JP6001362B2 - Digital signage system and server device used in the digital signage system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a digital signage system and a server device, and more particularly to a digital signage system in which content is distributed from a server device via a network and a server device used in the digital signage system.

  A digital signage system (electronic signage system) that installs a display in a public space or a store and displays content on the display has become widespread. The digital signage display can be easily updated remotely by connecting to a network. By taking advantage of this feature, information providers can quickly transmit the latest information, and viewers can obtain information with high freshness. Such digital signage can provide more powerful information by using multimedia content. Furthermore, since a user can select necessary information by using a display having a touch panel function, necessary related information can be provided to a user who is interested in content displayed on the display.

  In such a digital signage system, a system that enables content display for a specific user is also known. Patent Document 1 described later discloses a display interlocking system that can provide information to a specific user. This display interlocking system specifies a display located in the vicinity of the user based on position information transmitted from the user's portable terminal. The display-linked system also displays content corresponding to the user's attribute on the specified display based on the user's attribute information transmitted from the user's mobile terminal.

JP 2009-163715 A

  The display interlocking system of Patent Literature 1 can display information for the user in the vicinity of the display on the display without the user operating the mobile terminal. However, the content cannot be displayed interactively reflecting the user's intention. Therefore, it is difficult to provide necessary related information to a user who is interested in the content displayed on the display.

  A signage display that is installed in a reachable area and has a touch panel function can be operated interactively. However, not all signage displays have a touch panel function. Even if a signage (signboard) viewer is interested in the displayed content and wants to know more detailed information, it is difficult to obtain more information from the signage display and it is one-way. Furthermore, even when an interactive operation is performed using a signage display having a touch panel function, the same user cannot be identified, so that it is difficult to obtain effective information for analyzing the effectiveness of displayed content.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and one object of the present invention is to interactively reflect a viewer's intention on a display device that does not have a touch panel function. The present invention provides a digital signage system capable of displaying content on the server and a server device used in the digital signage system.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a digital signage system that can analyze the effectiveness of content to be displayed and a server device used in the digital signage system.

  To achieve the above object, a digital signage system according to a first aspect of the present invention is connected to a server device that distributes content and a server device via a network, and displays the content distributed from the server device. A digital signage system including a display device and a portable information terminal connected to a server device via a network. In this digital signage system, the display device includes content display means for displaying content and related content related to the content, and identification information display means for displaying identification information of the own device. The portable information terminal includes identification information acquisition means for acquiring identification information displayed on the display device, and content displayed on the display device corresponding to the identification information from the server device based on the acquired identification information. And a list acquisition unit for acquiring a program list of related content related to, and a display request unit for requesting the server device to display desired related content based on the acquired program list. The server device includes content distribution means for distributing content and related content requested by the display request means to the display device. The content display means includes means for switching the display to display the received related content in response to receiving the related content distributed by the content distribution means.

  The display device displays the content distributed from the server device. The display device also displays identification information for identifying the own device. When the viewer operating the portable information terminal is interested in the content displayed on the display device and wants to know more detailed information, the portable information terminal acquires the identification information displayed on the display device, and the acquired identification information Based on the above, a program list of related content related to the content displayed on the display device corresponding to the identification information is acquired from the server device. Since the server device distributes content to the display device, if the display device can be specified by the identification information, the content displayed on the display device can be specified. Therefore, a program list of related contents related to the contents can be provided to the portable information terminal. The viewer of the display device operates the portable information terminal to request the server device to display desired related content based on the program list. The server device distributes related content requested from the portable information terminal to the display device. When receiving the related content distributed from the server device, the display device displays the related content instead of the content. In other words, when the content is displayed and the related content related to the content is received, the display device switches the display to display the received related content. Thereby, even when the display device does not have a touch panel function, content can be interactively displayed on the display device reflecting the intention of the viewer. Therefore, necessary information can be provided to a viewer (user) who is interested in the content displayed on the display device.

  Since the server device and the portable information terminal are connected via a network, the server device can identify the same user. The server device can also obtain information for analyzing what kind of content the user (also a viewer) of the portable information terminal is interested in according to a request from the portable information terminal. Therefore, since sufficient feedback information for analyzing the effectiveness of the content can be obtained, the information provider can effectively improve the content according to the usage tendency of the user.

  Preferably, the identification information display means includes an identification code display means for displaying an identification code including the address of the server device and the identification information, and the portable information terminal reads the identification code displayed by the identification code display means, Means for acquiring the address and identification information of the server device; communication means for communicating with the server device using the acquired address; and identification information transmitting means for transmitting the acquired identification information to the server device. The server device further includes a storage unit for storing the content and a program list related to the content, a request management unit for receiving and managing a request transmitted from the portable information terminal, and a transmission from the portable information terminal. Related identification information related to the content displayed on the display device corresponding to the identification information. Program listings Ntsu further comprising a list transmission means for transmitting to the portable information terminal.

  The portable information terminal acquires the address and identification information of the server device by reading the identification code. The portable information terminal communicates with the server device using the acquired address, and transmits identification information to the server device. The server device receives the identification information transmitted from the portable information terminal, and transmits a program list of related content related to the content displayed on the display device corresponding to the identification information to the portable information terminal. Thereby, the portable information terminal can easily obtain a program list of related content related to the content displayed on the display device.

  More preferably, the display device further includes request inquiry means for inquiring a request from the portable information terminal to the server device, and the request management means accepts the request in response to the inquiry of the request by the request inquiry means. Content determination means for selecting one request from the requests and determining related content corresponding to the selected request as content to be distributed next is included.

  The server device accepts a request from the portable information terminal. In response to the request inquiry from the display device, the server device selects one request from the received requests, and determines related content corresponding to the selected request as content to be distributed next. Then, the determined content is distributed to the display device. This makes it possible to easily provide necessary information to viewers (users) who are interested in the content displayed on the display device, making it easy to display interactive content that reflects the viewer's intention. it can.

