JP5602120B2 - Information terminal, content providing system, and program. - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technology for providing content to an information terminal.

In recent years, a technology has been considered in which a content pointer capable of specifying content is provided to an information terminal using sound or the like, and the information terminal acquires content corresponding to the content pointer from a content server via the Internet or the like. ing. As an example, a technique described in Non-Patent Document 1 below is known. That is, the sound ID (content pointer) is transmitted from the TV station so that it is difficult for the TV viewer to hear it, and the sound ID is extracted by picking up the TV sound with the microphone of the viewer's information terminal. Based on the above, a mechanism for acquiring content corresponding to a program or the like from a content server and providing it to a user is known.
Announcement of new sound data communication technology “INFOSOUND” for TV program use and practical application, [online], [October 1, 2011 search], Internet <URL: http: / /www.yamaha.co.jp/news/2011/11052501.html>

  By the way, in order to have the information terminal users widely use the mechanism as described above, the inventor of the present application has made an acoustic ID or the like in conjunction with the user changing the position of the information terminal casing (for example, shaking). As an example, the information terminal is configured such that the content pointer is acquired. This is because the action of giving a position change to the information terminal can make the user feel that the information terminal directly picks up (receives) a content pointer or content such as an acoustic ID from the space around the user.

  However, since various noises exist in the environment where the information terminal is used, the information terminal cannot always acquire the content pointer with high accuracy immediately after starting acquisition of the content pointer. Also, if the timing at which the position change is given to the information terminal and the timing at which the content pointer is output from the content pointer output device such as a television receiver do not match well, the information terminal will be linked to the given position change. The pointer cannot be obtained. In addition, the content pointer in the information terminal is transmitted at least for the transmission time length of the content pointer of one unit (for example, the time until the television sound corresponding to one unit of sound ID is output from the speaker of the television receiver). It takes from the start of acquisition to completion. That is, it is sufficiently assumed that acquisition of the content pointer cannot be completed by the information terminal immediately after the user of the information terminal gives a position change to the information terminal. And if it continues that it cannot complete acquisition of a content pointer immediately in this way, it will be thought that a user will not have the above-mentioned feeling.

  The present application has been considered in view of such a problem, and an object thereof is to provide a technology that allows a user of an information terminal to have a sense of directly picking up (receiving) a content pointer or content from the surrounding space.

(1) First aspect An information terminal according to a first aspect is an information terminal having a housing, and includes a content pointer acquisition unit, a content acquisition unit, a storage unit, a detection unit, a notification unit, Control means. The content pointer acquisition means acquires a content pointer capable of specifying the content. The content acquisition unit acquires content based on the content pointer acquired by the content pointer acquisition unit from a content server that stores the content. The storage means is means for storing the content acquired by the content acquisition means. The detecting means detects a change in the position of the casing. The notification means notifies various information to the user. The control means notifies the notifying means of guidance for causing the user to act to give a predetermined position change to the housing, at least on the condition that the acquisition of the content pointer is completed by the content pointer acquiring means. When the detection unit detects the predetermined position change, the content acquisition unit starts acquisition of the content corresponding to the acquired content pointer, and stores the acquired content in the storage unit.

  Note that “an act of giving a predetermined position change to the housing” is also an act of changing the position of the center of gravity of the information terminal. For example, the information terminal user holds the information terminal up and down horizontally. Various actions are conceivable, such as an action of shaking, an action of swinging the information terminal like a racket and hitting a ball with the information terminal, and an action of lifting the information terminal upward. As a guide method of these actions, for example, a method of displaying a sentence, a figure, and an animation explaining the action on a display as a notification means, or outputting an explanation voice of an action from a speaker as a notification means can be considered.

  In such an information terminal, since the acquisition of the content pointer has been completed before the act of changing the position of the information terminal casing, the user's action of changing the position of the information terminal casing is idle. (The acquisition of the content pointer has failed) is not recognized by the user. Therefore, the user of the information terminal can have a feeling of picking up (receiving) the content pointer or the content directly from the surrounding space.

(2) 2nd aspect The information terminal concerning a 2nd aspect is further provided with the code acquisition means which acquires the code | cord | chord which can specify the said content pointer in the information terminal concerning a 1st aspect. When the code is acquired by the code acquisition unit, the content pointer acquisition unit acquires the content pointer and the code in association with each other and stores the content pointer and the code. The content pointer acquisition processing is performed in which the code is transmitted and the content pointer corresponding to the transmitted code is acquired from the first conversion server.

  According to such an information terminal, for example, it is easy to adjust the length of the code and the content pointer, such as shortening the code compared to the content pointer, and the content providing system including the information terminal, the content server, etc. Realized easily. Further, the first conversion server can charge for the conversion.

(3) Third Aspect The information terminal according to the third aspect further includes a code acquisition means for acquiring a code capable of specifying an intermediate pointer associated with the content pointer in the information terminal according to the first aspect. Prepare. When the code is acquired by the code acquisition unit, the content pointer acquisition unit acquires the code from the second conversion server that stores the intermediate pointer and the code in association with each other. Transmitting the code, obtaining the intermediate pointer corresponding to the transmitted code, and further associating and storing the content pointer and the intermediate pointer in association with the second conversion server. A content pointer acquisition process is performed in which the intermediate pointer acquired from the conversion server is transmitted, and the content pointer corresponding to the transmitted intermediate pointer is acquired from the third conversion server.

  According to such an information terminal, for example, the length of the code, the intermediate pointer, and the content pointer can be easily adjusted by shortening the code as compared with the intermediate pointer and the content pointer. It becomes easy to realize a content providing system consisting of In addition, the first conversion server or the second conversion server can charge for the conversion.

(4) Fourth aspect The information terminal according to the fourth aspect is the information terminal according to the second or third aspect, and has a plurality of the code acquisition means corresponding to the code acquisition method, The content pointer acquisition means, when the code can be acquired by a plurality of code acquisition means at a certain point in time, selects the code selected based on a predetermined priority of the code acquisition means as the content pointer It is used for acquisition processing.

  If it is such an information terminal, the administrator of the content providing system composed of the information terminal, the content server, etc., the person providing the content, etc. select a code transmission method according to the environment of the place where the information terminal is used. This increases the flexibility of the content providing system. As a result, the information terminal is not easily affected by the environment with respect to the acquisition of the code, and the possibility of acquiring the code is increased.

(5) Fifth aspect The information terminal according to the fifth aspect is the information terminal according to the second or third aspect, and includes a plurality of code acquisition means corresponding to the code acquisition method, The content pointer acquisition unit uses the code obtained by the code acquisition unit that can be acquired first in the content pointer acquisition process.

  If it is such an information terminal, the administrator of the content providing system composed of the information terminal, the content server, etc., the person providing the content, etc. select a code transmission method according to the environment of the place where the information terminal is used. This increases the flexibility of the content providing system. As a result, the information terminal is not easily affected by the environment with respect to the acquisition of the code, and the possibility of acquiring the code is increased.

(6) Sixth Aspect The information terminal according to the sixth aspect is the information terminal according to the second or third aspect, wherein the code acquisition means uses a code carrier medium that can be simultaneously acquired by a plurality of information terminals. The code carrying medium output from the code sending device for sending the code is input, and the code is obtained by extracting from the input code carrying medium.

Note that “code transport medium that can be simultaneously acquired by a plurality of information terminals” may be sound, radio waves, light, or the like.
According to such an information terminal, the same code as that of a plurality of other information terminals existing in the vicinity can be obtained at the same time, so the administrator of the content providing system including the information terminal and the content server provides the content. Those who do can provide content to many information terminals in a short time.

(7) Seventh Aspect The information terminal according to the seventh aspect is the information terminal according to the fourth or fifth aspect, wherein at least one of the code acquisition means can simultaneously acquire a plurality of information terminals. A code carrying medium output from a code sending device for sending a code by a code carrying medium is input, and the code is obtained by extracting from the inputted code carrying medium.

