JP4816658B2 - INFORMATION PROVIDING SYSTEM, INFORMATION TERMINAL, INFORMATION PROVIDING DEVICE, JUDGING DEVICE, PROGRAM USED FOR THEM, AND INFORMATION PROVIDING METHOD - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information providing system, an information terminal, an information providing apparatus, a determination apparatus, a program used therefor, and an information providing method, and more particularly, an information providing system in which a terminal requests content from an information providing apparatus using parameters related to the terminal or a user. About.

  In recent years, many terminals including mobile phone terminals have advanced data communication functions, and functions other than communication have been diversified, and information providing systems using these various functions are becoming widespread.

  As an information providing system, for example, there is a position information service system that focuses on the high mobility of a terminal. In the position information service system, the terminal notifies the information providing apparatus of its current position (position information), and the information providing apparatus generates content based on the notified position information and provides the content to the terminal. In addition, an information provision system that uses a game terminal having a communication function to notify the game server of the position, speed, inclination, etc. of the game terminal and changes the game scenario provided from the game server to the game terminal is also considered. It has been.

  What is common to these information providing systems is that the terminal has means for acquiring information about its own state and the user of the terminal, and requests information from the information providing apparatus using these information as parameters. The content is generated based on the received parameters and provided to the requesting terminal.

  A configuration example of this information providing system is shown in FIG. In FIG. 22, in the information providing system, a terminal 61 and an information providing apparatus 62 are connected to a network 600. In FIG. 22, for simplicity of explanation, one terminal 61 and one information providing device 62 are provided, but any number may be used as long as both are one or more. The connection form of the terminal 61 and the information providing apparatus 62 to the network 600 may be wired or wireless.

  The configuration of the information providing apparatus 62 is shown in FIG. In FIG. 23, the information providing apparatus 62 includes a transmitting unit 62a, a receiving unit 62b, and a content generating unit 62c.

  A configuration example of the terminal 61 is shown in FIG. In FIG. 24, only functions necessary for using the information providing system are illustrated. The terminal 61 includes information request accepting means 61a, information request analyzing means 61b, parameter acquiring means 61c, transmitting means 61d, receiving means 61e, and content display means 61f.

  The operation of the information providing system is shown in FIG. In FIG. 25, time elapses from top to bottom, the processing in the user A of the terminal 61, the terminal 61, and the information providing device 62 when using the conventional information providing system, and the communication occurring between them. Time series are shown.

  The operation of the conventional information providing system will be described with reference to FIGS.

  When the user A of the terminal 61 makes an information request (f1 in FIG. 25), the content information requested to the information request accepting means 61a of the terminal 61 and the information of the terminal 61 or the user A of the terminal 61 are included. Instructs parameter transmission. The information request receiving means 61a of the terminal 61 outputs the information request 611 from the user A to the information request analyzing means 61b (f2 in FIG. 25).

  The information request analysis unit 61b analyzes the information request 612 input from the information request reception unit 61a (f3 in FIG. 25), and when parameter transmission is instructed, requests the parameter acquisition unit 61c to acquire the parameter 613. The received parameter 614 is received (f4 in FIG. 25), and content request data including the parameter 614 in the content information is generated (f5 in FIG. 25).

  When parameter transmission is not instructed in the information request 612, the information request analysis unit 61b does not acquire parameters and generates content request data from the information request 612. The content request data 615 is transmitted from the transmission means 61d to the information providing apparatus 62 (f6 in FIG. 25).

  When the information providing device 62 receives the content request data 623 from the terminal 61 (f7 in FIG. 25), the receiving unit 62b acquires the parameter included in the content request data 623 and outputs the parameter to the content generating unit 62c, and the content generating unit 62c. Generates content based on the input parameters (f8 in FIG. 25), and transmits the generated content from the transmission means 62a to the terminal 61 (f9 in FIG. 25).

  The terminal 61 receives the content 617 (f10 in FIG. 25) from the information providing device 62 (f11 in FIG. 25), and the received content is displayed to the user A through the content display means 61f such as the screen of the terminal 61 ( F12, f13 in FIG. 25).

  The information related to the terminal 61 and the user A acquired by the parameter acquisition means 61c of the terminal 61 and the acquisition method thereof vary depending on the content handled by the information providing system and the function of the terminal. For example, in a location information service, when a terminal is equipped with a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver, signals from three or four GPS satellites are received, and the location information of the terminal is acquired by processing the received signals. be able to.

  Alternatively, a location acquisition device having a function of acquiring the location of the terminal is arranged in a communication network that accommodates the terminal, and the location information of the terminal obtained by the location acquisition device processing a reception signal or reception data from the terminal Is managed by a location information server in the network, and there is a method called network positioning in which a terminal inquires its location information from the location information server. There are various methods for the position acquisition device to acquire the position information of the terminal. For example, when the terminal is a mobile phone, the position information of the terminal is calculated from the strength and reception angle of the radio signal received from the terminal by the position acquisition device. There are ways to do this.

  In the case of a communication game service that changes the game scenario according to the state of the terminal, as with the terminal of the position information service described above, the position information is acquired, the value is read from a sensor such as acceleration or direction built in the terminal, etc. Is getting the parameters.

  In the above-described conventional information providing system, when a user of a terminal makes a request for content accompanied by transmission of parameters to the information providing apparatus, parameter acquisition means in the terminal automatically acquires parameters instructed by the user to obtain information. It is sent to the providing device.

  However, it is necessary for the information providing apparatus to generate the content requested by the user when the information providing apparatus as the requesting partner is not actually operating, or when the content requested by the user is not provided to the user. In some cases, the content is not actually provided, such as when the transmission parameter is not included in the transmission parameter. In recent years, from the viewpoint of user privacy, transmission / reception of parameters between the terminal and the content providing apparatus may be controlled, and information regarding the terminal and the user may be transmitted to the information providing apparatus only under certain conditions.

