JP5560050B2 - Navigation device, navigation method, navigation program, portable communication terminal, and information center server - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a navigation device, a navigation method , a navigation program , a mobile communication terminal, and an information center server that provide store information to a user.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a navigation device for a vehicle that obtains information about a store in a predetermined area (so-called store information) from an internal storage device or from an information center by communication and provides it to a driver or an occupant is known. ing. In such a navigation device, a technique for preferentially presenting a store with a lower price from a plurality of stores is also known by referring to store information and comparing prices of products and services handled in the store. It has been. The following Patent Document 1 discloses a navigation device that presents a store where coupons and points can be used.

JP 2006-184030 A JP 2001-330462 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-89992 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-17194 JP 2002-73668 A

  The above-mentioned conventional navigation apparatus uses the store information stored in advance in the internal storage device or the store information stored in advance in the information center to compare prices of goods and services, so that the coupon owned by the user And point information is not considered. Therefore, there is a possibility that the cheapest store in consideration of coupons and points is not preferentially presented.

  Here, the above-mentioned patent document 3 allows the operator to register in advance the specific brands and their priorities that are consumed, and if the remaining amount of fuel is not less than a predetermined amount, the registered specifics around the current position are registered. A landmark indicating a brand gas station is highlighted and displayed according to priority. During route guidance, the travelable distance is calculated from the remaining fuel amount and the average vehicle speed, and the farthest specific brand gas station that can be reached on the route is displayed and notified. Moreover, the said patent document 4 guides the determination of a cheap gas station to the gas station which can be refueled cheaply with the price in a price database. However, the gas stations displayed, notified, and guided by these inventions are not always guided in the priority order that allows the user to put gasoline at the lowest cost.

  The above-mentioned patent document 5 is a system that provides information from an information center to a mobile terminal, and not only provides facility information based on the current position of a mobile object, but also is useful to the user based on user identification data. By providing the facility information, the value of the information can be increased and the facility information can be given to the moving user at an appropriate timing. However, the information center does not always hold useful information for each user.

  The reason why the cheapest gas station cannot be guided is that there is a time difference between when a user registers on the registration screen with a specific brand desired and its priority, and when actually using the gas station. It is because it is unknown whether there is. In addition, there is a time difference between the creation of the database provided in the navigation system and the actual use of the gas station, and it is unclear whether it is the cheapest gas station at the time of use. Furthermore, the price of gasoline uses only public information, and if you use information that individuals have, you should be able to guide a cheaper gas station. As an example of information possessed by an individual, a discount ticket of a specific gas station possessed by an individual user can be cited.

  The reason why the information center does not always hold useful information for each user is that it is not registered in the information center because there is a time difference between when you register with the information center and when you want to use that information. This is because there may be useful information associated with the user.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and provides a navigation device, a navigation method , a navigation program , a portable communication terminal, and an information center server that can more appropriately present a store desired by a user. The purpose is to do.

  The navigation device according to the present invention is a navigation device that presents to a user a store existing in a predetermined area, and the price is changed by the price fluctuation information owned by the user that changes the price of goods and services provided by the store. Based on this, a determination unit for determining a store to be presented to the user is provided.

  In this navigation device, the determination means determines the store to be presented to the user based on the price fluctuated by the price fluctuation information such as the coupon or the point owned by the user. Appropriate judgment is made in consideration. Therefore, the store desired by the user can be presented more appropriately.

  Moreover, the aspect further provided with the input means which receives price fluctuation information from a user's portable communication terminal may be sufficient. In this case, the price fluctuation information is input from the user's portable communication terminal in which the price fluctuation information is stored. Further, the user's mobile communication terminal may be configured to acquire price fluctuation information from the Internet.

  A navigation method according to the present invention is a navigation method for presenting a store existing in a predetermined area to a user, and the price is changed according to price fluctuation information owned by a user that changes the price of a product or service provided by the store. A determination step of determining a store to be presented to the user is provided.

  In this navigation method, since the store to be presented to the user is determined based on the price fluctuated by the price fluctuation information such as the coupon or the point owned by the user in the determination step, the coupon or the point is determined at the time of the store determination. Appropriate judgment is made in consideration of Therefore, the store desired by the user can be presented more appropriately.