Note that “code transport medium that can be simultaneously acquired by a plurality of information terminals” may be sound, radio waves, light, or the like.
According to such an information terminal, the same code as that of a plurality of other information terminals existing in the vicinity can be obtained at the same time, so the administrator of the content providing system including the information terminal and the content server provides the content. Those who do can provide content to many information terminals in a short time.

(8) Eighth aspect The information terminal according to the eighth aspect further includes position acquisition means capable of acquiring position information of the information terminal in the information terminal according to the second or third aspect. Then, the code acquisition means transmits the position information acquired by the position acquisition means to a code transmission server that provides a code via a network, and a code corresponding to the transmitted position information is transmitted to the code transmission server. It is characterized by acquiring more.

  According to such an information terminal, if at least position information can be acquired, the code can be acquired by inquiring the code transmission server. Therefore, for example, in a noisy environment, it is more reliable to acquire the code from the code transmission server based on the position information than when extracting the code from the sound. It is thought that terminals will be used.

(9) Ninth Aspect The information terminal according to the ninth aspect is the information terminal according to the fourth, fifth or seventh aspect, further comprising a position acquisition unit capable of acquiring the position information of the information terminal. Prepare. Then, at least one of the code acquisition means transmits the position information acquired by the position acquisition means to a code transmission server that provides a code via a network, and the code corresponding to the transmitted position information Is obtained from the code transmission server.

  According to such an information terminal, if at least position information can be acquired, the code can be acquired by inquiring the code transmission server. Therefore, for example, in a noisy environment, it is more reliable to acquire the code from the code transmission server based on the position information than when extracting the code from the sound. It is thought that terminals will be used.

(10) Tenth aspect An information terminal according to the tenth aspect is the information terminal according to any one of the second aspect and the fourth to seventh aspects according to the second aspect, wherein the location information of the information terminal is The content pointer acquisition means transmits the code to the first conversion server in addition to the position information acquired by the position acquisition means, and the position information is acquired by the content pointer acquisition means. And the content pointer corresponding to the code is acquired from the first conversion server.

  According to such an information terminal, an administrator of a content providing system composed of an information terminal, a content server, etc., a content provider, etc. can determine whether or not the content can be acquired according to the location where the information terminal exists. It becomes possible to control.

(11) Eleventh aspect The information terminal according to the eleventh aspect is the information terminal according to any one of the third aspect and the fourth to seventh aspects according to the third aspect. The content pointer acquisition means transmits the intermediate pointer to the third conversion server in addition to the position information acquired by the position acquisition means, and the position pointer acquisition means can acquire the position information. The content pointer corresponding to the information and the intermediate pointer is obtained from the third conversion server.

  According to such an information terminal, an administrator of a content providing system composed of an information terminal, a content server, etc., a content provider, etc. can determine whether or not the content can be acquired according to the location where the information terminal exists. It becomes possible to control.

(12) Twelfth aspect The information terminal according to the twelfth aspect outputs current time information in the information terminal according to any one of the second aspect and the fourth to seventh aspects according to the second aspect. A time output means capable of performing transmission, wherein the content pointer acquisition means transmits the code to the first conversion server in addition to the time information output by the time output means, and the time information and the time information The content pointer corresponding to the code is obtained from the first conversion server. The time information referred to in the present application may be any information as long as it is related to time, for example, any one of date, hour, minute, and second. Any number may be used.

  According to such an information terminal, an administrator of a content providing system including an information terminal, a content server, and the like, a content provider, and the like can control whether or not the content can be acquired and what content can be acquired according to time information. It becomes possible.

(13) Thirteenth aspect An information terminal according to the thirteenth aspect outputs current time information in the information terminal according to any one of the third aspect and the fourth to seventh aspects according to the third aspect. A time output unit that can perform the operation, and the content pointer acquisition unit transmits the intermediate pointer to the third conversion server in addition to the time information output by the time output unit, and the time information and The content pointer corresponding to the intermediate pointer is obtained from the third conversion server. The time information referred to in the present application may be any information as long as it is related to time, for example, any one of date, hour, minute, and second. Any number may be used.

  According to such an information terminal, an administrator of a content providing system including an information terminal, a content server, and the like, a content provider, and the like can control whether or not the content can be acquired and what content can be acquired according to time information. It becomes possible.

(14) Fourteenth aspect In the information terminal according to the fourteenth aspect, in the information terminal according to any one of the first to thirteenth aspects, the content acquisition unit uses the content of the position change detected by the detection unit. Corresponding option information is added to the content pointer, and content based on the added content pointer is acquired from the content server.

  According to such an information terminal, the user of the information terminal can change the content acquired by the information terminal by changing the position change given to the information terminal even if the user is in the same place. That is, it is considered that the diversity regarding the acquisition of content is improved, and the interest of the user of the information terminal with respect to the act of acquiring the content is increased.

(15) Fifteenth aspect The information terminal according to the fifteenth aspect is the information terminal according to any one of the first to fourteenth aspects, wherein the control means causes the content acquisition means to start acquiring the content. In this case, the notifying unit is notified of guidance for performing content acquisition.

  According to such an information terminal, by giving a predetermined position change to the casing of the information terminal, something for acquiring the content was directly picked up (received) from the surrounding space instead of the content itself. This can be felt by the user of the information terminal. In addition, it is possible to suppress the acquisition of content due to a predetermined position change unintended by the user.

(16) 16th aspect The content provision system concerning a 16th aspect is provided with the information terminal concerning a 1st aspect, and a content server. The content server stores content in association with the content pointer, and transmits content corresponding to the content pointer designated by the information terminal to the information terminal.

With such a content providing system, the same effects as those described for the information terminal according to the first aspect can be obtained.
(17) Seventeenth aspect A content providing system according to a seventeenth aspect includes an information terminal according to the second aspect, a first conversion server, and a content server. The first conversion server stores the code and the content pointer in association with each other, and transmits the content pointer corresponding to the code designated by the information terminal to the information terminal. The content server stores content in association with the content pointer, and transmits content corresponding to the content pointer designated by the information terminal to the information terminal.

  With such a content providing system, in addition to the effect similar to the effect described for the information terminal according to the first aspect, the same effect as the effect described for the information terminal according to the second aspect is achieved.

(18) Eighteenth aspect A content providing system according to an eighteenth aspect includes an information terminal according to the third aspect, a second conversion server, a third conversion server, and a content server. The second conversion server stores the code and the intermediate pointer in association with each other, and transmits the intermediate pointer corresponding to the code designated by the information terminal to the information terminal. The third conversion server stores the intermediate pointer and the content pointer in association with each other, and transmits the content pointer corresponding to the intermediate pointer designated by the information terminal to the information terminal. The content server stores content in association with the content pointer, and transmits content corresponding to the content pointer designated by the information terminal to the information terminal.

  With such a content providing system, in addition to the same effect as that described for the information terminal according to the first aspect, the same effect as that described for the information terminal according to the third aspect is achieved.

(19) Nineteenth aspect A program according to a nineteenth aspect is a program for causing a computer having a housing to execute a content pointer acquisition step, a notification step, a detection step, a content acquisition step, and a storage step. It is a program. In the content pointer acquisition step, a content pointer capable of specifying the content is acquired. In the notifying step, guidance for causing the user to perform an action that gives a predetermined position change to the housing of the computer is notified on the condition that acquisition of the content pointer is completed at least in the content pointer acquiring step. In the detection step, the predetermined position change based on the guidance in the notification step is detected. In the content acquisition step, when the predetermined position change is detected in the detection step, the content corresponding to the content pointer acquired in the content pointer acquisition step is acquired from the content server that stores the content. In the storage step, the content acquired in the content acquisition step is stored in a storage unit capable of storing the content.

  If such a program is executed by a computer (CPU) built in the information terminal, the information terminal has the same operations and effects as those of the information terminal according to the first aspect described above. In addition, the program can be distributed using a network or the like, and the replacement of the program in the information terminal is easier than the replacement of the parts. Therefore, the function of the information terminal can be easily improved.

