized.

  The “stopping purpose” is a condition for narrowing the distribution target according to the purpose of coming to the advertiser's store. For example, when an advertisement related to “meal” is to be distributed, it is possible to realize efficient distribution by designating “meal” as “stopping purpose” as shown in the figure. In addition to this, various purposes such as a break, souvenir, and information collection can be selected as the “stop-by purpose”.

  The conditions for narrowing down the distribution target are not limited to the items described above, and any of various items can be set. Moreover, although the case where one condition is set for each item has been illustrated in the above example, a plurality of conditions may be set.

  After the advertiser inputs conditions on the interface screen and presses “OK” (step S106), the server 200 stores the input distribution target setting (step S108) and ends this process. At this point, since it is a provisional setting that may be corrected later, in this embodiment, the setting is stored in the advertiser DB 204 at this point. The setting contents are registered in the advertisement DB 203 in step S700 of the advertisement registration process (FIG. 3). Of course, a configuration of registering in the advertisement DB 203 at the time of step S108 in FIG. 4 may be adopted. When the advertiser presses “Cancel” on the interface screen (step S106), the server 200 ends this process without saving the conditions input on the interface screen.

C2. Area / route selection processing:
FIG. 5 is a flowchart of area / route selection processing. This process corresponds to step S200 of the advertisement registration process. This process is a process for designating a range to which an advertisement is to be distributed by area or route as one of the distribution conditions. This corresponds to processing mainly executed by the route search unit 232 and the advertisement registration unit 240 of the server 200.

  When the processing is started, the server 200 reads already set data (step S202). If this process is executed again after setting the area or route once, it is possible to provide an interface screen for modifying the set data by reading the data set up to the previous time It becomes.

  Next, the server 200 provides a menu screen and inputs a selection instruction for either the area selection mode or the route selection mode (step S204). Area selection is a mode for designating a certain area as a target area for advertisement delivery. Route selection is a mode for designating a place where advertisements are to be delivered for each link registered in the road network. Mode.

  When the “cancel” button is pressed on the menu screen (step S206), the server 200 ends the area / route selection process without performing any process. When “area selection” is designated (step S206), the server 200 provides an interface screen for area selection and accepts an input from the advertiser (step S208). The interface screen is illustrated in the figure. The figure shows an example in which a circular area having a radius indicated by an arrow centered on an asterisk is designated as an area. The star can use the advertiser's store location as a default value, but the advertiser may be able to specify an arbitrary location on the map with a pointing device such as a mouse. The area does not need to be a circular region, and various shapes such as a rectangle, other polygons, and an ellipse can be selected, or an arbitrary shape can be set by sequentially specifying vertices with a pointing device. Furthermore, the area may be selectable in units of administrative boundaries.

  In the menu screen, radio buttons such as “approach only” and “not specified” are provided. “Only approach” is a designation that only a user who is approaching a registration point (a star in the figure) within the above-mentioned area is a distribution target. “No designation” is designation that the user in the area is the distribution target regardless of the traveling direction. In addition, it may be possible to specify that only a user who is away from the registration point is a distribution target.

  When the advertiser designates “route selection” on the menu screen (step S206), the server 200 executes route selection processing (step S210). Details of this processing will be described later. With the above processing, when the designation of the area or route to which the advertisement is to be delivered is completed and the advertiser presses the “Confirm” button (step S230), the server 200 stores the designation of the area / route (step S232). This process is terminated. The storage destination is the advertiser DB 204. When the advertiser presses “Cancel” on the interface screen (step S230), the server 200 ends this process without saving the designation of the area / route.

C2-1. Route selection process:
FIG. 6 is a flowchart of route selection processing. This is a process corresponding to step S210 of the area / route selection process (FIG. 5), and is a process for designating a location to which an advertisement is to be distributed in units of road network routes.

  This processing is also performed in two ways: when a route is already selected and then executed to correct the setting contents, and when newly executed to set a route. When there is no preset data (step S212), that is, when a new route is set, the server 200 presents a route to be a candidate to the advertiser according to the procedure shown below.

  First, the server 200 reads data set in the distribution target setting, that is, the distribution target setting process (FIG. 4) and stored in the advertiser DB 204 (step S214). Further, the location information of the store is input with reference to the advertiser DB 204 (step S216).

  Then, referring to these, destination candidates and base point candidates are extracted (step S218). The destination candidate can be obtained from the distribution target setting. As described with reference to FIG. 4, since “Destination” is set as the delivery target setting in this embodiment, this data may be used. However, since the distribution target setting is only specified in a category such as “ski resort”, the server 200 needs to set a specific destination candidate based on this category. For setting the destination candidates, for example, a method of sequentially extracting points corresponding to the destination category set as the distribution target within a predetermined distance centered on the location of the store can be adopted. The number of destination candidates may be limited to one, or a plurality of destination candidates may be extracted.

  As the base point candidate, any one of nodes set in advance as a base point candidate may be selected based on the positional relationship with the destination. Candidates for base points include, for example, highway interchanges, intersections at the entrance to main roads such as bypasses, points where many users are likely to pass on the way to or from the destination, drive-ins, A point such as a fast food restaurant that can be used by many users for a break can be used. In the process of step S218, a method of sequentially extracting those base point candidates that are within a predetermined distance from the store can be employed. The number of destination candidates may be limited to one, or a plurality of destination candidates may be extracted.

  The server 200 performs a parametric route search for a plurality of combinations having the destination candidate set in this way as a departure point and the base point candidate and the store position as an end point (step S220). An example of processing is shown in the figure. When destination 1, destination 2, etc. are set as destination candidates, a route search “departure point = destination 1, end point = store”, “departure point = destination 1, end point = base point 1” The route search is sequentially executed by changing the combination.

The server 200 extracts candidate routes based on the result of this route search (step S222). In this embodiment, candidate routes are set according to the following three criteria.
Criterion 1: Extract at least one route for each destination;
Criterion 2: Preferentially extract a plurality of overlapping routes in a plurality of route search results;
Criteria 3: Preferentially extracting routes with the store as the end point Setting examples to which these criteria are applied will be described later. The criteria for extracting the candidate route can be arbitrarily set, and some of the above three criteria may be omitted, or other conditions may be considered.

  The server 200 presents an interface screen showing the candidate route obtained above to the advertiser, and receives input from the advertiser (step S224). When there is already set data for route setting (step S212), that is, when route selection processing is being executed to correct a route that has already been set, the server 200 performs steps S214 to S222 described above. This process is omitted and the provision of the interface screen is executed (step S224).

