JP2014092857A - Cooperation system between applications and communication terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cooperation system between applications and a communication terminal which can acquire information from a server another application corresponds to, in a situation that a plurality of applications are installed.SOLUTION: A cooperation system between applications 100 comprising communication terminals (an apparatus for vehicle 1 and a portable terminal 2) mutually communicable between an intermediate server 4 (a first server) and a second application server 6 (a second sever) can execute a first application for acquiring various information by performing communication with the intermediate server 4 and a second application for acquiring various information by performing communication with the second application server 6, and acquires unique information stored in the second application server 6 by utilizing identification information which is information for the second application server 6 to identify a communication terminal on which the second application is executed.

Description

  The present invention relates to an inter-application cooperation system and a communication terminal that enable cooperation between the applications in a communication terminal that can execute different applications.

Conventionally, various methods have been proposed in order to make information stored in the storage means available between different applications. For example, in Patent Document 1, the format of information is converted by providing a data utility so that information can be used by different applications.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-134893

  By the way, in recent years, a service in which information is stored on the server side connected to the network and information stored on the server side is acquired using a communication terminal has been generally provided. In this case, the application used for each provided service may be different, or the method for identifying whether or not the user is a regular user may be different. For this reason, it is not uncommon for a plurality of applications to be installed in the communication terminal.

However, since each application is for the purpose of using services that it supports, it is not possible to use services that other applications support, in other words, information cannot be obtained from other servers. It was.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an inter-application cooperation system and communication that can acquire information from a server that is supported by another application in a situation where a plurality of applications are installed. To provide a terminal.

  In the inter-application cooperation system according to claim 1, a communication terminal capable of communicating with both the first server and the second server communicates with the first server to acquire various types of information. A communication terminal capable of executing a second application for acquiring various information by performing communication between the first application and the second server for executing the second application. The unique information stored in the second server is acquired by using identification information that is information for identifying the second server. Thereby, in a situation where a plurality of applications are installed, information can be acquired from a server to which another application corresponds.

The figure which shows schematically the structure of the cooperation system between applications by 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows the structure of the apparatus for vehicles roughly The figure which shows the structure of the portable terminal schematically The figure which shows typically the main flow of control in the apparatus for vehicles. The figure which shows an example of the home screen of the apparatus for vehicles typically The figure which shows an example of the favorite screen of the apparatus for vehicles typically The figure which shows an example of the setting screen of a portable terminal typically The figure which shows an example of the list screen of a portable terminal typically The figure which shows an example of the registration screen of a portable terminal typically Diagram showing the flow of processing of the inter-application linkage system Diagram showing the flow of information transmission / reception The figure which shows the flow of a process of the cooperation system between applications by 2nd Embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the home screen of the portable terminal by 3rd Embodiment typically The figure which shows the flow of processing of the portable terminal The figure which shows an example of the favorite screen of a portable terminal typically The figure which shows typically an example of the home screen of the portable terminal by 4th Embodiment Diagram showing the flow of information transmission / reception

  Hereinafter, a plurality of embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the plurality of embodiments described below, substantially the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 11.
As shown in FIG. 1, the inter-application cooperation system 100 includes a vehicle device 1, a mobile terminal 2, an intermediate server 4 (first application server) and a content server 5 that are communicably connected via a network 3. And the second application server 6. The vehicle device 1 and the mobile terminal 2 constitute a communication terminal described in the claims. In the present embodiment, the vehicle device 1 and the mobile terminal 2 constitute a communication terminal. However, the vehicle device 1 and the mobile terminal 2 are each independent as will be described in a third embodiment to be described later. However, it is also possible to configure a communication terminal. The intermediate server 4 constitutes a first server described in the claims. Moreover, the 2nd application server 6 comprises the 2nd server described in the claim.

  In this inter-application cooperation system 100, communication terminals (in the present embodiment, the vehicle device 1 and the mobile terminal 2) communicate with the intermediate server 4 and the second application server 6 via the network 3, and various types Get information about. The descriptions “first” and “second” indicate that the inter-application cooperation system 100 can be connected to different servers, and do not limit the number of servers. Therefore, the inter-application cooperation system 100 may have a configuration in which a plurality of second application servers 6 are provided, for example.

  A vehicle device 1 constituting a communication terminal is mounted on a vehicle (not shown). That is, the vehicle device 1 is also a mobile terminal that moves with the vehicle. The vehicular device 1 is not limited to being fixed to the vehicle, but may be movably provided. As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle device 1 includes a vehicle-side control unit 10, a vehicle-side display unit 11, a vehicle-side operation input unit 12, a vehicle-side audio input / output unit 13, a vehicle-side position acquisition unit 14, a vehicle-side A storage unit 15 and a vehicle side connection unit 16 are provided.

  The vehicle-side control unit 10 is configured by a microcomputer having a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like (not shown), and controls the entire vehicle device 1 according to a program stored in the ROM or the like. In addition, the vehicle-side control unit 10 executes an application (a first application 28 described later) for linking with the mobile terminal 2. Moreover, the vehicle side control part 10 can also perform the setting of the destination, the navigation function to the destination, etc. The vehicle-side control unit 10 constitutes control means described in the claims.

