KR20020043520A - Method and System for Providing Information Associated With an Object Having an Identification Symbol Which Is Physically Readable, Using a Cellular Phone - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A method and a system for providing information associated with an object comprising a physically readable identification symbol using a cellular phone are provided to obtain information on an object existing in the real world from the virtual world and to offer it to a user. CONSTITUTION: An identification symbol(103) is inscribed on an object(101) that exists in the real world(151). Basic information(105) on the object(101) makes associated with the identification symbol(103)(152). A user terminal acts on the object(101) physically and reads the identification symbol(103) according to the user's operation(153). Then, based on the read identification symbol(103), the user terminal searches for the basic information(105) of the object(101)(154). Based on the searched basic information, the user terminal searches information(107) related to the object through a network(155). The user terminal connects the related information(107) with the basic information(105). Referring to the searched basic information(105), the user terminal provides the related information(107) connected with the basic information(105) to the user(156).

Description

Method and System for Providing Information Associated With an Object Having an Identification Symbol Which Is Physically Readable, Using a Cellular Phone}

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for reading a mark imprinted on an object and retrieving information related to the object on which the mark was imprinted by referring to the read mark, in particular, marking the mark on the object. An apparatus for reading the marked markers through a reader and transmitting information about the read markers to a central server through the network, wherein the central server retrieves the information related to the object based on the information on the markers and transmits the information to the user; It is about a method.

In order to search for information about various objects in the real world, especially commodities, the book is searched for as a representative source of information or through the Internet, which has recently emerged as one of the most extensive sources of information.

For example, a consumer who wants to purchase a product often searches directly for related books or searches related materials through the Internet in order to find out information about the product to be purchased in advance. At this time, the book or the Internet is searched for by referring to information that can identify the product, for example, the name of the product or a product number provided by the manufacturer. That is, the consumer may separately record information identifying the product, that is, the name or product number of the product, and go directly to the library where the book can be found or directly to a terminal that can access the Internet. Based on the recorded product identification information, relevant information is retrieved through the library's computer or an internet search engine.

In addition, if you want to obtain a wider range of information related to an article or broadcast program that you have received through newspapers or broadcasts, record information that identifies the article or broadcast program, that is, the name or keyword of the article or broadcast program separately. As in the previous example, you should look for books in the library or search for relevant information through the Internet.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for retrieving information about an object in the real world from a virtual world via a network and providing it to a user.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for retrieving information about a certain product existing in the real world from a virtual world through a network and providing the user with an optimal purchase behavior based on the information. .

An object related information retrieval method according to the present invention for achieving the above object is a method for retrieving related information related to an object including a physically readable identification symbol through a network to provide to a user, the identification of the object Associating a symbol with basic information of the object, retrieving related information related to the object through a network based on the basic information of the object, and linking the retrieved related information of the object with the basic information of the object. The method may further include: reading the identification symbol by physically acting on the object through a user-side terminal device, retrieving basic information of the object with reference to the read identification symbol, and referencing the basic information with reference to the object. Providing the user with relevant information linked to the basic information. It should.

In addition, the object-related information retrieval system according to the present invention, in the system for providing a user by searching the relevant information related to the object including a physically readable identification symbol via a network, the identification symbol, the basic information of the object And a first recording area for recording a correlation between the identification symbol of the object and the basic information of the object, retrieving means for retrieving related information related to the object via a network based on the basic information of the object, A host computer including a second recording area for recording interlocking relations between the retrieved related information of the object and the basic information of the object and the related information of the object, and for reading the identification symbol by physically acting on the object. Reading means, the temporary storage number for temporarily storing the read identification symbol Using transmission means for transmitting the temporarily stored identification symbol to the host computer via a network, receiving means for receiving the related information transmitted from the host computer, and the related information received through the receiving means. And a user side terminal apparatus including means for providing to the user, wherein the host computer includes: receiving means for receiving an identification symbol sent by the user side terminal apparatus, and related information recorded in the second recording area; And transmitting means for transmitting to a user side terminal device, wherein the host computer extracts basic information of the object with reference to the identification symbol received by the receiving means, and references the basic information of the extracted object with the basic information. Relevant information linked with the information can be retrieved from the network. The records in the second recording area.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a process in which one embodiment of a method according to the invention is performed;

2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a database structure in a server according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a process for providing related information to a user in accordance with the present invention.

