JP2009181210A - Display control method, server, display device and communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automatically output a current situation of a transmitter of an image when displaying the image on a display device. <P>SOLUTION: A photograph management server 10 acquires a digital photograph file transmitted from a cell phone 30 and identification information for identifying a user of the cell phone, associates the digital photograph file and the identification information, and transmits them to a digital photograph frame 20 as image information. The photograph management server acquires position information showing a current position of the cell phone, and estimates the current situation of the user using the cell phone based on the position information. The photograph management server associates the estimated current situation and the identification information of the user to generate situation information, and transmits it to the digital photograph frame. The digital photograph frame receives the image information and the situation information, displays image data included in the image information, and outputs the situation information including the identification information included in the image information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a display control method, a server, a display device, and a communication system for transmitting image data transmitted from a communication terminal to a display device via a server and displaying the image data on the display device.

  With the recent spread of digital cameras and camera-equipped mobile phones, opportunities to use digital photo files are increasing from young people to elderly people. In addition, digital photo frames have emerged as not only for viewing on mobile phones and personal computers (PCs) but also for easier viewing of digital photo files. The digital photo frame is an apparatus capable of displaying a plurality of digital photographs stored in a memory in the main body or a removable memory device on a display by automatic switching, and has an appearance imitating a photo frame.

  Patent Documents 1 and 2 below describe a digital photo frame that downloads and displays a digital photo file uploaded to a server from a mobile phone or a personal computer via the Internet. Patent Document 2 below describes a method for remotely controlling a digital photo frame. In this method, the digital photo frame makes an inquiry to the management server at a predetermined interval, so that the setting change of the digital photo frame and the software change can be performed remotely.

By the way, with the declining birthrate and aging society and urbanization, elderly people who live apart from younger generations of children and grandchildren are no longer unusual. However, as phone and e-mail make it easier to communicate with people who are physically separated, digital photo frames with mobile phones and communication functions can provide much more information than voice and text. Allows sharing and viewing of digital photo files. Therefore, the digital photo frame is effective as a device for effective information sharing and communication between families even in the current family form where communication is easily interrupted.
JP 2003-169734 A International Publication No. 01/42953

  In addition to the usage described above, if you can know the current situation of the person related to the photo, you will be able to know the situation of the other party in more detail while you are remotely. For example, if the person associated with the photo is an adult, you can know the status of whether you are at work, going home, or going out, and if you are a child, whether you are going to school or playing Can do the situation.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem, and a display control method, a server, and a server capable of automatically outputting a current status of a sender of an image when the image is displayed on a display device. An object is to provide a display device and a communication system.

  A display control method according to the present invention is a display control method in a communication system including a communication terminal, a server capable of communicating with the communication terminal, and a display device capable of communicating with the server, wherein the server is transmitted from the communication terminal. The image acquisition step for acquiring the image data and the identification information for identifying the user of the communication terminal, and the server associate the image data and the identification information acquired in the image acquisition step, and transmit the image data to the display device. An image transmission step, a position acquisition step in which the server acquires position information indicating the current position of the communication terminal, and a server estimates the current state of the user of the communication terminal based on the position information acquired in the position acquisition step. An estimation step for associating the estimated current status with the identification information of the user to generate status information; and A status transmission step for transmitting the status information generated in step S1 to the display device, an image reception step in which the display device receives the image information transmitted in the image transmission step, and a display device transmitted in the status transmission step. The situation receiving step for receiving the situation information, and the display device displays the image data included in the image information received in the image receiving step, and the identification information received in the situation receiving step and included in the image information. And a display step for outputting the situation information.

  The server of the present invention is a server that can communicate with each of the communication terminal and the display device, and obtains image data transmitted from the communication terminal and identification information for identifying the user of the communication terminal. Means, image transmission means for associating the image data and identification information acquired by the image acquisition means, and transmitting them to the display device as image information, position acquisition means for acquiring position information indicating the current position of the communication terminal, and position acquisition An estimation means for estimating the current situation of the user of the communication terminal based on the position information acquired by the means, and generating the situation information by associating the estimated current situation with the identification information of the user, and generated by the estimation means And status transmission means for transmitting the status information to the display device.

  The display device of the present invention is a display device capable of communicating with a server, and image information associated with image data received by the server from a communication terminal and identification information for identifying a user of the communication terminal is stored in the server. Image receiving means for receiving from the server, and status receiving means for receiving status information associated with the current status of the user of the communication terminal estimated based on the location information of the communication terminal and the identification information of the user from the server; Display means for displaying the image data included in the image information received by the image receiving means and outputting the situation information received by the situation receiving means and including the identification information included in the image information. It is characterized by.