  The vehicle-side display unit 11 is configured by, for example, a liquid crystal display capable of color display, an organic EL display, or a plasma display. The vehicle side display unit 11 displays, for example, an operation screen of the vehicle device 1 or a map screen when the navigation function is used. Moreover, the vehicle side display part 11 also displays the various information acquired from each server. The information displayed on the vehicle side display unit 11 includes unique information described later. That is, the vehicle side display unit 11 functions as a display unit that displays various types of information to the user.

  The vehicle-side operation input unit 12 includes a touch panel provided corresponding to the vehicle-side display unit 11 and switches disposed around the vehicle-side display unit 11. The user inputs an operation for the vehicle device 1 from the vehicle-side operation input unit 12. That is, the vehicle-side operation input unit 12 functions as an operation input unit that receives a user operation. In addition, as a touch panel, the thing of arbitrary systems, such as a pressure sensitive system, an electromagnetic induction system, or an electrostatic induction system, is employable, for example.

  The vehicle-side voice input / output unit 13 has a speaker and a microphone (not shown). The vehicle-side voice input / output unit 13 outputs, for example, music stored in the vehicle-side storage unit 15 and guide voice from the vehicle device 1. The vehicle-side voice input / output unit 13 receives a user's voice operation on the vehicle device 1. In addition, when the information acquired from each server includes sound, the vehicle-side sound input / output unit 13 also functions as sound output means for outputting the information by sound.

  The vehicle position acquisition unit 14 includes a so-called GPS unit, a gyro sensor, and the like, and acquires the current position of the vehicle device 1, more specifically, the current position of the vehicle in which the vehicle device 1 is provided. To do. In addition, since the method of acquiring the current position by a GPS unit or the like is well known, detailed description thereof is omitted here. Based on the position of the vehicle acquired by the vehicle-side position acquisition unit 14, the vehicle device 1 executes a navigation process for guiding the vehicle to the destination.

The vehicle-side storage unit 15 stores music data, map data used for the navigation function, and various applications executed by the vehicle device 1. The vehicle-side storage unit 15 also stores the first application 28. Details of the first application 28 will be described later.
The vehicle side connection unit 16 communicates with the mobile terminal 2. In the present embodiment, a wireless communication system based on Bluetooth (registered trademark) is adopted. Hereinafter, Bluetooth (registered trademark) is referred to as BT, and the connection with the portable terminal 2 by BT is referred to as BT connection. The vehicle side connection unit 16 has, for example, a profile 16a for data communication (in the case of BT, SPP, DUN, etc. correspond), and connects to the mobile terminal 2 using these profiles.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the mobile terminal 2 that constitutes a communication terminal together with the vehicle equipment 1 includes a terminal-side control unit 20, a terminal-side display unit 21, a terminal-side operation input unit 22, a terminal-side voice input / output unit 23, A terminal-side communication unit 24, a terminal-side position acquisition unit 25, a terminal-side storage unit 26, and a terminal-side connection unit 27 are included. In the case of the present embodiment, a so-called smartphone is assumed as the mobile terminal 2. The mobile terminal 2 is also a mobile terminal that moves with the user.

  The terminal-side control unit 20 is configured by a microcomputer having a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like (not shown), and controls the entire portable terminal 2 according to a program stored in the ROM. In addition, the terminal-side control unit 20 executes an application (first application 28) for operating in cooperation with the vehicle device 1. The terminal-side control unit 20 constitutes control means described in the claims.

  The terminal side display unit 21 is configured by, for example, a liquid crystal display capable of color display, an organic EL display, or the like. The terminal-side display unit 21 displays, for example, phone book data and, for example, images and videos stored in the terminal-side storage unit 26. The terminal-side operation input unit 22 includes a touch panel provided corresponding to the terminal-side display unit 21 and a switch arranged around the terminal-side display unit 21. The user inputs an operation on the mobile terminal 2 from these terminal side operation input units 22. That is, the terminal side operation input unit 22 functions as an operation input unit that receives a user operation. In addition, as a touch panel, the thing of arbitrary systems, such as a pressure sensitive system, an electromagnetic induction system, or an electrostatic induction system, is employable, for example.

The terminal-side voice input / output unit 23 includes a microphone and a speaker (not shown), and inputs utterance voice and outputs received voice during a call. The terminal-side audio input / output unit 23 also outputs, for example, music or video audio stored in the terminal-side storage unit 26.
The terminal side communication unit 24 is connected to the network 3 for, for example, voice call and data communication. Moreover, the terminal side communication part 24 communicates between each server, and acquires various information. The terminal side position acquisition unit 25 includes a so-called GPS unit, a gyro sensor, and the like, and acquires the current position of the mobile terminal 2.

  The terminal-side storage unit 26 stores telephone book data, music, and the like, as well as various applications executed by the mobile terminal 2, data saved by the user, and the like. Further, the terminal-side storage unit 26 stores ID information 29 a used by the first application 28, the second application 29, and the second application 29. The terminal-side storage unit 26 constitutes storage means described in the claims.

  The first application 28 is an application that is executed by the terminal-side control unit 20 and enables cooperation with the vehicle device 1. Specifically, the vehicle device 1 and the mobile terminal 2 each execute the first application 28 and can operate in cooperation when both are BT-connected. Specifically, the first application 28 enables operation of the mobile terminal 2 from the vehicle device 1 or enables a hands-free call via the mobile terminal 2. The first application 28 is also an application for communicating with the intermediate server 4 and acquiring various information such as the content 50 provided from the content server 5 connected to the intermediate server 4. . At this time, the 1st application 28 acquires various information from the intermediate | middle server 4 along the 1st path | route shown by the arrow in FIG. 1 using login ID (refer FIG. 7) and a password. The first application 28 corresponds to the first application described in the claims.