  Thus, even when the content requested by the user is not actually provided to the user, an unnecessary parameter acquisition operation is performed in the conventional terminal. In order to acquire position information as a parameter, for example, when a terminal is equipped with a GPS receiver, it is necessary to process the signal received from the GPS satellite and calculate the distance from the satellite or position information using triangulation These involve a large amount of calculation, and consequently consume a scarce power resource of the terminal.

  Also, when acquiring location information by network positioning, the location acquisition device in the network processes signals and data from the terminals, so that resources shared by many terminals are wasted. When parameters are acquired from a built-in sensor, power resources are consumed for sensor control, reading of values, and the like. Therefore, although the content is not actually provided, acquiring the parameters is not preferable in terms of wasting valuable resources in the information providing system.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems and to provide an information providing system, an information terminal, and an information terminal that can perform a parameter acquisition operation only when content requested by a user is actually provided from an information providing device A providing apparatus, a determination apparatus, a program used for them, and an information providing method are provided.

  The information providing system according to the present invention includes one or more terminals and one or more information providing apparatuses, and the terminal transmits parameters to one selected from the one or more information providing apparatuses. Requesting content, and the information providing device generates content based on the parameters transmitted from the terminal and provides the content to the terminal, wherein the terminal requests the content from the information providing device A determination device that determines whether or not the content can be acquired, and at least one of the terminal information and the user of the terminal when the determination device determines that the content can be provided by the determination device. An acquisition means for acquiring a parameter including information; and a parameter provided in the terminal and acquired by the acquisition means is transmitted to the information providing apparatus. And a means.

  An information terminal according to the present invention transmits a parameter to one selected from one or more information providing devices, requests content, and receives information generated based on the parameter in the information providing device. Acquisition of a parameter that includes the terminal information and one or more information related to a user of the terminal when it is determined that the content can be provided when the content is requested to the information providing apparatus. Means and means for transmitting the parameter acquired by the acquisition means to the information providing apparatus.

  The information providing apparatus according to the present invention is an information providing apparatus that generates content based on the parameter transmitted from the terminal and provides the content to the terminal when one or more terminals transmit the parameter and request the content. Determination means for determining whether or not the content can be provided, and when the terminal requests the content, the determination means determines that the content can be provided. The content is generated based on a parameter including information on the terminal and one or more information on a user of the terminal.

  The determination apparatus according to the present invention includes one or more terminals and one or more information providing apparatuses, and the terminal transmits parameters to one selected from the one or more information providing apparatuses. A determination device of an information providing system that requests content, generates content based on parameters transmitted from the terminal by the information providing device, and provides the content to the terminal, wherein the terminal sends the content to the information providing device. A means for accepting the determination of whether or not to acquire the content when making a request, determining whether or not to acquire the content, and notifying the terminal of the determination result is provided.

  The program according to the present invention includes one or more terminals and one or more information providing apparatuses, and the terminal transmits parameters to one selected from the one or more information providing apparatuses and content. The information providing apparatus generates a content based on the parameters transmitted from the terminal and provides the content to the terminal. The program operates on the terminal, and the content is stored in the computer of the terminal. A process for acquiring a parameter including information on the terminal and one or more information related to a user of the terminal when it is determined that the information can be provided, and a process for transmitting the acquired parameter to the information providing apparatus. Yes.

  Another program according to the present invention includes one or more terminals and one or more information providing apparatuses, and the terminal transmits parameters to one selected from the one or more information providing apparatuses. The information providing apparatus operates in the information providing apparatus in an information providing system that requests content and generates content based on the parameter transmitted from the terminal and provides the content to the terminal. A process for determining whether or not the content can be provided to the computer, and information on the terminal and one or more information on a user of the terminal when it is determined that the content requested by the terminal can be provided. And a process of generating the content based on parameters from the terminal.

  Another program according to the present invention includes one or more terminals and one or more information providing apparatuses, and the terminal transmits parameters to one selected from the one or more information providing apparatuses. In the information providing system for requesting content and generating the content based on the parameter transmitted from the terminal by the information providing device and providing the content to the terminal, the determination device provided independently of the terminal and the information providing device And determining whether or not the content can be acquired when the terminal requests the content from the information providing device and determining whether or not the content can be acquired. A process for notifying the terminal of the result is executed.

  The information providing method according to the present invention includes one or more terminals and one or more information providing apparatuses, and the terminal transmits a parameter to one selected from the one or more information providing apparatuses. Requesting content, and the information providing apparatus generates the content based on the parameter transmitted from the terminal and provides the content to the terminal, wherein the terminal requests the content from the information providing apparatus Determining whether the content can be acquired, acquiring a parameter including information about the terminal and one or more information about a user of the terminal when it is determined that the content can be provided, And transmitting the acquired parameter to the information providing apparatus.

  That is, in order to solve the above-described problem, the information providing system of the present invention is provided with a determination unit for determining whether or not content provision from the information providing apparatus to the terminal is possible, and the terminal transmits parameters to the information providing apparatus. Before requesting the accompanying content, the determination unit is inquired whether the content can be acquired, and the parameter acquisition operation is performed only when the determination unit determines that the content can be acquired.

  Further, in the information providing system of the present invention, the terminal has a means for storing the determination result of the content acquisition permission by the determination means, so that a period during which the inquiry to the determination means is unnecessary after the content acquisition is permitted. It can be set.

  Furthermore, in the information providing system according to the present invention, even when content acquisition is not permitted by the determination unit, content acquisition from the information providing apparatus is possible when the user of the terminal accepts the request condition from the information providing apparatus. It is a feature.

  In addition, in the information providing system according to the present invention, the determination unit includes a unit that stores a determination result for permitting the provision of the content, so that the content can be obtained without performing the determination procedure for the inquiry about whether or not the content can be acquired from the terminal. It is characterized in that it is possible to set a period for notifying the determination result that can be acquired.