  An example of the interface screen is shown in the figure. In this example, as indicated by an arrow MA, a link in the direction from the node PA to the node PB is selected as the route. As previously shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, since the link is defined in Article 2, it is possible to specify the direction including the traveling direction in this way. The section indicated by the arrow MA is a road separated from the road in front of the store. However, when the road width in front of the store is narrow and the road corresponding to the arrow MA is a main road, it is possible to distribute to a large number of users by specifying the advertisement distribution target in this way. Usability can be increased. In this embodiment, since the route search is used, it is possible to extract links used in many route searches as candidates even if the location is away from the store. In the figure, a candidate route is also selected on the left side of the store. This is extracted corresponding to the route to the destination without passing through the route between the nodes PA and PB.

  The advertiser can manually specify the route selection on this screen. For example, in the example in the figure, the route MA can be excluded from the target by selecting the arrow MA with a pointing device and instructing the deletion. Also, another route can be selected and designated as an advertisement distribution target. When the advertiser presses the “confirm” or “cancel” button, the server 200 ends the route selection process, returns to the area / route selection process (FIG. 5), and sets the settings in the advertiser DB 204 as described above. Save it.

C2-2. Route selection example:
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of route selection. The example in the case where the advertiser of the store in the figure performs route setting for an advertisement whose distribution target is a user returning from a ski resort has been shown. In this case, the server 200 extracts a ski area around the store as a destination for the route search. In the illustrated example, ski resort A to ski resort C are extracted. Further, an interchange IC around the store is extracted as a base point.

  The route search result between the ski resort A and the interchange IC is the route RA1, and the route search result between the store and the store is the route RA2. The route search result between the ski resort B and the interchange IC is the route RB1, and the route search result between the store and the store is the route RB2. The route search result between the ski resort C and the interchange IC is the route RC1, and the route search result between the ski resort C and the store is a portion of the section D3 in the route RC1.

  Since the route from the ski resort C is only the route RC1, this route RC1 is extracted as a candidate route from the above-described “Standard 1: Extract at least one route for each destination”. A section D3 that satisfies “standard 3: preferentially extract a route having a store as an end point” is extracted as a candidate route.

  In addition, since “criteria 2: preferentially extracting a plurality of overlapping routes in a plurality of route search results”, locations where routes RA1, RB1 overlap (sections D1, D2, etc. in the figure) are extracted. Among them, the section D1 satisfying “standard 3: preferentially extract a route having a store as an end point” is extracted as a candidate route.

  As described above, in the example of FIG. 7, the routes in the sections D1 and D3 are extracted as candidates. The candidate route previously shown in FIG. 6 is determined in this way. If the above-mentioned criteria are used, highly useful advertisement distribution can be realized for the following reason. First, by “standard 1: extracting at least one route for each destination”, distribution targets from all destinations can be included in the advertisement distribution target without omission. In FIG. 7, because the reference 1 is provided, the section D3 is selected as the route, and the user from the ski resort C is included in the distribution target.

  By using “Criteria 2: Preferentially extracting a plurality of overlapping routes in a plurality of route search results”, it is possible to make a route that a user from many destinations use redundantly as a candidate, It is possible to efficiently distribute advertisements to distribution targets from a plurality of destinations. In the example of FIG. 7, even if the route from the ski resort A and the ski resort B to the section D1 is distributed on the routes RA1 and RB1, the advertisement is only given to the users from the ski resort A or the ski resort B, respectively. Although it cannot be distributed, the advertisement can be distributed to both users from the ski resorts A and B by designating the section D1.

  In addition, by using “standard 3: preferentially extract a route having a store as an end point”, a user who is unlikely to come to the store can be excluded from the distribution target. For example, in FIG. 7, the user in the section D2 has to go back or make a detour to go to the store, so even if an advertisement is received, the possibility of going to the store is relatively low. On the other hand, if the section D1 overlapping with the route having the store as the end point is set as the distribution target, the user who received the advertisement is likely to go to the store. Therefore, by using the standard 3, it is possible to suppress distribution to users who are unlikely to come to the store and to increase the usefulness of the advertisement.

C3. Date specification processing:
FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the date designation process. This process corresponds to step S300 of the advertisement registration process. This process is a process for designating a date and time for distributing an advertisement as one of the distribution conditions. This corresponds to a process mainly executed by the advertisement registration unit 240 of the server 200.

  When the process is started, the server 200 reads already set data and distribution target settings (step S302). Reading of the already set data is performed to provide an interface screen for correcting the already set data.

  When there is no preset data (step S304), the server 200 sets a recommended date (step S306). In this embodiment, as shown in the figure, the appropriate season and day of the week are registered as a table for each purpose, and the recommended date is referred to by referring to this table according to the “destination” of the delivery target setting. The method of setting was adopted. For example, in the distribution target setting, when “ski resort” is set as the destination, “Saturday / Sunday / Holiday” in “December to March” is set as the recommended date. If “Hot Spring” is set as the destination, “Friday / Saturday / Sunday / Holiday” is set as the recommended date without specifying the season. The setting of the recommended date is a process executed for the convenience of advertiser input, and can be omitted.

  When the recommended date is set, the server 200 provides an interface screen and receives an input from the advertiser (step S308). If there is already set data (step S304), the setting of the recommended date (step S306) is omitted, and the interface screen is provided according to the already set data. The setting of the recommended date is a process for the convenience of advertiser input, and can be omitted.

  An example of the interface screen is shown in the figure. In this embodiment, two types of input interfaces can be provided. On the left side is an input screen using a calendar. In this screen, the advertiser can individually select the days to be distributed. The date with a check mark in the figure indicates the date selected as the distribution date. In addition to this, the interface screen also has a check field for repeating the weekly distribution date every day of the week. By checking the “Weekly” column at the bottom of the screen, it is possible to collectively designate a predetermined day of the week as a distribution target without having to individually specify it.

  The right side is a screen for specifying the delivery date according to the conditions. In this example, first, a period to be distributed is specified by date. Among these, the day of the week to be distributed every week is designated. For the convenience of input, “Included” or “Not included” can be selected for the specified day of the week for distribution. For example, if “include” is selected with Monday checked, only Monday will be targeted for distribution, and if “not included” is selected, Tuesday to Sunday except Monday will be targeted for distribution.

  When the advertiser presses the “confirm” button on the interface screen (step S310), the server 200 stores the date designation (step S312) and ends this process. The storage destination is the advertiser DB 204. When the advertiser presses “cancel” on the interface screen (step S310), the server 200 ends this process without saving the date designation.

C4. Time zone specification processing:
FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the time zone designation process. This process corresponds to step S400 of the advertisement registration process. This process is a process for designating a date and time for distributing an advertisement as one of the distribution conditions. This corresponds to a process mainly executed by the advertisement registration unit 240 of the server 200.