It is a block diagram which shows the whole structure of a content provision system. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of an information terminal. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the content registration process which a management server performs. It is an example of a screen displayed on a content provider PC. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the flow of the data in a content registration process. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the content file acquisition process which an information terminal performs. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the flow of the data in a content file acquisition process. It is an example of a screen displayed on an information terminal. It is an example of a screen displayed on an information terminal. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the content transfer process (transmission side) which an information terminal performs. It is an example of a screen displayed on an information terminal. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the content transfer process (reception side) which an information terminal performs. It is an example of a screen displayed on an information terminal. It is an example of a screen displayed on an information terminal.

  Embodiments to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings. The embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment, and can take various forms as long as they belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

[Description of configuration]
The configuration of the content providing system 11 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Note that “content” in this application means electronic information that can be distributed on a network, such as text, images, music, moving images, HTML5, application programs, discount coupons, and member points.

  The content providing system 11 includes a code server 13, a management server 15, a content server 17, a plurality of code transmission devices 19 (19a, 19b, 19c,...), And a plurality of information terminals 21 (21a, 21b, 21c,. ..), A plurality of content provider PCs 23 (23a, 23b, 23c,...), And a network 25 to which these are connected.

  The code server 13 is composed of a well-known computer and implements various functions by executing processing based on a program. As an example of the function, it has a decoding function and a code issuing function. The decoding function is a function for storing correspondence information between a code file and an intermediate pointer and transmitting an intermediate pointer corresponding to the code to the information terminal 21 when a code is designated from the information terminal 21 and an inquiry is received. Also, the code issuing function selects one code from among the codes that can be issued (unused code) when the management server 15 specifies an intermediate pointer and is requested to issue a code, and corresponds to that code. This function is to transmit the code file to be transmitted to the management server 15 and store the designated intermediate pointer and the selected code in association with each other.

  The management server 15 is composed of a well-known computer and implements various functions by executing processing based on a program. Examples of functions include a user management function, a content provider management function, a content management function, and a code management function.

  The user management function is a function for managing information related to the user of the information terminal 21, and records a user's attributes (age, gender, residential area, etc.), logs related to acquisition of content pointers by the information terminal 21, and the like. It is a function that provides data for marketing.

  The content provider management function is a function for managing information related to an advertiser who provides content, an event organizer, and the like. The content management function is a function for registering content provided by a content provider in the content server 17 and managing a content pointer used when accessing the content. The code management function is a function for managing the correspondence between content pointers and intermediate codes.

  The content server 17 is composed of a well-known computer and has a content storage function. The content storage function is a function of storing the content file in the storage unit and providing the corresponding content file to the information terminal 21 by access based on the content pointer by the information terminal 21.

  The code sending device 19 is, for example, a television receiver, a radio receiver, an electronic signboard device (device that outputs video and audio in a city or the like), a personal computer (PC) equipped with a speaker, or Bluetooth that is short-range wireless communication. A Bluetooth communication device (“Bluetooth” is a registered trademark; the same applies hereinafter) that transmits a code by communication, such as a sound output device mainly for outputting sound, and can transmit the code to the information terminal 21 it can. When the code sending device 19 sends a code by sound, the code sending device 19 uses a sound in which a code is embedded in a non-audible region (ultrasonic region) or a format that is difficult for humans to hear (audio watermark). ) In the audible range can be output. In FIG. 1, the code sending device 19 is connected to the network 25, but it may not be connected. Further, the code sending device 19 may be configured to output the code by storing the code inside the code sending device 19, or to output the code received from the broadcasting station, the content provider PC 23, or the like. It may be configured.

  The information terminal 21 is a portable computer having a housing such as a smartphone, an electronic tablet, or a PDA. As an example of the internal configuration of the information terminal 21, a configuration as shown in FIG. That is, the display unit 31, the speaker 32, the microphone 33, the packet communication unit 34, the voice communication unit 35, the acceleration sensor 36, the wireless LAN communication unit 37, the Bluetooth communication unit 38, the camera unit 39, An operation unit 40, a GPS information acquisition unit 41, a clock unit 42, a storage unit 43, and a control unit 44 are provided.

  The display unit 31 is a device that can display an image, such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. The display unit 31 may be configured integrally with a touch panel as the operation unit 40.

The speaker 32 is a device that converts an electrical signal into sound and outputs the sound.
The microphone 33 is a device that inputs voice, converts it into an electrical signal, and outputs it to the control unit 44. Note that the sound is not limited to sound in the audible area, but sound in the non-audible area (ultrasonic area) can also be input and converted into an electrical signal.

  The packet communication unit 34 is a device that realizes data communication by 3G or LTE. The packet communication unit 34 can connect to the network 25 and perform data communication with the code server 13, the management server 15, and the content server 17.

The voice communication unit 35 is a device that realizes voice communication with a fixed phone, a mobile phone, or the like by PHS or 3G.
The acceleration sensor 36 is a device that can detect acceleration accompanying a change in position of the information terminal 21. The position change of the information terminal 21 can be estimated from the acceleration information. The number of detection axes of the acceleration sensor 36 is preferably 3 or more, and preferably 6 axes can be detected by combining a plurality of sensors.

  The wireless LAN communication unit 37 is a device that realizes data communication using IEEE802.11b, g, n, or the like. The wireless LAN communication unit 37 can be connected to the network 25 via a wireless LAN access point.

  The Bluetooth communication unit 38 is a device that realizes Bluetooth communication, and can perform data communication by connecting to various Bluetooth devices. Data communication can also be performed by connecting to another information terminal 21.

The camera unit 39 is a device having an image sensor such as a CCD or a CMOS, and can output information of the captured image to the control unit 44.
The operation unit 40 is a device such as a mechanical key or a touch panel, and can receive various operation commands from the user of the information terminal 21 and output the operation commands to the control unit 44.

The GPS information acquisition unit 41 receives a signal from a GPS satellite, calculates the current position of the information terminal 21 based on the signal, and outputs the position information to the control unit 44.
The clock unit 42 is a clock that holds the current date, hour, minute, and second, and updates the time information every second and outputs it to the control unit 44.

  The storage unit 43 includes a non-volatile storage device such as a flash memory, and stores an operating system executed by the control unit 44 and various application programs. The storage unit 43 can store the content file acquired from the content server 17.

  The control unit 44 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, interfaces with the above-described units, and the like, and can execute various processes by loading a program stored in the storage unit 43 into the RAM.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the content provider PC 23 is a well-known PC possessed by the content provider (advertiser, event organizer, etc.), and the content provider uses the network browser of the content provider PC 23 so that the network The management server 15 and some code transmission devices 19 can be accessed via the server 25.

The network 25 is a packet communication network such as the Internet, and can exchange data between connected devices.
[Description of operation]
Next, the operation of the content providing system 11 will be described. An operation when the content provider registers the content in the content server 17, an operation when the user of the information terminal 21 acquires the content, an operation when the content is transferred between the plurality of information terminals 21, and the like will be described in order.

(1) Content Registration Processing The operation of the content providing system 11 when a content provider registers content in the content server 17 will be described with a focus on content registration processing (flowchart in FIG. 3) executed by the management server 15. The content registration process is started when a page for registering content is accessed by the network browser of the content provider PC 23. Further, in the following description, a case where access is made from one content provider PC 23 will be described. However, when access is made to the management server 15 from a plurality of content provider PCs 23, the content provider PCs 23 receive access from each content provider PC 23. The management server 15 executes content registration processing corresponding to each access.

  When the management server 15 starts executing the content registration process based on the program, the management server 15 transmits a registration screen for registering the content to the accessed content provider PC 23 (S105). As an example of the registration screen, the screen shown in FIG. That is, it is a screen on which a content type (for example, HTML5, music, video, coupon, or point) and a content file can be designated and the designated content file can be registered (uploaded).

  Returning to FIG. 3, the management server 15 determines whether or not the registration button has been pressed on the network browser of the content provider PC 23 (S110). If it is determined that the registration button has been pressed (S110: Yes), the process proceeds to S115, and if it is determined that the registration button has not been pressed, the present step (S110) remains.

