JP5886927B1 - Server device, information management system - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a server device that is more convenient when providing predetermined information to a user. Based on reception of information transmitted from a terminal device capable of communicating by short-range wireless communication with an information communication medium associated with a predetermined device, short-range with the information communication medium A server including a control unit that determines whether or not the terminal device is in an area where wireless communication is possible, and determines predetermined information related to the device to be provided to the terminal device according to a result of the determination Device. [Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention provides a server device that provides predetermined information to a terminal device that can communicate by short-range wireless communication with an information communication medium associated with a predetermined device, and information management including the server device About the system.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a system has been known in which a terminal device such as a mobile phone is used to obtain various information related to a home appliance in cooperation with a home appliance such as a television. As an example of a system for realizing acquisition of information by such a terminal device, there is a television system described in Patent Document 1.

  Specifically, in the television system described in Patent Document 1, a signal for requesting provision of information called an EPG (Electric Program Guide) is transmitted from a mobile phone to the television. When the request signal is received, the EPG information corresponding to the request signal is transmitted to the mobile phone.

JP 2008-271197 A

  However, in the television system described in Patent Document 1, the EPG information is transmitted to the mobile phone only when the user holding the mobile phone transmits the channel transmission button of the mobile phone, This is inconvenient for the user.

  Therefore, according to various embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a system or a server device thereof that is more convenient when providing predetermined information to a user.

  The server device according to an embodiment of the present invention is based on reception of information transmitted from a terminal device capable of communicating by short-range wireless communication with an information communication medium associated with a predetermined device. It is determined whether or not the terminal device is in an area where short-range wireless communication with a communication medium is possible, and predetermined information related to the device provided to the terminal device is determined according to the determination result Including a control unit.

  A method according to an embodiment of the present invention is a method for a server device to provide predetermined information to a terminal device that is communicably connected, and the server device is associated with a predetermined device. Based on reception of information transmitted from a terminal device capable of communicating with a communication medium by short-range wireless communication, is the terminal device within an area capable of short-range wireless communication with the information communication medium? Determining whether or not the server device determines the predetermined information related to the device to be provided to the terminal device according to a result of the determination. is there.

  A program according to an embodiment of the present invention is a short-range wireless communication between a computer for providing predetermined information to a terminal device connected to be communicable with an information communication medium associated with a predetermined device. Based on reception of information transmitted from a terminal device capable of communication according to the above, it is determined whether or not the terminal device is in an area capable of short-range wireless communication with the information communication medium, and the result of the determination The control unit is configured to function as a control unit that determines the predetermined information related to the device to be provided to the terminal device.

  An information management system according to an embodiment of the present invention changes from an information communication medium to a short-range wireless signal when approaching an area where short-range wireless communication is possible with an information communication medium associated with a predetermined device. A terminal device that performs processing for receiving the included information and transmits the received information to a remotely installed server device; and based on reception of the information transmitted from the terminal device, the information communication medium; The server that determines whether or not the terminal device is in an area where short-range wireless communication is possible, and determines predetermined information related to the device to be provided to the terminal device according to the determination result And a device.

  According to various embodiments of the present invention, a system or a server device thereof that is more convenient when providing predetermined information to a user is provided.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating a configuration of an information management system including a terminal device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the terminal device 100. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating configurations of the device 200 and the information communication medium 300. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the server device 400. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of information stored in the memory unit 312 of the information communication medium 300. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of information stored in the memory unit 114 of the terminal device 100. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of information stored in the memory unit 414 of the server apparatus 400. FIG. 8A is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a processing sequence of the information management system 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 8B is a sequence diagram showing another example of the processing sequence of the information management system 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a correspondence relationship between the situations I to III and the operation designation information determined by the server device 400. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a control flow performed by the control unit 111 of the terminal device 100. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a control flow performed by the control unit 411 of the server device 400. FIG. 12 is a configuration diagram illustrating a configuration of an information management system 1000 including the terminal device 1100 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating configurations of the device 1200 and the information communication medium 1300. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of information stored in the memory unit 312 of the information communication medium 1300. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of information stored in the memory unit 114 of the terminal device 1100. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of information stored in the memory unit 414 of the server device 1400. FIG. 17A is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a processing sequence of the information management system 1000 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 17B is a sequence diagram illustrating another example of the processing sequence of the information management system 1000 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 18 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a correspondence relationship between the situations I to III and the operation designation information determined by the server device 1400. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a control flow performed by the control unit 111 of the terminal device 1100. FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a control flow performed by the control unit 411 of the server apparatus 1400.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the same referential mark is attached | subjected to the common component in drawing.

<First Embodiment>
[Outline of First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating a configuration of an information management system 1 including a terminal device 100 according to the first embodiment. The information management system 1 includes a terminal device 100, a device 200 associated with the information communication medium 300 in advance, an information communication medium 300 associated with the device 200 in advance and performing near field communication with the terminal device 100, The server device 400 is remotely installed and connected to the terminal device 100 by wireless communication.

  As an example of the terminal device 100, a portable terminal device capable of wireless communication represented by a smartphone will be described in the present embodiment, but the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, as another example, the present invention is preferably applied to any device that can be carried with a user holding a terminal device, such as a portable game machine, a feature phone, a portable information terminal, a PDA, or a laptop personal computer. Is possible.

  As an example of the device 200, a television is described in the present embodiment, but is not limited to this. That is, as other examples, such as TV broadcast receivers such as set-top boxes, various audio decks that play video, DVD, CD, etc., home game machines, refrigerators, microwave ovens, lighting equipment, air conditioners, scales, etc. In addition to various home appliances such as health appliances, automobiles and the like can also be mentioned.

  As an example of the information communication medium 300, in this embodiment, a small terminal called a beacon capable of short-range wireless communication with the terminal device 100 will be described, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, other examples include a home router of a wireless LAN, an access point, and the like. Such an information communication medium 300 is connected to the terminal device 100 by short-range wireless communication. Examples of such a short-range wireless communication system include a wireless LAN and Bluetooth (registered trademark), and a system called Bluetooth LE is preferably used. In Bluetooth LE, for example, even an information communication medium having only a power source such as a lithium button battery can be driven for a long time, and power consumption is reduced as compared with normal Bluetooth.

  The information management system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a server device 400 in addition to the terminal device 100, the device 200, and the information communication medium 300. I will provide a.

  Here, an outline of the information management system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described by taking as an example a case where the terminal device 100 is configured from a smartphone, the device 200 is configured from a television, and the information communication medium 300 is configured from a beacon. First, the beacon is built in the television in advance or is associated with the television afterward. Therefore, when the smartphone held by the user is not in an area where short-range wireless communication with the beacon is possible, it can be assumed that the user holding the smartphone is not in the vicinity of the television where the beacon is arranged. In such a case, the server device transmits information (for example, today's recommended program information) that prompts the smartphone to view the television. On the other hand, when the smartphone held by the user is in an area where short-range wireless communication with the beacon is possible, it can be assumed that the user holding the smartphone is in the vicinity of the television on which the beacon is arranged. In such a case, the server device transmits information (program) for starting an application (SNS application) related to television viewing to the smartphone.

  In the above example, the information to be transmitted is differentiated depending on whether the smartphone is in an area where short-range wireless communication with a beacon is possible, but information regarding the state of the TV on which the beacon is placed is also taken into account to transmit the information Is also possible. That is, when the user is in the vicinity of the television but the television is not on, the server device transmits detailed information of the currently viewable program to the smartphone, but is on. In such a case, since the possibility that the user is watching the television is very high, the server device is urged to share the television information being viewed on the smartphone with other users via SNS or the like. Send information that encourages the use of linked apps.

[Configuration of Terminal Device 100]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the terminal device 100 included in the information management system 1 shown in FIG. Note that the terminal device 100 according to the present embodiment does not have to include all of the components illustrated in FIG. 2 and may have a configuration in which some are omitted.

  The terminal device 100 is connected to the control unit 111, the connector 112, the display unit 113, the memory unit 114, the operation unit 115 including the touch panel 116 and the hard key 117, the audio processing unit 118 connected to the speaker 119 and the microphone 120, and the antenna 122. The wireless communication processing unit 121 and the image processing unit 123 connected to the camera 124 are connected to each other through a control line and a data line.

  The control unit 111 includes a CPU (microcomputer), and controls display of each piece of image information stored in the memory unit 114 on the display unit 113 based on coordinate information input by touching the touch panel 116. To do. The control unit 111 reads out programs for executing various applications stored in the memory unit 114 and controls the execution of these applications. That is, the control unit 111 controls other connected components based on various programs stored in the memory unit 114.

  In the present embodiment, the control unit 111 determines whether or not the wireless communication processing unit 121 has performed a process of receiving a short-range wireless signal from the information communication medium 300, that is, the terminal device 100 is in communication with the information communication medium 300. It is also possible to perform processing for determining whether or not short-range wireless communication can be established.

  The connector 112 includes a terminal for charging a battery unit (not shown) provided in the terminal device 100, a terminal for connecting to an external terminal, and the like.

  The display unit 113 performs display instructed by the control unit 111 that executes a predetermined program based on the image information stored in the memory unit 114. Specifically, predetermined information received from the server is displayed as the control unit 111 executes the program according to the present embodiment. As an example, the display unit 113 includes a liquid crystal display. In addition, although the terminal device which concerns on this embodiment is provided with a single display part, it may be provided with two or more display parts.

  The memory unit 114 includes a ROM, a RAM, a nonvolatile memory, and the like, and stores a program for executing an application according to the present embodiment. The ROM is a memory that stores a program according to the present embodiment, for example. The control unit 111 executes various processes by loading this program. The RAM is a memory used for writing and reading data while various commands generated by executing a program stored in the ROM are processed by the control unit 111. The nonvolatile memory is a memory in which data is written and read by executing the program, and the data written therein is stored even after the execution of the program is completed.

  The operation unit 115 includes a touch panel 116, hard keys 117, and the like, and accepts various instructions from the user.

  The touch panel 116 is arranged so as to cover the display unit 113, and outputs position coordinate data corresponding to image data displayed on the display unit 113 to the control unit 111. As the touch panel method, a known method such as a resistive film method, a capacitive coupling method, an electromagnetic induction method, an ultrasonic surface acoustic wave method, or the like can be used. Moreover, according to the system to be used, a touch on a touch panel by a known indicator such as a finger or a stylus pen is detected.