  More preferably, the content distribution means includes means for distributing content including an identification code. Thereby, the contents of the identification code can be easily changed by the server device.

  More preferably, the portable information terminal further includes position information transmitting means for acquiring the current position information of the own device and transmitting the acquired current position information to the server device, and the server device is transmitted from the portable information terminal. Request management means further comprising: position information receiving means for receiving the current position information; and means for acquiring information on the installation position of the display device corresponding to the identification information based on the received identification information. In response to receiving the request from the portable information terminal, the portable information terminal compares the current position information of the portable information terminal with the information related to the installation position of the display device, and the portable information terminal has a predetermined distance from the display device. Means for accepting a request transmitted from the portable information terminal in response to satisfying the condition of being located within the range.

  When the server device receives the request from the portable information terminal, the server device compares the current position information of the portable information terminal with the information regarding the installation position of the display device, and the portable information terminal is within a predetermined distance from the display device. If the condition of being located is satisfied, a request transmitted from the portable information terminal is accepted. For example, when the user of the portable information terminal is located far away from the display device, it is difficult for the user to view the content displayed on the display device. With the above configuration, only requests from users who can view are accepted, so that it is possible to avoid unnecessary content display due to accepting requests from users who are difficult to view. Therefore, necessary information can be efficiently provided to viewers (users) who are interested in the content displayed on the display device.

  More preferably, the portable information terminal further includes position information transmitting means for acquiring the current position information of the own device and transmitting the acquired current position information to the server device, and the server device is transmitted from the portable information terminal. Position information receiving means for receiving the current position information, means for obtaining information on the installation position of the display device corresponding to the identification information based on the received identification information, and the current position of the portable information terminal A request received from the portable information terminal in response to the condition that the portable information terminal is separated from the display device by a predetermined distance by comparing the information with the information related to the installation position of the display device. And a means for deleting.

  The server device receives the current position information transmitted from the portable information terminal. The server device compares the current position information of the portable information terminal and the information related to the installation position of the display device, and responds that the condition that the portable information terminal is separated from the display device by a predetermined distance is satisfied. The request received from the portable information terminal is deleted. By this operation, the display of the related content requested by the user of the portable information terminal can be terminated, and the display on the display device can be returned to the original state where the content is displayed, for example.

  The predetermined distance can be a distance at which the portable information terminal can acquire the identification information displayed on the display device. That is, the predetermined distance can be a distance at which the viewer can view the content displayed on the display device.

  A server device according to a second aspect of the present invention is a server device connected to a display device and a portable information terminal via a network. The server device includes a storage unit for storing content and a program list related to the content, a content distribution unit for distributing content to the display device, and a display device that is transmitted from a portable information terminal. List transmitting means for receiving identification information and transmitting a program list of related content related to the content displayed on the display device corresponding to the identification information to the portable information terminal based on the received identification information; And a related content distribution means for receiving a request for display of the related content from the portable information terminal based on the program list and distributing the requested related content to the display device. The content distribution means includes means for distributing to the display device the content on which the identification information of the display device is displayed in a manner that can be acquired by the portable information terminal.

  The server device distributes content to the display device. The portable information terminal acquires identification information displayed on the content and transmits it to the server device. The server device further receives the identification information of the display device transmitted from the portable information terminal, and, based on the received identification information, displays a program list related to the content displayed on the display device corresponding to the identification information. It transmits to the said portable information terminal. The portable information terminal requests the server device to display related content based on the received program list. The server device receives a request for displaying related content from the portable information terminal, and distributes the requested related content to the display device. Thereby, the related content requested by the viewer can be displayed on the display device. Therefore, even when the display device does not have a touch panel function, content can be interactively displayed on the display device reflecting the viewer's intention. As a result, necessary related information can be provided to viewers who are interested in the content displayed on the display device.

  Since the server device and the portable information terminal are connected via a network, the server device can identify the same user. The server device can also obtain feedback information for analyzing what content the user (who is also a viewer) of the portable information terminal is interested in according to a request from the portable information terminal. With this information, the information provider can effectively improve the content.

  As described above, according to the present invention, a digital signage system that can interactively display contents reflecting a viewer's intention even on a display device that does not have a touch panel function, and a server device used in the digital signage system are easy. Can get to.

  Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to easily obtain a digital signage system that can analyze the effectiveness of content to be displayed and a server device used in the digital signage system.

It is a figure showing the whole digital signage system composition concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the content program displayed on the signage display shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the menu screen displayed with the portable information terminal shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the function structure of the content server shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the function structure of the signage display shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the function structure of the portable information terminal shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the control structure of the program (program which performs the process which receives the display ID transmitted from a portable information terminal, and transmits a program menu) performed by the content server shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the control structure of the program (The program which performs the process which receives the request from a portable information terminal and adds it to a request list) performed by the content server shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the control structure of the program (program which delivers a content and related content to a signage display) performed by the content server shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the control structure of the program performed with the signage display shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the control structure of the program performed with the portable information terminal shown in FIG. It is a transition diagram explaining operation | movement of the digital signage system which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention.

  In the following embodiments, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their functions and names are also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

(First embodiment)
[Overall system configuration]
With reference to FIGS. 1-3, the whole structure of the digital signage system which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. Referring to FIG. 1, this digital signage system includes a content server 100 that distributes content, a signage display 200 that displays the distributed content, and a portable information terminal 300 that can be operated by a user (viewer). Including. Here, for convenience of explanation, the user of the portable information terminal 300 is, for example, user A (viewer A). The arrows in FIG. 1 indicate the flow of data.