  As described above, when the terminal has a parameter acquisition function, it is determined that the requested content can be acquired and then the parameter is acquired, thereby reducing the resource consumption associated with unnecessary parameter acquisition operations. It becomes possible to suppress.

  As described above, the present invention provides an effect that the parameter acquisition operation can be performed only when the content requested by the user is actually provided from the information providing apparatus.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an information providing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the information providing system according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention is configured by connecting a terminal 1, an information providing apparatus 2, and a determination apparatus 3 to a network 100.

  Although the determination apparatus 3 is described as an apparatus independent of the terminal 1 and the information providing apparatus 2, a configuration in which the determination apparatus 3 is included in either the terminal 1 or the information providing apparatus 2 is also conceivable. In FIG. 1, in order to simplify the description, the number of the terminals 1 and the information providing devices 2 is one, but any number may be used as long as each is one or more. The connection form of the terminal 1, the information providing apparatus 2, and the determination apparatus 3 to the network 100 may be wired or wireless.

  Since the information providing apparatus 2 has the same configuration and operation as the information providing apparatus 62 of the conventional information providing system described above, description thereof is omitted here.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the terminal 1 of FIG. In FIG. 2, the terminal 1 includes an information request accepting unit 11, an information request analyzing unit 12, a parameter acquiring unit 13, a transmitting unit 14, a receiving unit 15, a content display unit 16, and a content acquisition availability inquiry unit 17. It is composed of

  The functions of the information request accepting unit 11, the parameter obtaining unit 13, the transmitting unit 14, the receiving unit 15 and the content display unit 16 are respectively the information request accepting unit 61a, the parameter obtaining unit 61c of the terminal 61 in the conventional information providing system described above. Since the functions of the transmission means 61d, the reception means 61e, and the content display means 61f are the same, the description thereof is omitted here.

  FIG. 3 is a sequence chart showing the operation of the information providing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 3, time elapses from top to bottom, when the information providing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention is used, the user A of the terminal 1, the terminal 1, the determination device 3, and the information providing device 2 It shows a time series of processing and communication occurring between them. The operation of the information providing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The information request analysis unit 12 of the terminal 1 analyzes the information request 102 from the information request reception unit 11 (a2 in FIG. 3), and when the parameter transmission is instructed, the information request 110 is sent to the content acquisition availability inquiry unit 17. The content acquisition availability inquiry means 17 inquires of the determination device 3 whether the content can be acquired from the information providing device 2 (a3 in FIG. 3).

  The determination device 3 determines whether or not the content requested by the terminal 1 can be provided from the information providing device 2 (a4 in FIG. 3), and notifies the content acquisition availability inquiry means 17 of the terminal 1 (a5 in FIG. 3). ).

  When the determination result indicating that the content acquisition is possible is notified from the determination device 3, the content acquisition permission inquiry unit 17 requests the parameter acquisition unit 13 to acquire the parameter, receives the parameter 104 (a6 in FIG. 3), and the content information Content request data including the parameter 104 is generated and transmitted from the transmission means 14 to the information providing apparatus 2 (a7 in FIG. 3). Further, when the determination result that the content cannot be provided is notified from the determination device 3, the content acquisition availability inquiry means 17 ends the content request operation.

  Since the operation after the content request from the terminal 1 to the information providing device 2 is the same as the operation of the information providing device 62 of the conventional information providing system described above, the description thereof is omitted here.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a determination procedure for determining whether or not the information providing apparatus 2 can provide the content to the terminal 1 by the determining apparatus 3 of FIG. With reference to FIG. 4, the procedure for determining whether or not content can be provided will be described.

  The determination device 3 waits for an inquiry about whether or not the content can be acquired from the terminal 1 (step S1 in FIG. 4). When the inquiry from the terminal 1 is received, it checks whether the information providing device 2 is operating (step S2 in FIG. 4). If the information providing device 2 is in operation, the determination device 3 can acquire the determination result (step S3 in FIG. 4), and if it is not in operation, the determination result cannot be acquired in content (step S4 in FIG. 4). The determination result is notified to the terminal 1 (step S5 in FIG. 4), and the process returns to step S1 to wait for an inquiry from the terminal 1 again.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a terminal of the information providing system according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 5, the terminal 4 has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 2 except that the transmission parameter information storage means 41 is added. It is attached. The operation of the same component is the same as that of the first embodiment of the present invention. The information providing system according to the second embodiment of the present invention has the same configuration as the information providing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of transmission parameter information stored in the transmission parameter information storage unit 41 of FIG. In FIG. 6, transmission parameter information B determines the type of information that can be transmitted from the terminal 4 to the information providing apparatus 2 among the information regarding the terminal 4 and the user A of the terminal 4, and includes position information B1 and user name B2. Indicates that one piece of information can be sent.

  Note that the transmission parameter information B shown in FIG. 6 is merely an example, and does not limit the content or notation. Further, the transmission parameter information B can be changed by the user A of the terminal 4.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the information providing apparatus of the information providing system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 7, the information providing apparatus 2 includes a transmission unit 21, a reception unit 22, a content generation unit 23, and a request parameter information storage unit 24. The transmission unit 21, the reception unit 22, and the content generation unit 23 of the information providing apparatus 2 perform the same operations as the transmission unit 62a, the reception unit 62b, and the content generation unit 62c of the conventional information provision apparatus 62 described above, respectively. Is omitted.

  FIGS. 8A and 8B are diagrams showing examples of request parameter information stored in the request parameter information storage unit 24 of FIG. In FIG. 8A, the request parameter information C defines the types of information related to the terminal 4 and the user A of the terminal 4 that are necessary for generating the content requested from the terminal 4, and for generating the content. Indicates that only the position information C1 is necessary.

  Similarly, in FIG. 8B, the request parameter information D indicates that location information D1, a user name D2, and a user age D3 are necessary for content generation. The request parameter information C and D shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B is merely an example, and does not limit the content or notation. The request parameter information C and D can be changed by the administrator of the information providing apparatus 2.