  The hard key 117 controls the on / off of a signal by physically pressing a switch, and includes a power key, a volume key, and the like. These hard keys 117 control the power on / off of the terminal device, the volume of back music during program execution, and the like.

  The audio processing unit 118 encodes the audio information input from the microphone 120 for storage in the memory unit 114. In addition, the audio processing unit 118 decodes audio information such as back music stored in the memory unit 114 and outputs the decoded audio information from the speaker 119.

  The wireless communication processing unit 121 functions as a communication unit together with the connected antenna 122. In order to transmit information stored in the memory unit 114 to another terminal such as a server device installed remotely via a network or to receive information transmitted from another terminal such as a server device Various processes such as modulation and demodulation are performed.

  The wireless communication processing unit 121 includes a plurality of processing units (not shown) such as a first wireless communication processing unit and a second wireless communication processing unit, depending on the communication processing method. In the present embodiment, as an example, a first wireless communication processing unit that performs communication with the information communication medium 300 and a second wireless communication processing unit that performs communication with the server device 400 are provided.

  Among the wireless communication processing units 121, the first wireless communication processing unit is a method related to wireless communication in a narrow band such as a wireless LAN or Bluetooth (registered trademark) as represented by IEEE 802.11, NFC, or the like. It is also possible to perform processing based on a method related to non-contact communication.

  In the present embodiment, preferably, the first wireless communication processing unit of the wireless communication processing unit 121 receives the short-range wireless signal from the information communication medium 300 regardless of the intention of the user holding the terminal device 100. A communication method in which short-range wireless communication is started with the information communication medium 300 is used. That is, such a communication method can be said to be a communication method in which short-range wireless communication is passively started between the terminal device 100 and the information communication medium 300.

  In the present embodiment, “regardless of the user's intention” means, for example, “the user himself / herself does not activate the short-range wireless communication function of the terminal device 100”. This means that near field communication is started without forcing the user to perform any other special operation. That is, short-range wireless communication according to the present embodiment refers to short-range wireless communication with the information communication medium 300 without forcing the user to perform special operations other than those in the state where the short-range wireless communication function is activated. Refers to wireless communication. Therefore, in the above state, the user is not forced to perform an operation for intentionally approaching the information communication medium 300.

  Further, in the present embodiment, “passive” communication means that short-range wireless communication can be established with the information communication medium 300 without forcing the user to perform special operations. Thus, “actively” communication refers to short-range wireless communication by bringing the terminal device 100 closer to the terminal device 100 with the intention of bringing the terminal device 100 closer to a very close area such as 1 m. To establish.

  Examples of such short-range wireless communication include those capable of communicating even if there is a distance of 1 m or more between the information communication medium 300 and the terminal device 100. If communication is possible even at such a communication distance, communication is possible without being aware that the user holding the terminal device 100 enters the communicable area of the information communication medium 300.

  Specific examples of the communication method used in the first wireless communication processing unit 121 of the wireless communication processing unit 121 according to the present embodiment include a short-range wireless communication method using a wireless LAN or Bluetooth (registered trademark). More typically, short-range wireless communication by Bluetooth LE (low power consumption Bluetooth), Zigbee (registered trademark), or ANT + is exemplified.

  The second wireless communication processing unit of the wireless communication processing unit 121 is represented by a W-CDMA (Wideband-Code Division Multiple Access) method when transmitting / receiving information such as device identification information to / from the server device 400. It is also possible to perform processing based on such a wideband wireless communication method, and it is also possible to perform processing based on a narrowband wireless communication method such as a wireless LAN represented by IEEE802.11. .

  In addition, when the same communication method is adopted for communication with the information communication medium 300 and communication with the server device 400, it is naturally not necessary to divide the wireless communication processing unit, and a single configuration is possible. It is.

  The image processing unit 123 is connected to the camera 124, converts an image captured by the camera 124 into a data format suitable for storage, and stores it in the memory unit 114.

[Configuration of Device 200]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing configurations of the device 200 and the information communication medium 300 included in the information management system 1 shown in FIG. Note that the device 200 and the information communication medium 300 according to the present embodiment do not have to include all of the components illustrated in FIG. 3, and may have a configuration in which some are omitted.

  The device 200 includes a control unit 211, a connector 212, a display unit 213, a memory unit 214, a tuner 215, an audio processing unit 216 connected to a speaker 217, and a wireless communication processing unit 218 connected to an antenna 219. The elements are electrically connected to each other via control lines and data lines.

  The control unit 211 includes a CPU (microcomputer) and the like, and controls the display of the TV program received via the tuner 215 on the display unit 213. In addition, the control unit 211 reads a program for executing various applications stored in the memory unit 214 and controls the execution of these applications. Further, the control unit 211 controls viewing of a TV program based on an infrared signal received by an infrared receiving unit that receives a signal from a remote control device (not shown).

  The connector 212 includes a terminal for connecting to an external terminal such as a DVD deck and a terminal for connecting to the terminal device 100 by wire.

  The display unit 213 displays the TV program received via the tuner 215 based on the control of the control unit 211. Various image contents obtained via the wireless communication processing unit 218 are displayed under the control of the control unit 211.

  The memory unit 214 includes a ROM, a RAM, a non-volatile memory, an HDD, and the like, and stores a program for executing a predetermined application. The ROM is a memory that stores a program according to the present embodiment, for example. The control unit 211 executes various processes by loading this program. The RAM is a memory used for writing and reading data while various commands generated by executing a program stored in the ROM are processed by the control unit 211. The nonvolatile memory is a memory in which data is written and read by executing the program, and the data written therein is stored even after the execution of the program is completed. The HDD stores various image contents obtained via the wireless communication processing unit 218 and TV program information received via the tuner 215.

  The tuner 215 receives at least one of terrestrial digital television broadcast signals corresponding to each of a plurality of TV programs. The received TV program can be displayed by converting the received digital terrestrial television broadcast signal into a video signal that can be displayed on the display unit 213.

  The audio processing unit 216 decodes audio information corresponding to the image content stored in the memory unit 214 and audio information such as an audio signal included in a TV program received via the tuner 215 and outputs the audio information from the speaker 217.

  The wireless communication processing unit 218 functions as a communication unit together with the connected antenna 219. Information stored in the memory unit 214 is transmitted to other terminals such as the server apparatus 400 and the terminal apparatus 100 installed remotely via the network, or transmitted from other terminals such as the server apparatus 400 and the terminal apparatus 100. In order to receive the received information, various processes such as modulation and demodulation are performed.

  Although this wireless communication processing unit 218 does not exclude processing based on a wideband wireless communication scheme represented by W-CDMA (Wideband-Code Division Multiple Access) scheme, Processing is performed based on a method related to wireless communication in a narrow band such as a wireless LAN such as IEEE802.11 or Bluetooth (registered trademark).

  Although not shown in the figure, wired communication can be used for communication with the server device 400 or the like. In such a case, a wired communication processing unit is included in addition to the wireless communication processing unit 218.

[Configuration of Information Communication Medium 300]
Next, the configuration of the information communication medium 300 will be described with reference to FIG. Such an information communication medium 300 can be incorporated in advance in the device 200, for example, or can be arranged in the vicinity of the device 200 later. The information communication medium 300 is associated with the device 200 on a one-to-one basis by assigning device specifying information for specifying the device 200 in advance.

  The information communication medium 300 includes a control unit 311, a memory unit 312, a wireless communication processing unit 313 connected to the antenna 314, and a state acquisition unit 315 that acquires the current state of the device 200. These elements are control lines and data. They are electrically connected to each other via a line.

  The control unit 311 includes a CPU (microcomputer) and the like, and controls storage and reading of information in the memory unit 312. In the present embodiment, when processing according to device state information indicating the current state of the associated device 200 is performed, the state acquisition unit 315 that acquires the current state of the device 200 is controlled.

  The memory unit 312 includes a ROM, a RAM, a nonvolatile memory, and the like, and stores a program necessary for transmission / reception of a short-range wireless signal by the information communication medium 300. The ROM is a memory that stores the program, for example. The control unit 311 executes state acquisition processing by the short-range wireless communication and the state acquisition unit 315 by loading this program. The RAM is a memory used to write and read data while various commands generated by executing a program stored in the ROM are processed by the control unit 311. The nonvolatile memory is a memory in which data is written and read by executing the program, and the data written therein is stored even after the execution of the program is completed.

  In the present embodiment, device specifying information for specifying the device 200 associated in advance is stored in the memory unit 312. As the device identification information, the associated device 200 only needs to be identified. Therefore, the device 200 such as a MAC address or UUID (Universally Unique Identifier) assigned in advance to the device 200 is identified. An identification ID that identifies the information communication medium 300 such as an identification ID or a UUID assigned in advance to the information communication medium 300 can be used. When an identification ID that identifies the information communication medium 300 is used, the server 200 identifies the device 200 based on a table that indicates the correspondence between the device 200 and the identification ID that identifies the information communication medium 300.

  The wireless communication processing unit 313 is connected to the antenna 314 and performs various processes such as signal modulation and demodulation for short-range wireless communication with the terminal device 100.

  This wireless communication processing unit 313 performs processing based on a method related to wireless communication in a narrow band such as a wireless LAN or Bluetooth (registered trademark) represented by IEEE 802.11, or a method related to non-contact communication such as NFC. It is also possible.

  In the present embodiment, preferably, a communication method corresponding to the communication method processed in the wireless communication processing unit 121 of the terminal device 100 is employed. That is, when the terminal device 100 receives a short-range wireless signal from the information communication medium 300, the wireless communication processing unit 313 receives a short-range signal from the information communication medium 300 regardless of the intention of the user holding the terminal device 100. A communication method in which wireless communication is started is used. That is, such a communication method is a communication method in which short-range wireless communication is passively started between the terminal device 100 and the information communication medium 300.

  Examples of such short-range wireless communication include those capable of communicating even if there is a distance of 1 m or more between the information communication medium 300 and the terminal device 100. If communication is possible even at such a communication distance, communication is possible without being aware that the user holding the terminal device 100 enters the communicable area of the information communication medium 300.

  Specific examples of the communication method used in the wireless communication processing unit 313 according to the present embodiment include a short-range wireless communication method based on a wireless LAN or Bluetooth (registered trademark). More typically, short-range wireless communication by Bluetooth LE (low power consumption Bluetooth), Zigbee (registered trademark), or ANT + is exemplified.