  The content server 100 and the signage display 200 are connected via a network 400. The portable information terminal 300 is connected to the content server 100 via the network 400. The portable information terminal 300 is connected to the network 400 wirelessly. The network 400 includes, for example, a 4G wireless network, an ATM (Automatic teller machine) dedicated line network, an IP (Internet Protocol) network (Internet), and the like.

  The signage display 200 is composed of, for example, a large-screen liquid crystal display. In this embodiment, it is assumed that signage display 200 does not have a touch panel function and is installed in a place out of the reach of viewers.

  Referring to FIG. 2, for example, the contents of advertisement (1) to advertisement (3) are displayed on signage display 200 while being sequentially switched in time series. The contents of the advertisement (1) to the advertisement (3) are sequentially displayed at regular intervals, and when the display of the contents of the advertisement (3) is completed, the contents of the advertisement (1) are displayed again.

  The content displayed on the signage display 200 includes a two-dimensional code 50. That is, the two-dimensional code 50 is displayed as a part of the content. The two-dimensional code 50 includes a display ID, which is identification information for identifying the signage display 200 that displays the two-dimensional code 50, and an Internet address (for example, URL) of the content server 100 that distributes the content to the signage display 200. : Uniform Resource Locator).

  Referring to FIG. 1 again, the portable information terminal 300 has a camera function and a code detection function. The camera function can be used as a function of capturing the two-dimensional code 50 by photographing the two-dimensional code 50 displayed on the signage display 200. The code detection function analyzes the captured two-dimensional code 50 and acquires the display ID and the content server 100 address included in the two-dimensional code 50. When all information of the code is encoded as a URL for the WWW service of the content server 100, the portable information terminal 300 can easily communicate with the server 100 via a WWW browser.

  The portable information terminal 300 further has a function of communicating with the content server 100 using the acquired address and transmitting the acquired display ID to the content server 100. The content server 100 that has received the display ID transmitted from the portable information terminal 300 identifies the signage display 200 corresponding to the display ID, and a program menu (program list) of related content related to the content distributed to the signage display 200. Is transmitted to the portable information terminal 300. When receiving the program menu, the portable information terminal 300 displays the received program menu on the display unit 340 (see FIG. 6) described later. This program menu corresponds to information displayed as a menu of related information in a signage display content having a touch panel function.

  Referring to FIG. 3, menu screen 342 is displayed on the screen of display unit 340 of portable information terminal 300. Menu screen 342 is a menu of related content related to the content displayed on signage display 200. This menu screen 342 includes an advertisement (1) button 342a for selecting detailed information (related information) related to the advertisement (1), and an advertisement for selecting detailed information (related information) related to the advertisement (2). (2) A button 342b and an advertisement (3) button 342c for selecting detailed information (related information) related to the advertisement (3) are included. When the portable information terminal 300 receives a selection operation for any one of the advertisement (1) button 342a, the advertisement (2) button 342b, and the advertisement (3) button 342c, the mobile information terminal 300 stores information (related content) corresponding to the button that has received the operation. An instruction (request) for requesting display is transmitted to the content server 100.

  The content server 100 that has received the request from the portable information terminal 300 distributes the requested related content to the signage display 200 in response to an inquiry from the signage display 200. When the signage display 200 receives the related content distributed from the content server 100, the signage display 200 displays the received related content instead of the standard advertisement content program. Here, the data of the standard content program is held on the signage display 200 side, and the signage display 200 reuses the data when there is no request from the portable information terminal 300.

[System Component Configuration]
<< Content Server 100 >>
Referring to FIG. 4, content server 100 configuring the digital signage system includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 110, a communication unit 120, and a storage unit 130. A communication unit 120 and a storage unit 130 are electrically connected to the CPU 110.

  The CPU 110 constitutes a control unit together with a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory) (not shown). The CPU 110 executes various computer programs in response to instructions from the portable information terminal 300 and the signage display 200, thereby performing operations of each unit of the content server 100 and communication with the portable information terminal 300 and the signage display 200. Execute the process.

  The communication unit 120 provides connection to the network 400 by wired and wireless (in this embodiment, wired). The content server 100 can perform data communication according to a predetermined communication protocol with the signage display 200 or the like on the network 400 via the communication unit 120.

  The storage unit 130 includes an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) that is a large-capacity storage device. The storage unit 130 stores basic software and various application software that operates using functions provided by the basic software. The storage unit 130 further receives a request received from a content repository 132 that stores content, a program menu repository 134 that stores a program menu of related content related to the content stored in the content repository 132, and the portable information terminal 300. A request storage unit (hereinafter referred to as “request list”) 136 for temporary storage and a log storage unit (hereinafter simply referred to as “log”) 138 for storing received requests as a history are included. The content repository 132 further stores related content related to the content along with the content.

  The storage unit 130 stores in advance information (position information) regarding the installation position of the signage display 200 that distributes content.

  The storage unit 130, the communication unit 120, the ROM, and the RAM all operate in cooperation under the control of the CPU 110, and the content server 100 as a content server according to the present embodiment realizes processing by various applications. For example, the content server 100 is equipped with functions such as a content distribution service that holds the content repository 132 and the program menu repository 134 and a request management service that receives and manages requests from viewers transmitted from the portable information terminal 300. To do. These services are realized by executing application software that operates using the functions provided by the basic software.

  The content server 100 further distributes content (for example, an advertising program) in which the two-dimensional code 50 is previously incorporated into the stream or related content related to the content in response to an inquiry from the signage display 200 by the content distribution service. To do.

<< Signage Display 200 >>
Referring to FIG. 5, the signage display 200 includes a CPU 210, a communication unit 220, a display unit 230, a storage unit 240, and a content cache 250. A communication unit 220, a display unit 230, a storage unit 240, and a content cache 250 are electrically connected to the CPU 210.