  FIG. 9 is a sequence chart showing the operation of the information providing system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 9, time elapses from top to bottom, when the information providing system is used, the processing of the user A of the terminal 4, the terminal 4, the determination device 3, and the information providing device 2 and the communication that occurs between them. The process from the inquiry about whether or not the content can be acquired from the terminal 4 (b3 in FIG. 9) to the determination about whether or not the content can be acquired at the determination device 3 (b6 in FIG. 9) is shown in FIG. This is different from the operation (a1 to a10 in FIG. 3) of the information providing system according to the first embodiment.

  When the determination device 3 receives an inquiry about whether or not the content can be acquired from the terminal 4 (b3 in FIG. 9), the determination device 3 acquires the transmission parameter information from the terminal 4 (b4 in FIG. 9), and acquires the request parameter information from the information providing device 2 ( B5) in FIG. 9, the transmission parameter information and the request parameter information are compared to determine whether or not the information providing apparatus 2 can provide the content to the terminal 4 (b6 in FIG. 9), and the result is notified to the terminal 4 ( B7) of FIG.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the determination device 3 of the information providing system according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The operation of the determination device 3 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The determination device 3 waits for an inquiry about whether or not the content can be acquired from the terminal 4 (step S11 in FIG. 10), and when there is an inquiry from the terminal 4, acquires transmission parameter information from the terminal 4 (step S12 in FIG. 10).

  The determination device 3 acquires the request parameter information from the information providing device 2 (step S13 in FIG. 10), compares the transmission parameter information with the request parameter information to determine whether the content can be acquired (step S14 in FIG. 10), and the determination result Is sent to the terminal 4 (step S15 in FIG. 10), and the process returns to step S11 to wait for an inquiry from the terminal 4 again.

  In the comparison determination step (step S14 in FIG. 10) of the determination apparatus 3 of the information providing system according to the second embodiment of the present invention, when all of the information specified in the request parameter information is included in the transmission parameter information, the information It is determined that the content can be provided from the providing device 2 to the terminal 4.

  For example, when the transmission parameter information is the transmission parameter information B shown in FIG. 6 and the request parameter information is the request parameter information C shown in FIG. 8, the information providing apparatus 2 stores all the information necessary for content generation. Since determination is possible from the terminal 4, the determination device 3 notifies the terminal 4 of a determination result that enables content acquisition.

  Further, when the transmission parameter information is the transmission parameter information B shown in FIG. 6 and the request parameter information is the request parameter information D shown in FIG. 8, the information providing apparatus 2 is the user among the information necessary for content generation. Is not transmitted from the terminal 4, the determination device 3 notifies the terminal 4 of a determination result indicating that content acquisition is impossible.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of transmission parameter information included in the terminal 4 of the information providing system according to the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 11, the transmission parameter information E defines the type of information that can be transmitted from the terminal 4 to the information providing apparatus 2 and its accuracy, the position information E1 can be transmitted to 3 digits after the decimal point, and the user name E2 is Both the first name and the last name can be transmitted, and it is indicated that the telephone number E3 can be transmitted up to the area code.

  FIGS. 12A and 12B are diagrams showing examples of request parameter information included in the information providing apparatus of the information providing system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 12A, the request parameter information F defines the type and accuracy of information required for the information providing apparatus 2 to generate content, and the position information F1 is accurate to one decimal place. The user name F2 indicates that only a surname is required.

  Similarly, in FIG. 12B, the request parameter information G indicates that the position information G1 requires accuracy to one decimal place and all the telephone numbers G2 are necessary.

  Here, the information providing system according to the third embodiment of the present invention has the same configuration as the information providing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. The apparatus has the same configuration as the terminal 4 and the information providing apparatus 2 in the information providing system according to the second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS.

  That is, the information providing system according to the third embodiment of the present invention includes the content of the transmission parameter information E that the terminal 4 has, the content of the request parameter information F and G that the information providing device 2 has, and the comparison determination in the determination device 3. The configuration and operation of the information providing system according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention are the same as those of the information providing system according to the second exemplary embodiment except that the steps are changed.

  In the determination device 3 of the information providing system according to the third embodiment of the present invention, in the comparison determination step, both the type and accuracy of information determined in the transmission parameter information are the type and accuracy of information determined in the request parameter information. And check if it meets. For example, when the transmission parameter information is the transmission parameter information E shown in FIG. 11 and the request parameter information is the request parameter information F shown in FIG. 12A, all the information requested by the information providing apparatus 2 is transmitted to the terminal 4. Therefore, the determination device 3 can notify the terminal 4 of the determination result indicating that the content can be acquired.

  If the transmission parameter information is the transmission parameter information E shown in FIG. 11 and the request parameter information is the request parameter information G shown in FIG. 12B, the information providing apparatus 2 requests all about the user's telephone number. On the other hand, since the terminal 4 can transmit only the area code, the determination device 3 notifies the terminal 4 of the determination result indicating that the content cannot be acquired.

  11 and 12 (a) and 12 (b) show examples of information included in the transmission parameter information and the request parameter information, respectively, and the contents and notation are not limited.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of transmission parameter information included in the terminal 4 of the information providing system according to the fourth exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 13, the transmission parameter information H defines the type of information that can be transmitted from the terminal 4 to the information providing device 2 and the usage restrictions on the accuracy of the information providing device 2, and the position information H1 is transmitted to the third decimal place. It is possible and can be used only inside the information providing apparatus 2 as a condition.

  FIGS. 14A and 14B are diagrams showing examples of request parameter information possessed by the information providing apparatus of the information providing system in the fourth embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 14A, request parameter information I defines the type and accuracy of information necessary for the information providing apparatus 2 to generate content, and the usage policy of information obtained from the terminal 4, The policy is that the position information I1 can be transmitted to one decimal place and only content generation is used.

  Similarly, in FIG. 14B, the request parameter information J has a policy that the position information J1 can be transmitted to one digit after the decimal point and is disclosed outside the information providing apparatus 2.