  In this embodiment, the information communication medium 300 can be supplied with power from the device 200 in order to output a short-range wireless signal, or a power supply unit (not shown) independent of the device 200. ). In any case, in the present embodiment, the number of communications is reduced by not requiring an operation such as pairing in advance between the information communication medium 300 and the terminal device 100 that performs short-range wireless communication. It is possible to use short-range wireless communication with electric power. Thereby, low power consumption driving of the wireless communication processing unit 313 is realized. That is, the information communication medium 300 outputs a short-range wireless signal from the wireless communication processing unit 313 driven with low power consumption, and transmits the short-range wireless signal to the terminal device 100.

  A typical short-range wireless signal is a beacon signal.

  The state acquisition unit 315 acquires the current state of the device 200 associated in advance under the control of the control unit 311, and generates device state information together with the control unit 311. As an example of the state acquired by the state acquisition unit 315, the device 200 is powered on, and the voltage applied to the device 200 is monitored to acquire the state. Further, as other device status information, information on whether the device 200 is in a standby state or an execution state, TV program information currently being viewed on the device 200, information on an application being executed on the device 200, and the like are also used. The state acquisition unit 315 acquires which state it is in.

[Configuration of Server Device 400]
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the server apparatus 400 included in the information management system 1 shown in FIG. Note that the server apparatus 400 according to the present embodiment does not have to include all of the components illustrated in FIG. 4, and may have a configuration in which some are omitted.

  The server device 400 includes a control unit 411, a communication processing unit 412 connected to the antenna 413, and a memory unit 414, and these elements are electrically connected to each other via a control line and a data line.

  The control unit 411 is composed of a CPU (microcomputer), reads out a program stored in the memory unit 414, and controls the execution of these applications. That is, the control unit 411 controls other connected components based on various programs stored in the memory unit 414. In the present embodiment, the control unit 411 determines whether or not the terminal device 100 is in an area where short-range wireless communication with the information communication medium 300 is possible, and based on the determination result, the terminal device 100. The process for determining the predetermined information to be transmitted to is controlled.

  The communication processing unit 412 functions as a communication unit together with the connected antenna 413. In order to transmit information stored in the memory unit 414 to other terminals such as the terminal device 100 via the network, or to receive information transmitted from other terminals such as the terminal device 100, modulation or Various processes such as demodulation are performed.

  Although this communication processing unit 412 does not exclude processing based on a wideband wireless communication scheme typified by W-CDMA (Wideband-Code Division Multiple Access) scheme, as an example, IEEE 802 The processing is performed based on a method related to narrowband wireless communication such as wireless LAN and Bluetooth (registered trademark) represented by .11. Note that the communication processing unit 412 is connected to the antenna 413 and connected to the outside so as to be able to perform wireless communication. However, the communication processing unit 412 is not necessarily wirelessly connected, and may be connected to the outside via a wired cable. good.

  The memory unit 414 includes a ROM, a RAM, a nonvolatile memory, an HDD, and the like, and stores various programs necessary for controlling the server device 400 in the information management system according to the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, in addition to predetermined information transmitted to the terminal device 100, device identification information transmitted from the terminal device 100, device state information generated by the information communication medium 300, and the like are associated with each other. Remembered. In addition, a program for executing various processes performed by the server device 400 to realize the information management system 1 according to the present embodiment is stored.

[Information stored in each memory unit]
1. Memory unit 312 of information communication medium 300
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of information stored in the memory unit 312 of the information communication medium 300. According to FIG. 5, device specifying information and device state information are stored in association with each other in the memory unit 312 of the information communication medium 300. Note that the information management system 1 according to the present embodiment can be realized as long as it can be determined whether at least short-range wireless communication with the information communication medium 300 by the terminal device 100 is possible. Is stored and used as necessary.

  The device identification information is information for identifying the device 200 associated with the information communication medium 300 in advance. As an example, identification ID information for specifying the device 200 uniquely assigned to the device 200 such as a MAC address or UUID is used. Note that in this embodiment, it is only necessary to identify at least one of the associated device 200 and the type of the device 200, and naturally, other than the identification ID assigned to the device 200 can be used. It is. For example, it may be information indicating the type of the device 200 (TV, refrigerator, car, audio deck, etc.). Furthermore, an identification ID that identifies the information communication medium 300 such as a UUID assigned to the information communication medium 300 can also be used. In such a case, since it is not possible to directly grasp the device 200 or the type of the device 200 from the identification ID, the correspondence relationship between the identification ID of the information communication medium 300 and the device 200 is grasped in the server device 400. This can be realized by providing a table for the purpose.

  The device state information is information that is stored when using information regarding the current state of the device 200 in the present embodiment. The device state information is information indicating the current state of the device 200 acquired by the state acquisition unit 315 of the information communication medium 300.

  As an example of the device status information, information on the power-on state of the device 200, information on an application being executed on the device 200, program information being viewed on the device 200, and the server 200 installed remotely from the device 200 Any information related to the device 200 such as communication status information can be used. Such information can be acquired from the device 200 or the like by a known method. In addition, the stored information is appropriately determined according to the device 200 to which the information management system 1 according to the present embodiment is applied (for example, a television, a refrigerator, a car, or the like).

2. Memory unit 114 of terminal device 100
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of information stored in the memory unit 114 of the terminal device 100 when the terminal device 100 is in an area where short-range wireless communication with the information communication medium 300 is possible. According to FIG. 6, terminal user information, device identification information, and device state information are stored in association with each other in the memory unit 114 of the terminal device 100.

  The terminal user information is information for specifying a user who owns the terminal device 100. When the terminal device 100 is a smartphone, a terminal identification number, a subscriber identification number, or the like can be used. Further, it is possible to use a user ID given by subscribing to a service by the information management system 1 according to the present embodiment. The terminal user information is the user of the terminal device 100 when the information management system 1 according to the present embodiment authenticates whether or not the user is a subscriber of the service or when information is transmitted from the terminal device 100 to the server device 400. And the registered user of the device 200 are used to confirm whether or not they are the same.

  The device identification information and the device status information are received by receiving a beacon signal transmitted from the information communication medium 300 at a predetermined cycle in the area where the terminal device 100 is capable of short-range wireless communication with the information communication medium 300. This is information obtained from the communication medium 300. That is, these pieces of information are information that is stored only when the terminal device 100 is in an area where the short distance wireless communication with the information communication medium 300 is possible.

3. Memory unit 414 of server device 400
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of information stored in the memory unit 414 of the server apparatus 400. According to FIG. 7A, for each type of device 200 (TV, refrigerator, car, etc.), when the terminal device 100 is in short-range wireless communication with the information communication medium 300 (“in communication”), this is not the case. An operation designation information table for determining predetermined information to be transmitted to the terminal device 100 according to the case (“non-communication”) is stored.

  When the terminal device 100 and the information communication medium 300 are in short-range wireless communication (“communication”) or not (“non-communication”), the control unit 411 of the server device 400 starts from the terminal device 100. The determination is made according to whether or not the device identification information and / or device state information stored in the memory unit 114 of the terminal device 100 is received. In other words, when the control unit 411 of the server device 400 receives the device identification information and / or device state information from the terminal device 100, the terminal device 100 and the information communication medium 300 are performing near field communication (“during communication”). If it is not received, it is determined that it is in a non-communication state.

  When the server device 400 receives the information stored in the memory unit 114 from the terminal device 100, the server device 400 refers to the operation designation information table shown in FIG. Determine the specified information. The operation designation information is information that designates an operation performed by the terminal device 100 based on the information.

  In this embodiment, “information A” is the operation designation information when the terminal device 100 and the information communication medium 300 are “non-communication”, and the terminal device 100 and the information communication medium 300 are “in communication”. Furthermore, “information B” is the operation designation information when the device status information is “power on”, the terminal device 100 and the information communication medium 300 are “in communication”, and the device status information is “power is not on”. "Information C" is stored as the operation designation information in the state.

  According to FIG.7 (b), various profile information matched with terminal user information is memorize | stored in the user profile table. Such information refers to the profile information in the user profile table when determining the operation designation information to be transmitted to the terminal device 100 with reference to the operation designation information table shown in FIG. Reference is made to determine optimal information according to the preferences of 100 users. Further, when the device specifying information is not received from the terminal device 100, it is used to specify the device 200 associated with the terminal user information.

  In the user profile table, in order to determine the optimum information for the user from the information shown in FIG. 7A, the past service usage history, hobby information, occupation, Various information such as SNS can be added.

  Although not specifically illustrated, the memory unit 414 of the server device 400 naturally includes information stored in the memory unit 114 of the terminal device 100 transmitted from the terminal device 100, that is, terminal user information, device identification information, Device status information is stored and used for subsequent processing. In addition, in order to determine the type of the device 200 associated with the information communication medium 300 based on the received device identification information, the type of the device 200 (TV, refrigerator, car, etc.) associated with the device identification information, A table storing the manufacturer of the device 200, the purchase date and time of the device 200, the support deadline of the device 200, and the like is provided. In addition, a table indicating the correspondence between the identification ID for specifying the information communication medium 300 such as a UUID assigned to the information communication medium 300 and the registered device 200 is also stored as necessary.

[Processing Sequence of Information Management System 1 According to this Embodiment]
A. FIG. 8A illustrates an example in which the terminal device 100 does not request device status information or the like from the information communication medium 300. FIG. 8A illustrates the processing sequence of the information management system 1 according to the present embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows an example in the case of not requesting status information or the like. In FIG. 8A, for convenience of explanation, sequences are described in the order of situation I, situation II, and situation III. Of course, the order of each situation may be mixed, and the same situation continues. Sometimes it happens, and some situations may not happen.

1. Situation I
Here, the processing sequence performed under the situation I, that is, the situation where the terminal device 100 is outside the area where the short distance wireless communication with the information communication medium 300 is possible will be described.

  First, the server device 400 checks whether or not device state information and device identification information are received from the terminal device 100. In the situation I, since the terminal device 100 is not in an area where the short distance wireless communication with the information communication medium 300 is possible, the device identification information and the device state information cannot be obtained from the information communication medium 300. In such a case, the terminal device 100 does not communicate special information to the server device 400. Therefore, since the server apparatus 400 has not yet received the apparatus status information and the apparatus specifying information, the terminal apparatus 100 is not in an area where the short distance wireless communication with the information communication medium 300 is possible, that is, is in a non-communication state. Judgment is made (S1).