  The CPU 210 controls the entire signage display 200 by executing a computer program stored in the storage unit 240. The communication unit 220 provides connection to the network 400 by wire or wireless (wired in the present embodiment). The signage display 200 can perform data communication according to a predetermined communication protocol with the content server 100 on the network 400 via the communication unit 220.

  As described above, the display unit 230 is composed of a large-screen liquid crystal display. The storage unit 240 stores basic software and application software that operates using functions provided by the basic software. The content cache 250 temporarily stores content to be displayed on the display unit 230.

  The signage display 200 further includes a content player having a request inquiry function. The content player is one of application software that operates using a function provided by the basic software, and the function is realized by executing the application software.

<Portable information terminal 300>
Referring to FIG. 6, portable information terminal 300 includes a CPU 310, a camera unit 320, a communication unit 330, a display unit 340, and a position detection unit 350. A camera unit 320, a communication unit 330, a display unit 340, and a position detection unit 350 are electrically connected to the CPU 310.

  The portable information terminal 300 includes a storage device (not shown) that stores basic software and application software that operates using functions provided by the basic software. The CPU 310 executes various computer programs in accordance with user instructions and the like, thereby executing desired processes such as the operation of each unit of the portable information terminal 300 and communication with the content server 100.

  The camera unit 320 includes an image sensor (not shown). An image photographed by the camera unit 320 is stored as digital data in a storage device. The communication unit 330 provides a wireless connection to the network 400. The portable information terminal 300 can perform data communication according to a predetermined communication protocol with the content server 100 on the network 400 via the communication unit 330.

  Display unit 340 includes a touch panel display having a touch panel function. The position detection unit 350 uses GPS (Global Positioning System) to acquire current position information of the own device.

  In the portable information terminal 300, menu browser software and code detection software are installed as application software that operates using functions provided by the basic software. The menu browser has a function of displaying a menu of related content acquired from the content server 100 on the display unit 340. A general Web browser may be used instead of the menu browser. The code detection software has, for example, a function of analyzing content captured by the camera unit 320, detecting the two-dimensional code 50, and acquiring the display ID and the address of the content server 100 included in the code. It is convenient to always input a moving image of content and automatically launch a menu browser when a two-dimensional code is detected.

[Software control structure]
With reference to FIGS. 7 to 10, a control structure of a computer program executed by content server 100 in the digital signage system according to the present embodiment will be described. In the content server 100, in order to accept requests from a plurality of portable information terminals, a program for executing a process of receiving a display ID transmitted from the portable information terminal 300 and transmitting a program menu, a request from the portable information terminal 300 And a program for executing processing for adding to the request list and a program for distributing content and related content to the signage display 200 operate in parallel. These programs are started by operating the server.

  With reference to FIG. 7, a control structure of a computer program executed in content server 100 in order to execute a process of receiving a display ID transmitted from portable information terminal 300 and transmitting a program menu will be described. This program is executed when it is determined whether or not there is access from the portable information terminal 300, and when it is determined that there is access from the portable information terminal 300 in step S1000 that waits until there is access from the portable information terminal 300. Step S1010 for receiving the display ID transmitted from the portable information terminal 300, and the relation related to the content that is executed after step S1010, specifies the signage display 200 based on the received display ID, and is distributed to the signage display 200 Step S1020 including transmitting the content program menu to the portable information terminal 300 and returning the control to Step S1000.

  With reference to FIG. 8, a control structure of a computer program executed by the content server 100 in order to execute a process of receiving a request from the portable information terminal 300 and adding it to the request list will be described. This program determines whether or not a request has been received from the portable information terminal 300, and waits until the request is received in step S1100, and if it is determined in step S1100 that the request has been received from the portable information terminal 300 It is executed if it is determined whether the received request is valid, and in step S1110 for branching the flow of control according to the determination result, and if it is determined that the received request is valid in step S1110 Step S1120 that accepts the request, adds the request to the request list 136 and log 138, and returns control to Step S1100. If it is determined in step S1110 that the received request is not valid, control returns to step S1100.

  In step S1110, the current position information of the portable information terminal 300 transmitted together with the request from the portable information terminal 300 is received, and the position information of the portable information terminal 300 and information relating to the installation position of the signage display 200 stored in advance ( Position information). If the current position of the portable information terminal 300 is in the vicinity of the signage display 200, it is determined that the request is valid, and if it is not in the vicinity of the signage display 200, it is determined that the request is not valid. The vicinity of the signage display 200 is a position where the user A of the portable information terminal 300 can photograph the two-dimensional code 50 displayed on the signage display 200. Such a position can be said to be a position where the user A who has the portable information terminal 300 is within a distance range in which the content displayed on the signage display 200 can be viewed.

  With reference to FIG. 9, a control structure of a computer program executed by the content server 100 in order to execute processing for distributing content and related content to the signage display 200 will be described. This program distributes content to the signage display 200, step S1200 is executed after step S1200, determines whether or not a request inquiry is made from the signage display 200, and waits until the request inquiry is made, and step S1210. Step S1210 is executed when it is determined that a request inquiry has been made from the signage display 200, and it is determined whether or not there is a request in the request list 136, and the flow of control is branched according to the determination result. Including. If it is determined in step S1220 that there is no request in the request list 136, the control returns to step S1200.

  The program is further executed in step S1220 when it is determined that there is a request in the request list 136, and is executed after step S1230 for selecting the optimum content with reference to the request list 136 and after step S1230. Step S1240 that deletes the request for the same content selected from the terminal from the request list 136, Step S1250 that is executed after Step S1240 and receives the position information transmitted from the requesting portable information terminal 300, and Step S1250. Step S1260 that is executed after, and determines whether the position of the portable information terminal 300 is in the vicinity of the signage display 200 and branches the control flow according to the determination result.