  The second application 29 is an application executed by the terminal-side control unit 20, communicates with the second application server 6, and follows the second route indicated by the arrow in FIG. Various types of information are acquired from the server 6. The second application 29 corresponds to the second application described in the claims. The second application 29 stores, in the terminal-side storage unit 26, ID information 29 a that is information for the second application server 6 to identify the mobile terminal 2 when acquiring information from the second application server 6. . The ID information 29a is information for identifying the mobile terminal 2 on which the second application 29 is executed. This ID information 29a may be set individually when, for example, the second application 29 is downloaded, or may be generated after installation based on the manufacturing number or telephone number of the mobile terminal 2. That is, the specific data structure and mounting method of the ID information 29a can be arbitrarily designed. The ID information 29a corresponds to the identification information described in the claims.

The terminal side connection unit 27 communicates with the vehicle device 1. In the present embodiment, as described above, the wireless communication method using BT is adopted, and the mobile terminal 2 is BT-connected to the vehicle device 1. The terminal-side connection unit 27 has a data communication profile 27a (SPP, DUN, etc. in the present embodiment) as with the vehicle device 1, and connects to the vehicle device 1 using these profiles. The profile is not limited to the data communication profile, and may include a hands-free call profile (HFP in the case of BT), for example.
The intermediate server 4 can display a so-called user authentication function for determining a user who uses the first application 28 and information provided from each server such as the content server 5 in a common mode on the communication terminal side. Functions such as data conversion or reduction of information amount.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the intermediate server 4 includes a control unit 40, a storage unit 41, a search unit 42, an external communication unit 43, a conversion unit 44, and the like. The control unit 40 is configured by a computer having a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like (not shown), and controls the entire intermediate server 4 based on a computer program stored in the ROM, the storage unit 41, or the like. The storage unit 41 stores at least a part of various information communicated with the mobile terminal 2 by the first application 28 in association with the login name used by the first application 28 described above. Based on a request from the mobile terminal 2, the search unit 42 searches for information stored in the storage unit 41, or performs search for information from other servers such as the content server 5. The external communication unit 43 is connected to the network 3 and communicates with a communication terminal such as the vehicle device 1 or the portable terminal 2, with the content server 5, and with the second application server 6. .

  The conversion unit 44 functions as a conversion unit that converts the data format of information transmitted to and received from the communication terminal side. The content server 5 provides various contents 50 to the communication terminal side via the intermediate server 4. At this time, the content 50 provided from each content server 5 is not necessarily in the same data format. Therefore, the conversion unit 44 converts the data format of the content 50 so that the content provided in various data formats can be used on the communication terminal side. The conversion unit 44 transmits the specific information stored in the second application server 6 to a data format that can be used on the communication terminal side, and is transmitted from the first application 28, as will be described in detail later. Also, format conversion of information for acquiring the unique information ("favorite information request" described later, see FIG. 10) is also performed. The content server 5 is operated by a so-called content provider. Further, the content server 5 may be connected to the intermediate server 4 via the network 3.

  The 2nd application server 6 has the control part 60, the memory | storage part 61, the search part 62, the external communication part 63, the conversion part 64 grade | etc.,. The control part 60 is comprised by the computer which has CPU, ROM, RAM, etc. which are not shown in figure, and controls the whole 2nd application server 6 based on the computer program memorize | stored in ROM, the memory | storage part 61, etc. FIG. The 2nd application server 6 comprises the 2nd server described in the claim. The second application server 6 may be configured to function as a content server. The storage unit 61 stores at least a part of various information communicated with the mobile terminal 2 by the second application 29 in association with the ID information 29a described above. Information stored in association with the ID information 29a corresponds to unique information. The memory | storage part 61 comprises the server side memory | storage means described in the claim. Based on a request from the mobile terminal 2, the search unit 62 searches for information stored in the storage unit 61 or searches for information stored in another server (not shown). The external communication unit 63 is connected to the network 3 and communicates with the vehicle device 1 and the portable terminal 2 and with the content server 5. The conversion unit 64 has the same function as the conversion unit 54 of the intermediate server 4 described above. The conversion unit 64 will be described in detail in the fourth embodiment.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described.
First, a schematic flow of the operation of the first application 28 in the inter-application cooperation system 100 will be described. On the vehicle equipment 1 side, various services provided from the content server 5 (providing content 50, etc.) can be used. Examples of services that can be used include POI (Point Of Interest) search service, photo information providing service, SNS (Social Networking Service), and music streaming service. These services may be provided by one content provider or may be provided by a plurality of content providers.

  When using such a service, the user may want to store information searched by the POI search service, for example, so that it can be used later. Therefore, the intermediate server 4, the content server 5, the second application server 6, and the like store the searched information for each user as so-called “favorite information”. When there is a request from the user, each server searches for favorite information, that is, reads it from the storage unit and transmits it to the communication terminal side. The favorite information stored for each user corresponds to unique information targeted in this embodiment. However, of course, the unique information does not mean only the favorite information.