  The communication system of the present invention is a communication system including a communication terminal, a server capable of communicating with the communication terminal, and a display device capable of communicating with the server, wherein the server transmits image data transmitted from the communication terminal, and An image acquisition unit that acquires identification information for identifying a user of the communication terminal, an image transmission unit that associates the image data and the identification information acquired by the image acquisition unit, and transmits the image data to the display device, and a communication terminal Position acquisition means for acquiring position information indicating the current position of the communication terminal, and estimating the current situation of the user of the communication terminal based on the position information acquired by the position acquisition means, and the estimated current situation and the identification information of the user An estimation unit for generating status information in association with the status transmission unit for transmitting the status information generated by the estimation unit to the display device; The image receiving means for receiving the image information transmitted by the stage, the situation receiving means for receiving the situation information sent by the situation sending means, and the image data included in the image information received by the image receiving means Display means for outputting situation information including identification information included in the image information received by the situation receiving means.

  According to such a display control method, server, display device, and communication system, image information including image data transmitted from the communication terminal to the server is transmitted from the server to the display device. Further, the current status of the user of the communication terminal is estimated based on the position information indicating the current location of the communication terminal, and the status information indicating the current status is transmitted from the server to the display device. The display device receives the image information and the situation information, displays the image data included in the image information, and outputs the current situation of the user of the communication terminal that transmitted the image data. In this way, the current situation of the user is estimated from the position information of the communication terminal that sent the image data, and is transmitted to the display device. The image information and the situation information are output in association with each other based on the identification information. When displaying on the display device, the current status of the sender of the image can be automatically output.

  In the display control method of the present invention, in the position acquisition step, a plurality of current positions of the communication terminal are acquired at predetermined time intervals, and in the estimation step, the communication terminal is based on the plurality of position information acquired in the position acquisition step. It is preferable to estimate the current situation of the user.

  In this case, since the current status of the user of the communication terminal is estimated based on the plurality of pieces of position information, it is possible to improve the accuracy of estimation of the current status.

  In the display control method of the present invention, the estimating step classifies the plurality of position information acquired in the position acquiring step for each predetermined area, and generates the number of pieces of position information of each group generated by the classification. Divided by the number of position information of the group including the most position information among the groups, the stay frequency calculation substep for calculating the stay frequency of the user of the communication terminal for each group, and acquired in the position acquisition step It is determined which of the groups generated in the stay frequency calculation sub-step the latest location information is included, and based on the stay frequency of the group determined to include the latest location information, the current of the user of the communication terminal And an estimation sub-step for estimating the situation.

  In this case, a plurality of pieces of position information are classified for each predetermined area, and the stay frequency of the user of the communication terminal is calculated for each group based on the number of pieces of position information of each group. Subsequently, it is determined to which group the latest position information is included, and the current state of the user of the communication terminal is estimated based on the stay frequency of the group including the position information. As a result, it is possible to convey to the user of the display device a certain detailed current situation, such as whether the user is in a place where he / she usually lives or whether he / she is in an unknown place.

  In the display control method of the present invention, in the display step, the status information is preferably displayed by the display color of the LED.

  In this case, since the situation information is displayed by the LED, the situation information can be displayed without disturbing the display of the image data. Further, by displaying the status information based on the change in the color of the LED, the user of the display device can immediately know the current status of the user of the communication terminal as compared with the case where the status information is displayed using text or icons.

  According to such a display control method, server, display device, and communication system, the current status of the user of the communication terminal is estimated from the position information of the communication terminal that transmitted the image data, and the estimated current status is displayed together with the image data. Since the image is output to the display device, the current status of the sender of the image can be automatically output when the image is displayed on the display device.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same or equivalent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

(System overview)
First, the overall configuration of a photo communication system (communication system) 1 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of the photo communication system 1. The photo communication system 1 includes a photo management server (server) 10, a digital photo frame (display device) 20, a mobile phone (communication terminal) 30, a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as “PC”) (communication terminal) 40, and a location management server 50. And a network 60. In FIG. 1, only one digital photo frame 20, mobile phone 30, and PC 40 are shown for ease of explanation, but the number of these devices may be plural.

  The photo management server 10 relays transmission / reception of digital photo files among the digital photo frame 20, the mobile phone 30, and the PC 40 via the network 60. The photo management server 10 also receives position information of the mobile phone 30 from the position management server 50 via the network 60, and generates status information indicating the current status of the user of the mobile phone 30 based on the position information. Then, the photo management server 10 transmits the generated status information to the digital photo frame 20.