  In step S1230, the request management service determines the next reproduction content in consideration of the content of the request in the request list 136. The selection algorithm in step S1230 is, for example, first-come-first-served basis. In step S1240, the request management service deletes the request for the same content from the request list 136 so that the same request does not overlap the request list 136.

In the present embodiment, it is assumed that requests are transmitted to the content server 100 from a plurality of portable information terminals. For example, if the request list 136 is
(A) Request content A from terminal X (b) Request content B from terminal X (c) Request content C from terminal X (d) Request content A from terminal Y (e) Request content A from terminal X In this case, the requests (a) and (e) are requests from the same terminal X to the same content A. In such a case, in step S1240, the request (a) or the request (e) is deleted from the request list 136.

  In step S1240, the selected and transmitted request is also deleted. In step S1250, the content server 100 confirms whether or not position information has been received from the portable information terminal 300 that issued the request within a certain past time.

  In step S1260, as in step S1110, the position information of portable information terminal 300 is compared with the information (position information) relating to the installation position of signage display 200 stored in advance, and the position of portable information terminal 300 is determined to be the signage display. It is determined whether it is in the vicinity of 200. Similar to step S1110, the vicinity of the signage display 200 is a position within which the user A who has the portable information terminal 300 can view the content displayed on the signage display 200.

  The program is further executed when it is determined in step S1260 that the position of the portable information terminal 300 is in the vicinity of the signage display 200, and the request received last time is added to the request list 136 and the log 138, and the control is performed. In steps S1270 and S1260 that return to S1210, it is executed when it is determined that the position of the portable information terminal 300 is not near the signage display 200, and the request received from the portable information terminal 300 is deleted from the request list 136. Step S1280 which returns control to Step S1210 is included.

  In step S1270, the content distribution service distributes the next reproduction content determined by the request management service in step S1230 to the signage display 200. In step S1270, when the content server 100 holds the user's request, the requested session is disclosed.

  With reference to FIG. 10, a control structure of a computer program executed on signage display 200 in the digital signage system according to the present embodiment will be described. This program is started when the power is turned on.

  This program is executed after step S2000 for acquiring content distributed from the content server 100 in response to a content distribution request from the signage display 200, step S2010 for executing the acquired content, and after step S2010. And determining whether or not the content has been broadcast, and waiting until the content is broadcast. In step S2020, for example, when the content of the advertisement (1) shown in FIG. 2 is being broadcast, the process waits until the broadcast of the content of the advertisement (1) is completed.

  This program is further executed when it is determined in step S2020 that the content has been broadcast, in order to confirm whether there is a request from the portable information terminal 300 to the content server 100. In step S2030 for making a request inquiry to the list 136, executed after step S2030, determining whether or not there is a request in the request list 136, and branching the control flow according to the determination result. In step S2040, Step S2050 is executed when it is determined that there is a request and the related content transmitted from the content server 100 is received. Step S2060 is executed after step S2050 and the received related content is broadcasted. When executed after 2060, it is determined whether or not the related content has been broadcast, and waiting until the related content has been broadcast is completed. In step S2070 and step S2040, it is determined that there is no request in the request list 136. And step S2080, which selects the next content (next advertisement) of the acquired content and returns the control to step S2010.

  If it is determined in step S2070 that the related content has been broadcast, the control returns to step S2030. You may return to step S2010 once to present standard content. In step S2080, for example, when the broadcast of advertisement (1) ends in step S2020, advertisement (2), which is the next content of advertisement (1), is selected.

  With reference to FIG. 11, a control structure of a computer program executed in portable information terminal 300 in the digital signage system according to the present embodiment will be described. This program is a kind of application that is activated when an operation for using the code detection software is received. Although not shown, this application can be restarted or terminated at any time.

  This program determines whether or not a shooting instruction has been issued, and waits until the shooting instruction is issued. In step S3000, the program is executed when it is determined that a shooting instruction has been issued, and is displayed on the signage display 200. A step S3010 for continuously capturing the two-dimensional code 50 for several seconds and a step that is executed after the step S3010, extracting and analyzing the two-dimensional code 50 from the captured moving image, and the display ID and the content server 100 included in the two-dimensional code 50 This is executed after step S3020 for acquiring the address of step S3020, and after step S3030 for displaying the acquired display ID and address on the display unit 340, and for instructing access to the content server 100. Whether or not Determined, and a step S3040 to wait until the instruction access.

  This program is further executed when it is determined in step S3040 that an access instruction has been issued, and is executed after step S3050 for accessing the content server 100 using the acquired address, and after step S3050. Step S3060 for transmitting the acquired display ID, Step S3070 executed after Step S3060 and receiving a program menu transmitted from the content server 100 in response to receiving the display ID, and after Step S3070 The received program menu is displayed on the menu browser in steps S3080 and S3080, and is executed after step S3080 to determine whether or not a request issuance instruction has been issued. Up to and including the step S3090 of waiting, in step S3090, it is executed if it is determined that the issuance instruction requests have been, and step S3100 to issue the designated request to the content server 100. In step S3100, the current position information is acquired by the position detection unit 350, and the acquired position information is transmitted to the content server 100 together with the request.

  This program is further executed after step S3100, acquires current position information after a predetermined time has elapsed, and transmits the acquired position information to the content server 100, and is executed after step S3110. Step S3120 for determining whether or not the connection is disconnected and branching the control flow according to the determination result.

  If it is determined in step S3120 that the connection has not been disconnected, control returns to step S3110. If it is determined in step S3120 that the connection has been disconnected, the program ends.

[Operation]
The operation of the digital signage system according to the present embodiment based on the above-described structure and flowchart will be described with reference to FIGS.