  Each server is not necessarily required to store all transmitted information as unique information. For example, when searching for a store, information on the photo of the dish is included, and even if communication is performed with the mobile terminal 2 side including the information on the photo, each server will store the store name, location, The telephone number may be stored and the photograph information may not be stored. This unique information can also be shared with others. For example, if information registered as favorite information by a user is set to be sharable, other users such as friends can search for favorite information. That is, the favorite information that can be acquired on the mobile terminal 2 side includes information registered by the user himself and information registered so as to be shared by other sharing users.

  In the present embodiment, the POI search service is provided by different content providers, and the above-described favorite information is sent to the intermediate server 4 side (the intermediate server 4 and the content server 5) and the second application server 6, respectively. Assume a stored state. Note that various information such as favorite information associated with login information may be stored not only in the intermediate server 4 but also in the content server 5. Therefore, hereinafter, the servers from which information is acquired by the first application 28 will be collectively referred to, and the intermediate server 4 and the content server 5 will be referred to as “the intermediate server 4 side”.

  The first application 28 acquires favorite information stored on the intermediate server 4 side, and the second application 29 acquires favorite information stored on the second application server 6. In this case, conventionally, in order to acquire the unique information stored in the second application server 6, the second application 29 must be activated and acquired by the second application 29. Further, in view of the fact that each server is operated by a different service provider, it is not realistic to construct a system that can access all servers with one application.

  Therefore, in the inter-application cooperation system 100, it is possible to acquire information from a server to which a different application corresponds as follows. In the following flowchart, the mobile terminal 2 is described as SP (Smart Phone). Moreover, in this embodiment, the apparatus 1 for vehicles and the portable terminal 2 operate | move in cooperation, and a user shall operate with respect to the apparatus 1 for vehicles.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the vehicular device 1 starts a service when it is BT-connected to the SP (mobile terminal) after starting (after the first application 28 is started) (S1). At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, the vehicle device 1 displays a home screen on which icons I1 to I8 corresponding to available services A to H are arranged on the vehicle side display unit 11. Here, the available service is a service provided from the intermediate server 4 side via the mobile terminal 2 and the intermediate server 4. The services A to H may be services provided by different content providers. The user can receive provision of the service by operating the icon corresponding to the desired service.

  When the service is selected by the user, the vehicle device 1 determines whether or not the service can be provided as shown in FIG. 4 (S3), and if the service can be provided (YES). The service is provided (S4). And the apparatus 1 for vehicles determines whether it is service end (S5), and if it is in service (S5: NO), it will transfer to step S3. On the other hand, the vehicle device 1 ends the process when it is determined that the service is ended, for example, when the user gives an instruction to end the service or when the started service is completed (S5: YES). In addition, when it determines with the apparatus 1 for vehicles not being able to provide a service in step S3 (S3: NO), for example, when user registration is required, the guidance for using services, such as the registration screen, is shown. A screen is displayed (S6).

As described above, the first application 28 communicates with the intermediate server 4 to use the service provided from the intermediate server 4 side, that is, acquire various kinds of information from the intermediate server 4 side. ing.
Now, in addition to the service selection icons I1 to I8, etc., a favorite button M1, a home button M2, and a return button M3 are displayed on the home screen shown in FIG. Among these buttons, the home button M2 is a button for transitioning to the home screen shown in FIG. 5 when each service is executed, and the return button M3 is a button for transitioning to the previously displayed screen. .

  The favorite button M1 is a button for transitioning to a screen for displaying favorite information assumed as unique information in the present embodiment. Specifically, when the favorite button M1 is operated, a favorite screen as shown in FIG. 6 is displayed. On this favorite screen, a name display area M4 (“CP1” is shown as the server name of the acquisition source in FIG. 6) that displays the server name, service name, and the like of the acquisition source of favorite information, and the favorite information are displayed. An information display area M5, a scroll button M6 for scrolling displayed information, and the like are displayed. Although illustration is omitted, the favorite button M1 is always displayed on the execution screen of each service, and the user can display favorite information while providing any service.

  Further, tabs T1 to T5 for switching the acquisition source of favorite information, that is, a server for acquiring unique information, are displayed at the bottom of the screen. In each tab, the name of the favorite information acquisition source is set. For this reason, the user can select a server or the like from which favorite information is acquired by operating one of the tabs. In the case of FIG. 6, five types of servers, CP1 to CP4 and point keep, are displayed as favorites information acquisition sources. The “point keep” means favorite information stored in the vehicle-side storage unit 15, not an external server. Further, in FIG. 6, a state where the tab T1 corresponding to the CP1 server is selected is schematically shown by hatching.

  The servers CP1 to CP4 shown in FIG. 6 are the second application server 6 accessed by the second application 29. That is, in FIG. 6, favorite information that is unique information stored in the second application server 6 in association with the ID information 29 a of the second application 29 is displayed. As described above, in the inter-application cooperation system 100, favorite information (unique information) that can be acquired only by the second application 29 can be acquired by executing the first application 28. Hereinafter, the flow of acquiring unique information by the first application 28 will be described.

The inter-application cooperation system 100 performs cooperation setting between the first application 28 and the second application 29 before the favorite information stored in the second application server 6 is acquired by the first application 28. This linkage setting is performed from the mobile terminal 2.
When the mobile terminal 2 executes the first application 28, the mobile terminal 2 displays a setting screen illustrated in FIG. 7 according to a user operation. On this setting screen, a login ID when using the first application 28, a cooperative service setting button M10 for setting a cooperative service, and the like are displayed. When the cooperation service setting button M10 is operated by the user, the mobile terminal 2 displays a list screen showing a list of services that can be cooperated as shown in FIG. In this list screen, preset cooperation destinations such as servers CP1 to CP7 are displayed as services that can be cooperated. That is, in the case of the present embodiment, services that can be linked are registered in advance on the first application 28 side.