  Then, the server apparatus 400 refers to the user profile table shown in FIG. 7B based on the result of the determination, identifies the use device registered by the user, and then is provided for each device. With reference to the operation designation information table shown in FIG. 7A, information to be provided to the terminal device 100 is determined (S2). Here, since terminal apparatus 100 is not in an area where short-distance wireless communication with information communication medium 300 is possible, it is determined as information A, and the determined operation designation information is transmitted from server apparatus 400 to terminal apparatus 100.

  The control unit 111 of the terminal device 100 that has received the information executes control of the terminal device 100 based on the operation designation information (S3).

2. Situation II
Here, a processing sequence performed under the situation II, that is, the situation where the terminal device 100 is in an area where the short distance wireless communication with the information communication medium 300 is possible will be described.

  First, when the terminal device 100 enters an area where short-range wireless communication with the information communication medium 300 is possible, the terminal device 100 receives a short-range wireless signal transmitted by the information communication medium 300 at a predetermined period (S7). Note that the information communication medium 300 periodically checks whether or not the device 200 is in a power-on state by receiving a device state signal from the device 200 when transmitting the short-range wireless signal, and as a result, Accordingly, device status information is generated and stored in association with the device identification information (S4 and S5). The information communication medium 300 includes the stored device state information and device identification information in the short-range wireless signal, and transmits it at a predetermined cycle regardless of whether or not the terminal device 100 is in an area where short-range wireless communication is possible.

  As described in S7, when the terminal device 100 receives the short-range wireless signal, the device identification information, the device state information, and the terminal user information are associated with each other, that is, the information illustrated in FIG. The server device 400 that has received the information including the device specifying information is in an area where the terminal device 100 can perform short-range wireless communication with the information communication medium 300 based on the reception of the information including the device specifying information. It is determined that the current state is the middle state (S8).

  Then, the server device 400 refers to the operation designation information table shown in FIG. 7A and the user profile table shown in FIG. 7B based on the determination result, and provides information to be provided to the terminal device 100. Determine (S9). Here, since it is determined that the terminal device 100 is in an area where short-range wireless communication with the information communication medium 300 is possible, the operation designation information is determined as either information B or C, and after the determination, the terminal device The operation designation information determined as 100 is transmitted.

  The control unit 111 of the terminal device 100 that has received the information executes control of the terminal device 100 based on the operation designation information (S10).

3. Situation III
The situation III is a situation where the terminal device 100 has gone out of an area where the short distance wireless communication with the information communication medium 300 is possible. Since this is exactly the same situation as situation I, the processes relating to the subsequent processes S11 to S13 are the same as the processes of S1 to S3.

B. FIG. 8B illustrates an example in which the terminal device 100 requests the device status information and the like from the information communication medium 300. FIG. 8B illustrates the processing sequence of the information management system 1 according to the present embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows the example in the case of requesting status information or the like. In FIG. 8B, for convenience of explanation, sequences are described in the order of situation I, situation II, and situation III. Of course, the order of each situation may be mixed, and the same situation continues. Sometimes it happens, and some situations may not happen.

1. Situation I
Here, the processing sequence performed under the situation I, that is, the situation where the terminal device 100 is outside the area where the short distance wireless communication with the information communication medium 300 is possible will be described.

  First, the control unit 111 of the terminal device 100 determines whether the terminal device 100 is capable of short-range wireless communication with the information communication medium 300, that is, whether the short-range wireless signal is received from the information communication medium 300. A communication feasibility determination is performed (S14). In the situation I, the terminal device 100 is out of an area where the short distance wireless communication with the information communication medium 300 is possible. Therefore, the terminal device 100 does not request the information communication medium 300 to transmit device status information and the like. Further, since the terminal device 100 has not obtained information such as device status information, the terminal device 100 does not transmit such information to the server device 400.

  On the other hand, since the server device 400 has not yet received the device state information and the device identification information, the terminal device 100 is not in an area where the short distance wireless communication with the information communication medium 300 is possible, that is, is in a non-communication state. (S15).

  Then, the server apparatus 400 refers to the user profile table shown in FIG. 7B based on the result of the determination, identifies the use device registered by the user, and then is provided for each device. With reference to the operation designation information table shown in FIG. 7A, information to be provided to the terminal device 100 is determined (S16). Here, since terminal apparatus 100 is not in an area where short-distance wireless communication with information communication medium 300 is possible, it is determined as information A, and the determined operation designation information is transmitted from server apparatus 400 to terminal apparatus 100.

  The control unit 111 of the terminal device 100 that has received the information executes control of the terminal device 100 based on the operation designation information (S17).

2. Situation II
Since the situation II is a situation in which the terminal device 100 is in an area where the short distance wireless communication with the information communication medium 300 is possible, a processing sequence performed under the situation will be described.

  The information communication medium 300 transmits a short-range wireless signal, that is, a beacon signal at a predetermined cycle regardless of whether or not the terminal device 100 is nearby (S18). And in the situation II, since the terminal device 100 is in an area where wireless communication with the information communication medium 300 is possible, the short-range wireless signal is received. As a result, the terminal device 100 determines that short-range wireless communication with the information communication medium 300 is possible (S19). And the terminal device 100 requests | requires the information memorize | stored in the memory part 312 with respect to the information communication medium 300, such as apparatus specific information (S20).

  The information communication medium 300 that has received the information acquires information on the current state of the device 200 by the state acquisition unit 315, generates device state information, and stores it in the memory unit 312 (S21 to 23). In the present embodiment, information for determining whether the device 200 is in a power-on state is received from the device 200 as a device status signal, and device status information is generated based on the signal and stored in the memory unit 312. . Next, the information communication medium 300 transmits the device state information and device identification information stored in the memory unit 312 to the terminal device 100. When receiving the device status information and the device identification information from the information communication medium 300 (S24), the terminal device 100 associates the device status information and the device identification information with the terminal user information, that is, the information shown in FIG. 400. The server device 400 that has received the information including the device identification information is in an area where the terminal device 100 can perform near field communication with the information communication medium 300 based on the reception of the information including the device identification information. It is determined that the communication is in progress (S25).

  Then, the server device 400 refers to the operation designation information table shown in FIG. 7A and the user profile table shown in FIG. 7B based on the determination result, and provides information to be provided to the terminal device 100. Determine (S26). Here, since it is determined that the terminal device 100 is in an area where short-range wireless communication with the information communication medium 300 is possible, the operation designation information is determined as either information B or C, and after the determination, the terminal device The operation designation information determined as 100 is transmitted.

  The control unit 111 of the terminal device 100 that has received the information executes control of the terminal device 100 based on the operation designation information (S27).

3. Situation III
The situation III is a situation where the terminal device 100 has gone out of an area where the short distance wireless communication with the information communication medium 300 is possible. Since this is exactly the same situation as situation I, the processes relating to the subsequent processes S28 to S31 are the same as the processes of S14 to S17.

[Information A to C determined under each situation]
FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram showing a correspondence relationship between the situations I to III described in the above processing sequence and the operation designation information determined by the server device 400.

  First, when the situation I, that is, the terminal device 100 is outside the area where the short distance wireless communication with the information communication medium 300 is possible, the server device 400 has not received the device identification information and the device state information from the terminal device 100. It is determined that the terminal device 100 is in a “non-communication” state as a result of determining whether short-range wireless communication is possible with the information communication medium 300. In such a case, any of the information A is selected as the operation designation information related to the device 200 to be transmitted to the terminal device 100.

  Next, when the status II-1, that is, the terminal device 100 is in an area where short-range wireless communication with the information communication medium 300 is possible, the server device 400 receives the device identification information and the device state information from the terminal device 100. Therefore, as a result of determining whether or not the short-range wireless communication is possible with the information communication medium 300, the terminal device 100 determines that the state is “in communication”. In the situation II-1, since the user has not yet started using the device 200, information “power is not turned on” is received as the device state information. In such a case, any of the information C is selected as the operation designation information related to the device 200 to be transmitted to the terminal device 100.

  Next, when the situation II-2, that is, when the terminal device 100 is in an area where short-range wireless communication with the information communication medium 300 is possible, the server device 400 receives device identification information and device state information from the terminal device 100. Therefore, as a result of determining whether or not the short-range wireless communication is possible with the information communication medium 300, the terminal device 100 determines that the state is “in communication”. In the situation II-2, when the user starts using the device 200, information “power on” is received as the device state information. In such a case, any of the information B is selected as the operation designation information related to the device 200 to be transmitted to the terminal device 100.

  Next, when the situation III, that is, the terminal device 100 goes out of the area where the short distance wireless communication with the information communication medium 300 is possible, the server device 400 transmits to the terminal device 100 as in the situation I. As the operation designation information related to the device 200, any of the information A is selected.

  In addition, when it is determined as any of the information A, it can be assumed that the user holding the terminal device 100 is not in the vicinity of the device 200 and is not using the device 200. Accordingly, as illustrated in FIG. 7A, information that prompts the user holding the terminal device 100 to use the device 200 is transmitted to the terminal device 100 as operation designation information. For example, if the user has previously registered “TV” as the device 200, it is determined to transmit “today's recommended program information” as the operation designation information. In addition, which information included in the information A is specifically transmitted is determined based on the user profile table shown in FIG.

  When it is determined as any of the information B, it can be assumed that the user holding the terminal device 100 is in the vicinity of the device 200 and is actually using the device 200. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 7A, “application information related to use of the device 200” (information recommending use of a specific application and / or program information for starting a specific application) is stored in the terminal. Transmit to device 100. For example, when “TV” is specified by the device specifying information, information recommending the use of the SNS application for sharing the impression of the currently viewed program with other users as the operation specifying information and the application are activated. The terminal program 100 is transmitted to the terminal device 100, information for recommending the use of a program-linked application linked to the program currently being viewed, and a program for starting the application. It should be noted that which application included in the information B is recommended is determined based on the user profile table shown in FIG.

  When it is determined as any of the information C, it can be assumed that the user holding the terminal device 100 is in the vicinity of the device 200 but is not using the device 200. Therefore, as illustrated in FIG. 7A, information that prompts the user holding the terminal device 100 to immediately use the device 200 is transmitted to the terminal device 100 as operation designation information. For example, when “TV” is specified by the device specifying information, it is determined to transmit “detailed information of currently viewable program” as the operation specifying information. It should be noted that which information included in the information C is specifically transmitted, that is, which program can be viewed, is determined based on the user profile table shown in FIG. 7B.