  Referring to FIG. 12, signage display 200 issues a content distribution request to content server 100 immediately after activation. Upon receiving the distribution request, the content server 100 distributes the content to the issued signage display 200 (step S1200 shown in FIG. 9). The signage display 200 acquires content distributed from the content server 100 (step S2000 shown in FIG. 10). The signage display 200 broadcasts the acquired content (advertisement content) that interests the viewer (step S2010 shown in FIG. 10).

  Suppose that user A (viewer) of portable information terminal 300 views content broadcast on signage display 200, is interested in the content being broadcast, and wants to know more detailed content. A two-dimensional code 50 (see FIG. 2) is displayed on a part of the content broadcast on the signage display 200. User A operates portable information terminal 300 to photograph two-dimensional code 50 displayed on signage display 200 (step S3010 shown in FIG. 11). The portable information terminal 300 detects and analyzes the two-dimensional code 50 from the captured image, and acquires the display ID and address included in the two-dimensional code 50 (step S3020). The display ID is identification information for identifying the signage display 200 that broadcasts the content that the user A is interested in, and the address is an address on the network of the content server 100 that distributes the content to the signage display 200. is there.

  The portable information terminal 300 displays a message to access the server on the screen (step S3030). The portable information terminal 300 accepts an access instruction to the content server 100 by the operation of the user A (step S3040). The portable information terminal 300 accesses the content server 100 at the displayed address (step S3050), and transmits the display ID to the content server 100 (step S3060). When the content server 100 receives the display ID transmitted from the portable information terminal 300 (step S1010 shown in FIG. 7), the content server 100 specifies the signage display 200 of the display ID based on the display ID. The content server 100 further extracts a program menu of related content related to the content distributed to the specified signage display 200 from the program menu repository 134, and transmits the program menu to the portable information terminal 300 (step S1020).

  The portable information terminal 300 acquires the program menu transmitted from the content server 100 (step S3070 shown in FIG. 11), and displays the acquired program menu on the display unit 340 using the menu browser (step S3080).

  Referring to FIG. 3, in portable information terminal 300, menu screen 342 is displayed by the menu browser. The portable information terminal 300 displays the menu screen 342 and informs the user A of the advertisement (1) button 342a, the advertisement (2) button 342b, and the advertisement (3) button 342c as detailed information related to the standard advertisement content. Select one of these operations. When user A operates a button of related content that he or she is interested in (YES in step S3090 shown in FIG. 11), portable information terminal 300 accepts the operation and issues a request to content server 100 (step S3100). In response to the above operation of the user A, the portable information terminal 300 acquires the current position information of the own device by the position detection unit 350 and transmits the acquired position information to the content server 100 together with the request.

  Referring to FIG. 12 again, upon receiving a request from portable information terminal 300 (YES in step S1100 shown in FIG. 8), content server 100 determines whether the request is valid (step S1110). Specifically, content server 100 compares the position information of signage display 200 stored in advance with the position information of portable information terminal 300 to determine whether the position of portable information terminal 300 is in the vicinity of signage display 200. To do. When the position of the portable information terminal 300 is in the vicinity of the signage display 200, the received request is determined to be valid, and the request is added to the request list 136 and the log 138 (step S1120). On the other hand, when the position of the portable information terminal 300 is not near the signage display 200, it is determined that the received request is not valid, and the request is discarded without being added to the request list 136 and the log 138.

  On the signage display 200, as shown in FIG. 2, the contents of the advertisement (1) to the advertisement (3) are broadcast while being sequentially switched in time series. For example, when the content of the advertisement (1) is being broadcast, when the broadcast of the content ends (YES in step S2020 shown in FIG. 10), the signage display 200 confirms whether a request is received from the content server 100. Then, a request inquiry is made to the request management service (step S2030). When there is a request in request list 136 (YES in steps S1220 and S2040, respectively), content server 100 selects related content based on the request in request list 136 and transmits the selected related content to signage display 200. (Step S1230 shown in FIG. 9). Thereby, the related content requested by the user A is distributed to the signage display 200. Thereafter, the content server 100 deletes the request for the same content from the request list 136 (step S1240).

  The signage display 200 receives the related content corresponding to the request from the content server 100 (step S2050 shown in FIG. 10), and broadcasts the received related content (step S2060).

  On the other hand, when there is no request in request list 136 (NO in step S2040), signage display 200 selects the next content (next advertisement) of the acquired content and broadcasts the selected content. For example, when the request inquiry is made after the broadcast of the content of the advertisement (1) is completed, if there is no request in the request list 136, the signage display 200 broadcasts the content of the advertisement (2).

  Here, it is assumed that the user A of the portable information terminal 300 is reminded of something, for example, and has left the signage display 200. The portable information terminal 300 acquires position information at predetermined intervals and continues to transmit the acquired position information to the content server 100 (steps S3110 and S3120 shown in FIG. 11). The content server 100 receives the position information transmitted from the portable information terminal 300 and determines that the position of the portable information terminal 300 is not in the vicinity of the signage display 200 or transmits position information from the portable information terminal 300 for a certain period of time. If it is determined that the request has not been made, the request issued by the portable information terminal 300 is discarded and not distributed (step S1280 shown in FIG. 9).

  When the request is discarded, it is assumed that the request is completed. When there is a next request (YES in step S2040 shown in FIG. 10), the request is followed.

[Effects of the present embodiment]
As is clear from the above description, the following effects can be achieved by using the digital signage system according to the present embodiment.