  The digital photo frame 20 is a display device having an appearance like a photo frame. The digital photo frame 20 receives a digital photo file and status information from the photo management server 10 via the network 60. The digital photo frame 20 automatically switches and displays the received digital photo file, and displays status information via the LED.

  The mobile phone 30 is a communication terminal having a camera function. In order to transmit the digital photo file acquired by photographing or communication with another communication terminal (not shown) to the digital photo frame 20, the mobile phone 30 transmits the digital photo file and the dedicated account of the digital photo frame 20 to a photo management server. 10 to send.

  In order to transmit the digital photo file acquired by photographing or communication with another communication terminal (not shown) to the digital photo frame 20, the PC 40 sends the digital photo file and the dedicated account of the digital photo frame 20 to the photo management server 10. Send.

  The location management server 50 is a computer that stores location information indicating the current location of the mobile phone 30. The location management server 50 acquires location information registered in the network 60 based on a control signal transmitted from a base station (not shown) constituting the network 60 to the mobile phone 30, and stores the acquired location information on the hard disk It memorize | stores in storage means. Note that the position information acquisition method by the position management server 50 is not limited to this. For example, the position management server 50 may receive latitude / longitude information from a mobile phone 30 having a GPS (Global Positioning System) function and store the position information based on the received information.

  The network 60 is configured by, for example, the Internet network or a mobile communication network. However, the configuration of the network 60 is not limited to this.

(Photo management server configuration)
Next, the configuration of the photo management server 10 shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the photo management server 10.

  The photo management server 10 includes a communication processing unit (image transmission unit, status transmission unit) 101, a mail processing unit 102, an audio data processing unit 103, an image data processing unit (image acquisition unit) 104, and a WEB interface providing unit 105 as constituent elements. , User / frame information management unit 106, mail database 110, voice database 111, image database 112, user information database (position acquisition means) 113, frame information database 114, external information acquisition unit 117, and situation information processing unit (estimation) Means) 118.

  The communication processing unit 101 is a unit that is connected to the network 60 and transmits / receives various data to / from other communication terminals. In particular, the communication processing unit 101 is a means for transmitting image information and situation information described later to the digital photo frame 20.

  The mail processing unit 102 is means for acquiring an electronic mail transmitted from the mobile phone 30 or the PC 40 and identification information of the user of the mobile phone 30 or the PC 40. The mail processing unit 102 extracts the telephone number and mail address of the user (user) from the electronic mail input from the communication processing unit 101. These telephone number and e-mail address are identification information for identifying the user of the mobile phone 30 or the PC 40. Subsequently, the mail processing unit 102 generates mail information by associating the extracted telephone number and mail address, the e-mail, and the dedicated account of the digital photo frame 20, and the mail information is converted into the voice data processing unit 103, the image data, and the like. The data is output to the processing unit 104 and the mail database 110.

  The voice data processing unit 103 is means for acquiring voice data transmitted from the mobile phone 30 or the PC 40 and identification information of the user of the mobile phone 30 or the PC 40. The voice data processing unit 103 extracts the voice data attached to or embedded in the email and the dedicated account for the digital photo frame 20 from the mail information input from the mail processing unit 102. Subsequently, the voice data processing unit 103 generates voice information by associating the extracted voice data with the telephone number and mail address included in the mail information, and outputs the voice information to the voice database 111 together with the dedicated account.

  The image data processing unit 104 is means for acquiring a digital photo file (image data) transmitted from the mobile phone 30 or the PC 40 and identification information of the user of the mobile phone 30 or the PC 40. The image data processing unit 104 extracts the digital photo file attached or embedded in the e-mail and the dedicated account of the digital photo frame 20 from the mail information input from the mail processing unit 102. Subsequently, the image data processing unit 104 generates image information by associating the extracted digital photo file with the telephone number and mail address included in the mail information, and outputs the image information to the image database 112 together with the dedicated account. .

  The mail database 110 is means for storing mail information input from the mail processing unit 102.

  The voice database 111 is means for storing voice information input from the voice data processing unit 103. The voice database 111 has a storage area for each dedicated account, and stores the input voice information based on the input dedicated account.

  The image database 112 is means for storing image information input from the image data processing unit 104. The image database 112 has a storage area for each dedicated account, and stores the input image information based on the input dedicated account.