  When the process is started, the server 200 reads already set data, distribution target settings, and date designation (step S402). Reading of the already set data is performed to provide an interface screen for correcting the already set data.

  When there is no preset data (step S404), the server 200 sets a recommended time zone for distributing advertisements (step S406). In this example, as shown in the figure, it is recommended that each appropriate time zone is registered as a table for each desired round trip, and this table is recommended by referring to this table according to the “Destination” of the delivery target setting. The method of setting the date was adopted. The table was prepared for weekdays (Monday to Friday) and weekends (Saturday, Sunday) and holidays. By referring to this table, for example, when a user heading to a ski resort is a distribution target, 8:00 to 10:00 on weekdays and 6:00 to 10:00 on holidays are set as recommended time zones. Will be. When the user who returns from the ski resort is the distribution target, the recommended time zone is set to 14:00 to 17:00 on weekdays and 14:00 to 20:00 on holidays.

  When the recommended time zone is set, the server 200 provides an interface screen and accepts input from the advertiser (step S408). If there is already set data (step S404), the setting of the recommended time zone (step S406) is omitted, and the interface screen is provided according to the already set data. The setting of the recommended time zone is a process for the convenience of the advertiser input, and may be omitted.

  An example of the interface screen is shown in the figure. The advertiser specifies the date to apply the time zone setting on this screen. The designation method includes a method of designating dates individually and a method of designating in categories such as days of the week and holidays. The example in the figure shows that settings for Saturday, Sunday, and holidays are performed.

  Next, the advertiser sets a time zone in which the advertisement should be distributed. What is necessary is just to designate the time zone which should be delivered separately in the time zone bar shown below. In the illustrated example, a total of 6 hours from 6 o'clock to 9 o'clock and from 15 o'clock to 18 o'clock are designated. In this embodiment, category designation is also possible for convenience of input. When the time is selected, 6 to 18:00 is set. When the active time is selected, 9 to 21:00 is set. When the night time is selected, 18:00 to 6:00 is set next morning. After setting the time zone in the category, it is also possible to adjust by the individual designation in the time zone bar. When the advertiser presses the “add” button, the time zone can be set for another date and day of the week.

  When the advertiser presses the “confirm” button on the interface screen (step S410), the server 200 stores the time zone designation (step S411) and ends this process. The storage destination is the advertiser DB 204. When the advertiser presses “cancel” on the interface screen (step S410), the server 200 ends this process without saving the time zone designation.

C5. Advertisement content specification processing:
FIG. 10 is a flowchart of the advertisement content designation process. This process corresponds to step S500 of the advertisement registration process. This process is a process for designating a date and time for distributing an advertisement as one of the distribution conditions. This corresponds to a process mainly executed by the advertisement registration unit 240 of the server 200.

  When the process is started, the server 200 reads already set data (step S502). Reading of the already set data is performed to provide an interface screen for correcting the already set data.

  Next, the server 200 provides an interface screen and receives input from the advertiser (step S504). An example of the interface screen is shown in the figure. On the interface screen, the advertiser can input typical information such as a store name, advertisement text, equipment / service, and location information. The advertisement image displayed on the user's terminal 100 (see FIG. 1) according to the input content is illustrated at the lower right of the screen. Such a setting method has an advantage in that management and search of input information is prepared because typical items are used. Further, there is an advantage that even an advertiser who is unfamiliar with the creation of advertisement data can be set easily.

  On the interface screen, a detailed advertisement prepared by the advertiser can also be registered. In the present embodiment, the designation can be made by inputting the data path of the detailed advertisement. By doing so, it is also possible to use an advertisement with a high PR degree prepared independently by the advertiser. A link to detailed advertisement data is set in “View details” of the advertisement image shown in the lower right. When the user clicks “view details” in the advertisement image displayed on the terminal 100, it is possible to view a detailed advertisement prepared uniquely by the advertiser. What is shown in the figure is only an example of an advertisement image and a setting method thereof. In addition to this, the advertisement data can be set by various methods.

  After the content of the advertisement is input, when the advertiser presses the “confirm” button on the interface screen (step S506), the server 200 stores the time zone designation (step S508) and ends this process. The storage destination is the advertiser DB 204. When the advertiser presses “Cancel” on the interface screen (step S506), the server 200 ends this process without saving the time zone designation.

C6. Cost estimation process:
FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the cost estimation process. This process corresponds to step S500 of the advertisement registration process. This process is a process for estimating the cost of advertisement distribution based on distribution conditions. This corresponds to processing mainly executed by the billing processing unit 250 of the server 200.

  When the process is started, the server 200 reads the distribution condition designation data (step S602). Based on the date designation, the advertisement delivery date is extracted (step S604). The distribution date may be extracted without limiting the period, or may be extracted by narrowing the period, such as yearly, monthly, or weekly.

  The server 200 calculates an advertising fee per day, that is, a distribution cost, for the extracted day (step S606). The calculation method of the advertising fee is shown in the figure. In the present embodiment, the cost is calculated by multiplying the basic charge by a coefficient by area / route designation, a coefficient by date, and a coefficient by time. The basic charge has a multi-stage charge setting according to the priority order, that is, whether or not to give priority to its own delivery compared to other advertisers.

  The area coefficient is a coefficient for increasing or decreasing the cost in accordance with the size of the area to which the advertisement is distributed and the length of the route. When the area is designated, a value obtained by dividing the size of the designated delivery area by a preset basic area is used as a coefficient. When the distribution area is wider than the basic area, the advertising fee increases, and when it is narrower than the basic area, the advertising fee decreases. When a route is designated, a value obtained by multiplying a value obtained by dividing the total distance of the designated section by a preset basic distance and a route coefficient is used. The route coefficient is a coefficient according to the road type, and is set to 1 for general roads and prefectural roads and 1.1 for national roads. This is to reflect the fact that the national road has more traffic than the general road, and the usefulness of the advertisement is higher. Of course, the route coefficient can be set arbitrarily, and may be further subdivided according to the road type, or may be a value of 1 regardless of the road type.

  The date coefficient is a coefficient for increasing or decreasing the advertisement fee according to the type of advertisement distribution date. In this embodiment, a value of 1 is set on weekdays, a value of 1.05 is set on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, and a value of 1.1 is set on Golden Week (GW) or a tray. This is to reflect the fact that weekends, GW, etc. have more traffic and are more useful for advertising than weekdays. The date coefficient can be arbitrarily set, and may be further subdivided according to the date type, or may be a value 1 regardless of the type.

  The time coefficient is a coefficient for increasing or decreasing the advertisement fee according to the advertisement delivery time length. In this embodiment, a value obtained by dividing the delivery time by the basic time is used. You may make it change a weight according to a time slot | zone.