  When the user A who has the portable information terminal 300 is interested in the content displayed on the signage display 200 and wants to know more detailed contents, the user A can operate the portable information terminal 300 to obtain the interesting content. The related content program menu can be acquired from the content server 100 and displayed on the portable information terminal 300. This program menu corresponds to information displayed as a menu on the touch panel display. The requested content can be broadcast on the signage display 200 by requesting display of the desired content based on the acquired program menu. In this way, when the user (viewer) selects an item in the program menu and issues a request to the request management service, the content desired by the user (viewer) is transmitted from the content server 100 to the signage display 200. Displayed. Thereby, even if it is the signage display 200 which does not have a touch-panel function, a content can be interactively displayed on the signage display 200 reflecting a viewer's intention. Therefore, necessary related information can be provided to a viewer (user) who is interested in the content displayed on the signage display 200.

  Since the content server 100 and the portable information terminal 300 are connected via the network 400, the content server 100 can identify the same user. The content server 100 can also accumulate in the log 138 information for analyzing what kind of content the user A of the portable information terminal 300 is interested in according to a request from the portable information terminal 300. By analyzing the log for each user, the effectiveness and usage tendency of the content can be fed back and confirmed, and the information provider can effectively improve the content.

  The content server 100 distributes content (program) in which a two-dimensional code is previously incorporated into a stream. Thereby, the content server 100 can easily change the code information of the two-dimensional code. Security can be improved by taking measures such as changing the code every time according to the time.

  When the content server 100 receives the request from the portable information terminal 300, the content server 100 compares the current position information of the portable information terminal 300 with information related to the installation position of the signage display 200, and the position of the portable information terminal 300 is It is determined whether it is in the vicinity. When the position of the portable information terminal 300 is in the vicinity of the signage display 200, the content server 100 receives a request transmitted from the portable information terminal 300 and adds it to the request list 136. For example, when the user A of the portable information terminal 300 is in a place far away from the signage display 200, it is difficult for the user A to view the content displayed on the signage display 200. In the present embodiment, only requests from users who can view are accepted, so that a request from a user who is difficult to view is accepted while retaining code information for identifying a signage display. It is possible to avoid display of useless content due to. Therefore, necessary information can be efficiently provided to a viewer (user) who is interested in the content displayed on the signage display 200.

  The content server 100 also deletes the request received from the portable information terminal 300 from the request list 136 when the position of the portable information terminal 300 is away from the vicinity of the signage display 200. Thereby, the display of the related content requested by the user A of the portable information terminal 300 can be terminated, and the display of the signage display 200 can be returned to the original state where the content is displayed, for example.

(Second Embodiment)
The digital signage system according to the present embodiment has the same configuration as the digital signage system according to the first embodiment. However, in the present embodiment, the related content desired by the user can be registered in the content server, and the related content registered in the content server can be displayed on the mobile information terminal by a request from the mobile information terminal. This is different from the first embodiment in that it is displayed on the screen.

  The digital signage system according to the present embodiment has the same hardware configuration as the digital signage system according to the first embodiment. However, the programs stored in the content server and the portable information terminal are different from those in the first embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, the content server receives a request from the portable information terminal, and then receives a URL (Uniform Resource) that can call the temporary storage area of the related content corresponding to the request at the timing of step S1110 shown in FIG. Locator) is provisionally determined. The content server returns the tentatively determined URL to the portable information terminal as a response to the request from the portable information terminal.

  The content server selects the related content in step S1230 shown in FIG. 9, and stores the selected related content in a storage area (temporary storage area) that can be called with the temporarily determined URL. When the content server receives a request for the URL from the mobile information terminal, the content server transmits the related content stored in the temporary storage area to the mobile information terminal. The related content stored in the temporary storage area is deleted at an appropriate timing such as one week later.

  In this Embodiment which has the said structure, even after a user leaves a signage display, the said user can reconfirm the content of a related content at a favorite timing with a portable information terminal.

(Third embodiment)
The digital signage system according to the present embodiment is configured to be able to print the contents of related content registered in the content server by operating the portable information terminal in the second embodiment.

  The digital signage system according to the present embodiment has the same hardware configuration as the digital signage system according to the second embodiment. However, the programs and the like stored in the content server and the portable information terminal are different from those in the second embodiment.

  Printing of the content of related content is executed by an image forming apparatus such as a printer or a multifunction peripheral connected to the content server via the network. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the image forming apparatus is installed in a store (for example, a convenience store) near the signage display. On the portable information terminal, a menu screen similar to the menu screen shown in FIG. 3 is displayed, and a print button (not shown) is displayed on the menu screen. When the user operates the print button at the timing of transmitting the request, the portable information terminal transmits a print request together with the request. The content server accepts the print request at the timing of step S1100 shown in FIG. 8 along with the request from the portable information terminal.

  The content server transmits the requested content to the signage display at the timing of step S1270 shown in FIG. At the same time, the content server converts the requested content into print data and transmits it to the image forming apparatus installed in the vicinity of the signage display. The content server stores in advance a table in which a signage display and an image forming apparatus are associated with each other. This table also stores the destination (for example, IP address and URL) of the image forming apparatus. The content server refers to the table before distributing the related content to the signage display, and determines whether there is an image forming apparatus corresponding to the signage display that transmits the related content. If it is determined that there is a corresponding image forming apparatus, the destination of the image forming apparatus is read from the table, and the print data is transmitted to the destination image forming apparatus. When receiving print data from the content server, the image forming apparatus executes print processing using the received print data.

  In the present embodiment having the above-described configuration, the user can print information (contents) displayed on the signage display with a predetermined image forming apparatus as necessary.

[Modification]
In the above embodiment, the configuration of the digital signage system including one content server, one signage display, and one portable information terminal has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. The number of content servers, signage displays, and portable information terminals may be one or more.

  In the above embodiment, an example in which a liquid crystal display is used as a signage display has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. The signage display may be a display device other than a liquid crystal display. For example, as a signage display, a large video device (LED display) using LEDs (Light Emitting Diode) as display elements may be used.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which content in which a two-dimensional code is previously incorporated into a stream is distributed has been described, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. A configuration other than the above configuration may be used as long as the display ID and the server address can be indicated for the portable information terminal. For example, the structure etc. which affix a 2D code | cord | chord as a seal | sticker on the frame of a signage display, etc. may be sufficient.