  This is because the unique information is information that should be acquired by the second application 29 in the first place, and if anyone can acquire it, problems such as leakage of personal information may occur. For this reason, in the inter-application cooperation system 100, the second application 29 that can be cooperated is set in advance. More specifically, when the service provider that operates the intermediate server 4 side and the service provider that operates the second application server 6 cooperate to permit the mutual cooperation of the services, the ID information 29a can be used. Thereby, the possibility that the unique information is acquired indiscriminately by an unauthorized application is suppressed. In addition, when a new service comes to be provided and a new provider is required, it is possible to register from other new registrations. In addition, when registering the cooperation destination, the URL of the second server is set at the same time.

  As shown in FIG. 8, when the display area M11 corresponding to the unregistered CP1 server is operated by the user, the portable terminal 2 displays the registration screen shown in FIG. In this registration screen, a message asking whether or not to cooperate and a YES button M17 and a NO button M18 for selecting whether or not to cooperate are displayed in a display area M16 indicating cooperation destination information. When the user operates the YES button M17 in this state, the portable terminal 2 registers the CP1 server as the cooperation destination. Thereby, cooperation with the 1st application 28 and the 2nd application 29 is attained.

  After the cooperation setting is completed, as shown in FIG. 10, when the first application 28 is activated (B1), the mobile terminal 2 determines whether or not the second application 29 is installed (B2). And if the 2nd application 29 is installed (B2: YES), the portable terminal 2 will acquire ID information 29a of the 2nd application 29 (B3). In this case, since the first application 28 and the second application 29 are linked as described above, the ID information 29a can be acquired from the first application 28 side. In addition, when the several 2nd application 29 is installed, the portable terminal 2 acquires ID information 29a from all of them.

  Subsequently, the mobile terminal 2 transmits the second application information to the intermediate server 4 (B4). The second application information includes at least information indicating whether the second application 29 is installed and ID information 29a when the second application 29 is installed. On the other hand, when the second application 29 is not installed (B2: NO), the mobile terminal 2 skips step B3 and proceeds to step B4. In this case, the fact that the second application 29 is not installed is transmitted to the intermediate server 4 as second application information (B4).

  When receiving the second application information from the mobile terminal 2 (C1), the intermediate server 4 determines whether there is a change from the existing information or initial registration (C2). The existing information is second application information that has been transmitted in the past and is already stored on the intermediate server 4 side. The initial registration means that the second application information is transmitted for the first time and there is no existing information. The intermediate server 4 changes the existing information with the second application information received in step C1 or changes the existing information when there is a change from the existing information or when the registration is initial registration (C2: YES). (C3). At this time, the intermediate server 4 stores the second application information in association with the login ID of the first application 28. On the other hand, if there is no change from the existing information and it is not the initial registration (C2: NO), the intermediate server 4 ends the process as it is.

  Thereby, the login ID used when the first application 28 acquires information from the intermediate server 4 and the ID information 29a used when the second application 29 acquires information from the second application server 6 are associated with each other. It is done. That is, it is possible to acquire the unique information stored in the second application server 6 by executing the first application 28 and requesting information from the first application 28 to the intermediate server 4.

  After the first application 28 is activated (A1), the vehicular device 1 transmits a favorite information request for requesting favorite information to the portable terminal 2 when the favorite button M1 is pressed (A2: YES). To do. When receiving the favorite information request (B5), the portable terminal 2 transfers it to the intermediate server 4. When the intermediate server 4 receives the favorite information request (C4), the intermediate server 4 requests the information of the corresponding user from each server based on the existing information stored in step C3 (C5). At this time, the intermediate server 4 transmits an information request to each content server 5 and also transmits an information request to the second application server 6 if the ID information 29a is included as existing information. The intermediate server 4 transmits an information request to all of the servers registered as the favorite information acquisition destinations.

  When each server receives the information request (D1), it executes an information search for searching for the user's favorite information from each storage unit (D2), and transmits the result to the intermediate server 4 (D3). When the intermediate server 4 receives the information of each user (C6), the intermediate server 4 performs format conversion (C7). In step C7, the data format of the unique information received from the second application server 6 is converted. Since the unique information stored in the second application server 6 is information that is originally used by the second application 29, a case where the data format cannot be used by the first application 28 is also assumed. Therefore, the intermediate server 4 can use the unique information in the first application by performing format conversion of the unique information in Step C7. The intermediate server 4 also performs format conversion to convert the favorite information request into a data format that can be received by each server including the second application server 6 even when requesting user information in step C5 described above. Yes.

  For this reason, as shown in FIG. 11, the data format between the communication terminal and the intermediate server 4 (first route), the intermediate server 4 and the content server 5, and the intermediate server 4 and the second application server 6 Even if the data format differs between the two (third path), various information including unique information can be used on the communication terminal side.