  The WEB interface providing unit 105 is means for providing a user with a WEB interface for managing image information. The WEB interface providing unit 105 reads the image information stored in the image database 112 based on the request signal transmitted from the mobile phone 30 or the PC 40, and comments on the read image information and the digital photo file in the image information. An interface for giving is transmitted to the mobile phone 30 or the PC 40. Further, the WEB interface providing unit 105 receives the image information to which the comment is given by the mobile phone 30 or the PC 40 and outputs it to the image database 112.

  The external information acquisition unit 117 is a unit that acquires data used in processing in the situation information processing unit 118 described later from an external server or a communication terminal. Specifically, the external information acquisition unit 117 requests location information from the location management server 50 at predetermined time intervals, and receives the location information of the mobile phone 30 transmitted from the location management server 50 in response to the request. Obtain and output to the user information database 113. The external information acquisition unit 117 outputs various information (for example, setting information and operation information) acquired from the digital photo frame 20 described later to the frame information database 114.

  The user information database 113 is means for acquiring and storing position information indicating the current position of the mobile phone 30 (user). The user information database 113 stores the positional information input from the external information acquisition unit 117 in association with the telephone number and mail address of the mobile phone 30 (hereinafter also referred to as “transmission source identification information”). The user information database 113 stores the position information for one day for one user by executing such acquisition and storage of the position information at predetermined time intervals. That is, the user information database 113 acquires a plurality of current positions of the mobile phone 30 at predetermined time intervals. Hereinafter, a set of position information for one user for one day is also referred to as a position information set. The size of the position information set is not limited to this. For example, the user information database 113 may store a position information set for one week per person, or may store a position information set for 12 hours.

  The frame information database 114 is a means for acquiring and storing information related to the digital photo frame 20 described later. The frame information database 114 stores various information regarding the digital photo frame 20 input from the external information acquisition unit 117. For example, the frame information database 114 stores information relating to setting information (such as information defining a photo display method) and operation information (such as a photo display history) of a digital photo file. The frame information database 114 stores these pieces of information in association with a dedicated account that identifies the digital photo frame 20.

  The user / frame information management unit 106 transmits a digital photo file to be transmitted to the digital photo frame 20 based on the identification information of the user of the mobile phone 30 or the PC 40 and the identification information of the digital photo frame 20, and the digital photo. This is a means for acquiring the location information of the mobile phone 30 or the PC 40 that is the source of the file.

  First, a method in which the user / frame information management unit 106 acquires a digital photo file will be described. The user / frame information management unit 106 reads a dedicated account for the digital photo frame 20 from the frame information database 114. Subsequently, the user / frame information management unit 106 reads out image information corresponding to the dedicated account from the image database 112. Subsequently, the user / frame information management unit 106 outputs the read image information and the dedicated account to the communication processing unit 101. Thereby, the image information is transmitted to the digital photo frame 20 identified by the dedicated account.

  Next, a method in which the user / frame information management unit 106 acquires position information will be described. The user / frame information management unit 106 reads a dedicated account for the digital photo frame 20 from the frame information database 114. Subsequently, the user / frame information management unit 106 reads out image information corresponding to the dedicated account from the image database 112. Subsequently, the user / frame information management unit 106 reads a position information set (position information for one day) corresponding to the transmission source identification information included in the acquired image information from the user information database 113. Then, the user / frame information management unit 106 outputs the position information set and the dedicated account to the situation information processing unit 118.

  The status information processing unit 118 is a means for estimating the current status of the user of the mobile phone 30 based on the acquired position information, and generating status information by associating the estimated current status with the identification information of the user. is there.

  When the dedicated account and the position information set are input from the user / frame information management unit 106, the situation information processing unit 118 classifies the plurality of position information included in the position information set into one or more groups. A group for classifying position information is set for each predetermined area (section) unit. For example, when a plurality of pieces of position information indicate that they are located in a cell of one base station, these pieces of position information are collected into one group.

  Subsequently, the situation information processing unit 118 divides the number of pieces of position information of each group by the number of pieces of position information of the group having the largest amount of position information, so that the frequency of stay by area for the user of the mobile phone 30 Is calculated. Subsequently, the situation information processing unit 118 sets identifiers of patterns A, B, C. Subsequently, the situation information processing unit 118 determines the group to which the latest position information belongs, and sets the identifier of the group and the stay frequency as the current situation of the user of the mobile phone 30. At this time, if the latest position information is not included in any group, the situation information processing unit 118 sets the value “0” as the current situation.