  Moreover, the aspect further provided with the input step which receives price fluctuation information from a user's portable communication terminal may be sufficient. In this case, the price fluctuation information is input from the user's portable communication terminal in which the price fluctuation information is stored. Further, the user's mobile communication terminal may be configured to acquire price fluctuation information from the Internet.

  A navigation program according to the present invention is a navigation program for presenting a store existing in a predetermined area to a user, and the computer is fluctuated by price fluctuation information owned by the user that fluctuates the price of goods and services provided by the store. It is a navigation program for functioning as a determination means for determining a store to be presented to the user based on the price.

  In this navigation program, in order to make the computer function as a determination unit that determines a store to be presented to the user based on the price changed by price fluctuation information such as coupons and points owned by the user, Appropriate determination is made in consideration of coupons and points. Therefore, the store desired by the user can be presented more appropriately.

  Moreover, the aspect which makes a computer function as an input means which receives price fluctuation information from a user's portable communication terminal may be sufficient. In this case, the price fluctuation information is input from the user's portable communication terminal in which the price fluctuation information is stored. Further, the user's mobile communication terminal may be configured to acquire price fluctuation information from the Internet.

According to the present invention, a navigation device, a navigation method , a navigation program , a mobile communication terminal, and an information center server that can more appropriately present a store desired by a user are provided.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a mobile phone used with an in-vehicle device in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the in-vehicle device in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block configuration diagram showing a configuration of an information center that communicates with an in-vehicle device in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing information collection at the information center. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing distribution of applications and information from the information center. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing processing at the time of initial setting such as when the vehicle-mounted device is turned on. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure in which the in-vehicle device provides store information of a gas station to a user.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected about the same or equivalent element, and the description is abbreviate | omitted when description overlaps.

  FIGS. 1 to 3 are block configuration diagrams showing configurations of the mobile phone 1 (FIG. 1), the in-vehicle device 2 (FIG. 2), and the information center 3 (FIG. 3) used in the present embodiment, respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the mobile phone 1 includes an information providing unit 100, an information addition / update unit 101, an information storage unit 102, and a communication unit 103.

  The information providing unit 100 provides information necessary for a service used by the user to the in-vehicle device 2 when the mobile phone 1 is connected to the in-vehicle device 2 by executing the information providing application by the processing device. The information addition / update unit 101 has a function of adding / updating software or information for realizing a new service. The information storage unit 102 stores information (hereinafter referred to as gas station mobile phone information) such as a membership card, a credit card, a coupon ticket, and a discount ticket owned by the user. Such gas station mobile phone information can be acquired (downloaded or the like) from the Internet and stored in the mobile phone 1, for example. The communication unit 103 communicates with the in-vehicle device 2 through a wired connection such as USB or a wireless connection such as Bluetooth.

  The in-vehicle device 2 corresponds to the navigation device in the present invention, and includes a gas station providing unit 200, a carry-in device information obtaining unit 201, a navigation unit 202, a vehicle information management unit 203, an information addition / update unit 204, an out-of-vehicle communication unit 205, an in-vehicle A communication unit 206, an information storage unit 207, and a UI unit 208 are provided.

  The gas station providing unit 200 provides a service to the user by executing a gas station providing application by the processing device. When a device (carry-in device) that can be brought into a car such as the mobile phone 1 is connected to the in-vehicle device 2, the carry-in device information acquisition unit 201 stores information necessary for a service used by the user. Obtain from embedded devices. The navigation unit 202 provides the user with a map, route search to the destination, route guidance, and the like. The in-vehicle device 2 may be equipped with a GPS.

  The vehicle information management unit 203 collects and manages vehicle information flowing through the in-vehicle LAN, and provides vehicle information required by various applications to the application. The information addition / update unit 204 has a function of adding / updating software or information for realizing a new service to the in-vehicle device 2. The external communication unit 205 has a function of performing communication by being connected to a carry-in device by wired such as USB or wirelessly such as Bluetooth, and performing wireless communication with the information center 3 described later. The in-vehicle communication unit 206 has a function of performing wireless communication with the information center 3 while performing communication by being connected to a carry-in device such as USB or wireless such as Bluetooth. The information storage unit 207 stores information acquired from a carry-in device such as the mobile phone 1 and information acquired from the information center 3. The UI unit 208 displays information presented to the user by the navigation unit 202 or the like on the screen.