  The server 200 executes the above cost calculation for all distribution dates (step S608). Then, these calculation results are presented, and designation of priority is input (step S610). The display example of the result is shown in the figure. As described in step S606, in this embodiment, the basic fee varies depending on “priority”. If the priority is set to “high”, the fee will be high, but since it is distributed preferentially over other advertisers, the usefulness of the advertisement can be enhanced. If the priority is set to “low”, the priority of the advertisement distribution is inferior, but there is an advantage that the charge can be suppressed. In the result display, the total cost for all distribution dates is displayed for each priority. In addition, as a guideline for determining whether or not the distribution conditions are appropriate, the number of distribution days used for cost calculation and the distribution time are also displayed.

  The advertiser refers to these results and selects a priority order in consideration of his / her budget. In the example of the figure, a state where “high” is selected is shown. When the advertiser presses “OK”, the server 200 stores the priority order designation (step S612) and ends this process. The storage destination is the advertiser DB 204.

  The calculation method of the advertisement fee shown in step S606 is for giving a guideline for the advertisement fee in order to determine the distribution condition. If the advertising fee is a fixed fee determined according to the distribution conditions, the actual cost matches the calculation result in step S606. When the advertisement fee changes according to the number of times of actual distribution, etc., step S606 merely represents an estimate assuming an average distribution frequency, and does not necessarily match the actual billing.

D. Outline of route guidance:
FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of route guidance processing. As described above, in the server 200, advertisements and distribution conditions are registered in the advertisement DB 203. In this state, when the user designates a departure point and a destination, the server 200 searches for a route from the designated departure point to the destination, displays the route on the user terminal 100, and appropriately displays the route in the advertisement DB 203. Also present registered advertisements. This presentation is performed when the current position of the user satisfies the distribution conditions set for each advertisement. Control processing for route guidance and advertisement distribution will be described later. First, an outline of advertisement distribution realized in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the example of the figure, two advertisements corresponding to the distribution conditions 1 and 2 are registered in the stores indicated by asterisks. In “distribution condition 2”, the arc within the radius Rr centering on the store is set as the distribution target, and the user approaching the store is designated as the distribution target. No other conditions are specified. Assume that a certain user moves from point P1 to P2 in the figure. By this movement, the distance between the store and the user is shortened from Dp1 to Dp2. As a result, the server 200 determines that the user is approaching the store, determines that the distribution condition 2 is satisfied, and distributes the advertisement to the user's terminal. Here, it is determined as “approaching” simply based on a change in the distance between the user and the store, but the angle between the user's traveling direction and the store's direction at point P1, that is, point P2, point P1, store in the figure Whether or not the vehicle is approaching may be determined based on the size of the interior angle.

  In “distribution condition 1”, the range to be distributed is designated as “route RoA” (the hatched route in the figure). The user who wants to “meal” out of the “returning ski resort” users is the distribution target. Therefore, for the user returning from the ski resort A as indicated by the arrow Ar1, and the user returning from the ski resort B as indicated by the arrow Ar2, the advertisement of the distribution condition 1 is distributed when the route RoA is reached. The

  In addition to the above, the distribution condition 1 may be set such that a user who has passed a predetermined time after the start of movement is a distribution target. Depending on the setting, advertisements may not be delivered to users from the ski resort B at a relatively short distance. By setting the delivery target in consideration of the elapsed time after the start of movement in this way, it is possible to deliver advertisements that reflect the fact that `` meals '' often take a break when driving is tired to some extent, It becomes possible to improve the usefulness of the advertisement.

  The user returning home from the ski resort C has stopped at the restaurant on the way as indicated by an arrow Ar3 and then moved as indicated by an arrow Ar4. The user is likely to have finished eating at the restaurant. Therefore, the server 200 determines that no visit to the store for the purpose of “meal” is considered even when the user reaches the route RoA, and refrains from distributing the advertisement under the distribution condition 1. Thus, the server 200 can also control the distribution of advertisements in consideration of the user's past travel history.

  A user starting from home and moving as indicated by an arrow Ar5 does not satisfy the condition of “returning to the ski resort”. Further, the user heading for the interchange IC as indicated by the arrow Ar6 from the company Z does not satisfy the condition of “returning to the ski resort”. Therefore, even when the route RoA is reached, the advertisement of the distribution condition 1 is not distributed to these users.

E. Route search and route guidance processing:
The route guidance and advertisement distribution described above are realized by a route search process for searching for a route between a departure place and a destination designated by the user, and a route guidance process for guiding the route to the user. Hereinafter, these processes will be described sequentially.

E1. Route search process:
FIG. 13 is a flowchart of route search processing. This is a process for allowing the server 200 to search for a route from the departure place to the destination before the user moves on the vehicle equipped with the terminal 100. The server 200 inputs search conditions instructed by the user by operating the terminal 100 (step S802). The search condition includes designation of a departure point, a transit point, a destination, and designation of a departure date and time. You may include the designation of the group and movement purpose when the user moves.

  When a search condition specification is input, the server 200 executes a route search and stores the result (step S804). For the route search, a known method such as Dijkstra method can be used. The result storage destination is the user DB 202.

  Next, the server 200 executes drive simulation (step S806). On the departure date and time designated by the user, assuming that the movement is started from the designated departure place at a preset standard moving speed, the estimated arrival time at each point on the route is obtained. In the course of this process, the server 200 also performs an advertisement selection process (step S830). This process corresponds to the process executed by the advertisement distribution unit 242 (see FIG. 1), and is a process of selecting an advertisement that meets the distribution conditions from the advertisement DB 203. The processing contents will be described later. By executing the advertisement selection process in the drive simulation process, the advertisement received by the user can be specified. The server 200 also stores the selection result in the user DB 202.

  The server 200 executes the above processing until it is completed for all the steps designated by the user (step S850). If only a one-way trip from the starting point to the destination is specified, the drive simulation will be repeated until the destination is reached. A drive simulation is also performed. As a result, the server 200 can specify advertisements to be delivered to the user for all designated processes.

  The server 200 outputs the result obtained above to the terminal 100 (car navigation system in the present embodiment) (step S852). The output data includes the route search result and the advertisement data specified by the drive simulation. As a result, the terminal 100 can enter the route guidance and the advertisement presentation without stand-alone communication with the server 200. If stand-alone route guidance is not required, the processing after step S806 may be omitted.

E2. Route guidance process:
FIG. 14 is a flowchart of route guidance processing. This is a process for guiding a route and providing an advertisement according to the current position after the user starts moving. First, the server 200 reads a route search result from the user DB 202 (step S810). Then, the current position of the user is input (step S812). The current position can be detected using the GPS 140 of the terminal 100.