  Here, the information providing system according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention has the same configuration as the information providing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. The apparatus has the same configuration as the terminal 4 and the information providing apparatus 2 in the information providing system according to the second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS.

  That is, the information providing system according to the fourth exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes the content of the transmission parameter information H included in the terminal 4, the content of the request parameter information I and J included in the information providing device 2, and the comparison determination performed by the determination device 3. The configuration and operation of the information providing system according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention are the same as those of the information providing system according to the second exemplary embodiment except that the steps are changed.

  In the comparison determination step, the information providing system determination device 3 according to the fourth exemplary embodiment of the present invention determines that both the information type and accuracy determined in the transmission parameter information are the information type and accuracy determined in the request parameter information. And whether or not the usage policy in the information providing apparatus 2 is within the range of usage restrictions defined by the terminal 4 is confirmed.

  For example, when the transmission parameter information is the transmission parameter information H shown in FIG. 13 and the request parameter information is the request parameter information I shown in FIG. Since the request of the information providing apparatus 2 is satisfied and the information usage policy in the information providing apparatus 2 is within the usage restriction range defined by the terminal 4, the determination apparatus 3 notifies the terminal 4 of the determination result that the content can be acquired. can do.

  When the transmission parameter information is the transmission parameter information H shown in FIG. 13 and the request parameter information is the request parameter information J shown in FIG. Since the requested usage limit is exceeded, the determination device 3 notifies the terminal 4 of a determination result indicating that the content cannot be acquired.

  13 and 14 (a) and 14 (b) show examples of information included in the transmission parameter information H and the request parameter information I and J, respectively, and the contents thereof are not limited. The notation of the transmission parameter information H and the request parameter information I and J is arbitrary, and can be described according to a notation defined by P3P (Platform for Privacy Preferences Project).

  FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a terminal of the information providing system according to the fifth example of the present invention. 15, the terminal 5 has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 2 except that the operation of the content acquisition permission inquiry unit 17 is changed and the content acquisition permission information storage unit 51 is added. The same components are denoted by the same reference numerals. The operation of the same component is the same as that of the first embodiment of the present invention. The information providing system according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention has the same configuration as the information providing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG.

  When the determination result enabling the content acquisition is notified from the determination device 3, the content acquisition permission inquiry unit 17 registers the permission information in the content acquisition permission information storage unit 51. Further, when receiving the information request 110, the content acquisition permission inquiry means 17 checks whether permission information is registered in the content acquisition permission information storage means 51, and if it is registered, acquires the content to the determination device 3. Without making an inquiry about availability, the parameter is acquired from the parameter acquisition unit 13, content request data is generated and transmitted to the information providing apparatus 2.

  The content acquisition permission information storage unit 51 accepts registration of permission information from the content acquisition permission inquiry unit 17 and holds the permission information only during a certain period or a period designated by the user of the terminal 5.

  FIG. 16 is a sequence chart showing the operation of the information providing system according to the fifth example of the present invention. In FIG. 16, time elapses from top to bottom, the processing of the user A of the terminal 5, the terminal 5, the information providing device 2, and the determining device 3 when using the information providing system and the communication occurring between them. The time series is shown for the case where permission information is registered in the content acquisition permission information storage means 51 of the terminal 5.

  In the process from the analysis of the information request from the user A (c2 in FIG. 16) to the parameter acquisition (c4 in FIG. 16), the inquiry about whether or not the content can be acquired is not performed. 3 differs from the operation of the information providing system in the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG.

  The information providing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention is changed from the information providing system according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention to the information providing system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Embodiments applied to the information providing system according to the embodiment are also conceivable.

  FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing the operation of the determination apparatus 3 of the information providing system according to the sixth example of the present invention. In FIG. 17, the operation of the determination apparatus 3 of the information providing system according to the sixth example of the present invention is the same as that of FIG. 10 in that the operation after the determination that content acquisition is impossible in step S24 of comparison determination is added. It differs from the determination apparatus 3 of the information provision system by the 2nd Example of this invention shown. That is, the information providing system according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention has the same configuration and operation as the information providing system according to the second embodiment of the present invention, except that the operation of the determination device 3 is different.

  FIG. 18 is a sequence chart showing the operation of the information providing system according to the sixth example of the present invention. In FIG. 18, the time axis is taken from the top to the bottom, and in the information providing system, the user A of the terminal 4, the terminal 4, and the determination device 3 when it is determined that the content cannot be acquired in the comparison determination step S24 of the determination device 3. 4 shows a time series of processing in the information providing apparatus 2 and communication occurring between them.

  If the determination apparatus 3 of the information system according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention determines that content provision from the information providing apparatus 2 to the terminal 4 is impossible in the comparison determination step S24 (step S25 in FIG. 17), the information providing apparatus 2 The condition necessary for providing the content to the terminal 4 is presented to the user A of the terminal 4 and a determination is made as to whether or not to accept the condition (steps S27 and S28 in FIG. 17). (D8 in FIG. 18), the determination result is notified to the determination device 3 (d9 in FIG. 18), and when the user A accepts the condition, the determination result is permitted to acquire contents. (Step S29 in FIG. 17), and the determination result is notified to the terminal 4 (Step S31 in FIG. 17, d10 in FIG. 18).

  The information providing system according to the second embodiment of the present invention is changed from the information providing system according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention to the information providing system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. An embodiment applied to any of the information providing systems according to the above embodiments is also conceivable.

  FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an information providing system according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention. 19, the information providing system according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention is configured such that a terminal 6, an information providing device 7, a determining device 8, and a content providing permission determination result storage unit 9 are connected to a network 100. Have taken.

  Although the determination device 8 and the content provision permission determination result storage unit 9 are described as devices independent of the terminal 5 and the information provision device 7, both the determination device 8 and the content provision permission determination result storage unit 9 are the terminal 6 or the information. A configuration included in any of the providing devices 7 is also conceivable. In FIG. 19, for simplicity of explanation, the number of terminals 6 and the information providing device 7 is one each, but any number may be used as long as both are one or more.