  In this way, the in-vehicle device 2 communicates with the mobile phone 1 to acquire the user's personal information, and communicates with the information center 3 to acquire public information. An application that provides a service using such information is distributed from the information center 3 to the in-vehicle device 2.

  The information center 3 includes a gas station information collection unit 300, a gas station information provision unit 301, an information addition / update unit 303, a GPS coordinate conversion unit 305, an information storage unit 306, and a communication unit 307.

  The gas station information collecting unit 300 acquires information (store information) about the gas station from the Internet. The gas station information providing unit 301 transmits the gas station store information acquired from the Internet to the in-vehicle device 2 and provides it. The information addition / update unit 303 transmits software or information for realizing a new service to the mobile phone 1 or the in-vehicle device 2. The information storage unit 306 stores information obtained by the gas station information collection unit 300 from the Internet. The communication unit 307 communicates with the mobile phone 1 and the in-vehicle device 2.

  Here, the information storage unit 306 stores a membership card list. This membership card list is a table created by, for example, a service provider that provides information on the gas station that is most suitable for the user. The name of the gas station, the name of the refueling company to which it belongs, and the membership card that can be used. The credit card and the discount rate applied by using the membership card or the credit card are associated with each other. In the membership card list, the name of the refueling company to which the gas station belongs may be omitted as necessary.

  Thus, in order to realize a service for providing gas station information, an information providing application is distributed to the mobile phone 1 and a gas station providing application is distributed to the in-vehicle device 2.

  Below, the procedure which provides the store information of a gas station to a user using the mobile telephone 1, the vehicle equipment 2, and the information center 3 mentioned above is demonstrated, referring the flowchart of FIGS.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing information collection at the information center 3.

(Step A01) The gas station information collecting unit 300 of the information center 3 is connected to the Internet via the communication unit 307, analyzes the homepage that discloses the gas station store information, and analyzes the name of the gas station and its refueling company. Collect name, address and unit price information.

(Step A02) The GPS coordinate conversion unit 305 identifies a relative position with respect to the host vehicle from the address of the gas station acquired by the gas station information collection unit 300. At this time, the GPS coordinate conversion unit 305 converts the address information into information of GPS coordinates (latitude and longitude).

(Step A03) The gas station information collecting unit 300 associates the gas station name, the refueling company name, the GPS coordinate information, and the gasoline unit price obtained in the processes of steps A01 and A02 with each other, and forms an information storage unit as a gasoline unit price list. It stores in 306. If the same GPS coordinate information is already stored in the gasoline unit price list, the information is updated. In the gasoline unit price list, the name of the refueling company to which the gas station belongs may be omitted as necessary.

  Steps A01 to A03 are repeatedly performed at a certain interval.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing distribution of applications and information from the information center 3.

(Step B01) When the petrol station providing application is distributed from the information center 3 to the in-vehicle device 2, the information addition / update unit 303 also distributes the membership card list to the in-vehicle device 2. This is received by the information addition / update unit 204 of the in-vehicle device 2 and stored in the information storage unit 207.

(Step B02) When the gas station providing application is distributed from the information center 3 to the in-vehicle device 2, the information addition / update unit 303 also distributes the gasoline remaining amount threshold value to the in-vehicle device 2. This gasoline remaining amount threshold value serves as a trigger for the in-vehicle device 2 to provide information on gas stations around the vehicle. The gasoline remaining amount threshold value is received by the information addition / update unit 204 and stored in the vehicle information management unit 203.

(Step B <b> 03) When the mobile phone 1 is connected to the in-vehicle device 2, the carry-in device information acquisition unit 201 of the in-vehicle device 2 confirms the presence or absence of the above-described gas station mobile phone information with respect to the mobile phone 1. The brought-in device information acquisition unit 201 stores the confirmation result.