  In S115, which proceeds when it is determined that the registration button has been pressed, the management server 15 receives the content file transmitted from the content provider PC 23, transmits it to the content server 17 as it is, and stores the content file. At that time, a content pointer (for example, a URL for accessing the content) indicating the storage position of the content file in the content server 17 is specified. On the other hand, the content server 17 stores the content file transmitted from the management server 15 in the storage unit.

  Subsequently, the management server 15 newly issues an intermediate pointer corresponding to the identified content pointer, and stores the content pointer and the intermediate pointer in the storage unit in association with each other (S120). A character string of about several bytes can be considered as the intermediate pointer. The reason for issuing the intermediate pointer is that there is a possibility that the content pointer is several tens of bytes when the content pointer is, for example, a URL. Therefore, the use of the intermediate pointer, which is a shorter information code, is advantageous in terms of data transfer. Because there is.

  Subsequently, the management server 15 sends the issued intermediate pointer to the code server 13 to request code issuance (S125). The code server 13 that has received the code issuance request selects an unused code, stores it in the storage unit in association with the intermediate pointer, and transmits information indicating that the code has been issued to the management server 15.

  The management server 15 that has received the information indicating that the code has been issued from the code server 13 transmits a code file download screen to the content provider PC 23 (S130). As an example of the download screen, the screen shown in FIG. That is, this is a screen on which the type of code file to be downloaded can be selected and the code file can be downloaded.

  Returning to FIG. 3, the management server 15 determines whether or not the download button has been pressed on the network browser of the content provider PC 23 (S135). If it is determined that the download button has been pressed (S135: Yes), the process proceeds to S140, and if it is determined that the download button has not been pressed (S135: No), the present step (S135) remains.

  In S140 that proceeds when it is determined that the download button has been pressed, the management server 15 selects the type of code file (for example, a voice file) selected on the network browser of the content provider PC 23 based on the code issued corresponding to S125. File, text file, etc.) and the generated code file is transmitted to the content provider PC 23. The content provider PC 23 that has received the code file stores the code file in the storage unit. Then, the management server 15 ends this process (content registration process).

  The code file stored in the content provider PC 23 in this way is then set by the content provider so that the code sending device 19 sends a code based on the code file. In order to be able to acquire the code from the management server 15 based on the location information of the information terminal 21 instead of the code transmission device 19, the content provider separately acquires the code and the code from the management server 15. You must follow the procedure for registering conditions regarding where you can.

  Here, the flow of data in the content registration process will be described with reference to the explanatory diagram of FIG. Content files are stored in the content server 17 from the content provider PC 23 via the management server 15. At that time, a content pointer indicating the storage position of the content file in the content server 17 is specified by the management server 15 and stored in the storage unit of the management server 15. Then, the management server 15 issues an intermediate pointer corresponding to the content pointer, and stores the issued intermediate pointer in association with the content pointer in the storage unit.

  Subsequently, the management server 15 transmits the issued intermediate pointer to the code server 13. The code server 13 that has received the intermediate pointer selects an unused code and stores it in the storage unit in association with the intermediate pointer. Then, the code server 13 transmits a code file based on the selected code to the content provider PC 23, and the content provider PC 23 that has received the code file stores it.

  Thereby, the content file is stored in the content server 17, the content pointer and the intermediate pointer are stored in association with each other in the management server 15, and the intermediate pointer and the code are stored in association with each other in the code server 13.

(2) Content File Acquisition Processing Next, regarding the operation of the content providing system 11 when the user of the information terminal 21 acquires the content file, the content file acquisition executed by the information terminal 21 (more precisely, the control unit 44) The process will be mainly described (the flowchart in FIG. 6). Note that the content file acquisition process is an application program stored in the storage unit 43 of the information terminal 21 and used to acquire a content file (hereinafter also referred to as “the present program”). Execution starts when activated by an operation. In the following description, a case where a content file is acquired by one content provider PC 23 will be described. However, if a similar user operation is performed at each information terminal 21, execution of the content file acquisition process is started. The

  When the control unit 44 of the information terminal 21 starts executing the content file acquisition process based on the program, the control unit 44 sends the current location information to the management server 15 via the packet communication unit 34, and the content file that can be acquired at the present time is sent. The content file list shown is acquired from the management server 15 via the packet communication unit 34 (S205). The position information is used if it can be acquired from the GPS information acquisition unit 41, but if it cannot be acquired, the position information based on the information of the access point with which the wireless LAN communication unit 37 can communicate is transmitted via the packet communication unit 34. If it is obtained from the information providing server and is not available, position information based on the information of the base station with which the packet communication unit 34 or the voice communication unit 35 communicates is obtained from the position information providing server via the packet communication unit 34. Use. In addition, as an example of the content file list, an intermediate pointer of content, a content type (for example, HTML5, music, video, coupon, and point), and a method for acquiring a code corresponding to the content (for example, sending a code by ultrasonic waves) A method for acquiring a code transmitted from the device 19, a method for acquiring a code transmitted from the code sending device 19 by Bluetooth, and a code corresponding to the position information by inquiring the management server 15 based on the position information. For example, a list in which codes corresponding to the current date and time are obtained in association with each other is considered.

  Subsequently, the control unit 44 of the information terminal 21 tries to acquire the code by a method capable of acquiring the code based on the acquired content file list (S210). Specifically, for the ultrasonic method, the function of the microphone 33 of the information terminal 21 is turned on, the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the code sending device 19 is input to the microphone 33 and converted into an electric signal, and the electric signal is converted into an electric signal. The control unit 44 inputs and analyzes and extracts a code. As for the method using Bluetooth, the Bluetooth communication unit 38 is turned on, the radio wave transmitted from the code transmission device 19 is input to the Bluetooth communication unit 38, the code is extracted, and the control unit 44 receives the code. As for the method of acquiring from the management server 15 based on the position information, the position information acquired by the GPS information acquisition unit 41 or the like is transmitted to the management server 15 via the packet communication unit 34, and the transmitted position information is added. The corresponding code is received from the management server 15 via the packet communication unit 34.

  Subsequently, the control unit 44 of the information terminal 21 determines whether or not the code has been successfully acquired by any method within a predetermined time (for example, within 5 seconds) (S215). If the code is successfully acquired by any method (S215: Yes), the process proceeds to S220, and if the code is not successfully acquired by any method (S215: No), the process proceeds to S290. To migrate. An example of the code is a text code such as “000000123”.

  In S290, which is performed when the code acquisition is not successful by any method, the control unit 44 of the information terminal 21 displays an error screen indicating that the code acquisition has failed on the display unit 31, and this process ( The content file acquisition process is terminated.

  On the other hand, in S <b> 220 that proceeds when the code is successfully acquired by any method, the control unit 44 of the information terminal 21 transmits the acquired code to the code server 13 via the packet communication unit 34. In addition, when acquisition of a code is successful by a plurality of methods, a method of selecting a code acquired by a method based on a preset priority order and transmitting it to the code server 13 or a code that can be acquired first is selected. Then, a method of transmitting to the code server 13 can be considered (in the case of the latter method, it is not necessary to wait for a certain time in S215). For example, as the priority order, for example, first place: a method of obtaining a code corresponding to the position information and inquiring the management server 15 based on the position information, and the second place: A method of acquiring a code transmitted from the code transmitting device 19 by Bluetooth, a third order: a method of acquiring a code transmitted from the code transmitting device 19 by ultrasonic waves, can be considered. Since this priority may change with the development of technology, it is preferable that the administrator of the content providing system 11, the content provider, and the like can be changed according to the actual situation such as performance.

  Subsequently, the control unit 44 of the information terminal 21 receives the intermediate pointer corresponding to the code transmitted in S220 from the code server 13 via the packet communication unit 34 (S225). As an example of the intermediate pointer, a text format such as “20110915_20111015_0x_10_xxx_0x_ff_xx” can be considered.

  Subsequently, the control unit 44 of the information terminal 21 acquires position information from the GPS information acquisition unit 41 (S230). The position information is used if it can be acquired from the GPS information acquisition unit 41, but if it cannot be acquired, the position information based on the information of the access point with which the wireless LAN communication unit 37 can communicate is transmitted via the packet communication unit 34. If it is obtained from the information providing server, and if it is not available, position information based on information of the base station with which the packet communication unit 34 or the voice communication unit 35 communicates is obtained from the position information providing server via the packet communication unit Use.