When the intermediate server 4 performs format conversion, the intermediate server 4 transmits the converted information to the mobile terminal 2. “Each user” means a user registered in each server. Subsequently, when the favorite information is returned (B6), that is, when the favorite information is received, the portable terminal 2 transfers the favorite information to the vehicle device 1. And the apparatus 1 for vehicles displays the transferred favorite information (A3). At this time, the vehicle device 1 displays the favorite information in a list as shown in FIG. For this reason, for example, even if the CP1 server and the CP2 server are operated by different service providers and the original display mode is different, the user browses the favorite information in the vehicle device 1 in a common mode. can do. In addition, since favorite information corresponding to other tabs is also acquired, the user can browse other favorite information immediately by switching tabs.
As described above, the inter-application cooperation system 100 executes the first application 28 and communicates with the intermediate server 4 to acquire the favorite information acquired from the intermediate server 4 side and the second application server 6. It is possible to display the favorite information.

According to this embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.
The inter-application cooperation system 100 transmits the ID information 29a of the second application 29 to the intermediate server 4, and associates the ID information 29a with the login ID of the first application 28 and stores it on the intermediate server 4 side. Therefore, when the first application 28 is executed and unique information (favorite information) is requested, the ID information 29a of the corresponding user can be grasped on the intermediate server 4 side. Thereby, the intermediate server 4 side can acquire the unique information originally acquired by the second application 29 on behalf of the application. Therefore, in a situation where a plurality of applications are installed on the communication terminal side, unique information can be acquired from a server to which another application corresponds.

  Since the first application 28 is an application that is used via communication with the intermediate server 4 (first server), the first application 28 cannot communicate directly with the second application server 6 (second server). By converting the format by providing the conversion unit 54, the data format of the information acquired from the second application server 6 is converted from the data format for the second application 29 to the data format for the first application 28. Therefore, unique information can be acquired by executing the first application 28.

  When the first application 28 is activated, the mobile terminal 2 determines whether or not the second application 29 is installed, and if it is installed, transmits the ID information 29a. For this reason, even when the ID information 29a stored in the intermediate server 4 as the existing information is old, such as when the second application 29 is updated, the unique information can be acquired with the latest ID information 29a. it can.

Since the vehicle terminal 1 and the mobile terminal 2 constitute a communication terminal, the service used by the user on the mobile terminal 2 can also be used on the vehicle apparatus 1.
Even if the apparatus 1 for vehicles acquires specific information from a different acquisition destination, they are displayed in a common aspect. Thereby, there is no confusion that the display mode changes every time the acquisition destination is changed. In particular, when displaying on the vehicle device 1 side as in the present embodiment, safety during traveling can be improved.

Since the intermediate server 4 transmits an information request to all of the servers registered as acquisition destinations of the unique information, the unique information corresponding to other acquisition destinations is also acquired before the display is switched. Thereby, when switching tabs, other unique information can be displayed immediately, and convenience is improved.
On the first application 28 side, a collaborative service, that is, a collaborative second application 29 is set in advance. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the possibility that the unique information is acquired indiscriminately by an unauthorized application.

(Second Embodiment)
Hereinafter, the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the second embodiment, the procedure for storing the ID information in the intermediate server is different from that in the first embodiment. Since the configuration of the inter-application cooperation system is the same as that of the first embodiment, a detailed description is omitted.
As shown in FIG. 12, the vehicular device 1 according to the present embodiment starts a service, activates the first application (A11), and then presses a favorite button by the user (A12: YES). 2 is notified accordingly.

  When notified that the favorite button has been pressed, the portable terminal 2 determines whether or not the second application 29 is installed (B11). Subsequently, as in the first embodiment, if the second application is installed (B11: YES), the mobile terminal 2 acquires the ID information 29a (B12) and requests the favorite information together with the second application information. Is transmitted to the intermediate server 4 (B13).

  When the intermediate server 4 receives the favorite information request and the second application information (C11), the intermediate server 4 transmits an information request for the user's favorite information corresponding to each server based on the second application information (C12). If the second application information does not include the ID information 29a, the information request is not transmitted to the second application server 6. When each server receives the information request (D11), it searches for favorite information (D12), and transmits the search result to the intermediate server 4 (D13). When the intermediate server 4 receives the information of each user (C13), the intermediate server 4 performs format conversion (C14), and transmits the converted information to the portable terminal 2. Subsequently, when the favorite information is returned (B14), the portable terminal 2 transfers the favorite information to the vehicle device 1. And the apparatus 1 for vehicles displays the transferred favorite information (A13).

  As described above, the inter-application cooperation system 100 according to the present embodiment transmits the second application information including the ID information 29a and the like when the favorite button M1 is operated. That is, when the first application 28 is simply activated on the mobile terminal 2, the second application information is not transmitted. This prevents unnecessary communication with the intermediate server 4 side when the user does not intend to browse the favorite information. Therefore, for example, when a contract with a so-called pay-as-you-go fee structure is made, the generation of extra communication charges is suppressed, and the burden on the user can be reduced.

(Third embodiment)
Hereinafter, the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 to 15. The third embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a communication terminal is configured by a single mobile terminal. Since the configuration of the mobile terminal is the same as that of the first embodiment, detailed description is omitted.
The mobile terminal 2 of the present embodiment can execute the first application 28 and the second application 29, and stores ID information 29 a in the terminal-side storage unit 26. That is, in this embodiment, the inter-application cooperation system has a configuration in which the vehicle device 1 is omitted from the inter-application cooperation system 100 of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

When the first application 28 is activated, the mobile terminal 2 displays a home screen as shown in FIG. This home screen has a display mode almost common to the home screen (see FIG. 5) of the vehicle device 1 of the first embodiment, and icons I1 to I7 corresponding to each service, a favorite button M1 and the like are displayed. Has been.
As shown in FIG. 14, when the first application 28 is activated (B21), the mobile terminal 2 determines whether the second application 29 is installed (B22). If the 2nd application 29 is installed (B22: YES), the portable terminal 2 will acquire the ID information 29a of the 2nd application 29 (B23). And the portable terminal 2 transmits 2nd application information to the intermediate | middle server 4 (B24). When the second application 29 is not installed (B22: NO), the portable terminal 2 omits step B3 and sets the second application information indicating that the second application 29 is not installed as an intermediate server. 4 (B24).