4 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a process in a case where a user who has been provided with relevant information requests a specific service according to the present invention.

5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process of modifying and editing a part of related information by a user who is provided with related information according to the present invention.

* Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings

101: objects in the real world

103: object identification information

105: basic information

107: Related information accessible over the network

An embodiment of a method for retrieving relevant information related to an object in the real world according to the present invention through a network and providing the same to a user will be described.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a process in which an embodiment of a method according to the present invention is performed. The method illustrated in FIG. 1 relates to a process for retrieving information about an object 101 existing in the real world from a virtual world through a network and providing the same to a user.

In order to implement the method shown in FIG. 1, an object identifier 103, basic information 105, and relevant information 107 accessible via a network must be defined in relation to the object 101 of the real world. The identification symbol 103 refers to a symbol used for identifying an object. The identification symbol 103 is information to be imprinted on the object 101 of the real world. The basic information 105 is basic information 105 representing attributes of the object. The basic information 105 is preferably recorded in a server on the network. Alternatively, the basic information 105 may be recorded in the terminal device. Through the relation between the identification symbol 103 and the basic information 105, an attribute of the object 101 on which the identification symbol 103 is imprinted can be retrieved. The related information 107 is information that can be accessed through the network and refers to various kinds of information on the network that can be referred to through the basic information 105 of the object. The related information 107 may be present in a server on the network or may be present in another source on the network.

According to the method shown in FIG. 1, an identification symbol 103 for identifying the object 101 is imprinted in a physically readable form on the object 101 existing in the real world. Alternatively, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the identification symbol 103 for identifying the object may be imprinted on the object 101 existing in the real world through a separate process 151 (151).

Subsequently, the basic information 105 about the object 101 of the real world is associated with the identification symbol 103 stamped on the object 101 (152).

According to the user's operation, the user terminal device reads the identification symbol 103 by physically acting on the object 101 in the real world (153).

Subsequently, the basic information 105 of the object 101 is retrieved by referring to the read identification symbol 103 (154). As described above, when the basic information 105 is recorded in the server, the user terminal device transmits the read identification symbol 103 to the server via the network, and the server associates the basic information with the identification symbol 103. Information 105 is retrieved. On the other hand, when the basic information 105 is recorded in the terminal device, the user side terminal device itself searches for the basic information 105.

Based on the retrieved basic information, relevant information 107 related to the object is searched through the network (155). Then, the related information of the searched object is linked with the basic information 105 of the object.

The related information 107 linked with the basic information 105 is provided to the user by referring to the basic information 105 found above (156).

The user can utilize the provided related information 107 as a reference for various actions in the real world (157).

Additionally, the user can update the basic information 105 with reference to the provided related information. At this time, when the basic information 105 is in a server on the network, the user transmits an update command to the server via the user terminal device. When the basic information 105 is in the user side terminal device, the user directly operates the terminal device to update the basic information 105.

The user may also want to select only a part of the information from the provided related information 107 and record it in a separate recording area. In this manner, the information selected by the user may be recorded on the recording medium of the server, or may be recorded on the recording medium of the user terminal device.

Preferably, the server measures the user's behavior and server usage statistics while monitoring the process of the user reading the identification symbol 103 of the object 101 by using the terminal device.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the process according to the present invention as shown in FIG. 1 will be described in more detail at each step.

The process of assigning and stamping identification symbols on objects

First, a symbol for identifying each object is assigned to each object according to a predetermined rule. As an example of identification symbol assignment, a new unique identification symbol scheme is created to identify certain objects. Alternatively, existing bar code schemes such as UPC / EAN bar codes, such as those already attached to existing products, may be used. When using the existing barcode system as it is, the barcode printed on the product or the package of the product is used as the identification symbol of the product.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, it is also possible to assign a unique user identification symbol to each user. In this embodiment, an identification symbol including a user identification symbol is assigned to an object for which the user requests assignment. Thus, the identification symbol of the object includes a user identification symbol portion and an object identification symbol portion. In such a case, it is possible to identify the object through the identification symbol and to identify the user, for example the owner or provider, associated with the object.