  Subsequently, the control unit 44 of the information terminal 21 acquires the current time information from the clock unit 42 and manages these information together with the intermediate pointer acquired in S225 and the position information acquired in S230 via the packet communication unit 34. It transmits to the server 15 (S240). The current time information may be, for example, date, hour, minute, and second.

  The management server 15 that has received the information transmits a content pointer corresponding to the information to the information terminal 21. An example of a content pointer is a URL such as “http://www.xxx.co.jp/xxxxx/xxx.mpg”. In addition, when the content provider registers in advance in the management server 15, the corresponding content pointer can be changed according to the time information and the position information received from the information terminal 21. For example, the content pointer (that is, the content file that can be acquired) may be registered so as to change depending on whether it is morning or afternoon, the Kanto district, or the Kansai district. In addition, since content providers often desire to restrict content distribution by time or district, registration may be made so that a content pointer can be acquired only for a specific period or only for a specific district. .

  Subsequently, the control unit 44 of the information terminal 21 determines whether or not the content pointer has been normally received from the management server 15 (S245). The case where the content pointer cannot be normally received here is, for example, when the intermediate pointer transmitted to S240 is not permitted to be acquired at the position where the information terminal 21 exists, or the time limit has expired. The case where it was a thing is considered. When the control unit 44 of the information terminal 21 determines that the content pointer has been successfully received (S245: Yes), the process proceeds to S250, and when it is determined that the content pointer has not been received normally (S245: No), the process proceeds to S290. In S290, which proceeds when the content pointer cannot be received normally, the control unit 44 of the information terminal 21 displays an error screen indicating that the content pointer could not be received on the display unit 31, and this processing (content file acquisition) Process).

On the other hand, in S <b> 250 that is performed when the content pointer can be normally received, the control unit 44 of the information terminal 21 causes the display unit 31 to display guidance for performing an action for giving the information terminal 21 a predetermined position change. Examples of actions include the action of shaking the information terminal in a horizontal state up and down, the action of swinging the information terminal like a racket and hitting the ball with the information terminal, the action of lifting the information terminal upward, etc. Various actions can be considered. As a method for displaying these actions, for example, a method of displaying a sentence, a figure, or an animation explaining the action is conceivable. Note that there may be a plurality of types of predetermined position changes (for example, three types of one vertical movement, two vertical movements, and three vertical movements).

Subsequently, the control unit 44 of the information terminal 21 starts to acquire acceleration information from the acceleration sensor 36, and starts to detect a change in the position of the information terminal 21 (housing) (S255).
Subsequently, the control unit 44 of the information terminal 21 determines whether or not a predetermined position change has occurred (S260). If it is determined that there is a predetermined position change (S260: Yes), the process proceeds to S265. If it is determined that there is no predetermined position change (S260: No), this step is performed until there is a predetermined position change. Stay at (S260).

In S <b> 265 that proceeds when it is determined that there has been a predetermined position change, a message as to whether or not to receive a content file from the content server 17 is displayed on the display unit 31.
Subsequently, the control unit 44 of the information terminal 21 determines whether an instruction to receive the content file has been received from the user via the operation unit 40 (S270). If it is determined that a content file reception instruction has been received (S270: Yes), the process proceeds to S275, and if it is determined that a content file reception instruction has not been received, that is, a reception instruction has been received. (S270: No), this process (content file acquisition process) is terminated.

  In S275, which proceeds when it is determined that an instruction to receive a content file has been received, the control unit 44 of the information terminal 21 adds an argument corresponding to the position change to the content pointer, and the content server 17 based on the added content pointer. The content file is acquired from the storage unit 43 and stored in the storage unit 43 in association with the content pointer. For example, if the position change is a single vertical movement, add “001” as an argument to the URL “http://www.xxx.co.jp/xxxxx/xxx.cgi” as the content pointer. “Http://www.xxx.co.jp/xxxxx/xxx.cgi?id=001”. Also, if the position change has been moved up and down twice, add “002” as an argument to the URL “http://www.xxx.co.jp/xxxxx/xxx.cgi” as the content pointer. “Http://www.xxx.co.jp/xxxxx/xxx.cgi?id=002”. If a plurality of types of position changes are not set, an argument may not be added. Upon receiving the content file acquisition request based on such a content pointer, the content server 17 identifies the corresponding content file and transmits the identified content file to the information terminal 21 via the network 25.

  When the acquisition of the content is completed, the control unit 44 of the information terminal 21 displays that the reception of the content file is completed on the display unit 31 (S280), and ends this process (content file acquisition process).

  Here, an example of the data flow in the content file acquisition process will be described with reference to the explanatory diagram of FIG. When the information terminal 21 acquires the code from the code transmission device 19 or the like, the information terminal 21 transmits the acquired code to the code server 13. When the code server 13 receives the code from the information terminal 21, the code server 13 specifies the corresponding intermediate pointer and transmits the specified intermediate pointer to the information terminal 21. The information terminal 21 that has received the intermediate pointer transmits the intermediate pointer to the management server 15. The management server 15 that has received the intermediate pointer specifies a content pointer corresponding to the received intermediate pointer, and transmits the specified content pointer to the information terminal 21. Upon receiving the content pointer, the information terminal 21 prompts the user to give the information terminal 21 a predetermined position change. When the information terminal 21 detects the predetermined position change, the information terminal 21 acquires the content file from the content server 17 based on the content pointer. Do. Then, the information terminal 21 stores the content file in the storage unit 43.

  Thereby, the information terminal 21 can acquire the content corresponding to the code acquired from the code transmission device 19. Moreover, when the user of the information terminal 21 is guided so as to give a predetermined position change to the information terminal 21, the content pointer is already specified in the information terminal 21, and after that, only the content file is acquired. It is in the state.

Next, the example of the main screen displayed on the display part 31 of the information terminal 21 is demonstrated using FIG.8 and FIG.9.
FIG. 8A is an example of a screen displayed on the display unit 31 after the program stored in the storage unit 43 of the information terminal 21 is activated by a user operation. In this screen, it is displayed that the snap function (function to acquire content file) is being activated. While this screen is being displayed, S205 to S245 in the content file acquisition process described above are executed. The

  FIG. 8B is an example of a screen showing that a content file can be acquired by snapping (if the information terminal 21 is shaken by a wrist movement). It is an example of a screen displayed on the display part 31 in S250 of the content file acquisition process mentioned above.

  FIG. 8C is an example of a screen showing that a content file cannot be acquired. It is an example of a screen displayed on the display unit 31 in S290 after a negative determination in S245 of the content file acquisition process described above.

  FIG. 8D is an example of a screen showing that the snap is normal, the content file can be downloaded, and whether or not to download the content file. It is an example of a screen displayed on the display part 31 in S265 of the content file acquisition process mentioned above.

  FIG. 9A is an example of a screen showing that a content file is being downloaded. It is an example of a screen displayed on the display part 31 during execution of S275 of the content file acquisition process mentioned above.

  FIG. 9B is an example of a screen indicating that the download of the content file has been completed. It is an example of a screen displayed on the display part 31 in S280 of the content file acquisition process mentioned above.

(3) Content Transfer Processing Next, the operation of the information terminal 21 when content stored in the information terminal 21 is transferred to another information terminal 21 will be described. This operation is divided into a content transfer process (transmission side) executed by the control unit 44 of the information terminal 21 on the transmission side and a content transfer process (reception side) executed by the control unit 44 of the information terminal 21 on the reception side. explain. In this example, the content file itself stored in the storage unit 43 of the information terminal 21 is not directly transferred to another information terminal 21, but a content pointer is transferred, and then the content pointer is supported. When the content file to be acquired is acquired from the content server 17, the user of the information terminal 21 is made to recognize that the content file has been transferred.