  For distribution of the above-described application, the mobile phone 1 and the vehicle-mounted device 2 are paired in advance and authentication information is registered, and when the application is acquired, the application is acquired by one of the paired devices. A technology for automatically acquiring an application for the other device or eliminating the need for authentication between the mobile phone 1 and the vehicle-mounted device 2 each time the application is used can be used.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing processing at the time of initial setting such as when the vehicle-mounted device 2 is turned on.

(Step C01) First, the user connects his mobile phone 1 to the in-vehicle device 2. This connection is established between the communication unit 103 of the mobile phone 1 and the external communication unit 205 of the in-vehicle device 2 and may be a wired connection such as USB or a wireless connection such as Bluetooth. When it is detected that the external communication unit 205 of the in-vehicle device 2 is connected to the mobile phone 1, the gas station mobile phone information stored in the mobile phone 1 is sent to the in-vehicle device 2.

(Step C02) When connection with the mobile phone 1 is detected by the outside communication unit 205, the carry-in device information acquisition unit 201 requests the mobile phone 1 for the above-described gas station mobile phone information. The petrol station mobile phone information request is received by the communication unit 103 of the mobile phone 1 and sent to the information providing unit 100. The information providing unit 100 extracts the gas station mobile phone information stored in the information storage unit 102 by executing the information providing application, and sends the information to the in-vehicle device 2 via the communication unit 103. The gas station mobile phone information is sent via the external communication unit 205 of the in-vehicle device 2 to the carry-in device information acquisition unit 201 that functions as an input unit for the gas station mobile phone information. In this way, the in-vehicle device 2 receives, as an input step, information about the membership card, credit card, coupon ticket or discount coupon owned by the user from the mobile phone 1.

(Step C <b> 03) The carry-in device information acquisition unit 201 of the in-vehicle device 2 stores the gas station mobile phone information received from the mobile phone 1 in the information storage unit 207.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure in which the in-vehicle device 2 provides store information of a gas station to a user.

(Step D01) The vehicle information management unit 203 acquires information on the remaining amount of gasoline flowing in the in-vehicle LAN via the in-vehicle communication unit 206, and the current remaining gasoline amount is the remaining gasoline amount received in step B02. Determine if it is below the threshold.

(Step D02) If the vehicle information management unit 203 determines that the gasoline remaining amount is lower than the gasoline remaining amount threshold value, the information adding / updating unit 204 is called, and the information adding / updating unit 204 moves to the gas station providing unit. Start 200 petrol station application.

(Step D03) By executing the petrol station providing app, the petrol station providing unit 200 acquires GPS information indicating the position of the petrol station from the vehicle information management unit 203 or the navigation unit 202.

(Step D04) By executing the petrol station providing app, the petrol station providing unit 200 acquires GPS information indicating the own vehicle position from the outside communication unit 205.

(Step D05) The own vehicle position information is acquired by the communication unit 307 of the information center 3 and sent to the gas station information providing unit 301. The gas station information providing unit 301 extracts a gas station around the own vehicle existing within a predetermined distance based on the own vehicle position information. At this time, the GPS coordinate information indicating the location of the gas station in the gasoline unit price list of the information storage unit 306 is compared with the vehicle position information, and the gas station existing within a predetermined distance is extracted. This extracted information is a subset of the gas station unit price list.

(Step D06) The subset of the gas station unit price list is sent to the in-vehicle device 2 via the communication unit 307 of the information center 3.

(Step D07) The subset of the gas station unit price list is received by the 9-vehicle outside communication unit 205 of the in-vehicle device 2 and sent to the gas station providing unit 200. The gas station providing unit 200 executes the gas station providing application and extracts the gas station mobile phone information from the information storage unit 207. Search whether the gas station name of the gas station mobile phone information exists in a subset of the gas station unit price list. If it exists, the unit price when the discount rate indicated in the gas station mobile phone information is applied to the gasoline unit price of the gas station is added to the subset information of the gas station unit price list.

  As described above, in the determination step of Step D07, the cheapest gas station is determined for each user by determining the unit price to which the discount rate, which is the information possessed by the mobile phone 1, is applied, and the store information is determined by the user. Can be presented.