  Here, if the latest location information is included in the group A (stay frequency = 1), the current situation indicating that “the user of the mobile phone 30 is in a place where he / she usually lives” is set. Further, if the latest location information is included in a group with a very low stay frequency, a current situation is set indicating that “the user of the mobile phone 30 usually exists in a place where there are almost no users”. If the value indicating the current situation is “0”, it means “the user of the mobile phone 30 exists in an unknown place”.

  Subsequently, the status information processing unit 118 generates status information by associating the acquired current status with the transmission source identification information, and outputs the generated status information and the dedicated account to the communication processing unit 101. As a result, the status information is transmitted to the digital photo frame 20 identified by the dedicated account.

For example, it is assumed that 48 pieces of position information are included in the input position information set, and these pieces of position information are classified into pattern A (24 cases), pattern B (20 cases), and pattern C (4 cases). . In this case, the situation information processing unit 118 calculates the stay frequency of these three groups as follows.
Group A stay frequency = 24/24 = 1
Group B stay frequency = 20/24 = 0.833 ...
Stay frequency of group C = 4/24 = 0.166 ...

  If the latest position information belongs to the pattern A, the situation information processing unit 118 generates situation information in which the current situation indicating “pattern A, stay frequency = 1” and the transmission source identification information are associated with each other.

  An example of the situation information is shown in FIG. Tags “Status-info-start” and “Status-info-end” are information indicating the start and end of status information, respectively. The value “09012345678” is the telephone number of the mobile phone 30, and the value “09012345678@mail.ne.jp” is the mail address of the mobile phone 30. The value “status-A, 1” indicates that the current status is “pattern A, stay frequency = 1”.

(Configuration of digital photo frame)
Next, the configuration of the digital photo frame 20 shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of the digital photo frame 20.

  The digital photo frame 20 includes a wireless communication interface 201, an antenna 201A, a communication processing unit (image receiving unit, status receiving unit) 202, a mail processing unit 203, an external memory interface 204, an internal memory 205, a main processing unit (display) as constituent elements. Means) 206, an image processing unit 207, a display 208, a microphone 209, a speaker 210, a sound processing unit 211, an operation button 212, an LED 213, and an input / output control unit 214.

  The wireless communication interface 201 is means for transmitting / receiving data to / from a server or a communication terminal via the antenna 201A. Note that communication may be performed using a wired communication interface instead of the wireless communication interface 201.

  The communication processing unit 202 is a means for receiving image information and status information transmitted from the photo management server 10. In addition, the communication processing unit 202 has a function of transmitting and receiving various types of information such as character data and setting information via the network 60. The communication processing unit 202 uses electronic mail as a communication unit, and receives various types of information at a preset timing. The communication processing unit 202 outputs the received image information and status information to the main processing unit 206.

  The mail processing unit 203 provides a means for sending and receiving mail to and from the photo management server 10 via the network 60. However, e-mail is not necessarily used as the communication means, and a file transfer protocol such as FTP or an HTTP protocol may be used.

  The external memory interface 204 is means for reading / writing data from / to an external memory 70 such as a USB memory or an SD memory. As a result, the data stored in the external memory 70 can be stored in the internal memory 205, and the data stored in the internal memory 205 can be written out to the external memory 70.

  The internal memory 205 is configured by a flash memory or the like, and is a means for storing various data received or read from the outside. For example, the internal memory 205 stores image information, status information, and mail data received by the communication processing unit 202 and input via the main processing unit 206.

  The image processing unit 207 is means for displaying a digital photo file on the display 208. The image processing unit 207 reads the JPEG digital photo file input from the main processing unit 206, decodes the read file, and outputs the decoded file to the display 208.

  The audio processing unit 211 is means for executing input / output processing of audio data. The audio processing unit 211 performs input recording processing (for example, generation of an AAC format or AMR format audio file) of audio input via the microphone 209, and outputs audio data generated by the processing to the main processing unit 206. Output. The audio processing unit 211 outputs the audio data input from the main processing unit 206 to the speaker 210.

  The input / output control unit 214 is a means for executing input / output processing via the operation button 212 and the LED 213. The input / output control unit 214 outputs an input signal input via the operation button 212 to the main processing unit 206. The input / output control unit 214 turns on the LED 213 based on the lighting signal input from the main processing unit 206.

  The main processing unit 206 outputs the information to the display 208, the speaker 210, and the LED 213 based on information stored in the digital photo frame 20 and information input from the network 60, the external memory 70, the microphone 209, and the operation buttons 212. Or means for generating information for transmission via the network 60. In particular, the main processing unit 206 displays the digital photo file included in the image information received by the communication processing unit 202, and the telephone number and mail received by the communication processing unit 202 and included in the received image information. This is means for outputting status information including an address.