(3-1) Content transfer processing (transmission side)
When the operation unit 40 of the information terminal 21 on the transmission side is operated by the user and a content file is designated and an instruction to transfer the content file is given to the control unit 44, the control unit 44 is based on the program. The execution of the content transfer process (transmission side) as shown in FIG. 10 is started.

When the execution of the content transfer process (transmission side) is started, the control unit 44 performs pairing with the information terminal 21 on the reception side via the Bluetooth communication unit 38 (S305).
Subsequently, the control unit 44 determines whether or not pairing is successful (S310). If it is determined that pairing has succeeded (S310: Yes), the process proceeds to S320. If pairing has not been successful, that is, it has been determined that the pairing has failed (S310: No), the process proceeds to S315. To do.

  In step S315, which is performed when it is determined that pairing has failed, the control unit 44 displays on the display unit 31 that communication with the information terminal 21 on the reception side has failed, and this processing (content transfer processing (transmission side)) ) Ends.

  On the other hand, in S320, which proceeds when it is determined that the pairing has been successful, the control unit 44 displays on the display unit 31 an indication that an action for transmitting a content file (actually a content pointer) to the user of the information terminal 21 is performed. Display. Examples of actions include the action of shaking the information terminal in a horizontal state up and down, the action of swinging the information terminal like a racket and hitting the ball with the information terminal, the action of lifting the information terminal upward, etc. Various actions can be considered. As a display method, for example, a method of displaying a sentence, a figure, or an animation explaining an action is conceivable.

Subsequently, the control unit 44 of the information terminal 21 starts to acquire acceleration information from the acceleration sensor 36, and starts to detect a change in the position of the information terminal 21 (housing) (S325).
Subsequently, the control unit 44 of the information terminal 21 determines whether or not a predetermined position change has occurred (S330). If it is determined that there is a predetermined position change (S330: Yes), the process proceeds to S335. If it is determined that there is no predetermined position change (S330: No), this step is performed until there is a predetermined position change. Stay at (S330).

  In step S335 that is performed when it is determined that the predetermined position change has occurred, the content pointer corresponding to the designated content file is read from the storage unit 43 and transmitted to the information terminal 21 on the receiving side via the Bluetooth communication unit 38.

Subsequently, the control unit 44 of the information terminal 21 displays on the display unit 31 that the content transmission has been completed (S340), and ends this processing (content transfer processing (transmission side)).
Next, the example of the main screen displayed on the display part 31 of the information terminal 21 of a transmission side is demonstrated using FIG.

  FIG. 11A is a “My Snap screen” showing a list of content names acquired in the past. On this screen, one of the content names can be selected.

  FIG. 11B is an example of a screen displayed on the display unit 31 when any content name is selected on the screen of FIG. It is possible to select whether to confirm the content (for example, playback of the content if it is a moving image) or to transfer the content. When content transfer is selected on this screen, execution of the above-described content transfer processing (transmission side) is started.

  FIG. 11C is an example of a screen showing that content can be transferred by snapping (if the information terminal 21 is shaken by the movement of the wrist). It is an example of a screen displayed on the display part 31 in S320 of the content transfer process (transmission side) mentioned above.

  FIG. 11D shows an example of a screen indicating that the content transfer has been completed. It is an example of a screen displayed on the display part 31 in S340 of the content transfer process (transmission side) mentioned above.

(3-2) Content transfer processing (receiving side)
Next, the receiving side information terminal 21 will be described. When the operation unit 40 of the information terminal 21 on the receiving side is operated by the user and an instruction to accept the transfer of the content file is given to the control unit 44, the control unit 44, as shown in FIG. The execution of the content transfer process (receiving side) is started.

When the execution of the content transfer process (reception side) is started, the control unit 44 performs pairing with the information terminal 21 on the transmission side via the Bluetooth communication unit 38 (S405).
Subsequently, the control unit 44 determines whether or not pairing is successful (S410). If it is determined that pairing has succeeded (S410: Yes), the process proceeds to S420. If it is determined that pairing has not been successful, that is, it has failed (S410: No), the process proceeds to S415. To do.

  In S415, which proceeds when it is determined that pairing has failed, the control unit 44 displays on the display unit 31 that communication with the information terminal 21 on the receiving side has failed, and this processing (content transfer processing (receiving side)) ) Ends.

  On the other hand, in S420 that proceeds when it is determined that the pairing is successful, the control unit 44 attempts to receive the content pointer from the information terminal 21 on the transmission side via the Bluetooth communication unit 38, and whether or not the content pointer has been received. Determine. If it is determined that the content pointer has been received (S420: Yes), the process proceeds to S425. If it is determined that the content pointer has not been received (S420: No), this step (until the content pointer is received) S420).

In S425, which proceeds when it is determined that the content pointer has been received, a message as to whether or not to receive a content file from the content server 17 is displayed on the display unit 31.
Subsequently, the control unit 44 of the information terminal 21 determines whether an instruction to receive the content file has been received from the user via the operation unit 40 (S430). If it is determined that an instruction to receive a content file has been received (S430: Yes), the process proceeds to S435, and if it is determined that an instruction to receive a content file has not been received, that is, an instruction to not receive has been received. (S430: No), this processing (content transfer processing (reception side)) is terminated.

  In S435, which proceeds when it is determined that a content file reception instruction has been received, the control unit 44 of the information terminal 21 acquires the content file from the content server 17 based on the content pointer received in S420, and associates it with the content pointer. To be stored in the storage unit 43. On the other hand, the content server 17 that has received the content file acquisition request identifies the content file corresponding to the content pointer, and transmits the identified content file to the information terminal 21 via the network 25.

  When the acquisition of the content file is completed, the control unit 44 of the information terminal 21 displays that the reception of the content file is completed on the display unit 31 (S440), and ends this processing (content transfer processing (reception side)). .

Next, examples of main screens displayed on the display unit 31 of the information terminal 21 on the receiving side will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 13A is an example of a screen indicating that the content pointer can be received by receiving the content pointer. An option is displayed asking if you want to start transferring content files. This screen is an example of a screen displayed on the display unit 31 in S425 of the above-described content transfer process (reception side).

  FIG. 13B is an example of a screen showing that a content file is being received. It is an example of a screen displayed on the display part 31 during execution of S435 of the content transfer process (reception side) mentioned above.

  FIG. 13C is an example of a screen showing that the transfer of the content file has been completed. It is an example of a screen displayed on the display part 31 in S440 of the content transfer process (reception side) mentioned above.

(4) Other process The control part 44 of the information terminal 21 performs various processes besides the process mentioned above. The outline of some processes will be described below with reference to the screen example of FIG.

  FIG. 14A is an example of a screen that displays a list of photographs and user names of users who have registered friends (users of the information terminal 21). By selecting one of the photos or the user name on this screen, the name of the content file recently acquired by the user is displayed on the display unit 31. Such information can be obtained by referring to information managed by the management server 15. Note that the present program is configured such that the information on the content file stored in the storage unit 43 is uploaded to the management server 15 when the present program is started on the information terminal 21.

  FIG. 14B is an example of a screen that introduces newly-arrived content that can be recently acquired, content recommended to the user, and content that has been frequently acquired, together with the ranking. When any content name is selected on this screen, detailed information of the content (content description, acquisition location, acquisition period, etc.) is displayed. These pieces of information are managed by the management server 15 and are displayed on the display unit 31 when the information terminal 21 acquires the information from the management server 15.

  FIG. 14C shows an example of a screen for performing user profile setting, acquisition trophy display, friendship setting, and other settings. The user profile setting means setting or changing a user name (nickname), date of birth, gender, residential area, hobby, and the like. The display of the acquired trophy is to display the trophy acquired by the user (a mark acquired by collecting a predetermined number of specific contents). The friendship setting is to set a user who is displayed in a list of a user's registered photograph and user name as shown in FIG. Other settings include, for example, settings relating to the operation of the program, settings relating to the sensitivity of the snap action, settings relating to linkage with external sites, and the like. The information terminal 21 is configured to be able to perform these settings. The setting information is stored in the storage unit 43 of the information terminal 21 and is also transmitted to the management server 15 to be stored. It has become.