(Step D08) Information on a subset of the gas station unit price list to which the discount rate is applied is passed to the navigation unit 202. Information passed at this time is a gas station name, GPS coordinate information, and gasoline unit price (unit price after applying the discount rate). If necessary, mark the cheapest petrol station.

(Step D09) The navigation unit 202 arranges an icon of a gas station including the gasoline unit price after applying the discount rate on the map screen, and displays it on the UI unit 208. For the gas station with the lowest unit price, the icon is enlarged so that it stands out, or is displayed in a different color from the other icons. Further, when the icon is selected, detailed information on the gas station is displayed. In some cases, route guidance for the gas station with the lowest unit price is started.

  As described in detail above, the vehicle-mounted device (navigation device) 2 is a navigation device that presents a store such as a gas station existing in a predetermined area to the user, and is carried by the user that fluctuates the gas price of the gas station. A gas station providing unit (determination means) 200 that determines a gas station to be presented to the user based on the price changed by the gas station mobile phone information stored in the telephone 1 is provided.

  In such an in-vehicle device 2, the gas station providing unit 200 presents the user with the gas station mobile phone information owned by the user, that is, based on the price fluctuated by price fluctuation information such as coupon and point information. In order to determine a gas station, an appropriate determination is performed in consideration of coupons and points. Therefore, the user desired gas station can be presented more appropriately.

  The vehicle-mounted device 2 includes a carry-in device information acquisition unit (input unit) 201 that receives gas station mobile phone information (price fluctuation information) from the user's mobile phone (mobile communication terminal) 1. Therefore, the gas station mobile phone information is input to the in-vehicle device 2 from the user's mobile phone 1 in which the information is stored.

  The function realized by executing the navigation program of the present invention using a computer is the same as the function of the gas station providing unit (determination means) 200 described above.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various deformation | transformation is possible. For example, in the above-described embodiment, personal information is acquired from the mobile phone 1, but a terminal that holds personal information such as a PDA that can communicate with the in-vehicle device 2 may be used. When using ETC, the type of credit card may be acquired from the ETC device. Furthermore, although the gasoline station information providing application is activated when the gasoline remaining amount threshold value is exceeded, it may be activated at all times. In addition, as shown in step D02, the confirmation and notification of the remaining amount of gasoline is performed by the vehicle information management unit 203, but the gasoline station information providing application may be always activated. In this case, the petrol station information providing application may poll and the vehicle information management unit 203 may acquire sensor information or may be notified by push.

  In the case of an electric vehicle that runs on a motor or a vehicle that runs on a motor and a gasoline engine, the threshold value of the remaining battery level flowing through the in-vehicle LAN is used instead of the threshold value of the gasoline remaining amount. When it falls below, it will guide you to the power station.

  In the above-described embodiment, the information on the gas station where the gasoline unit price is the cheapest is provided. However, as another aspect, the information on the gas station where points are accumulated on the membership card or the credit card at the time of refueling is provided. You may make it guide.

  In the configuration of the above-described embodiment, it is assumed that the application that provides the service is distributed from the information center 3, and other information that uses sensor information and information in the mobile phone, and information that the information center 3 holds Applicable to other services. That is, it can be realized by developing an application for each designed service and distributing the application. In this case, it may be necessary to acquire other information necessary for the service from the mobile phone 1. In order to realize this, a request is made to request information to be acquired immediately after connection with the mobile phone 1 in step B03. In addition, a notification timing of sensor information that is necessary for the vehicle information management unit 203 can also be registered.

  As another embodiment, all the functions (300 to 307) of the information center 3 are created as an application for a mobile phone and arranged on the mobile phone 1. That is, the information center 3 is canceled and the service is provided with the configuration of the mobile phone 1 and the in-vehicle device 2. By doing so, it is not necessary to install an information center 3 or a server having a similar function.

  Furthermore, as another embodiment, an in-vehicle device having only a function of obtaining information on the remaining amount of gasoline flowing in the in-vehicle LAN and passing it to a mobile communication terminal such as a mobile phone may be used. In this case, the mobile communication terminal is provided with a navigation function such as route guidance. That is, the mobile communication terminal itself becomes a navigation device.