  When the current position of the user does not move for a predetermined time, it is determined that the user is stopped (step S814), and the server 200 identifies a stopover location from the map DB 201 (step S816) and records it in the travel history of the user DB 202 (step S818). ). The stop location may be extracted from the feature corresponding to the coordinates of the current position by referring to the map DB 201. When the corresponding feature cannot be obtained, it is assumed that the stop location is unknown. Considering an error range included in the current position, features within a predetermined distance may be handled as a stopover location. If not stopped (step S814), these processes are skipped.

  Next, the server 200 executes an advertisement selection process (step S830). This is a process of selecting an advertisement that matches the distribution conditions according to the current position. The processing contents will be described later. The server 200 outputs the advertisement thus selected to the terminal 100, that is, the car navigation system (step S860). In addition, information acquired by the server 200 from the Web server 400 such as weather information and traffic jam information may be provided.

  A display example of the terminal 100 is shown in the figure. In the present embodiment, the screen of the terminal 100 is composed of three windows W1 to W3. In the window W1, a map, a route, and a current position are displayed. The window W2 displays weather information, traffic jam information, distance to the destination, estimated arrival time, and the like. An advertisement is displayed in the window W3. When the user clicks “view details” in the window W3, a detailed advertisement registered by the advertiser can be displayed. When “Confirm Location” is clicked, the store location registered by the advertiser is displayed in the window W1. The route from the current position to the store may be displayed together.

  The server 200 repeats the above processing until it arrives at the destination (step S862). The above description is processing in a situation where communication between the server 200 and the terminal 100 is ensured. In the present embodiment, as described above, the route search result and the advertisement data are acquired in advance in the route search process. Therefore, when communication between the server 200 and the terminal 100 is interrupted due to a moving situation, route guidance and advertisement output (step S860) may be performed using data acquired in the terminal 100.

E3. Ad selection process:
FIG. 15 is a flowchart of the advertisement selection process. This process corresponds to step S830 of the route search process (FIG. 13) and the route guidance process (FIG. 14). This is a process executed by the advertisement distribution unit 242 (see FIG. 1), and is a process of selecting an advertisement that meets the distribution conditions from the advertisements registered in the advertisement DB 203 according to the current position of the user.

  In this process, the server 200 reads the route search condition, the route search result, and the travel history (step S832). Then, the user's current position and date / time are input (step S884). When the advertisement selection process is executed in the route search process (FIG. 13), the predicted arrival time of each position obtained by the drive simulation is input.

  Based on the information input as described above, the server 200 extracts advertisements that match the distribution conditions from the advertisement DB 203 (step S836). For example, the server 200 determines whether or not the current position of the user satisfies the area / route designation set in the distribution condition. In these designations, when the traveling direction of the user is also included in the condition, the traveling direction can be determined based on the change in the current position. If a route is designated, it is possible to determine whether or not the route condition including the traveling direction is satisfied by specifying the link through which the user passes from the search result and the current position. Good.

  The conditions for the delivery date and time and the delivery time zone can be easily determined from the current date and time. Further, among the distribution targets (see FIG. 4), “subject” can be determined based on the “group” input during the route search. Among the delivery target designation conditions, “destination” and “stop destination” can be determined based on the destination designated by the user in the search conditions. In addition, the “movement purpose” specified by the user in the search condition may be referred to. By doing so, for example, even when “Pension” in the ski resort is specified as the destination of the search condition, when “Ski” is input as the movement purpose, the purpose in the distribution condition (FIG. 4) It is possible to determine that the condition of the place “ski resort” is satisfied.

  An elapsed time after the start of movement can also be specified as the advertisement delivery condition. For example, it is specified that a user whose “3 hours or more” has passed is a distribution target. If such designation is included, the server 200 may calculate the elapsed time after the start of movement from the difference between the departure time and the current time and determine whether or not this condition is satisfied. The server 200 refers to the travel history, obtains the sum of the times during which the vehicle is stopped due to breaks, etc., and determines whether or not the above condition is satisfied based on the time obtained by subtracting the sum from the above-mentioned elapsed time. Also good. In this way, the actual driving time can be used as a reference, and the condition can be determined in consideration of the driver's fatigue level.

  The server 200 sets a priority for each purpose as a condition for sorting the next extracted advertisement (step S838). An example of setting the priority order is shown in the figure. This is an example in the case of assuming a process of leaving home, having lunch, arriving at the destination, eating dinner on the way home, and going home. The server 200 divides the process into a plurality of phases based on the place where the user stops. In the example in the figure, after leaving home, until lunch is taken (first phase), from lunch to destination (second phase), from destination to dinner (third phase), from dinner to return ( 4th phase).

  After dividing into phases, the server 200 extracts information required by the user for each phase. For example, in the first phase, tourist information around the destination, lunch restaurants, gas stations, highway service area information, tourist road information, and the like are extracted. This information can be set in two ways.

  In the first method, a table of information required after leaving home is prepared in advance. Then, unnecessary items are excluded from this table according to the process set by the user. The first phase in the figure will be described as an example. First, each information listed in the figure is prepared in advance. If the user's purpose of travel is business, the “tourist information around the destination” is excluded. Also, “high speed SA” is excluded when the highway is not used for the travel route to the destination. Depending on the departure time, a “restaurant (lunch)” may be unnecessary. In the first method, the priority of each information can be set in advance for each phase.

  The second method is a method for extracting information corresponding to the condition of each phase from a variety of information prepared irrespective of the phase. The first phase in the figure will be described as an example. First, information items such as “tourism information around the destination” and “restaurant (lunch)” are prepared regardless of the phase. Each information has a condition for determining whether or not to adopt it in relation to the phase. For example, for “tourism information around the destination”, a condition “until the destination is reached” is attached, and “restaurant (lunch)” is attached a condition “before lunch”. The server 200 refers to this condition and extracts information items that conform to the first phase. In the first phase, since the destination has not been reached and lunch has not been taken, “tourism information around the destination” and “restaurant (lunch)” are extracted. The priority of the extracted information can also be set by various methods. In this embodiment, the priority order is set in the order of information on the destination, information on the stopover location, and other information. By doing so, it is possible to set the priority order as shown in the first phase in the figure.

  When the priority setting for each purpose is completed (step S838), the server 200 sorts the advertisements extracted in step S836 in the order of the purpose, the distribution result, and the priority set by the advertiser (step S840). The priority order in step S838 is used for sorting using “purpose” as a key. Specific examples of this sort will be described later.