  Upon receiving the second application information (C21), the intermediate server 4 determines whether there is a change from the existing information or initial registration (C22). Then, if there is a change from the existing information, or if it is initial registration (C22: YES), the intermediate server 4 changes the existing information or stores it as new existing information (C23). On the other hand, if there is no change from the existing information and it is not the initial registration (C22: NO), the intermediate server 4 ends the process as it is.

  When the user presses the favorite button M1 (B25: YES), the portable terminal 2 transmits a favorite information request to the intermediate server 4 (B26). When the intermediate server 4 receives the favorite information request (C24), the intermediate server 4 transmits a user information request corresponding to each server based on the existing information (C25). Upon receiving the information request (D21), each server executes a search for favorite information (D22) and transmits the search result to the intermediate server 4 (D23). When the intermediate server 4 receives the information of each user (C26), the intermediate server 4 performs format conversion (C27), and transmits the converted information to the portable terminal 2. And the portable terminal 2 displays favorite information (B27). At this time, the portable terminal 2 displays the acquired favorite information as a list as shown in FIG.

  As described above, even if the mobile terminal 2 is a single unit, the ID information 29 a stored in the terminal-side storage unit 26 is used to store the second application server 6 in a situation where a plurality of applications are installed. Favorite information (unique information) can be acquired.

(Fourth embodiment)
Hereinafter, the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 and 17. In the fourth embodiment, the route for acquiring the unique information is different from that in the third embodiment. Since the configuration of the mobile terminal is the same as that of the first embodiment, detailed description is omitted.
Also in this embodiment, the communication terminal is composed of the mobile terminal 2 alone. For this reason, the portable terminal 2 can execute the first application 28 and the second application 29, and the terminal-side storage unit 26 stores the ID information 29 a. Further, when the first application 28 is activated, the mobile terminal 2 displays a home screen (see FIG. 13).

  As shown in FIG. 16, when the first application 28 is activated (B31) and the user presses the favorite button M1 (B32: YES), the mobile terminal 2 determines whether the second application 29 is installed or not. Is determined (B33). If the second application 29 is installed (B33: YES), the mobile terminal 2 acquires the ID information 29a of the second application 29 (B34), and based on the acquired ID information 29a, the second application server 6 A favorite information request is transmitted to (B35). That is, the portable terminal 2 requests favorite information directly from the second application server 6 when the second application 29 is installed. At this time, it is good also as a structure which requests | requires after performing the format conversion of the information for requesting favorite information by the portable terminal 2 side. That is, conversion means for performing format conversion may be provided on the communication terminal side such as the portable terminal 2. Or it is good also as a structure which can recognize the data format which the 1st application 28 utilizes on the 2nd application server 6 side.

  When the second application server 6 receives the information request (D31), the favorite application information is searched (D32), the format of the searched information is converted (D33), and the search result is directly transmitted to the mobile terminal. 2 (D34).

  Thereby, as shown in FIG. 17, the data format between the portable terminal 2 and the intermediate server 4 (first route) and the data format between the portable terminal 2 and the second application server 6 (second route). Even if they are different, the mobile terminal 2 can use various types of information including unique information. At this time, the format conversion of the specific information may be performed by the second application server 6 even if the format conversion is performed when the mobile terminal 2 requests the favorite information. That is, the second application server 6 side may perform processing for format conversion of specific information that is assumed to have a large amount of data. With such a configuration, it is possible to cope with the processing capability of the mobile terminal 2, and the processing load is reduced, so that a decrease in the battery of the mobile terminal 2 can be suppressed.

  Further, the portable terminal 2 transmits a favorite information request to the intermediate server 4 (B36). When the intermediate server 4 receives the favorite information (C31), the intermediate server 4 transmits an information request of the corresponding user to the content server 5 (C32). When the content server 5 receives the information request (D34), the above-described information is sent. Search of favorite information is executed based on the login ID (D35), and the search result is transmitted to the intermediate server 4 (D36). The intermediate server 4 that has received the information of each user transmits the information to the portable terminal 2 (C33).

And the portable terminal 2 displays the favorite information acquired from each server (B37). At this time, the favorite information acquired from the content server 5 is displayed as shown in FIG. The favorite information acquired from the second application server 6 may have a display mode unique to the second application server 6. This is because, in the case of the present embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, it is less necessary to consider vehicle safety and the like.
Thus, the portable terminal 2 can acquire favorite information (unique information) stored in the second application server 6 by using the ID information 29a stored in the terminal-side storage unit 26, etc. The same effect as in the third embodiment can be obtained.