  In this way, price information such as gas stations that become public information is collected at the center, and information with high freshness is maintained. On the other hand, information that becomes information associated with an individual is stored in a mobile phone that the user always carries. Information such as membership cards and discount coupons / coupons is collected from this mobile phone. Then, the in-vehicle device communicates with the information center and the mobile phone, and extracts the cheapest gas station that is most suitable for the user from public information and information associated with the individual.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Mobile phone, 2 ... In-vehicle apparatus, 3 ... Information center, 200 ... Gas station provision part, 201 ... Bring-in apparatus information acquisition part.

Claims (12)

A navigation device for presenting a store in a predetermined area to a user,
The price is fluctuated according to price fluctuation information including a user's individual membership card, credit card, discount coupon or coupon that fluctuates the price of goods and services provided by the store stored in the user's personal mobile communication terminal, and the price A navigation device comprising determination means for determining a store to be presented to a user based on a price that has been changed by fluctuation information . The determination means associates price fluctuation information including the membership card or credit card, a store where the membership card or credit card can be used, and a discount rate applied by using the membership card or credit card, and a discount rate The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the price is fluctuated by.   The navigation device according to claim 2, wherein the mobile communication terminal of the user acquires the price fluctuation information from the Internet. A navigation method of a navigation device for presenting a store existing in a predetermined area to a user,
The determination means of the navigation device is based on price fluctuation information including a user's individual membership card, credit card, discount ticket or coupon ticket that fluctuates the price of goods and services provided by the store stored in the user's personal mobile communication terminal A navigation method comprising: a determination step of determining a store to be presented to a user based on a price changed by the price change information while changing the price. In the determination step, the determination means applies price fluctuation information including the membership card or credit card, a store where the membership card or credit card can be used, and a discount rate applied by using the membership card or credit card. The navigation method according to claim 4, wherein the price is changed according to a discount rate.   The navigation method according to claim 5, wherein the mobile communication terminal of the user acquires the price fluctuation information from the Internet. A computer, a navigation program that Ru is presented to the user store that exists in a predetermined area,
Computer
The price is fluctuated according to price fluctuation information including a user's individual membership card, credit card, discount coupon or coupon that fluctuates the price of goods and services provided by the store stored in the user's personal mobile communication terminal, and the price The navigation program for functioning as a determination means which determines the shop shown to a user based on the price changed by fluctuation information . The determination means associates price fluctuation information including the membership card or credit card, a store where the membership card or credit card can be used, and a discount rate applied by using the membership card or credit card, and a discount rate The navigation program according to claim 7, wherein the price is changed according to.   The navigation program according to claim 8, wherein the mobile communication terminal of the user acquires the price fluctuation information from the Internet. A mobile communication terminal for presenting a store existing in a predetermined area to a user,
Obtain price fluctuation information from the network , including user membership cards, credit cards, discount coupons or coupons that fluctuate the prices of products and services offered by stores,
A mobile communication terminal, comprising: a determination unit configured to determine a store to be presented to a user based on a price changed according to the price change information while changing the price based on the price change information acquired from a network. A mobile communication terminal connectable to a network,
An information storage unit for storing price fluctuation information including a user's individual membership card, a credit card, a discount ticket, or a coupon ticket that fluctuates the price of goods and services provided by stores in a predetermined area;
The price is fluctuated by the price fluctuation information stored in the information storage unit, and based on the price fluctuated by the price fluctuation information , the mobile communication terminal is caused to function as a determination unit that determines a store presenting to the user. A mobile communication terminal that obtains a navigation program for a network from the network, executes the navigation program, and functions as the determination unit. An information storage unit for storing member information in which store information and discount information are associated with each other;
While changing the price according to price fluctuation information including a user's individual membership card, credit card, discount ticket or coupon ticket that fluctuates the price of goods and services provided by the store, the member information stored in the information storage unit, wherein based on the price that is varied by the price change information, as a determination means store to be presented to the user, and a communication means for sending navigation program for causing a computer to function, to the computer,
The communication means is an information center server for sending the member information to a computer when sending the navigation program.

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