  In the said embodiment, although the example which displays a two-dimensional code on a signage display as an identification code containing display ID was shown, this invention is not limited to such embodiment. An identification code other than the two-dimensional code may be used as long as the identification code can indicate the display ID and the server address.

  In the above embodiment, the position information of the portable information terminal is transmitted to the content server, and an example of determining whether to accept a request and whether to delete the accepted request according to the position information has been shown. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, the configuration may be such that the location information is not transmitted from the portable information terminal to the content server.

  In the above embodiment, an example has been shown in which content including a plurality of advertisements is distributed from the content server to the signage display, and one of the advertisements is selected from the program menu displayed on the portable information terminal. It is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, the content distributed to the signage display may include one advertisement. Furthermore, a plurality of pieces of information related to one advertisement (content) are prepared, and a desired program can be selected from the plurality of programs (information) for the advertisement in which the user (viewer) is interested. You may comprise as follows.

  The embodiment disclosed herein is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above. The scope of the present invention is indicated by each claim of the claims after taking into account the description of the detailed description of the invention, and all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the wording described therein are included. Including.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Content server 120,220,330 Communication part 130,240 Storage part 132 Content repository 134 Program menu repository 200 Signage display 230,340 Display part 250 Content cache 300 Portable information terminal 320 Camera part 350 Position detection part 400 Network

Claims (8)

A server device that distributes content, a display device that is connected to the server device via a network and displays content distributed from the server device, and a portable information terminal that is connected to the server device via the network Including a digital signage system,
The display device
Content display means for displaying content and / or related content related to the content;
An identification code display means for displaying an identification code including the address of the server device and identification information of the own device ,
The portable information terminal
Identification information acquisition means for reading the identification code displayed on the display device by the identification code display means, and acquiring the address of the server device and the identification information;
Communication means for establishing communication with the server device using the address acquired by the identification information acquisition means;
Wherein based on the identification information acquiring unit acquires identification information, from the server device, the list acquiring means for acquiring the program list of relevant content related to content displayed on the display device corresponding to the identification information When,
Display operation means for displaying the program list acquired by the list acquisition means and receiving a touch operation on the displayed program list;
Display request means for requesting the server device to display desired related content based on the acquired program list in response to the touch operation accepted by the display operation means ,
The server device
Content distribution means for distributing content and / or related content requested by the display request means to the display device;
The digital signage system, wherein the content display means includes means for switching the display to display the received related content in response to receiving the related content distributed by the content distribution means. Before Symbol portable information terminal,
Further comprising identification information transmitting means for transmitting the identification information acquired by the identification information acquiring means to the server device in which communication is established by the communication means;
Before Symbol server device,
Storage means for storing content and a program list related to the content;
Request management means for accepting and managing requests transmitted from the portable information terminal;
List transmission means for receiving identification information transmitted from the portable information terminal and transmitting a program list of related content related to the content displayed on the display device corresponding to the identification information to the portable information terminal The digital signage system according to claim 1, further comprising: The display device further includes request inquiry means for inquiring the request from the portable information terminal to the server device,
The request management means selects one request from the accepted requests in response to the request inquiry by the request inquiry means, and determines related content corresponding to the selected request as content to be distributed next. The digital signage system according to claim 2, further comprising: The digital signage system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the content distribution unit includes a unit for distributing content including the identification code. The portable information terminal further includes position information transmission means for acquiring current position information of the own device and transmitting the acquired current position information to the server device,
The server device
Position information receiving means for receiving current position information transmitted from the portable information terminal;
Based on the received identification information, further including means for obtaining information regarding the installation position of the display device corresponding to the identification information,
The request management means includes
In response to receiving the request from the portable information terminal, the portable information terminal compares the current position information of the portable information terminal with information related to the installation position of the display device, and the portable information terminal receives a predetermined value from the display device. 3. The digital signage system according to claim 2, comprising means for accepting a request transmitted from the portable information terminal in response to the condition that the mobile terminal is located within a distance range being satisfied. The portable information terminal further includes position information transmission means for acquiring current position information of the own device and transmitting the acquired current position information to the server device,
The server device
Position information receiving means for receiving current position information transmitted from the portable information terminal;
Based on the received identification information, means for obtaining information regarding the installation position of the display device corresponding to the identification information;
In response to the satisfaction of the condition that the portable information terminal is separated from the display device by a predetermined distance by comparing the current position information of the portable information terminal and information related to the installation position of the display device. The digital signage system according to claim 2, further comprising: means for deleting a request received from the portable information terminal.   The digital signage system according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the predetermined distance is a distance at which the portable information terminal can acquire identification information displayed on the display device. A server device connected to a display device and a portable information terminal via a network,
Storage means for storing content and a program list related to the content;
Content distribution means for distributing content to the display device;
The identification information of the display device transmitted from the portable information terminal is received, and a program list of related content related to the content displayed on the display device corresponding to the identification information is received based on the received identification information. List transmission means for transmitting to the portable information terminal;
Receiving a request for display of related content from the portable information terminal based on the program list, and related content distribution means for distributing the requested related content to the display device;
The content distribution unit is configured to distribute to the display device content in which an identification code including an address of the server device and identification information of the display device is displayed in a manner obtainable by the portable information terminal. means only including,
The list transmission means receives identification information transmitted from the portable information terminal using the address, and displays a program list of related contents related to the content displayed on the display device corresponding to the identification information. A server device including means for transmitting to a portable information terminal in a mode in which an operation on a program list can be performed on the portable information terminal .

Images