  Next, the server 200 refers to the travel history, and excludes the advertisement having the same purpose as the purpose of the stop where the user has visited from the delivery target (step S842). For example, when the user stops at a “restaurant”, it is determined that “meal” has been completed, and an advertisement whose purpose is “meal” is excluded as a distribution target condition. Without excluding these pieces of information, a method of lowering the sorting priority and lowering the distribution priority may be used.

  The purpose of the stopover can be specified by the following method. As described with reference to FIG. 2, the map DB 201 records attributes including types for each feature. In addition to the map DB 201, the server 200 prepares a table in which the feature type and the purpose of the stop are associated in advance. For example, it is a table in which the purpose of visiting “meal” is associated with the type “restaurant”. A plurality of purposes of stopping such as “meal”, “break”, and “souvenir” may be associated with the type “drive-in”. The server 200 can further specify the purpose of the stop by specifying the type from the feature visited by the user and referring to the above table. In addition to this method, the purpose of the stop may be stored in advance as an attribute of the map DB 201. The server 200 narrows down the advertisements to be distributed by the above processing, and then selects the highest advertisement as the distribution target (step S846). The selected information is transmitted to the terminal 100 in route search processing and route guidance processing, respectively.

  FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of advertisement sorting. On the left side of the figure, distribution results and distribution conditions of advertisements registered in the advertisement DB 203 are listed. Here, “subject”, “destination”, and “stop destination” are the conditions specified in the delivery target setting conditions (see FIG. 4). “Operating time” is a condition relating to the elapsed time after departure. The “number of times of distribution” represents the result of distributing each to the user. This result can be stored in the user DB 202. “Priority” is a priority (see FIG. 11) set by the advertiser.

  A description will be given on the assumption that there is a user who is returning from a ski resort in the family. The server 200 first extracts an advertisement that meets the distribution conditions (the process of step S836 in FIG. 15). Therefore, the advertisements 2 and 3 that designate “couple” and “business” as the target persons do not satisfy the distribution conditions. Further, the advertisement 5 having the destination of “hot spring” does not satisfy the delivery condition. If the user's driving time has not reached 3 hours, the advertisement 2 does not satisfy the distribution conditions in terms of “driving time”. As a result, four advertisements 1, 4, 6, and 7 are extracted as advertisements that satisfy the distribution conditions.

  Next, the server 200 sorts the extracted advertisements (processing in step S840 in FIG. 15). In this embodiment, sorting is performed by using the first key as a stop-off purpose, the second key as the number of distributions, and the third key as a priority. The priority order for the purpose of visiting is set in the process of step S838 of FIG. Here, it is assumed that priorities are set in the order of “souvenirs” and “meals”.

  The sorting results are shown on the right side of the figure. Depending on the purpose of the stop, they are sorted in the order of “souvenirs” (advertisement 6), “meal” (advertisements 7, 1), and no designation (advertisement 4). Since advertisements 7 and 1 have the same number of distributions, advertisement 7 has priority over advertisement 1 based on the priority order. As a result, the advertisements 6, 7, 1, 4 are sorted in the order.

  Next, with reference to the travel history, it is assumed that the user has already purchased “souvenirs”. Since the server 200 excludes the same stop-targeted advertisement (the process of step S842 in FIG. 15), the advertisement 6 is excluded from the distribution target. Therefore, the highest advertisement 7 among the remaining advertisements is selected. In this embodiment, only one advertisement is selected, but a plurality of advertisements may be selectable. In this case, a necessary number may be selected in the order of advertisements 7, 1, and 4 in accordance with the sorting result.

  According to the guide information providing system of the present embodiment described above, the advertisement can be distributed in accordance with the distribution condition set by the advertiser (step S836). Further, the information required by the user can be preferentially distributed by the processing in step S838. Furthermore, by considering the travel history (step S842), it is possible to suppress the distribution of advertisements that are estimated to be unnecessary for the user. Therefore, the usefulness of the advertisement can be improved. For advertisers, it is possible to provide advertisements efficiently.

  The guide information providing system according to the present embodiment can present recommended settings to the advertiser when setting distribution conditions such as area / route settings. Therefore, the advertiser can set appropriate distribution conditions relatively easily. As a result, the advertising efficiency can be further improved.

F. Variation:
In the present embodiment, as shown as a modified example below, it is possible to further consider various distribution conditions when distributing advertisements.
(1) Example considering past history including before departure:
In the Example, the case where the operation time after a departure and the stopover place were considered as delivery conditions was illustrated (refer FIG. 16). In the present embodiment, the past history including before departure may be considered. For example, consider a case where an advertiser at a gas station wants to distribute an advertisement focusing on users with a small amount of remaining fuel, and sets a distribution condition of “the remaining fuel amount is less than or equal to ○%”. In this case, the server 200 refers to the travel history including before the departure, obtains the travel distance of the user's vehicle from the last refueling, and is based on the average distance traveled between the refueling of the vehicle. Then, the ratio of the remaining fuel amount can be estimated, and if the above-mentioned conditions are met, the advertisement can be distributed. Instead of the remaining fuel amount, the delivery condition may be set in the form of “travelable distance is less than or equal to ○ km”. In addition to this condition, “the distance from the current position to the gas station is shorter than the travelable distance” may be added.

(2) Setting example of distribution condition considering information provided in network 1:
In the embodiment, an example is shown in which information acquired from the Web server 400 via the network, such as weather information and traffic jam information, is presented in the window W2 of the terminal 100 (FIG. 14). In this embodiment, the distribution conditions may be set in consideration of such information. As an example, consider a case where an automobile supply store sends advertisements for anti-slip devices such as tire chains. It is assumed that the advertiser has set the distribution condition based on the weather condition “when snowing or when snowing within a few days”. In this case, even if it is a case where it is not snowing around the said store, when it is snowing around a user's destination, the user is preferably extracted as a distribution target. Therefore, the server 200 acquires weather information near the destination set by the user, and determines whether or not the distribution conditions are met based on the weather information. By doing so, the usefulness of the advertisement can be improved as compared with the case of determining whether or not the distribution is possible only by the weather information around the store. When such a determination is made, an advertisement may be distributed to the user together with information that is the basis of the determination, that is, “weather information around the destination”. By doing so, it becomes possible to attract the user's attention to the advertisement.

(3) Delivery condition setting example 2 considering information provided on the network:
As another aspect, two examples in which the traffic jam information is used to determine whether or not delivery is possible are shown. In the first aspect, as shown in FIG. 7, consider a case where an advertisement for a meal is distributed to a store where an advertiser is located. In addition to the advertisement with the distribution condition shown in FIG. 7, the advertiser prepares a traffic jam advertisement with a distribution condition of “section D2 is congested” for users in the section D1. When the server 200 finds a user in the section D1, the server 200 determines whether the section D2 is congested. When the user is congested, the server 200 delivers a traffic jam advertisement. When there is no traffic jam, a normal advertisement is distributed in consideration of other distribution conditions as described with reference to FIG. Thus, by switching the advertisement to be distributed depending on whether or not the section D2 is congested, the usefulness of the advertisement can be improved according to each situation.