  In the present embodiment, the server device 400 thus determines whether or not the user holding the terminal device 100 is in the vicinity of the device 200 depending on whether or not the terminal device 100 is in an area where the terminal device 100 can communicate with the information communication medium 300. Judging. Then, the server apparatus 400 performs the determination without forcing the user holding the terminal apparatus 100 to perform a special operation. In addition, information corresponding to the situation is provided according to the result of the determination. Therefore, the server apparatus 400 can passively provide desired information without forcing the user to perform complicated operations. Further, by monitoring the current state of the device 200, the current state can be determined in more detail, and more appropriate information can be provided.

  In the present embodiment, how to determine information from the user profile table is not described in detail, but other information is determined based on the user profile table in which user preferences, service usage history, and the like are stored. It is possible to use a known method for determining recommended information from the profile information of the same type of users.

[Control flow executed in terminal device 100]
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a control flow performed by the control unit 111 of the terminal device 100 by executing the program according to the present embodiment.

  The control flow starts when the control unit 111 executes the program according to the present embodiment stored in the memory unit 114 of the terminal device 100. This control flow is executed at any time with a certain period.

  First, when the control unit 111 is not in an area where short-range wireless communication is possible with the information communication medium 300, that is, when a short-range wireless signal that is a beacon signal is not received from the information communication medium 300. (S101) The control unit 111 waits until operation designation information related to the device 200 is transmitted from the server device 400. After that, when the control unit 111 controls to receive any of the information A as the operation designation information related to the device 200 from the server device 400 (S102), the control unit 111 executes the control of the terminal device 100 based on the received operation designation information. (S103).

  In the present embodiment, since the use registration device of the terminal user B1 is registered as “TV” from the user profile table shown in FIG. 7B, the control unit 111 selects the operation designation information from the information A. Control is performed so that any of the determined recommended program information for today is displayed on the display unit 113.

  On the other hand, when the control unit 111 is in a short-distance wireless communication area with the information communication medium 300 in S101, that is, when a short-range wireless signal is received from the information communication medium 300 (S101), the control unit 111 has received it. Control is performed to store the device identification information and device state information included in the short-range wireless signal in the memory unit 114 (S105 and S106).

  If the device identification information and device status information are not included in the short-range wireless signal received in S101, the control unit 111 requests the information communication medium 300 to transmit the information. This is performed (S104). After receiving the request, when receiving the information from the information communication medium 300, the control unit 111 controls to store the received information in the memory unit 114 (S105 and S106).

  Thereafter, the received device identification information and device state information are associated with the terminal user information, that is, the information shown in FIG. 6 is transmitted to the server device 400 (S107). When the device state information is information indicating the power-on state of the device 200, the control unit 111 performs control so as to receive any of the information B as the operation designation information related to the device 200 from the server device 400. (S108 and S109). And the control part 111 performs control of the terminal device 100 based on this received operation | movement designation | designated information (S110).

  In the present embodiment, since the device 200 is identified as the “television” by the device identification information, the control unit 111 controls the terminal device 100 based on any of the operation designation information of the determined information B. I do. As an example, the control unit 111 controls the display unit 113 to display information recommending the use of the SNS application for sharing the impression of the currently viewed program with other users, and then activates the SNS application. The application is controlled so as to be activated in accordance with the activation program. As another example, the control unit 111 controls the display unit 113 to display information recommending the use of a program-linked application linked to a currently viewed program, and then starts the application. Control to start the application according to the startup program.

  When the device state information is not information indicating the power-on state of the device 200, the control unit 111 performs control so as to receive any of the information C as operation designation information related to the device 200 from the server device 400. (S108 and S111). And the control part 111 performs control of the terminal device 100 based on this received operation | movement designation | designated information (S112).

  In this embodiment, since the device 200 is specified as the “television” by the device specifying information, detailed information on the currently viewable program determined from the information C as the operation specifying information is displayed on the display unit 113. Control to display on.

[Control flow executed in server device 400]
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a control flow performed by the control unit 411 of the server apparatus 400 by executing the program for the information management system 1 according to the present embodiment in the server apparatus 400.

  First, the control unit 411 of the server device 400 determines whether or not the information illustrated in FIG. 6 including the device identification information is received from the terminal device 100 (S201). Then, when the information is not received, the control unit 411 determines that the terminal device 100 is not in an area where the short distance wireless communication with the information communication medium 300 is possible, that is, is in a non-communication state (S202). ). Next, the control unit 411 refers to the operation designation information table illustrated in FIG. 7A and the user profile table illustrated in FIG. Either one is determined (S203 to S205). Then, the determined operation designation information is transmitted to the terminal device 100 (S206) and waits until the next execution timing of the program.

  On the other hand, if the control unit 411 determines that the information illustrated in FIG. 6 including the device identification information is received from the terminal device 100 in S201, the control unit 411 performs control to store the information in the memory unit 414. Then, it is determined that the terminal device 100 is in an area in which short-distance wireless communication with the information communication medium 300 is possible, that is, in a communication state (S207). Next, in S208, it is confirmed whether or not the power of the device 200 is on based on the device status information in the received information (S208). Thereafter, when determining that the power of the device 200 is on, the control unit 411 refers to the operation designation information table illustrated in FIG. 7A and the user profile table illustrated in FIG. Thus, any of the information B is determined as the operation designation information transmitted to the terminal device 100 (S209 to S211). Then, the determined operation designation information is transmitted to the terminal device 100 (S212) and waits until the next execution timing of the program.

  If the control unit 411 determines in S208 that the power of the device 200 is not on, the control unit 411 displays the operation designation information table shown in FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B. Referring to the user profile table shown in FIG. 4, any one of the information C is determined as the operation designation information transmitted to the terminal device 100 (S213 to S215). Then, the determined operation designation information is transmitted to the terminal device 100 (S216) and waits until the next execution timing of the program.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the server device 400 determines whether the user holding the terminal device 100 is in the vicinity of the device 200 depending on whether the terminal device 100 is in an area where the terminal device 100 can communicate with the information communication medium 300. Judgment. In particular, in communication with the information communication medium 300, by adopting a short-range wireless communication system such as Bluetooth LE that has a signal output range exceeding 1 m, a user who holds the terminal device 100 is given a specific The determination in the server device 400 is executed without forcing the operation. And according to the result of the judgment, it becomes possible to provide information according to the situation. That is, the server apparatus 400 can passively provide desired information without forcing the user to perform complicated operations.

  Further, by monitoring the current state of the device 200, the current state can be determined in more detail, and more appropriate information can be provided. In addition to these pieces of information, information in the user profile table is also taken into account, thereby providing information that better reflects user preferences.

Second Embodiment
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In addition, description is abbreviate | omitted about what fulfill | performs the same function as the terminal device 100 which concerns on the said 1st Embodiment. In addition, the first embodiment and the second embodiment described below can be combined appropriately or in part.

[Outline of Second Embodiment]
In the information management system 1 according to the first embodiment, the configuration in which the device status information is transmitted to the server device 400 via the terminal device 100 has been described. In the information management system 1000 according to the second embodiment, the device 1200 is communicably connected to the server device 1400 and / or the terminal device 1100 via a network, so that the device state is not transmitted via the information communication medium 1300. Information can be transmitted to the server apparatus 1400. Furthermore, the operation designation information can be transmitted from the server apparatus 1400 to the device 1200 without passing through the terminal apparatus 1100 or the like.

  The constituent elements included in the terminal device 1100, the device 1200, the information communication medium 1300, and the server device 1400 included in the information management system 1000 according to the second embodiment are the same as those shown in FIGS. Is the same except “ Therefore, in the following description, even when the description is made using each component of the terminal device 1100, the device 1200, the information communication medium 1300, and the server device 1400 according to the second embodiment, the description will be made with reference to FIGS. This will be described using reference numerals.

  FIG. 12 is a configuration diagram illustrating a configuration of an information management system 1000 including the terminal device 1100 according to the present embodiment. This information management system 1000 includes a terminal device 1100, a device 1200 associated with the information communication medium 1300 in advance, an information communication medium 1300 associated with the device 1200 in advance and performing near field communication with the terminal device 1100, The server apparatus 1400 is installed remotely and is connected to a terminal apparatus 1100 and a device 1200 by wireless communication.

[Configuration of Terminal Device 1100 and Server Device 1400]
The configurations of the terminal device 1100 and the server device 1400 are the same as those described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 4 in the first embodiment, and thus description of each component is omitted.

[Configuration of Device 1200]
FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating configurations of the device 1200 and the information communication medium 1300 included in the information management system 1000 illustrated in FIG. The difference from the device 200 according to the first embodiment is that the device 1200 includes a state acquisition unit 1220. Since other components are the same as those of the device 200 according to the first embodiment, description of each component is omitted.

  The state acquisition unit 1220 acquires the current state of the device 1200 under the control of the control unit 211. As an example of the state acquired by the state acquisition unit 1220, it is possible to acquire the power-on state of the device 1200 as in the first embodiment. In addition, it is possible to transmit more detailed and detailed information compared to the first embodiment. For example, in addition to information regarding the power-on state, TV program information currently being viewed and information regarding an application currently being executed in the device 1200 may be acquired together. The device state information acquired here is transmitted to the server apparatus 1400 via the wireless communication processing unit 218 and the antenna 219.

  The device status information can be transmitted to the server device 1400 by receiving a request from the server device 1400 and directly from the device 1200 to the server device 1400, or once transmitted from the device 1200 to the terminal device 1100. After that, it is also possible to transmit from the terminal device 1100 to the server device 1400.

  In the present embodiment, the device 1200 is connected to the server device 1400 so as to be able to perform wireless communication as described above. However, the device 1200 is naturally connected by a wired cable, and similarly to the wireless communication, the server device 1400 and / or the terminal device is connected. It is also possible to transmit / receive predetermined information to / from 1100. Therefore, in this embodiment, in addition to the wireless communication processing unit 218, a wired communication processing unit (not shown) is also provided, and the wireless communication processing unit 218 and the wired communication processing unit form a communication processing unit (not shown). .

  Further, when the operation specifying information is received as the predetermined information from the server apparatus 1400, the control unit 211 controls the device 1200 based on the information. That is, based on the operation designation information, the display unit 213 is controlled and a power management unit (not shown) is controlled.