After the identification symbols have been assigned to the object, each identification symbol is imprinted on the object in a physically readable form. This marking process may be by printing a one-dimensional or two-dimensional bar code on the object or the package of the object.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the identification symbol of the object may be the unique property of the object itself, such as the appearance, color, taste, aroma, etc. of the object. In this case, the process of separately assigning the identification symbol of the object and the process of imprinting the identification symbol on the object are omitted.

The process of associating the object's identifying symbols with the object's basic information

The basic information 105 of the object is basic information 105 representing attributes of the object. Through the relation between the identification symbol 103 and the basic information 105, it is possible to retrieve the basic attribute of the object 101 in which the identification symbol 103 is carved. This basic information 105 serves as a reference word or keyword for retrieving the relevant information of the object from various sources on the network. The basic information may be a URL specifying a specific site of the Internet related to the object.

The basic information 105 is preferably recorded in a server on the network. That is, in the server on the network, association information between the basic information 105 and the identification information stamped on the object is recorded together with the basic information 105 about various objects. The server builds a separate database and records associations with basic information and identification information of objects in the database.

2 schematically illustrates a database structure in a server according to an embodiment of the present invention. The database shown in FIG. 2 is an example of recording identification information, basic information, and correlation information about products such as CDs, DVDs, and books. In the example shown in FIG. 2, an EAN barcode is used as an identification code.

In FIG. 2, Field item 201 represents a data item in the database. The CD item 202, the DVD item 203, and the book item 204 represent the contents of each data item when the trade names are CD, DVD, and book, respectively.

In the GOD_CD item 212, a bar code of up to 20 characters is recorded in 13 digits. For example, when the goods recorded in the database in the server are CDs, DVDs, and books, 13-digit barcodes are recorded. In the GOD_GB item 213, a flag indicating whether or not the barcode conforms to the standard barcode system of one character size is recorded. In the example of FIG. 2, CDs, DVDs, and books are recorded as A since they follow the bar code system of the EAN standard. The GOD_NM1 item 214 records a trade name of up to 100 characters in size. In the GOD_NM2 item 215, a second trade name of up to 100 characters in size is recorded. For example, when the product is a CD, an album name is recorded in the GOD_NM1 item 214 and an artist name is recorded in the GOD_NM2 item 215. In the DIS_CD4 item 216, a specific code for distinguishing each kind of goods having a maximum size of 6 characters is recorded. In the COUNTRY_CD item 217, the country of origin of each product is recorded. The VENDOR_CD item 219 records the manufacturer code of each product having a maximum size of 8 characters. In the VENDOR_URL item 219, the manufacturer URL of each product having a maximum size of 8 characters is recorded. The DIS_NM item 221 records product classification information of up to 50 characters in size.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the basic information 105 may be recorded in the terminal device. In such a case, it is preferable to also record the relation between the basic information 105 of the object and the identification information in the terminal device. In this case, the association between the basic information and the identification information of the object is recorded in the recording medium of the terminal device.

In still another embodiment of the present invention, when the user identification symbol is included in the identification symbol, it is preferable to record basic information about the user in the server. In such a case, it is also necessary to record the association between the user identifier and the basic information about the user. When assigning a user identification symbol to a user, user basic information is also input directly from the user and stored in a database.

In one embodiment of the present invention, in the case of using a barcode or the like previously printed on various products as the identification symbol, the linkage between the identification symbol and the basic information is achieved through a link to the database of the organization that issued the barcode. can do. Alternatively, a separate program, for example, a program such as an agent, may be driven to automatically update a link to basic information related to the barcode. When the identification symbol is a barcode of the product, the basic information may include attribute information of the product such as a brand name, a manufacturer, a manufacturing date, a shape, a taste, and a color.