  In the second mode, the delivery condition is switched depending on whether or not the section D2 is congested. The store advertiser designates “users returning from the ski resort in the section D1” as the normal delivery condition, and further designates “all users in the section D1” when the section D2 is congested. Suppose that Then, when the server 200 finds a user in the section D1, if the section D2 is not congested, the server 200 distributes only when other distribution conditions are satisfied, and if it is congested, the server 200 distributes the advertisement unconditionally. This is because, if the section D2 is in a traffic jam, the possibility that a user other than the ski driver returns to the advertisement, such as a truck driver, is increased. Thus, the usability of the advertisement can be improved by adopting a mode in which the advertisement distribution condition is switched in accordance with the traffic jam situation in the section D2.

  You may make it switch both advertisement content and delivery conditions according to the traffic condition of the area D2, combining the above-mentioned two aspects. As described above, according to the present embodiment, the information indicating the state of the route to the future by the user, for example, the determination of whether or not the distribution is possible or the content of the guide information to be distributed according to the weather at the destination or the traffic congestion state of the future route. It is also possible to configure in a mode of switching.

(4) Example considering the usage history of guide information:
In the embodiment, an example of avoiding repeated distribution of already received guide information in consideration of the distribution of guide information for each user has been shown (FIG. 16). In the present embodiment, the usage results of each guide information are taken into consideration by the following procedure, and superiority or inferiority between the guide information may be provided based on the usage results. The server 200 determines whether or not the user has stopped at the registration point of the guide information based on the travel history of the user after delivering the guide information to the user, and determines the number of times the user has stopped regardless of the difference of the user. It counts as the use record of information. Then, the superiority or inferiority is given between the guide information based on the use record. However, as shown in the embodiment, when the priority is defined by the cost paid by the advertiser, it is desirable that the superiority or inferiority based on the actual use is limited to the same rank. By giving superiority or inferiority in this way, an advertisement with a high usage record is distributed preferentially to the user, and the usefulness of the advertisement can be further improved. In addition, the server 200 may report the usage record to each advertiser.

(5) Example of allowing a response to an advertisement:
In the embodiment, an example is shown in which the user receives an advertisement, confirms the location as needed, and browses detailed information (FIG. 14). The present embodiment may be configured as a system that allows the user to respond more positively to this advertisement. For example, a reservation may be made in a store by performing a predetermined operation on the advertisement. When the server 200 accepts a reservation instruction from the terminal 100, a method of sending the reservation by e-mail to an address designated by the advertiser can be employed. The server 200 may guide the route to the store to the user in conjunction with the reservation. Whether or not to make a reservation after presenting information that makes it difficult for the server 200 to reach the store, such as the route to the store, the required time, and the presence or absence of traffic jams, when the user applies for the reservation. You may make it confirm. Further, the server 200 calculates the number of users who have stopped at the store by referring to the travel history of other users, and based on the result, estimates the degree of congestion of the store and presents it to the user. May be.

  Although various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and it goes without saying that various configurations can be adopted without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In the embodiment, advertisement distribution is exemplified, but various information such as tourist information and administrative information can be distributed.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the guide information provision system as an Example. It is explanatory drawing which illustrates the data structure of map DB201. It is a flowchart of an advertisement registration process. It is a flowchart of a delivery target setting process. It is a flowchart of an area route selection process. It is a flowchart of a route selection process. It is explanatory drawing which shows a route selection example. It is a flowchart of a date designation process. It is a flowchart of a time slot | zone designation | designated process. It is a flowchart of an advertisement content designation process. It is a flowchart of a cost estimation process. It is explanatory drawing which shows the outline | summary of a route guidance process. It is a flowchart of a route search process. It is a flowchart of a route guidance process. It is a flowchart of an advertisement selection process. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of sorting of advertisement.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Terminal 110 ... Main control part 120 ... Communication part 130 ... Command input part 140 ... GPS
150 ... Display control unit 200 ... Information providing server 201 ... Map DB
202 ... User DB
203 ... Advertising DB
204 ... Advertiser DB
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 210 ... Communication part 220 ... Output data generation part 230 ... Route guidance part 232 ... Route search part 240 ... Advertisement registration part 242 ... Advertisement distribution part 250 ... Billing processing part 300 ... Personal computer 400 ... Web server

Claims (20)