[Configuration of Information Communication Medium 1300]
Next, the configuration of the information communication medium 1300 will be described with reference to FIG. The information communication medium 1300 according to this embodiment does not include a state acquisition unit. Therefore, since the other points are the same as those of the information communication medium 300 of the first embodiment, the description of individual components is omitted.

[Information stored in each memory unit]
FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of information stored in the memory unit 312 of the information communication medium 1300. Unlike the first embodiment, the device status information acquired by the status acquisition unit 1220 is transmitted from the device 1200 to the server device 1400 without going through the information communication medium 1300, so the device status information is stored in the memory unit 312. Not. Accordingly, device identification information is stored.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of information stored in the memory unit 114 of the terminal device 1100. Unlike the first embodiment, the device status information is transmitted from the device 1200 to the server device 1400 without going through the information communication medium 1300, so that the device status information is not stored in the memory unit 312. Therefore, the device specifying information is stored in association with the terminal user information.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of information stored in the memory unit 414 of the server device 1400. FIG. 16 shows an example of the operation designation information table. In the present embodiment, it is possible to transmit predetermined information from the server apparatus 1400 to the device 1200 as well. Therefore, the operation designation information is transmitted to at least one of the terminal device 1100 and the device 1200.

  Also, in the operation designation information table, the device status information can be obtained from the device 1200 even when the terminal device 1100 is not in an area where the short distance wireless communication with the information communication medium 1300 is possible, that is, “non-communication”. Therefore, information D is added as operation designation information. Note that the user profile table and other stored information stored in the server apparatus 1400 are the same as those in the first embodiment, although there are differences in the acquisition route, and thus description thereof is omitted here.

[Processing Sequence of Information Management System 1000 According to this Embodiment]
A. FIG. 17A illustrates an example in which the terminal device 1100 does not request device identification information from the information communication medium 1300. FIG. 17A illustrates the processing sequence of the information management system 1000 according to the second embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows an example in the case of not requesting status information or the like. In FIG. 17A, for convenience of explanation, the sequences are described in the order of situation I, situation II, and situation III, but naturally the order of each situation may be mixed, and the same situation continues. Sometimes it happens, and some situations may not happen.

1. Situation I
Here, the processing sequence performed under the situation I, that is, the situation where the terminal device 1100 is outside the area capable of short-range wireless communication with the information communication medium 1300 will be described.

  First, the server device 1400 checks whether or not device specifying information or the like has been received from the terminal device 1100. In the situation I, since the terminal device 1100 is not in an area where short-range wireless communication with the information communication medium 1300 is possible, the device identification information cannot be obtained from the information communication medium 1300. In such a case, the terminal device 1100 does not communicate special information to the server device 1400. Therefore, as a result of the confirmation, since the server device 1400 has not received the device identification information or the like, the terminal device 1100 is not in an area where short-range wireless communication with the information communication medium 1300 is possible, that is, is in a non-communication state. Is determined (S1001).

  Then, the server device 1400 transmits a device state information request signal to request the device 1200 to transmit the device state information of the device 1200 directly or via the terminal device 1100. If the power of the device 1200 is on, the device 1200 transmits the device status information generated after receiving the request to the server device 1400. On the other hand, in the situation I, since the device 1200 is not in the power-on state, no response is made to the request. Accordingly, since the server apparatus 1400 does not receive a response to the apparatus status information request signal from the apparatus 1200, the server apparatus 1400 determines that the apparatus 1200 is not powered on, and the terminal apparatus 1100 is based on the operation instruction information table and the user profile table. The information to be provided is determined (S1002). Here, since the terminal device 1100 is not in an area where short-range wireless communication with the information communication medium 1300 is possible and the power of the device 1200 is not on, the operation designation information is determined as the information A, and the server device The determined operation designation information is transmitted from 1400 to the terminal device 1100.

  The control unit 111 of the terminal device 1100 that has received the information executes control of the terminal device 1100 based on the operation designation information (S1003).

2. Situation II
Here, a processing sequence performed under the situation II, that is, the situation where the terminal device 1100 is in an area where the short distance wireless communication with the information communication medium 1300 is possible will be described.

  First, when the terminal device 1100 enters an area where short-range wireless communication with the information communication medium 1300 is possible, the terminal device 1100 receives a short-range wireless signal including device identification information transmitted by the information communication medium 1300 at a predetermined cycle (S1004 and S1005). Then, the terminal device 1100 transmits device identification information and terminal user information included in the short-range wireless signal to the server device 1400.

  The server apparatus 1400 that has received the device identification information determines that the terminal apparatus 1100 is in an area where short-distance wireless communication with the information communication medium 1300 is possible, that is, is in communication based on the reception of these pieces of information. (S1006). Next, the server apparatus 1400 transmits a device state information request directly or via the terminal device 1100 to the device 1200 specified by the device specifying information.

  When the power source of the device 1200 is on, information indicating that the power source is on is directly or via the terminal device 1100 as the device state information generated after receiving the request. Then, the data is transmitted to the server device 1400 (S1007). On the other hand, if the device 1200 is not in the power-on state, no response is made to the request. Accordingly, the server apparatus 1400 does not receive a response to the device status information request signal from the device 1200, and in this case, determines that the power of the device 1200 is not on.

  The server apparatus 1400 determines information to be provided to the terminal apparatus 1100 with reference to the operation designation information table shown in FIG. 16 and the user profile table shown in FIG. 7B (S1008). Here, since it is determined that the terminal device 1100 is in an area where short-range wireless communication with the information communication medium 1300 is possible, the operation designation information is determined depending on whether or not the device 1200 is powered on. It is determined as either information B or C. The determined operation designation information is transmitted to at least one of the terminal device 1100 and the device 1200.

  The control unit 111 of the terminal device 1100 that has received the information executes control of the terminal device 1100 based on the operation designation information (S1009-1). In addition, the control unit 211 of the device 1200 that has received the information controls the device 1200 based on the operation designation information (S1009-2).

3. Situation III
Here, the processing sequence performed under the situation III, that is, the situation where the terminal device 1100 comes out of the area where the short distance wireless communication with the information communication medium 1300 is possible will be described.

  Since the transmission of S1010 and the device status information request is the same as in the case of situation I, a description thereof is omitted. When the device 1200 that has received the request for the device status information is in a power-on state, the device 1200 that has been generated after receiving the request includes information indicating that the power source is in the on-state. Then, the data is transmitted to the server device 1400 directly or via the terminal device 1100 (S1011). On the other hand, if the device 1200 is not in the power-on state, no response is made to the request. Accordingly, the server apparatus 1400 does not receive a response to the device status information request signal from the device 1200, and in this case, determines that the power of the device 1200 is not on.

  The server apparatus 1400 determines information to be provided to the terminal apparatus 1100 with reference to the operation designation information table shown in FIG. 16 and the user profile table shown in FIG. 7B (S1012). Here, since it is determined that the terminal device 1100 is not in an area where short-range wireless communication with the information communication medium 1300 is possible, the operation designation information is determined depending on whether or not the device 1200 is in a power-on state. Information A or D is determined. The determined operation designation information is transmitted to at least one of the terminal device 1100 and the device 1200.

  The control unit 111 of the terminal device 1100 that has received the information executes control of the terminal device 1100 based on the operation designation information (S1013-1). In addition, the control unit 211 of the device 1200 that has received the information controls the device 1200 based on the operation designation information (S1013-2).

B. FIG. 17B shows an example in which the terminal device 1100 requests device specifying information from the information communication medium 1300. FIG. 17B shows the processing sequence of the information management system 1000 according to the second embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows the example in the case of requesting status information or the like. In FIG. 17B, for convenience of explanation, the sequences are described in the order of situation I, situation II, and situation III. Of course, the order of each situation may be mixed, and the same situation continues. Sometimes it happens, and some situations may not happen.

1. Situation I
Here, the processing sequence performed under the situation I, that is, the situation where the terminal device 1100 is outside the area capable of short-range wireless communication with the information communication medium 1300 will be described.

  First, the control unit 111 of the terminal device 1100 determines whether or not the terminal device 1100 is capable of short-range wireless communication with the information communication medium 1300, that is, whether or not the short-range wireless signal is received from the information communication medium 1300. To determine whether or not to communicate (S1014). In the situation I, the terminal device 1100 is outside the area where the short distance wireless communication with the information communication medium 1300 is possible. Therefore, the terminal device 1100 does not request the information communication medium 1300 to transmit the device identification information. Further, since the terminal device 1100 has not obtained the device identification information, the terminal device 1100 does not transmit the information and the terminal user information to the server device 1400.

  Therefore, since the server apparatus 1400 has not received the device identification information and the terminal user information, the terminal apparatus 1100 is not in an area where short-range wireless communication with the information communication medium 1300 is possible, that is, is in a non-communication state. Is determined (S1015).

  Then, the server device 1400 transmits a device state information request signal to request the device 1200 to transmit the device state information of the device 1200 directly or via the terminal device 1100. When the power of the device 1200 is on, the device 1200 receives the request and transmits its own device status information generated to the server device 1400. On the other hand, in the situation I, since the device 1200 is not in the power-on state, no response is made to the request. Accordingly, since the server apparatus 1400 does not receive a response to the apparatus status information request signal from the apparatus 1200, the server apparatus 1400 determines that the apparatus 1200 is not powered on, and the terminal apparatus 1100 is based on the operation instruction information table and the user profile table. The information to be provided is determined (S1016). Here, since terminal device 1100 is not in an area where short-range wireless communication with information communication medium 1300 is possible and power supply of device 1200 is not in an on state, information A is determined, and server device 1400 to terminal device 1100 The determined operation designation information is transmitted to

  The control unit 111 of the terminal device 1100 that has received the information executes control of the terminal device 1100 based on the operation designation information (S1017).

2. Situation II
Since the situation II is a situation in which the terminal device 1100 is in an area where short-distance wireless communication with the information communication medium 1300 is possible, a processing sequence performed under the situation will be described.

  The information communication medium 1300 transmits a short-range wireless signal, that is, a beacon signal at a predetermined cycle regardless of whether or not the terminal device 1100 is nearby (S1018). And in the situation II, since the terminal device 1100 is in an area where short-distance wireless communication with the information communication medium 1300 is possible, the short-distance wireless signal is received. As a result, the terminal device 1100 determines that short-range wireless communication with the information communication medium 1300 is possible (S1019). Then, the terminal device 1100 requests device specifying information from the information communication medium 1300 (S1020).