[Effect of the embodiment]
The content providing system 11 according to the embodiment has been described above. According to the content providing system 11 described above, the acquisition of the content pointer is completed in the information terminal 21 before the act of changing the position of the housing of the information terminal 21. Therefore, the user is not recognized that the action by the user that gives a change in position to the casing of the information terminal 21 has been missed (the acquisition of the content pointer has failed). Therefore, the user of the information terminal 21 can have a sense of picking up (receiving) the content pointer or the content directly from the surrounding space.

  Further, the content providing system 11 includes a code server 13 that can convert a code into an intermediate pointer, and a management server 15 that can convert the intermediate pointer into a content pointer. For this reason, for example, even if the content pointer length is long, the code length and the intermediate pointer length can be shortened as compared with it, so that the length of the content pointer, the intermediate pointer, and the code is high.

  Further, the information terminal 21 supports a plurality of code acquisition methods. Specifically, a method of acquiring a code transmitted from the code transmission device 19 by ultrasonic waves, a method of acquiring a code transmitted from the code transmission device 19 by Bluetooth, and inquiring the management server 15 based on position information This corresponds to a method for obtaining a code corresponding to the position information and corresponding to the current date and time. As a result, the administrator of the content providing system 11, the person who provides the content, and the like can select a code transmission method according to the environment of the place where the information terminal 21 is used. Increases nature. As a result, the information terminal 21 is less likely to be affected by the environment with respect to code acquisition, and the possibility of code acquisition is increased.

  Further, the information terminal 21 adds an argument corresponding to the position change given to the housing to the content pointer, and acquires a content file from the content server 17 based on the added content pointer. Therefore, the user of the information terminal 21 can change the content acquired by the information terminal 21 by changing the position change given to the information terminal 21 even if the user is in the same place. That is, it is considered that the diversity regarding content acquisition is improved, and the user of the information terminal 21 is more interested in the act of acquiring content.

  Further, the information terminal 21 causes the display unit 31 to display a message as to whether or not to receive the content file before starting to acquire the content file from the content server 17. For this reason, by giving a predetermined position change to the housing of the information terminal 21, the sense that the user has directly picked up (received) something for acquiring the content, not the content itself, from the surrounding space. It can be held by the user of the terminal 21. In addition, it is possible to suppress the acquisition of content due to a predetermined position change unintended by the user.

[Other Embodiments]
Next, another embodiment will be described.
(1) After acquiring the content pointer (S245: Yes), the information terminal 21 of the above embodiment is guided to change the position of the housing (S250). After obtaining the above, guidance for giving a position change to the housing may be given. With such an information terminal 21, if the user of the information terminal 21 changes the position of the housing, the content file can be reproduced immediately.

  (2) In the content providing system 11 of the above embodiment, the code sending device 19 sends a code, and the information terminal 21 that has received the code acquires an intermediate pointer corresponding to the code from the code server 13, and the intermediate pointer The content pointer corresponding to is acquired from the management server 15. However, the code server 13 is configured so that the code server 13 manages the code and the content pointer in association with each other, and the information terminal 21 that has received the code acquires the content pointer corresponding to the code from the code server 13. It may be. In this case, the code server 13 is an example of the first conversion server in the claims.

  (3) Although the code sending device 19 of the above embodiment is configured to send a code, the code sending device 19 may be configured so that the code sending device 19 sends a content pointer. In this way, the information terminal 21 does not need to make an inquiry to the code server 13 or the management server 15 when acquiring the content file, so the number of communications is reduced accordingly.

  (4) In the content providing system 11 of the above embodiment, the information terminal 21 is configured to acquire time information from the clock unit 42 together with the intermediate pointer and position information and transmit it to the management server 15 in S240. Then, the management server 15 transmits a content pointer corresponding to these pieces of information to the information terminal 21. However, in S240, the information terminal 21 may be configured not to send the time information, and the management server 15 may be configured to use the time information in the server.

  In this way, the information transmitted from the information terminal 21 to the management server 15 is reduced, and even if the time information of the information terminal 21 is inaccurate, an appropriate content pointer is sent from the management server 15 to the information terminal. 21 can be transmitted.

  (5) In the information terminal 21 of the above embodiment, if the content pointer is received from the information terminal 21 on the transmission side in the content transfer process (reception side) (S420: Yes), whether or not to receive the content file from the content server 17 is determined. Is displayed on the display unit 31 (S425). However, after receiving the content pointer from the information terminal 21 on the transmission side, the control unit 44 of the information terminal 21 on the reception side displays guidance on the display unit 31 for performing an action to give the information terminal 21 a predetermined position change. You may make it make it. That is, the same display as in S250 of the content file acquisition process may be performed. Then, the acquisition of acceleration information from the acceleration sensor 36 may be started, and the processing after S425 may be continued on the condition that the information terminal 21 (housing) has a predetermined position change.

  In this way, the user of the information terminal 21 can have a sense of picking up (receiving) the content pointer or the content directly from the surrounding space when receiving the transfer of the content from the other information terminal 21.

  (6) In the content providing system 11 of the above-described embodiment, the file format of the content acquired from the content server 17 has been described, but the content may not be a file format. That is, it may be in a streaming format or may be simple numerical information such as member points.

  (7) When the code server 13 receives a code from the information terminal 21 and transmits a corresponding intermediate pointer to the information terminal 21, a charging process may be performed. That is, in response to receiving a code conversion request from the information terminal 21, the code server 13 may perform a charging process for charging a predetermined fee from a content provider related to the code. . In addition, when the management server 15 receives the intermediate pointer from the information terminal 21 and transmits the corresponding content pointer to the information terminal 21, a charging process may be performed. That is, in response to the request for conversion of the intermediate pointer from the information terminal 21, the management server 15 performs billing processing for charging a predetermined fee from the content provider related to the intermediate pointer. Also good.

In this way, the administrator of the content providing system 11 can obtain a profit corresponding to the content acquisition by the information terminal 21.
[Correspondence with Claims]
The correspondence between the terms used in the description of the embodiment and the terms described in the claims is shown.

  The control unit 44 of the information terminal 21 is an example of a content pointer acquisition unit and a content acquisition unit, the storage unit 43 is an example of a storage unit, the acceleration sensor 36 is an example of a detection unit, a microphone 33, a packet communication unit 34 and the Bluetooth communication unit 38 are examples of the code acquisition unit.

The GPS information acquisition unit 41 is an example of a position acquisition unit, and the clock unit 42 is an example of a time output unit.
The code server 13 is an example of a second conversion server, and the management server 15 is an example of a third conversion server and a code transmission server.

  Further, the argument added to the content pointer in S285 of the content file acquisition process executed by the control unit 44 of the information terminal 21 is an example of option information added to the content pointer by the content acquisition unit.

  The operation of acquiring the content pointer from the management server 15 as a result of S240 of the content file acquisition process executed by the control unit 44 of the information terminal 21 is an example of the content pointer acquisition step. S250 of the content file acquisition process is an example of a notification step. In addition, S255 of the content file acquisition process is an example of a detection step. Further, S275 of the content file acquisition process is an example of a content acquisition step and a storage step.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Content provision system, 13 ... Code server, 15 ... Management server, 17 ... Content server, 19 ... Code transmission apparatus, 21 ... Information terminal, 23 ... Content provider PC, 25 ... Network, 31 ... Display part, 32 ... Speaker, 33 ... Microphone, 34 ... Packet communication unit, 35 ... Voice communication unit, 36 ... Acceleration sensor, 37 ... Wireless LAN communication unit, 38 ... Bluetooth communication unit, 39 ... Camera unit, 40 ... Operation unit, 41 ... GPS information Acquisition unit, 42 ... clock unit, 43 ... storage unit, 44 ... control unit.