  The main processing unit 206 outputs the information (for example, image information and situation information) input from the communication processing unit 202 and the sound data input from the sound processing unit 211 to the internal memory 205 in order to temporarily store the information. To do. However, the main processing unit 206 may hold the input information without outputting it to the internal memory 205. The main processing unit 206 generates data for viewing by the user of the digital photo frame 20 based on various kinds of information stored in the internal memory 205 and held information, and the generated data is stored in the image processing unit 207, The data is output to the audio processing unit 211 or the input / output control unit 214.

  A process in which the main processing unit 206 displays a digital photo file and outputs the current status of the sender of the digital photo file (user of the mobile phone 30) will be described. The main processing unit 206 first reads out image information stored in the internal memory 205, and extracts a digital photo file and identification information (telephone number and mail address) from the image information. Subsequently, the main processing unit 206 reads out the situation information including the identification information from the internal memory 205 and extracts the current situation included in the situation information.

  Subsequently, the main processing unit 206 determines the display color of the LED 213 based on the extracted current situation. For this purpose, the main processing unit 206 stores the correspondence between the current situation and the display color. For example, the main processing unit 206 stores in advance a correspondence table in which blue, yellow, and red are associated with the patterns A, B, and C, respectively, and if the extracted current situation is the pattern A, the LED 213 The display color is determined to be blue. Subsequently, the main processing unit 206 outputs the extracted digital photo file to the image processing unit 207 and outputs a lighting signal including information on the determined display color to the input / output control unit 214. As a result, the digital photograph is displayed on the display 208, and the current status of the sender of the photograph is output to the LED 213.

  The main processing unit 206 switches digital photo files displayed on the display 208 at predetermined time intervals. At the time of switching, the main processing unit 206 reads out other image information stored in the internal memory 205, extracts situation information corresponding to the other image information, and outputs a lighting signal based on the situation information. Output. As a result, a digital photo file included in another image information is displayed in a slide show format on the display 208, and the current status of the sender of the digital photo file is output to the LED 213.

  In addition to the digital photo file and the current status output, the main processing unit 206 can send a voice message to the sender of the digital photo file. Specifically, when the operation button 212 is pressed and a sound is recorded through the microphone 209 while the digital photo file is displayed on the display 208, the main processing unit 206 receives the sound input from the sound processing unit 211. Get the data. Subsequently, the main processing unit 206 transmits the audio data to the mail address corresponding to the displayed digital photo file.

(Explanation of system processing)
Next, the processing of the photo communication system 1 shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 5, and the display control method according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing processing of the photo communication system 1.

  First, a digital photo file and identification information (telephone number and mail address) are transmitted from the mobile phone 30 or the PC 40 and received by the photo management server 10 (step S11, image acquisition step). Subsequently, in the photo management server 10, the digital photo file and the identification information are associated and stored as image information (step S12, image acquisition step). The stored image information is transmitted from the photo management server 10 to the digital photo frame 20 at a predetermined timing (step S13, image transmission step). Then, in the digital photo frame 20, the digital photo file included in the image information is displayed on the display 208 (step S14).

  In parallel with this or at a different timing, position information indicating the current position of the mobile phone 30 is transmitted from the network 60 to the position management server 50 at predetermined time intervals (step S15). Subsequently, a signal for requesting acquisition of position information to the position management server 50 is transmitted from the photo management server 10 at predetermined time intervals (step S16, position acquisition step), and from the position management server 50 in response to the request. The transmitted position information is received by the photo management server 10 (step S17, position acquisition step). The received position information is stored in the photo management server 10 each time (step S18, position acquisition step).

  Thereafter, in the photo management server 10, the current situation of the user of the mobile phone 30 is estimated based on a plurality of stored location information, that is, a location information set (step S19, estimation step). Specifically, a plurality of pieces of position information are classified into the same area (section), and the stay frequency of each group is calculated based on the number of position information included in each group (stay frequency calculation sub-step). . Then, it is determined to which group the latest location information belongs, and the current status of the user of the mobile phone 30 is estimated based on the group to which the location information belongs and the stay frequency of the group (estimation substep). . Subsequently, the estimated current situation is transmitted as situation information to the digital photo frame 20 (step S20, situation transmission step).