  The information communication medium 1300 that has received the information transmits the device specifying information stored in the memory unit 312 (S1021).

  When receiving the device specifying information from the information communication medium 1300, the terminal device 1100 stores the device specifying information in the memory unit 114 in association with the terminal user information (S1022). Thereafter, the device identification information and the terminal user information shown in FIG. 15 are transmitted to the server apparatus 1400.

  The server device 1400 that has received the device identification information and the terminal user information is in a state where the terminal device 1100 is capable of short-range wireless communication with the information communication medium 1300 based on the reception of these information, that is, in a state of communicating. It is determined that there is (S1023). Next, the server apparatus 1400 transmits a device state information request directly or via the terminal device 1100 to the device 1200 specified by the device specifying information.

  When the power source of the device 1200 is on, information indicating that the power source is on is directly or via the terminal device 1100 as the device state information generated after receiving the request. Then, the data is transmitted to the server device 1400 (S1024). On the other hand, if the device 1200 is not in the power-on state, no response is made to the request. Accordingly, the server apparatus 1400 does not receive a response to the device status information request signal from the device 1200, and in this case, determines that the power of the device 1200 is not on.

  The server apparatus 1400 determines information to be provided to the terminal apparatus 1100 with reference to the operation designation information table shown in FIG. 16 and the user profile table shown in FIG. 7B (S1025). Here, since it is determined that the terminal device 1100 is in an area where short-range wireless communication with the information communication medium 1300 is possible, the operation designation information is determined depending on whether or not the device 1200 is powered on. It is determined as either information B or C. The determined operation designation information is transmitted to at least one of the terminal device 1100 and the device 1200.

  The control unit 111 of the terminal device 1100 that has received the information executes control of the terminal device 1100 based on the operation designation information (S1026-1). Further, the control unit 211 of the device 1200 that has received the information controls the device 1200 based on the operation designation information (S1026-2).

3. Situation III
Here, the processing sequence performed under the situation III, that is, the situation where the terminal device 1100 comes out of the area where the short distance wireless communication with the information communication medium 1300 is possible will be described.

  The determination of whether or not communication is possible by the terminal device 1100 in S1027 and the determination of whether the terminal device is in communication or non-communication by the server device 1400 in S1028 are the same as in S1014 and S1015, and will not be described. When the device 1200 that has received the request for the device status information is in a power-on state, the device 1200 that has been generated after receiving the request includes information indicating that the power source is in the on-state. The data is transmitted to the server device 1400 directly or via the terminal device 1100 (S1029). On the other hand, if the device 1200 is not in the power-on state, no response is made to the request. Accordingly, the server apparatus 1400 does not receive a response to the device status information request signal from the device 1200, and in this case, determines that the power of the device 1200 is not on.

  The server apparatus 1400 determines information to be provided to the terminal apparatus 1100 with reference to the operation designation information table shown in FIG. 16 and the user profile table shown in FIG. 7B (S1030). Here, since it is determined that the terminal device 1100 is not in an area where short-range wireless communication with the information communication medium 1300 is possible, the operation designation information is determined depending on whether or not the device 1200 is in a power-on state. Information A or D is determined. The determined operation designation information is transmitted to at least one of the terminal device 1100 and the device 1200.

  The control unit 111 of the terminal device 1100 that has received the information executes control of the terminal device 1100 based on the operation designation information (S1031-1). Further, the control unit 211 of the device 1200 that has received the information controls the device 1200 based on the operation designation information (S1031-2).

[Information A to D determined under each situation]
FIG. 18 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a correspondence relationship between the situations I to III described in the processing sequence and the operation designation information determined by the server apparatus 1400. In the present embodiment, as described above, the device status information is transmitted from the device 1200 to the server device 1400 directly or via the terminal device 1100, so that the terminal device 1100 can communicate with the information communication medium 1300. It is possible to obtain device status information without it. Further, since the device 1200 can obtain the operation designation information from the server device 1400, the operation designation information is also transmitted to the device 1200.

  First, the situations I, II-1, and II-2 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

  When the situation III-1, that is, the terminal device 1100 is outside the area where the short distance wireless communication with the information communication medium 1300 is possible, the server device 1400 has not received the device specifying information from the terminal device 1100. As a result of determining whether short-range wireless communication is possible between the information communication medium 1300 and the information communication medium 1300, it is determined that the state is “non-communication”. In the situation III-1, the server apparatus 1400 receives “power on” as the device status information from the device 1200. In such a case, any of the information D is selected as the operation designation information. .

  On the other hand, when the situation III-2, that is, the terminal device 1100 is outside the area where the short distance wireless communication with the information communication medium 1300 is possible, the server device 1400 has not received the device identification information from the terminal device 1100. It is determined that the terminal device 1100 is in a “non-communication” state as a result of determining whether short-range wireless communication is possible with the information communication medium 1300. In the situation III-2, since the server apparatus 1400 has not received the apparatus status information from the apparatus 1200 and is determined not to be in the power-on state, in such a case, the information A as the operation designation information. Is selected.

  Information A to C is the same as that of the first embodiment except for the following points. In the present embodiment, the operation designation information can be transmitted from the server apparatus 1400 to the device 1200 as well. Therefore, in the situation II-1, since it is assumed that the user holding the terminal device 1100 is not using the device 1200 even though the user is near the device 1200, the operation 1200 is designated as the operation designation information of the information C. In response, power-on command information for turning on the power is transmitted. In the situation II-2, it is assumed that the user who holds the terminal device 1100 actually uses the device 1200. When a device other than the recommended program is viewed with reference to the device status information, a channel switching command for forcibly changing the channel to the recommended program to the device 1200 is sent to the device 1200 as information B. It is sent as operation specification information.

  Further, when it is determined as any one of the information D, it can be assumed that the device 1200 is turned on even though the user holding the terminal device 1100 is not in the vicinity of the device 1200. In such a case, it is assumed that the user holding the terminal device 1100 forgets to turn off the power of the device 1200, or that a user other than the user has turned on the power of the device 1200. Specifically, when another user (user X, Y) who subscribes to the information management system according to the present embodiment uses the device 1200 based on the system, the terminal device 1100 is notified of that fact. The operation designation information of the information D is transmitted so as to be displayed. On the other hand, when no one is using the device 1200 and forgetting to turn off the power of the device 1200, forgetting to turn off the power to the terminal device 1100 and forcing the power to the device 1200 are forced. It is also possible to transmit the power-off command information to be turned off (standby state) as the operation designation information of information D.

[Control Flow Executed by Terminal Device 1100]
FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a control flow performed by the control unit 111 of the terminal device 1100 by executing the program according to the present embodiment.

  The control flow starts when the control unit 111 executes the program according to the present embodiment stored in the memory unit 114 of the terminal device 1100. This control flow is executed at any time with a certain period.

  First, when the control unit 111 is not in an area where short-range wireless communication with the information communication medium 1300 is possible, that is, when the short-range wireless signal that is a beacon signal is not received from the information communication medium 1300. (S1101) The server apparatus 1400 waits until operation designation information related to the device 1200 is transmitted. At this time, if the server apparatus 1400 has not received the apparatus state information and it is determined that the apparatus 1200 is not in a power-on state (S1102), the control unit 111 receives the operation designation information from the server apparatus 1400. Control is performed to receive any of the information A (S1103). And the control part 111 performs control of the terminal device 1100 based on this received operation | movement designation | designated information (S1104).

  In the present embodiment, since the use registration device of the terminal user B1 is registered as “TV” from the user profile table shown in FIG. 7B, the control unit 111 selects the operation designation information from the information A. Control is performed so that any of the selected recommended program information for today is displayed on the display unit 113.

  On the other hand, when the server device 1400 receives the device status information and determines that the power of the device 1200 is on (S1102), the control unit 111 receives information D as operation designation information from the server device 1400. Is controlled so as to receive any one of them (S1105). And the control part 111 performs control of the terminal device 1100 based on this received operation | movement designation | designated information (S1106).

  In the present embodiment, since the use registration device of the terminal user B1 is registered as “TV” from the user profile table shown in FIG. 7B, the control unit 111 uses the information D as the operation designation information. Control is performed to display any selected information on the display unit 113.

  Next, in S1101, when the control unit 111 is in an area where short-range wireless communication is possible with the information communication medium 1300, that is, when a short-range wireless signal is received from the information communication medium 1300 (S1101). Then, control is performed so that device specifying information included in the received short-range wireless signal is stored in the memory 114 (S1108).

  If the device identification information is not included in the short-range wireless signal received in S1101, the control unit 111 requests the information communication medium 1300 to transmit the information (S1107). . After receiving the request, when receiving the information from the information communication medium 1300, the control unit 111 controls the memory unit 114 to store the received information (S1108).

  Thereafter, the device specifying information and the terminal user information shown in FIG. 15 are transmitted to the server apparatus 1400 (S1109). When the server device 1400 receives the device status information and determines that the power of the device 1200 is on (S1110), the control unit 111 receives any of the information B from the server device 1400 as operation designation information. It is controlled to receive (S1111). And the control part 111 performs control of the terminal device 1100 based on this received operation | movement designation | designated information (S1112).

  In the present embodiment, since the device 1200 is identified as “TV” by the device identification information, the control unit 111 controls the terminal device 1100 based on any of the operation designation information of the determined information B. I do. As an example, the control unit 111 controls the display unit 113 to display information recommending the use of the SNS application for sharing the impression of the currently viewed program with other users, and then activates the SNS application. The application is controlled so as to be activated in accordance with the activation program. As another example, the control unit 111 controls the display unit 113 to display information recommending the use of a program-linked application linked to a currently viewed program, and then starts the application. Control to start the application according to the startup program.

  At this time, if the server apparatus 1400 has not received the apparatus status information and it is determined that the apparatus 1200 is not turned on (S1110), the control unit 111 designates an operation from the server apparatus 1400. Control is performed to receive any of the information C as information (S1113). And the control part 111 performs control of the terminal device 1100 based on this received operation | movement designation | designated information (S1114).

  In the present embodiment, since the device 1200 is specified as “TV” by the device specifying information, detailed information on the currently viewable program determined from the information C as operation specifying information is displayed on the display unit 113. Control to display.