In addition, since the first application 28 is an application used through communication with the intermediate server 4 (first server), the second application server 6 (second server) cannot directly communicate with the second application server 6 (second server). The data format of the information acquired from the second application server 6 is converted from the data format for the second application 29 to the data format for the first application 28 by providing the conversion unit 64 in the application server 6 and converting the format. Is done. Therefore, the mobile terminal 2 can acquire the unique information by executing the first application 28.
In the case of this embodiment, favorite information is acquired directly from the second application server 6, so even if the information amount may be reduced through the intermediate server 4, The amount of information can be displayed as it is.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention is not limited to those exemplified in the above-described embodiments, and can be arbitrarily modified or expanded without departing from the scope thereof.
In each embodiment, although Bluetooth (registered trademark) is shown as a communication method between the vehicle device 1 and the mobile terminal 2, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, another wireless communication method such as a wireless LAN such as so-called WiFi, a wireless USB obtained by wirelessly connecting a USB, or a wired communication method such as a USB may be employed.

The vehicle device 1 may be provided with a communication means, and the vehicle device 1 alone may constitute a communication terminal. Moreover, it is set as the structure similar to 1st Embodiment, and you may use the portable terminal 2 as a communication means with respect to the apparatus 1 for vehicles.
Each embodiment has shown an example in which unique information is displayed. However, when the unique information is a voice message or the like, voice output may be performed from the vehicle-side voice input / output unit 13 or the terminal-side voice input / output unit 23. Good.

  The configuration of the fourth embodiment and the configuration of the first embodiment may be combined. That is, in the configuration in which the vehicle device 1 and the mobile terminal 2 are provided, the mobile terminal 2 requests specific information from the second application server 6 and the second application server 6 converts the data format of the specific information. The unique information may be directly transmitted and received between the second application server 6 and the mobile terminal 2.

  In the drawings, 1 is a vehicle device (communication terminal), 2 is a portable terminal (communication terminal), 4 is an intermediate server (first server), 6 is a second application server (second server), and 10 is a vehicle side. Control unit (control unit), 15 is a vehicle side storage unit (storage unit), 20 is a terminal side control unit (control unit), 24 is a terminal side communication unit (communication unit), and 26 is a terminal side storage unit (storage unit). , 28 is a first application (first application), 29 is a second application (second application), 29a is ID information (identification information), 41 is a storage unit (server-side storage means), and 61 is a storage unit ( Server side storage means), 100 indicates an inter-application cooperation system.

Claims (8)

A first server (4), a second server (6),
A communication terminal (1, 2) capable of communicating with both the first server (4) and the second server (6),
The communication terminals (1, 2) communicate with the first server (4) to obtain various information, and a first application (28) and the second server (6) ) To execute a second application (29) for acquiring various types of information by communicating with
The second application (28) is identification information (information for identifying the communication terminal (1, 2) on which the second application (28) is executed by the second server (6). 29a) is stored in the storage means (15, 26) provided in the communication terminal (1, 2),
The second server (6) associates unique information including at least a part of information acquired by the second application (29) with the identification information (29a), and Stored in the server-side storage means (61) provided in (6),
The first application (28) uses the identification information (29a) stored in the storage means (15, 26) and uses the identification information (29a) stored in the second server (6). An inter-application collaboration system characterized by acquiring The first server is communicable with the second server, and converts unique information including at least a part of information acquired by the second application into a data format for the first application. With functionality,
The first application acquires the unique information stored in the second server via the first server using the identification information stored in the storage means. The inter-application cooperation system according to claim 1, wherein The first application determines whether or not the second application is installed when a startup operation is performed on the first application. If the second application is installed, the first application Transmitting the identification information set uniquely to the second application to the first server;
The first server stores the transmitted identification information in the server-side storage means provided in the first server, and requests unique information associated with the second application. 3. The inter-application cooperation according to claim 1, wherein when received, the unique information is acquired from the second server storing the unique information using the stored identification information. system. The first application determines whether or not the second application is installed when an operation for obtaining the unique information associated with the second application is performed, and If the second application is installed, the identification information set specifically for the second application is transmitted to the first server,
The first server stores the transmitted identification information in the server-side storage means provided in the first server, and requests unique information associated with the second application. 4. When received, the unique information is acquired from a second server that stores the unique information by using the stored identification information. The described inter-application linkage system.   5. The inter-application cooperation according to claim 1, wherein the first application acquires the specific information directly from the second server using the identification information. 6. system. The first application can communicate with the second server;
The second server has a function of returning unique information including at least a part of information acquired by the second application in a data format for the first application at the time of a request from the first application. Prepared,
The inter-application cooperation according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first application acquires the specific information directly from the second server using the identification information. system. The first application is a terminal that can communicate with the first server and the second server, and includes a vehicle device (1) used for a vehicle, and the vehicle device (1). Executed in a communication terminal (1, 2) composed of a mobile terminal (2) operating in cooperation,
The inter-application cooperation system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the second application is executed by the portable terminal (2). Communication means (2, 24) for communicating between the first server (4) and the second server (6);
Various information from the first application (28) and the second server (6) for acquiring various information from the first server (4) via the communication means (2, 24). Control means (10, 20) for executing a second application (29) for acquisition;
Storage means (15, 26) for storing identification information (29a) which is information for identifying the communication terminal (1, 2) on which the second application (29) is executed by the second server (6). ) And
The control means (10, 20) is information stored in the second server (6) using the identification information (29a) stored in the storage means (15, 26). Specific information including at least a part of the information acquired by the second application (29) is acquired from the second server (6) by executing the first application (28). A characteristic communication terminal.

Images