  Subsequently, status information is received by the digital photo frame 20 (status receiving step). When a digital photo file is displayed on the digital photo frame 20, the current status of the user of the mobile phone 30 that is the transmission source of the digital photo file is output via the LED 213 (step S21, display step). . Such an output of the photo and the current situation is executed by reading out situation information having the same source identification information as the image information including the digital photo file to be displayed.

  The above-described display of digital photo files (steps S11 to S14), position information registration (step S15), and estimation and display of the current situation based on the position information (steps S16 to S21) are repeatedly executed at predetermined time intervals. .

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the current situation of the user is estimated from the location information of the mobile phone 30 that has transmitted the digital photo file, and is transmitted to the digital photo frame 20. The image information and the situation information are output in association with each other based on the mail address. As a result, when the digital photo file is displayed on the digital photo frame 20, the current status of the sender of the photo can be automatically output.

  Further, in the present embodiment, since the current situation of the user of the mobile phone 30 is estimated based on the stay frequency, some details such as whether the user is present in a usual place or whether the user is going to an unknown place The present situation can be transmitted to the user of the digital photo frame 20.

  In the present embodiment, since the situation information (current situation) is displayed by the LED 213, the situation information can be displayed without disturbing the display of the digital photo file. Further, by displaying the status information based on the color change of the LED 213, the user of the digital photo frame 20 can immediately know the current status of the user of the mobile phone 30 as compared with the case where the status information is displayed by text or an icon. .

  The present invention has been described in detail based on the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. The present invention can be modified in various ways as described below without departing from the scope of the invention.

  In the above embodiment, the current situation of the user of the mobile phone 30 is estimated based on the location information of the mobile phone 30 acquired from the network 60, and the estimated current situation is transmitted to the digital photo frame 20. The transmission method is not limited to this. For example, the user may manually transmit the current status in a communication terminal such as a mobile phone or a PC, and the status information generated by the photo management server based on the current status may be transmitted to the digital photo frame. In this case, the processing of the photo communication system is as shown in FIG.

  The processes in steps S31 to S34 in FIG. 6 are the same as the processes in steps S11 to S14. Thereafter, the current status is input from the mobile phone or PC that has transmitted the digital photograph, and the current status is transmitted to the photo management server together with the identification information (step S35). Subsequently, in the photo management server, the current status and identification information are associated with each other to generate status information (step S36), and the generated status information is transmitted to the digital photo frame (step S37). An example of the generated situation information is shown in FIG. In the status information of FIG. 7, the input character string “working” is set in “status” indicating the current status. Finally, on the basis of this situation information, the digital photo file and the current situation are output in the same manner as in step S21 (step S38). The processes in steps S35 to S38 are repeatedly executed at the timing when the user of the mobile phone or PC inputs and transmits the current status.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the present condition was expressed with the display color of LED213, the expression method and display method of a present condition are not limited to this. For example, the color corresponding to the current situation indicated by the patterns A, B, C... May be displayed not on the LED but on the frame portion of the display or lamp components other than the LED. In addition, the current status that is input or estimated may be displayed as text. Furthermore, icons and colors corresponding to the fixed text may be registered in advance in the digital photo frame, and the icons and colors corresponding to the received fixed text may be displayed on the display. In this way, it is possible to display the current situation regardless of the type of component to be displayed and the type of expression method.

  In the above embodiment, the digital photo frame 20 is used as the display device. However, a communication terminal such as a mobile phone or a PC may be used as the display device.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the telephone number and the mail address were used as identification information of the user of the mobile telephone 30 or PC40, you may utilize only one of these as identification information. Further, other information such as a user account may be used as identification information.

  In the above embodiment, a digital photo file is used as image data. However, the present invention can also be applied when a moving image file is handled as image data.

1 shows an overview of a photo communication system according to an embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the photograph management server shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of status information. It is a figure which shows the structure of the digital photo frame shown in FIG. It is a sequence diagram which shows the process of the photo communication system shown in FIG. It is a sequence diagram which shows the process of the photo communication system which concerns on a modification. It is a figure which shows the example of the status information which concerns on a modification.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Photo communication system (communication system), 10 ... Photo management server (server), 20 ... Digital photo frame (display apparatus), 30 ... Mobile phone (communication terminal), 40 ... PC (communication terminal), 50 ... Location management Server 60 ... Network 70 ... External memory 101 ... Communication processing unit (image transmission unit, status transmission unit) 102 ... Mail processing unit 103 ... Audio data processing unit 104 ... Image data processing unit (image acquisition unit) 105 ... WEB interface providing unit 106 ... User / frame information management unit 110 ... Mail database 111 ... Audio database 112 ... Image database 113 ... User information database (position acquisition means) 114 ... Frame information database 117 ... External information acquisition unit 118 ... Situation information processing unit Means), 201 ... Wireless communication interface, 201A ... Antenna, 202 ... Communication processing unit (image receiving means, status receiving unit), 203 ... Mail processing unit, 204 ... External memory interface, 205 ... Internal memory, 206 ... Main processing unit (Display means), 207 ... image processing unit, 208 ... display, 209 ... microphone, 210 ... speaker, 211 ... audio processing unit, 212 ... operation button, 213 ... LED, 214 ... input / output control unit