  The terminal 6 and the information providing apparatus 7 of the information providing system according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention have the same configuration and function as the terminal 1 and the information providing apparatus 2 of the information providing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention, respectively. ing.

  The content provision permission determination result storage means 9 of the information providing system according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention sets the permission information to a certain level when the determination device 8 permits the content provision from the information providing device 7 to the terminal 6. Or a period designated by the administrator of the determination device 8.

  FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing the operation of the determination device 8 of FIG. In FIG. 20, the operation of the determination device 8 is to immediately determine that content acquisition is permitted if there is an entry in the content provision permission determination result storage means 9 when an inquiry about whether content acquisition is possible is received from the terminal 6 (FIG. 20). Step S43), if the result of the comparison determination (step S46 in FIG. 20) permits the content acquisition, the determination result is registered in the content provision permission determination result storage means 9 (step S49 in FIG. 20) Is similar to the operation of the determination apparatus 3 of the information providing system according to the second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG.

  FIG. 21 is a sequence chart showing the operation of the information providing system according to the seventh example of the present invention. In FIG. 21, the time axis is taken from the top to the bottom, and in the information providing system, when there is an entry in the content provision permission judgment result storage means 9, the user A of the terminal 6, the terminal 6, the information provision device 7, the judgment The time series of the process in the apparatus 8 and the communication which generate | occur | produces between these is shown.

  Since the time series shown in FIG. 21 is clear from the above description, detailed description of the operation is omitted. The information providing system according to the second embodiment of the present invention is changed from the information providing system according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention to the information providing system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. Embodiments provided to the information providing system in any of the embodiments of the information providing system according to the embodiment are also conceivable.

  As described above, in the present invention, since the parameter acquisition operation is performed only when the terminals 1 and 4 to 6 can acquire content from the information providing devices 2 and 7, resources of the information providing system are reduced by unnecessary parameter acquisition operations. The parameter acquisition operation can be performed only when the content requested by the user is actually provided from the information providing apparatus without being consumed wastefully.

  Further, in the present invention, after the content can be acquired, a period in which the determination of whether or not the content can be acquired is provided, the consumption of resources required for determining whether or not the content is determined is suppressed, and the response of the information providing system is accelerated from the viewpoint of the user. It is possible.

  In connection with the description of the claims, the present invention may further take the following aspects.

  (1) It is composed of one or more terminals and one or more information providing apparatuses, and the terminal transmits a parameter to one selected from the one or more information providing apparatuses to request content. A program of an information providing method in which the information providing apparatus generates content based on a parameter transmitted from the terminal and provides the content to the terminal, and when the content is requested to the computer of the terminal, A process for determining whether or not acquisition is possible; a process for acquiring a parameter including information on the terminal and one or more information related to a user of the terminal when it is determined that the content can be provided; and Processing to transmit to the providing device, and in determining whether to provide the content, information on the terminal and the user of the terminal Information necessary for generating content requested from the terminal among transmission parameter information that defines the type of information that can be transmitted to the information providing apparatus, and information on the terminal and the user of the terminal. A program for comparing request parameter information from the information providing apparatus with a determined type.

  (2) The program according to (1), wherein the information regarding the terminal and the user of the terminal included in the transmission parameter information and the request parameter information is determined in addition to the type.

  (3) The information about the terminal and the user of the terminal included in the transmission parameter information can be freely set in the information providing apparatus in addition to the type and accuracy, and is included in the request parameter information. (2) The program according to (2), wherein the information regarding the terminal to be used and the user of the terminal can freely set the usage policy of the information in the information providing apparatus in addition to the type and accuracy.

  (4) The program according to (3), wherein the transmission parameter information and the request parameter information follow a description defined by P3P (Platform for Privacy Preferences Project).

  (5) The program according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein the transmission parameter information is freely settable from outside.

  (6) Before a content request to the information providing apparatus, either after a certain period set in advance when it is determined that the content requested to the information providing apparatus from the terminal can be acquired, or during a period designated externally The program according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein the parameter is acquired and transmitted to the information providing apparatus without determining whether or not to provide the content.

  (7) In the determination of whether or not to provide the content, when it is determined that the content requested from the information providing device cannot be provided, the information providing device notifies the condition necessary for the content to be provided to the terminal, The program according to any one of (1) to (6), wherein the parameter is acquired and transmitted to the information providing apparatus when accepting the condition is designated from outside.

  (8) When determining whether or not to provide the content, it is determined whether or not to acquire the content from the information providing apparatus over a predetermined period when it is determined that the requested content can be acquired. The program according to any one of (1) to (7), wherein it is determined that acquisition is possible.

  (9) It is composed of one or more terminals and one or more information providing apparatuses, and the terminal transmits a parameter to one selected from the one or more information providing apparatuses to request content. A program for an information providing method in which the information providing device generates content based on parameters transmitted from the terminal and provides the content to the terminal, and whether the content can be provided to a computer of the information providing device. The content is generated based on parameters from the terminal including information on the terminal and one or more information related to a user of the terminal when it is determined that the content can be provided. And the content can be provided to the terminal when the device is operating in the determination of whether to provide the content. Program for causing a cross-sectional.

  (10) In the determination of whether or not to provide the content, transmission parameter information from the terminal that defines a type of information that can be transmitted to the own device among the information related to the terminal and the user of the terminal, the terminal, and the terminal Of the information related to the user of the terminal, the request parameter information of the own apparatus that defines the type of information required for generating the content requested from the terminal is compared to determine whether the content can be provided. The program according to (9).

  (11) The program according to (10), wherein the information regarding the terminal and the user of the terminal included in the transmission parameter information and the request parameter information is determined in addition to the type.