A guide information providing system that presents the current position on a map to a user and provides guide information corresponding to a specific point to the user,
A detection unit for detecting an approach situation of whether or not the user is approaching the specific point;
A guide information database in which the guide information is registered in association with provision conditions determined based on the approach situation;
A guide information selection unit for referring to the guide information database based on the detected approach situation and selecting guide information to be provided to the user;
A guide information providing system comprising: a guide information output unit that provides the selected guide information to the user. The guide information providing system according to claim 1,
The provision condition includes an area condition that defines an area where the user should provide the guide information,
The detection unit can detect the current position of the user,
The guide information selection system that performs the selection when the current position of the user satisfies the area condition. A guide information providing system that presents the current position on a map to a user and provides guide information corresponding to a specific point to the user,
A map database recording roads that the user can move;
A detection unit for detecting the current position of the user in units of the road;
A guide information database in which provision conditions specifying the provision range of the guide information in units of roads and the guide information are registered in association with each other;
A guide information selection unit that selects guide information to be provided to the user with reference to provision conditions registered in the guide information database based on the road detected as the current position;
A guide information providing system comprising: a guide information output unit that provides the selected guide information to the user. A guide information providing system according to claim 3,
The provision condition may include a traveling direction on the road,
The detection unit can further detect the traveling direction of the user,
The guide information selection system, wherein the guide information selection unit selects the guide information including the traveling direction. The guide information providing system according to claim 3 or 4,
The map database represents the road by a node and a link, and at least a part of the road is represented by a link composed of two items of up and down,
Using a link of the map database, comprising a route guidance unit for guiding a route to be taken in order to go from the departure place designated by the user to the destination;
The detection unit is a guide information providing system that detects a current position in units of links from the route to be guided and the current position. A guide information providing system according to any one of claims 3 to 5,
An input unit for inputting at least one of the user's departure point and destination,
The provision conditions include a condition for specifying whether to provide the guide information based on at least one of a user's departure place and destination,
The guide information selection unit further determines whether or not the provision condition is satisfied based on at least one of the input starting point and destination. A guide information providing system that presents the current position on a map to a user and provides guide information corresponding to a specific point to the user,
A movement status holding unit for holding the previous movement status of the user;
A guide information database in which the guide information is registered in association with provision conditions determined based on the movement status;
A guide information selection unit that selects guide information to be provided to the user with reference to provision conditions registered in the guide information database based on the held movement status;
A guide information providing system comprising: a guide information output unit that provides the selected guide information to the user. The guide information providing system according to claim 7,
A map database containing the location of features and attributes of the features;
A detection unit for detecting the current position of the user;
The movement status holding unit refers to the map database based on the detected current position, identifies the feature that the user has stopped by, and holds the identified feature as the movement status,
The provision conditions include conditions determined based on the purpose of visiting the specific point,
The guide information providing system, wherein the guide information selection unit performs the selection by lowering the priority of guide information corresponding to the same visit purpose as the visit purpose specified based on the type of the visited feature. Presents the current position on the map to the user and assists in setting provision conditions for providing the guide information for the guide information providing system that provides the user with guide information corresponding to a specific point. A support device for
The guide information providing system includes:
A map database representing roads that the user can move with nodes and links;
A detection unit for detecting the current position of the user in the link unit;
A guide information database in which provision conditions specifying the provision range of the guide information in units of links and the guide information are registered in association with each other;
A guide information selection unit for selecting guide information to be provided to the user with reference to provision conditions registered in the guide information database based on a link detected as a current position;
And a guide information output unit that provides the selected guide information to the user.
The support device includes:
A search condition setting unit for setting a destination to be associated with the guide information as one end of a route search;
With reference to the map database, a route search unit that performs a route search with the destination as one end and a point different from the destination as the other end;
A support apparatus comprising: a candidate link output unit that presents a link candidate that should be in the provision range based on a result of the route search. The support device according to claim 9,
The search condition setting unit selects one of the nodes previously set as a base point candidate based on a positional relationship with the destination, and sets as a base point to be the other end of the route search,
The route search unit is a support device that performs the route search between the destination and the base point. The support device according to claim 9 or 10, wherein
The search condition setting unit sets the specific point as the other end of the route search,
The route search unit is a support device that performs the route search between the destination and the specific point. The support device according to any one of claims 9 to 11,
A plurality of the destinations are set,
The route search unit performs a plurality of route searches with each destination as one end,
The candidate link output unit is a support device that preferentially presents a link in which two or more routes among the routes obtained by the route search overlap as a candidate. A guide information providing method for presenting a user with a current position on a map and providing guide information corresponding to a specific point to the user,
As a process to be executed by the computer,
Detecting an approach situation of whether or not the user is approaching the specific point;
Registering a guide information database associating the guide information with the provision conditions determined based on the approach situation;
Referring to the guide information database based on the detected approach situation, and selecting guide information to be provided to the user;
Providing the selected guide information to the user. A guide information providing method for presenting a user with a current position on a map and providing guide information corresponding to a specific point to the user,
As a process to be executed by the computer,
Referring to a map database that records roads that the user can move;
Detecting the current position of the user by the road unit;
Registering a guide information database in which provision conditions for specifying the provision range of the guide information in units of roads are associated with the guide information;
Selecting guide information to be provided to the user with reference to provision conditions registered in the guide information database based on the road detected as the current position;
Providing the selected guide information to the user. A guide information providing method for presenting a user with a current position on a map and providing guide information corresponding to a specific point to the user,
As a process to be executed by the computer,
Maintaining the past movement status of the user;
Registering a guide information database associating the guide information with provision conditions determined based on the movement status;
Selecting guide information to be provided to the user with reference to provision conditions registered in the guide information database based on the held movement status;
Providing the selected guide information to the user. Presents the current position on the map to the user and assists in setting provision conditions for providing the guide information for the guide information providing system that provides the user with guide information corresponding to a specific point. A support method for
The guide information providing system includes:
A map database representing roads that the user can move with nodes and links;
A detection unit for detecting the current position of the user in the link unit;
A guide information database in which provision conditions specifying the provision range of the guide information in units of links and the guide information are registered in association with each other;
A guide information selection unit for selecting guide information to be provided to the user with reference to provision conditions registered in the guide information database based on a link detected as a current position;
And a guide information output unit that provides the selected guide information to the user.
The support method is a process to be executed by a computer.
Setting a destination to be associated with the guide information as one end of a route search;
Referring to the map database, performing a route search with the destination as one end and a point different from the destination as the other end;
And a step of presenting link candidates to be the provision range based on the result of the route search. A computer program for presenting the current position on a map to a user and providing guide information corresponding to a specific point to the user,
A subprogram for detecting an approach situation of whether or not the user is approaching the specific point;
A subprogram for registering a guide information database in which the guide information is associated with a provision condition determined based on the approach situation;
A subprogram for referring to the guide information database based on the detected approach situation and selecting guide information to be provided to the user;
A computer program comprising: a subprogram for providing the selected guide information to the user. A computer program for presenting the current position on a map to a user and providing guide information corresponding to a specific point to the user,
A subprogram that references a map database that records roads that the user can move;
A subprogram for detecting the current position of the user by the road unit;
A subprogram for registering a guide information database in which provision conditions specifying the provision range of the guide information in units of roads and the guide information are associated with each other;
A subprogram for selecting guide information to be provided to the user with reference to provision conditions registered in the guide information database based on the road detected as the current position;
A computer program comprising: a subprogram for providing the selected guide information to the user. A computer program for presenting the current position on a map to a user and providing guide information corresponding to a specific point to the user,
A subprogram that holds the past movement status of the user;
A subprogram for registering a guide information database in which the guide information is associated with provision conditions determined based on the movement status;
A subprogram for selecting guide information to be provided to the user by referring to provision conditions registered in the guide information database based on the held movement status;
A computer program comprising: a subprogram for providing the selected guide information to the user. Presents the current position on the map to the user and assists in setting provision conditions for providing the guide information for the guide information providing system that provides the user with guide information corresponding to a specific point. A computer program for
The guide information providing system includes:
A map database representing roads that the user can move with nodes and links;
A detection unit for detecting the current position of the user in the link unit;
A guide information database in which provision conditions specifying the provision range of the guide information in units of links and the guide information are registered in association with each other;
A guide information selection unit for selecting guide information to be provided to the user with reference to provision conditions registered in the guide information database based on a link detected as a current position;
And a guide information output unit that provides the selected guide information to the user.
The computer program is
A subprogram for setting a destination to be associated with the guide information as one end of a route search;
With reference to the map database, a subprogram for performing a route search with the destination as one end and a point different from the destination as the other end;
A computer program comprising: a subprogram for presenting link candidates that should be in the provision range based on a result of the route search.