Claims (7)

A display control method in a communication terminal, a communication system including a server capable of communicating with the communication terminal, and a display device capable of communicating with the server,
An image acquisition step in which the server acquires image data transmitted from the communication terminal and identification information for identifying a user of the communication terminal;
An image transmission step in which the server associates the image data and identification information acquired in the image acquisition step and transmits the image data to the display device as image information;
A location acquisition step in which the server acquires location information indicating a current location of the communication terminal;
An estimation step in which the server estimates a current status of the user of the communication terminal based on the location information acquired in the location acquisition step, and generates status information by associating the estimated current status with the identification information of the user. When,
A status transmission step in which the server transmits the status information generated in the estimation step to the display device;
An image receiving step in which the display device receives the image information transmitted in the image transmitting step;
A status receiving step in which the display device receives the status information transmitted in the status transmitting step;
A display in which the display device displays image data included in the image information received in the image receiving step and outputs status information received in the status receiving step and including identification information included in the image information. Steps,
A display control method comprising: In the position acquisition step, a plurality of current positions of the communication terminals are acquired at predetermined time intervals,
In the estimation step, a current situation of a user of the communication terminal is estimated based on a plurality of pieces of position information acquired in the position acquisition step.
The display control method according to claim 1. The estimation step includes
A group including a plurality of pieces of position information obtained by classifying the plurality of pieces of position information acquired in the position acquisition step for each predetermined area, and indicating the number of pieces of position information of each group generated by the classification. A stay frequency calculation substep for calculating the stay frequency of the user of the communication terminal for each group by dividing by the number of pieces of position information of
It is determined which of the groups generated in the stay frequency calculation sub-step the latest position information acquired in the position acquisition step is included, and the stay frequency of the group determined to include the latest position information An estimation sub-step for estimating a current status of a user of the communication terminal based on
including,
The display control method according to claim 2. In the display step, the status information is displayed by a display color of the LED.
The display control method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: A server capable of communicating with each of a communication terminal and a display device,
Image acquisition means for acquiring image data transmitted from the communication terminal and identification information for identifying a user of the communication terminal;
Image transmission means for associating the image data and identification information acquired by the image acquisition means and transmitting the image information to the display device;
Position acquisition means for acquiring position information indicating a current position of the communication terminal;
Estimating means for estimating the current situation of the user of the communication terminal based on the position information obtained by the position obtaining means, and generating situation information by associating the estimated current situation with the identification information of the user;
Situation transmitting means for transmitting the situation information generated by the estimating means to the display device;
A server comprising: A display device capable of communicating with a server,
Image receiving means for receiving, from the server, image information associated with image data received by the server from the communication terminal and identification information for identifying a user of the communication terminal;
Status receiving means for receiving, from the server, status information in which the current status of the user of the communication terminal estimated based on the location information of the communication terminal and the identification information of the user are associated;
Display means for displaying image data included in the image information received by the image receiving means, and outputting status information including identification information received by the status receiving means and included in the image information;
A display device comprising: A communication system comprising a communication terminal, a server capable of communicating with the communication terminal, and a display device capable of communicating with the server,
The server is
Image acquisition means for acquiring image data transmitted from the communication terminal and identification information for identifying a user of the communication terminal;
Image transmission means for associating the image data and identification information acquired by the image acquisition means and transmitting the image information to the display device;
Position acquisition means for acquiring position information indicating a current position of the communication terminal;
Estimating means for estimating the current situation of the user of the communication terminal based on the position information obtained by the position obtaining means, and generating situation information by associating the estimated current situation with the identification information of the user;
Situation transmitting means for transmitting the situation information generated by the estimating means to the display device;
With
The display device
Image receiving means for receiving image information transmitted by the image transmitting means;
Status receiving means for receiving status information transmitted by the status transmitting means;
Display means for displaying image data included in the image information received by the image receiving means, and outputting status information including identification information received by the status receiving means and included in the image information;
Comprising
A communication system characterized by the above.

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