  (12) The information about the terminal and the user of the terminal included in the transmission parameter information can be set to limit the use of the information in its own device in addition to its type and accuracy, and the terminal included in the request parameter information In addition to the type and accuracy of the information regarding the user of the terminal, the use policy of the information in the own device can be freely set.

  (13) The program according to (12), wherein the transmission parameter information and the request parameter information follow a description defined by P3P (Platform for Privacy Preferences Project).

  (14) The program according to any one of (9) to (13), wherein the request parameter information is changeable from outside.

  (15) When determining whether or not the content can be provided, when it is determined that the content requested from the terminal cannot be provided, a condition necessary for the content to be provided is notified to the terminal (9) ) To (14).

  (16) In determining whether the content can be provided, an inquiry is received from the terminal regarding whether the content can be acquired, and whether the content can be acquired from the terminal for a predetermined period when it is determined that the content can be acquired The program according to any one of (9) to (15), wherein it is determined that the content can be acquired with respect to the determination.

  (17) It is composed of one or more terminals and one or more information providing apparatuses, and the terminal transmits a parameter to one selected from the one or more information providing apparatuses to request content. A program for an information providing method in which the information providing device generates content based on parameters transmitted from the terminal and provides the content to the terminal, and the determination device is provided independently of the terminal and the information providing device When the terminal requests the content from the information providing device, the computer accepts the determination of whether the content can be acquired, determines whether the content can be acquired, and notifies the terminal of the determination result. In the determination of whether or not to provide the content, it is determined that the content can be provided to the terminal when the information providing apparatus is operating. Of the program.

  (18) Transmission parameter information from the terminal that determines the type of information that the terminal can transmit to the information providing apparatus among the information related to the terminal and the user of the terminal in the determination of whether or not to provide the content, and the terminal And the request parameter information from the information providing apparatus that defines the type of information required to generate the content requested from the terminal among the information related to the user of the terminal, from the information providing apparatus (17) The program according to (17), which determines whether or not content can be provided to a terminal.

  (19) The program according to (18), wherein the information regarding the terminal and the user of the terminal included in the transmission parameter information and the request parameter information is determined in addition to the type.

  (20) Information related to the terminal and the user of the terminal included in the transmission parameter information can be freely set in the information providing apparatus in addition to the type and accuracy, and is included in the request parameter information. (19) The program according to (19), wherein the information regarding the terminal to be used and the user of the terminal can freely set the usage policy of the information in the information providing apparatus in addition to the type and accuracy.

  (21) The program according to (20), wherein the transmission parameter information and the request parameter information follow a description defined by P3P (Platform for Privacy Preferences Project).

  (22) When the terminal determines that the content requested by the information providing apparatus cannot be provided, the information providing apparatus notifies the terminal of conditions necessary for the content to be provided to the terminal. The determination apparatus according to any one of (17) to (21), wherein it is determined that the content can be provided when accepting is designated from outside.

  (23) In determining whether the content can be provided, the terminal accepts an inquiry about whether the content to be requested from the information providing apparatus can be acquired from the terminal, and determines from the terminal over a predetermined period when it is determined that the content can be acquired. The program according to any one of (17) to (22), wherein it is determined that the content can be acquired in response to the determination of whether or not the content can be acquired from the information providing apparatus to be received.

  (24) It is composed of one or more terminals and one or more information providing apparatuses, and the terminal transmits a parameter to one selected from the one or more information providing apparatuses to request content. An information providing method in which the information providing device generates content based on parameters transmitted from the terminal and provides the content to the terminal, and the terminal requests the content from the information providing device. Determining whether or not acquisition is possible; acquiring a parameter including information on the terminal and one or more information related to a user of the terminal when it is determined that the content can be provided; and A step of transmitting to the information providing apparatus, and the step of determining whether or not the acquisition is possible is performed before the information providing apparatus is operating. Information providing method characterized by determining possible to provide content to the terminal.

  (25) The step of determining whether or not the content can be acquired includes transmitting parameter information from the terminal that defines a type of information that can be transmitted to the information providing apparatus by the terminal among the information related to the terminal and the user of the terminal. And the request parameter information from the information providing apparatus that defines the type of information required to generate the content requested from the terminal of the information related to the terminal and the user of the terminal. The information providing method according to (24), wherein whether or not content can be acquired is determined.

  (26) The information providing method according to (25), wherein accuracy is determined in addition to the type of information regarding the terminal and the user of the terminal included in the transmission parameter information and the request parameter information.

  (27) The information about the terminal and the user of the terminal included in the transmission parameter information includes, in addition to the type and accuracy, a restriction on the use of the information in the information providing apparatus, and is included in the request parameter information. (26) The information providing method according to (26), wherein the information regarding the terminal and the user of the terminal is settable in the usage policy of the information in the information providing apparatus in addition to the type and accuracy.

  (28) The information providing method according to (27), wherein the transmission parameter information and the request parameter information follow a description defined by P3P (Platform for Privacy Preferences Project).

  (29) The information providing method according to any one of (25) to (28), wherein the transmission parameter information is freely settable from outside.

  (30) The information providing method according to any one of (25) to (29), wherein the request parameter information is changeable from outside.

  (31) Before a content request to the information providing apparatus, either after a predetermined period set in advance when it is determined that the content requested from the terminal to the information providing apparatus can be acquired, or during a period designated externally The information providing method according to any one of (25) to (30), wherein the parameter is acquired and transmitted to the information providing apparatus without determining whether the content can be acquired.

  (32) When it is determined that the content requested by the terminal to the information providing device cannot be provided, the information providing device notifies the terminal of conditions necessary for the content to be provided, and the terminal The information providing method according to any one of (25) to (31), wherein the parameter is acquired and transmitted to the information providing apparatus when accepting a condition is designated from outside.