[Control Flow Executed by Server Device 1400]
FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a control flow performed by the control unit 411 of the server apparatus 1400 by executing the program for the information management system 1000 according to the present embodiment in the server apparatus 1400.

  First, the control unit 411 of the server apparatus 1400 determines whether or not the information illustrated in FIG. 15 including the device identification information has been received from the terminal apparatus 1100 (S1201). If the information is not received, the control unit 411 determines that the terminal device 1100 is not in an area where the short distance wireless communication with the information communication medium 1300 is possible, that is, is in a non-communication state (S1202). ). Next, the control unit 411 transmits a device status information request to the device 1200 directly or via the terminal device 1100 (S1203). If there is no response to the device status information request from the device 1200 and the device status information is not received, the control unit 411 determines that the power of the device 1200 is not on (S1204). Next, the control unit 411 refers to the operation designation information table illustrated in FIG. 16 and the user profile table illustrated in FIG. 7B, and selects one of the information A as the operation designation information transmitted to the terminal device 1100. Determine (S1205 to S1207). Then, the determined operation designation information is transmitted to the terminal device 1100 (S1208) and waits until the next execution timing of the program. In this case, since the operation designation information transmitted to the device 1200 is not included in the information A, the operation designation information is not transmitted to the device 1200.

  On the other hand, when the control unit 411 receives device status information from the device 1200 as a response to the device status information request in S1204, the control unit 411 determines that the power of the device 1200 is on based on the received information ( S1204). Next, the control unit 411 refers to the operation designation information table illustrated in FIG. 16 and the user profile table illustrated in FIG. 7B as operation designation information to be transmitted to at least one of the terminal device 1100 and the device 1200. Any of the information D is determined (S1209 to S1211). Then, according to the determination, the operation designation information is transmitted to at least one of the terminal device 1100 and the device 1200 (S1212), and waits until the next execution timing of the program.

  Next, when the control unit 411 determines in S1201 that the information illustrated in FIG. 15 including the device identification information has been received from the terminal device 1100, the control unit 411 performs control to store the information in the memory unit 414. Then, it is determined that the terminal device 1100 is in an area where short-range wireless communication with the information communication medium 1300 is possible, that is, is in a communication state (S1213). Next, the control unit 411 transmits a device status information request to the device 1200 directly or via the terminal device 1100 (S1214). When the control unit 411 receives device status information as a response to the device status information request from the device 1200, the control unit 411 determines that the power of the device 1200 is on based on the received information (S1215). . Next, the control unit 411 refers to the operation designation information table illustrated in FIG. 16 and the user profile table illustrated in FIG. 7B as operation designation information to be transmitted to at least one of the terminal device 1100 and the device 1200. Any of the information B is determined (S1216 to S1218). In response to the determination, the operation designation information is transmitted to at least one of the terminal device 1100 and the device 1200 (S1219), and waits until the next execution timing of the program.

  On the other hand, in S1215, when there is no response to the device status information request from the device 1200 and the device status information is not received, the control unit 411 determines that the power of the device 1200 is not on (S1215). Next, the control unit 411 refers to the operation designation information table illustrated in FIG. 16 and the user profile table illustrated in FIG. 7B as operation designation information to be transmitted to at least one of the terminal device 1100 and the device 1200. Any of the information C is determined (S1220 to S1222). In response to the determination, the operation designation information is transmitted to at least one of the terminal device 1100 and the device 1200 (S1223), and waits until the next execution timing of the program.

  In this embodiment, the device status information is requested to the device 1200 directly or via the terminal device 1100, and is transmitted from the device 1200 to the server device 1400 in response to this request. However, the device status information may be obtained by transmitting the device 1200 in advance to a server device that manages the state of the device 1200 and transmitting a request from the server device 1400 to the server device.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, it is possible to obtain the same effect as in the first embodiment. Further, since the device 1200 is communicably connected to the server device 1400 via the network, the device status information is transmitted to the server device 1400 without using the information communication medium 1300. Therefore, even in a state where short-range wireless communication is not possible between the terminal device 1100 and the information communication medium 1300, the server device 1400 can obtain the device status information, and information reflecting a more detailed situation. Can be provided.

  Furthermore, since the device 1200 is connected to the server device 1400 so as to be able to receive the operation designation information, the device 1200 can be controlled according to the situation.

<Other embodiments>
In the first and second embodiments, the case where the server apparatus 400 or 1400 is integrated has been described. However, naturally, a plurality of server apparatuses are provided according to information and processing to be handled, and each of them performs processing in cooperation. Is possible. In the memory unit 414 of the server device 400 or 1400, in addition to the operation designation information table and the user profile table, the type of the device 200 or 1200 (TV, refrigerator, car, etc.) associated with the device identification information, the device 200 or A table that stores the manufacturer of 1200, the purchase date and time of the device 200 or 1200, the support deadline of the device 200 or 1200, and the table that shows the correspondence between the identification ID assigned to the information communication medium 300 or 1300 and the device 200 or 1200 Explained that However, for example, a server device that manages the operation designation information table and the user profile table and a server device that manages other tables and information may be divided.

  In the first and second embodiments, the apparatus 200 or the apparatus 1200 has been described mainly with respect to a television. However, the present invention can naturally be applied to other apparatuses. Other examples include TV broadcast receivers such as set-top boxes, various audio decks that play videos, DVDs, CDs, etc., home game machines, refrigerators, microwave ovens, lighting equipment, air conditioners, scales, and other health equipment. In addition to various home appliances such as automobiles, automobiles and the like can also be mentioned.

  When the home game machine is used as the device 200 or 1200, the game state information currently being executed can be transmitted as the device state information instead of the information on the power-on state. In addition, when using a health appliance, it is possible to regularly encourage the user to use the health appliance and provide a healthier life by using information on the power-on state as the equipment status information. it can.

  In the second embodiment, the case where the operation designation information is transmitted from the server apparatus 1400 to the device 1200 has been described. Naturally, in the first embodiment, the operation designation information is similarly transmitted to the device 200. It is possible to control the device 200 based on the operation designation information. In such a case, as an example, it can be performed by connecting to the server apparatus 400 via the wireless communication processing unit 218 and the antenna 219 included in the device 200 or via the wired communication processing unit.

  The processes and procedures described in the present specification can be realized not only by those explicitly described in the embodiment but also by software, hardware, or a combination thereof. Specifically, the processes and procedures described in this specification are realized by mounting logic corresponding to the processes on a medium such as an integrated circuit, a volatile memory, a nonvolatile memory, a magnetic disk, or an optical storage. Is done. Further, the processes and procedures described in this specification can be implemented as a computer program and executed by various computers.

  Even though the processes and procedures described herein are described as being performed by a single device, software, component, or module, such processes or procedures may include multiple devices, multiple software, It may be executed by multiple components and / or multiple modules. Further, even if it is described that the data, table, or database described in this specification is stored in a single memory, such data, table, or database may be stored in a single device. Or a plurality of memories arranged in a distributed manner in a plurality of devices. Further, the software and hardware elements described herein may be realized by integrating them into fewer components or by disassembling them into more components.

1 Information management system 100 Terminal device 200 Device 300 Information communication medium 400 Server device

Claims (12)

Short-distance wireless communication is possible with the information communication medium based on reception of information transmitted from a terminal device capable of communicating by short-range wireless communication with an information communication medium associated with a predetermined device. It determines whether there is the terminal device in such area, in response to a result of the determination, and providing the terminal device, viewed contains a control unit, which determines the predetermined information relating to the device,
The control unit determines the first information as the predetermined information when determining that the terminal device is present in the area, and determines the predetermined information when determining that the terminal device is not present in the area. The server apparatus determines the second information different from the first information as the information .   The server apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information received from the terminal device is device specifying information for specifying the device associated with the information communication medium in advance. The server device receives device state information indicating the state of the device,
In the determination of the predetermined information, the control unit determines the predetermined information to be provided to the terminal device based on a result of determination based on reception of information from the terminal device and reception of the device status information. The server device according to claim 1, wherein:   The server apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the device status information is information related to a power-on state of the device.   The server device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the device status information is information generated by the information communication medium associated with the device.   6. The short-range wireless communication is communication performed passively with the information communication medium regardless of a user's intention to hold the terminal device. The server device according to item.   The information communication medium transmits a beacon signal to the terminal device by short-range wireless communication, and the information transmitted from the terminal device and received by the server device is transmitted from the information communication medium to the terminal device by the beacon signal. The server device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the server device is information that has been processed.   The server apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined information is operation designation information that designates an operation of at least one of the terminal device and the device. The first information is information related to activation of a predetermined application, and the second information is information related to a display that prompts use of the device. The server device according to item. A method for a server device to provide predetermined information to a terminal device that is communicably connected,
The server device is close to the information communication medium based on reception of information transmitted from a terminal device capable of communicating by short-range wireless communication with an information communication medium associated with a predetermined device. Determining whether or not the terminal device is in an area capable of range wireless communication; and
Determining the predetermined information related to the device to be provided to the terminal device according to the determination result of the server device;
Only including,
In the step of determining the predetermined information, if it is determined in the determining step that the terminal device is in the area, the predetermined information is determined as the first information, and the terminal is included in the area. A method in which, when it is determined that there is no device, the predetermined information is determined as second information different from the first information . A computer for providing predetermined information to a terminal device connected to be communicable,
Short-distance wireless communication is possible with the information communication medium based on reception of information transmitted from a terminal device capable of communicating by short-range wireless communication with an information communication medium associated with a predetermined device. A control unit that determines whether or not the terminal device is in a certain area, and determines the predetermined information related to the device to be provided to the terminal device according to a result of the determination;
A program that functions as
The control unit determines the first information as the predetermined information when determining that the terminal device is present in the area, and determines the predetermined information when determining that the terminal device is not present in the area. The information is determined as second information different from the first information. When receiving the information contained in the short-range wireless signal from the information communication medium when approaching within an area capable of short-range wireless communication with the information communication medium associated with the predetermined device, the reception A terminal device for transmitting the information to a server device installed remotely,
Based on the reception of the information transmitted from the terminal device, it is determined whether or not the terminal device is in an area where short-range wireless communication with the information communication medium is possible, and depending on the result of the determination The server device for determining predetermined information related to the device to be provided to the terminal device;
An information management system including
The server device determines the first information as the predetermined information when determining that the terminal device is present in the area, and determines the predetermined information when determining that the terminal device is not present in the area. An information management system that determines the second information different from the first information as the information.

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