Claims (19)

An information terminal having a housing,
Content pointer acquisition means for acquiring a content pointer capable of specifying content;
Content acquisition means for acquiring content based on the content pointer acquired by the content pointer acquisition means from a content server that stores the content;
Storage means for storing the content acquired by the content acquisition means;
Detecting means for detecting a change in position of the housing;
An informing means for informing the user of various types of information;
An act of giving a predetermined change in position of the casing due to a movement of a hand of a user holding the casing, at least on the condition that the acquisition of the content pointer is completed by the content pointer acquisition means ; When the notifying unit is notified of guidance for causing the user to detect the predetermined position change, the content acquiring unit starts acquiring the content corresponding to the acquired content pointer. Control means for storing the content thus stored in the storage means;
An information terminal comprising: An information terminal having a housing,
Content pointer acquisition means for acquiring a content pointer capable of specifying content;
Content acquisition means for acquiring content based on the content pointer acquired by the content pointer acquisition means from a content server that stores the content;
Storage means for storing the content acquired by the content acquisition means;
Detecting means for detecting a change in position of the housing;
An informing means for informing the user of various types of information;
At least on the condition that the acquisition of the content pointer is completed by the content pointer acquisition unit, the notification unit is informed of guidance for causing the user to perform a predetermined position change with respect to the housing, and the detection is performed. Control means for causing the content acquisition means to start acquiring content corresponding to the acquired content pointer and storing the acquired content in the storage means when the means detects the predetermined position change;
Code acquisition means for acquiring a code capable of specifying the content pointer ;
Bei to give a,
When the code is acquired by the code acquisition unit, the content pointer acquisition unit acquires the code acquired by the code acquisition unit with respect to a first conversion server that stores the content pointer and the code in association with each other. Performing a content pointer acquisition process of transmitting a code and acquiring the content pointer corresponding to the transmitted code from the first conversion server;
An information terminal characterized by An information terminal having a housing,
Content pointer acquisition means for acquiring a content pointer capable of specifying content;
Content acquisition means for acquiring content based on the content pointer acquired by the content pointer acquisition means from a content server that stores the content;
Storage means for storing the content acquired by the content acquisition means;
Detecting means for detecting a change in position of the housing;
An informing means for informing the user of various types of information;
At least on the condition that the acquisition of the content pointer is completed by the content pointer acquisition unit, the notification unit is informed of guidance for causing the user to perform a predetermined position change with respect to the housing, and the detection is performed. Control means for causing the content acquisition means to start acquiring content corresponding to the acquired content pointer and storing the acquired content in the storage means when the means detects the predetermined position change;
Code acquisition means for acquiring a code capable of specifying an intermediate pointer associated with the content pointer ;
Bei to give a,
When the code is acquired by the code acquisition unit, the content pointer acquisition unit acquires the code acquired by the code acquisition unit with respect to a second conversion server that stores the intermediate pointer and the code in association with each other. A second conversion server that transmits a code, acquires the intermediate pointer corresponding to the transmitted code, and stores the content pointer and the intermediate pointer in association with each other. Performing the content pointer acquisition process of transmitting the content pointer corresponding to the transmitted intermediate pointer from the third conversion server.
An information terminal characterized by In the information terminal according to claim 2 or claim 3,
A plurality of the code acquisition means corresponding to the code acquisition method;
The content pointer acquisition means, when the code can be acquired by a plurality of code acquisition means at a certain point in time, selects the code selected based on a predetermined priority of the code acquisition means as the content pointer Used in the acquisition process,
An information terminal characterized by In the information terminal according to claim 2 or claim 3,
A plurality of the code acquisition means corresponding to the code acquisition method;
The content pointer acquisition means uses the code by the code acquisition means that can be acquired first for the content pointer acquisition processing,
An information terminal characterized by In the information terminal according to claim 2 or claim 3,
The code obtaining means inputs a code carrying medium output from a code sending device that sends a code by a code carrying medium that can be obtained simultaneously by a plurality of information terminals, and extracts the code by extracting from the inputted code carrying medium. To get,
An information terminal characterized by In the information terminal according to claim 4 or 5,
At least one of the code acquisition means inputs a code carrying medium output from a code sending device that sends a code by a code carrying medium that can be simultaneously acquired by a plurality of information terminals, and from the inputted code carrying medium Extracting and obtaining the code,
An information terminal characterized by In the information terminal according to claim 2 or claim 3,
Position acquisition means capable of acquiring position information of the information terminal;
Further comprising
The code acquisition means transmits the position information acquired by the position acquisition means to a code transmission server that provides a code via a network, and acquires a code corresponding to the transmitted position information from the code transmission server. To do,
An information terminal characterized by In the information terminal in any one of Claim 4, Claim 5, or Claim 7,
Position acquisition means capable of acquiring position information of the information terminal;
Further comprising
At least one of the code acquisition means transmits the position information acquired by the position acquisition means to a code transmission server that provides a code via a network, and transmits a code corresponding to the transmitted position information. Obtaining from the code sending server;
An information terminal characterized by In the information terminal in any one of Claims 4-7 which cites Claim 2, Claim 2,
It further comprises a position acquisition means that can acquire the position information of the information terminal,
The content pointer acquisition means transmits the code to the first conversion server in addition to the position information acquired by the position acquisition means, and sets the content pointer corresponding to the position information and the code to the first information. To obtain from one conversion server,
An information terminal characterized by In the information terminal in any one of Claims 4-7 which cites Claim 3 and Claim 3,
It further comprises a position acquisition means that can acquire the position information of the information terminal,
The content pointer acquisition means transmits the intermediate pointer to the third conversion server in addition to the position information acquired by the position acquisition means, and sets the content pointer corresponding to the position information and the intermediate pointer. Obtaining from the third conversion server;
An information terminal characterized by In the information terminal in any one of Claims 4-7 which cites Claim 2, Claim 2,
A time output means capable of outputting current time information;
The content pointer acquisition means transmits the code to the first conversion server in addition to the time information output by the time output means, and sets the content pointer corresponding to the time information and the code to the first information. To obtain from one conversion server,
An information terminal characterized by In the information terminal in any one of Claims 4-7 which cites Claim 3 and Claim 3,
A time output means capable of outputting current time information;
The content pointer acquisition means transmits the intermediate pointer to the third conversion server in addition to the time information output by the time output means, and sets the content pointer corresponding to the time information and the intermediate pointer. Obtaining from the third conversion server;
An information terminal characterized by In the information terminal in any one of Claims 1-13,
The content acquisition unit adds option information corresponding to the position change detected by the detection unit to the content pointer, and acquires content based on the added content pointer from the content server.
An information terminal characterized by In the information terminal in any one of Claims 1-14,
The control means, when causing the content acquisition means to start acquisition of the content, causes the notification means to notify a guide asking to perform content acquisition;
An information terminal characterized by An information terminal according to claim 1;
A content server storing content in association with the content pointer, and transmitting content corresponding to the content pointer designated by the information terminal to the information terminal;
A content providing system comprising: An information terminal according to claim 2,
A first conversion server that stores the code and the content pointer in association with each other, and transmits the content pointer corresponding to the code designated by the information terminal to the information terminal;
A content server storing content in association with the content pointer, and transmitting content corresponding to the content pointer designated by the information terminal to the information terminal;
A content providing system comprising: An information terminal according to claim 3,
A second conversion server for storing the code and the intermediate pointer in association with each other, and transmitting the intermediate pointer corresponding to the code designated by the information terminal to the information terminal;
A third conversion server that stores the intermediate pointer and the content pointer in association with each other, and transmits the content pointer corresponding to the intermediate pointer designated by the information terminal to the information terminal;
A content server storing content in association with the content pointer, and transmitting content corresponding to the content pointer designated by the information terminal to the information terminal;
A content providing system comprising: To a computer having a housing,
A content pointer acquisition step of acquiring a content pointer capable of specifying content;
An action that gives a predetermined change in position of the housing caused by movement of a user's hand holding the computer housing, on the condition that acquisition of the content pointer is completed at least by the content pointer obtaining step An informing step for informing a user to wake up
A detection step of detecting the predetermined position change based on the guidance by the notification step;
When the predetermined position change is detected by the detection step, a content acquisition step of acquiring content corresponding to the content pointer acquired by the content pointer acquisition step from a content server that stores the content;
A storage step of storing the content acquired by the content acquisition step in a storage unit capable of storing the content;
A program for running

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