  (33) From (25) to (32), it is determined that the content can be acquired with respect to whether the content can be acquired over a predetermined period when it is determined that the content can be acquired. The information providing method according to any one of the above.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the information provision system by the 1st Example of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the terminal of FIG. It is a sequence chart which shows operation | movement of the information provision system by the 1st Example of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the determination procedure of the decision | availability of the content provision from the information provision apparatus to a terminal by the determination apparatus of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the terminal of the information provision system by the 2nd Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the transmission parameter information which the transmission parameter information storage means of FIG. 5 memorize | stores. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the information provision apparatus of the information provision system by the 2nd Example of this invention. (A), (b) is a figure which shows the example of the request parameter information which the request parameter information storage means of FIG. 7 each stores. It is a sequence chart which shows operation | movement of the information provision system by the 2nd Example of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the determination apparatus of the information provision system by 2nd Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the transmission parameter information which the terminal of the information provision system by the 3rd Example of this invention has. (A), (b) is a figure which shows the example of the request parameter information which the information provision apparatus of the information provision system by the 3rd Example of this invention has. It is a figure which shows the example of the transmission parameter information which the terminal of the information provision system by the 4th Example of this invention has. (A), (b) is a figure which shows the example of the request parameter information which the information provision apparatus of the information provision system in the 4th Example of this invention has. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the terminal of the information provision system by the 5th Example of this invention. It is a sequence chart which shows the operation | movement of the information provision system by the 5th Example of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the determination apparatus of the information provision system by the 6th Example of this invention. It is a sequence chart which shows operation | movement of the information provision system by the 6th Example of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the information provision system by the 7th Example of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the determination apparatus of FIG. It is a sequence chart which shows the operation | movement of the information provision system by the 7th Example of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the conventional information provision system. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the information provision apparatus of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the terminal of FIG. It is a sequence chart which shows operation | movement of the conventional information provision system.

Explanation of symbols

1, 4 to 6 Terminals 2 and 7 Information providing devices 3 and 8 Determination device 9 Content provision permission determination result storage means 11 Information request receiving means 12 Information request analyzing means 13 Parameter acquiring means 14 and 21 Transmitting means 15 and 22 Receiving means 16 Content display means 17 Content acquisition availability inquiry means 23 Content generation means 24 Request parameter storage means 41 Transmission parameter information storage means 51 Content acquisition permission information storage means A User

Claims (14)

An information providing system in which a terminal transmits a parameter to an information providing device, and the information providing device generates content based on the parameter transmitted from the terminal and provides the content to the terminal,
A determination device that determines whether the content can be acquired when the terminal requests the content from the information providing device;
The determination device receives an inquiry about whether or not content acquisition is possible from the terminal, checks whether or not the information providing device is movable, and determines whether or not the content acquisition is possible based on whether or not the information providing device is operating. Notify the terminal of the result,
The terminal is acquired by the acquisition unit, which acquires parameters including information on the terminal and one or more information related to a user of the terminal after the determination device determines that the content can be provided. Means for transmitting parameters to the information providing apparatus. The information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the determination device is arranged independently of the terminal and the information providing device. The information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the determination device is disposed in the terminal. The information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the determination device is arranged in the information providing device. An information terminal that transmits parameters to an information providing device and receives content generated based on the parameters by the information providing device,
In response to an inquiry about whether or not content acquisition is possible from the information terminal, it is checked whether or not the information providing device is movable, and a determination result of whether or not the information providing device is operating is sent to the information terminal. After the determination device that notifies the result determines that the content can be provided,
It has an acquisition means which acquires the parameter containing one or more information about the information of the information terminal and the user of the terminal, and a means which transmits the parameter acquired by the acquisition means to the information providing device Information terminal. The information terminal according to claim 5, wherein the information terminal includes a determination device that determines whether or not the content can be acquired. Of the information about the own terminal and the user of the own terminal, the own terminal has transmission parameter information that defines the type of information that can be transmitted to the information providing apparatus,
A request from the information providing apparatus that determines a type required for generating the content requested from the own terminal among the information about the own terminal and the user of the own terminal in the determination of whether or not the content can be provided. 7. The information terminal according to claim 6, wherein whether or not the content can be provided is determined by comparing the parameter information with the transmission parameter information. 8. The information terminal according to claim 7, wherein the information about the terminal and the user of the terminal included in the transmission parameter information and the request parameter information is the type and accuracy. A terminal that transmits a parameter to an information providing apparatus, and the information providing apparatus generates a content based on the parameter transmitted from the terminal and provides the content to the terminal. When requesting the content from the information providing apparatus, the terminal receives an inquiry about whether or not the content can be acquired from the terminal, checks whether the information providing apparatus is movable, and determines whether the information providing apparatus is operating. A determination apparatus comprising: means for notifying the terminal of a determination result of whether or not content acquisition is possible based on the above. The determination apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the terminal and the information providing apparatus are provided independently. The determination apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the determination apparatus is disposed in the terminal. The determination apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the determination apparatus is disposed in the information providing apparatus. A program that operates on the terminal in an information providing system in which a terminal transmits a parameter to an information providing apparatus, and the information providing apparatus generates content based on the parameter transmitted from the terminal and provides the content to the terminal. And
  In response to an inquiry about whether or not the content can be acquired from the terminal, it is checked whether or not the information providing apparatus is operating, and the determination result of whether or not the information providing apparatus is operating is sent to the terminal as a result. After it is determined by the determination device that notifies that the content can be provided,
A program for causing a computer of the terminal to execute a process of acquiring a parameter including information of the terminal and one or more information related to a user of the terminal, and a process of transmitting the acquired parameter to the information providing apparatus. In the information providing system in which a terminal transmits a parameter to an information providing device, and the information providing device generates content based on the parameter transmitted from the terminal and provides the content to the terminal, the terminal, the information providing device, Is a program that operates on an independent determination device,
  When the terminal requests the content to the information providing device, the computer of the determination device receives an inquiry about whether or not the content can be acquired from the terminal, checks whether the information providing device is movable, and provides the information A program for executing a process of notifying the terminal of a determination result of whether or not content acquisition is possible based on whether or not the device is operating.

Images