The process of physically acting on an object to read identification symbols

The user terminal device physically acts on the object and reads out an identification symbol imprinted on the object. When the identification symbol is a bar code that has been used previously, a bar code scanner is mounted on the user terminal device so that the bar code scanner performs a reading function.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the identification symbol is imprinted on the object or the packaging of the object in a form that the user can recognize. In this case, the user recognizes the identification symbol and inputs the value directly into the terminal device. Subsequently, the terminal device decodes the value input by the user through the embedded software to derive the identification symbol of the object. For example, when the identification symbol is an existing barcode, for example, the user may directly input the number printed with the barcode to the terminal device. In one embodiment of the invention, the terminal device is a cellular telephone. In this case, the user recognizes the identification symbol and enters the number corresponding to the identification symbol directly into the cellular telephone. If the terminal device is a cellular telephone, a barcode reader may be attached to the cellular telephone to read the barcode directly using the cellular telephone.

In addition, the user terminal device may read a barcode using a dedicated wired barcode reader and store the barcode in a memory of the barcode reader. In this case, the bar code input to the user terminal device may be connected to the PC via wires such as serial and USB to be transmitted to the PC.

The process of retrieving basic information of an object by referring to the identifying symbol

First, the user terminal device transmits the read identification symbol to the server on the network. The server then retrieves the basic information associated with the identifier that has been sent while querying the database.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, basic information of various goods is recorded in the recording medium of the terminal device. In this case, the retrieval of the basic information associated with the identification information is made in the terminal device.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, after transmitting the read identification symbol to the server on the network, the server runs a program such as an agent to retrieve basic information recorded in a separate server on the network.

The process of retrieving and linking related information distributed among various sources on the network based on the basic information.

The server transforms the basic information into a form that can be used to retrieve related information distributed over various sources on the network. That is, the server extracts a search word or keyword that can be used to search for related information from the basic information. The relevant information is various information related to the object in question at any source on the network. Such related information includes the selling price of the object, the period of use, sales information, and the like.

The server searches for relevant information related to the object from various sources on the network by referring to a keyword or keyword created from the basic information.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, using a program such as an agent, a search word or keyword is transmitted to another server on a network, and then another server searches for related information by referring to the search word or keyword. Such other servers preferably have a search engine function that can retrieve various related information. Then, a program such as an agent receives the search results from the other server.

The server then links the basic information with the related information on the network. Only such interworking information, for example link information, is stored in the server's database.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the retrieved related information may be temporarily stored in a database of a server. This is to perform a search operation more quickly and efficiently for a search request for the same object of the same user.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, even when there is no request for retrieving the related information from the user terminal device, the related information may be periodically searched automatically based on the basic information to continuously update the database on the server. In this case, after the user terminal device reads the identification symbol of the object, it is possible to reduce the time until the search for the related information is completed.

The process of providing the user with relevant information linked to the basic information of the object

The server provides the user with various related information linked with the basic information. That is, the server transmits the relevant information to the user side terminal device, and the user side terminal device displays the related information transmitted from the server to the user through display means or the like.

3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of providing related information to a user. When the related information providing process is started (301), the server creates a list (302) of a server (hereinafter referred to as "search server") to be searched for related information related to the basic information. Subsequently, the basic information is transformed and transmitted into a form that the search server can use for searching (303). The search server searches for the related information by using the modified basic information received (304). The server provides 306 the user with or without processing the relevant information retrieved from the search server.

The relevant information provided to the user includes market price information of the object, user's use by another user, auction or reverse auction information on the Internet, and the like.

Users can use the relevant information provided for activities such as purchasing products, participating in auctions, participating in reverse auctions, sending information retrieved to the community, and sending information retrieved by email.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, when a user wants to take a specific activity after viewing the related information, the user's request for the activity is referred to as a server providing the related information (hereinafter referred to as "related server"). Is sent. The relevant server performs various additional processes to meet the needs of the user. For example, if a user is provided with information about an internet shopping mall of an object and wants to purchase an object by accessing the internet shopping mall, the user's request is transmitted directly to the internet shopping mall via a network, where the purchase is performed. Will be.

4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process in a case where a user who is provided with relevant information requests a specific service according to the present invention. First, when a user requests additional services or additional services are available according to the user's actions, the user may display or provide a button on the user terminal device to ask the user whether to perform the additional services (402). When the user requests a supplementary service by pressing a button (403), the user's request is transmitted to the related server, and the related server performs the service requested by the user (404). Subsequently, the result of the service transmitted by the relevant server is provided to the user as it is, or processed and provided (405).

In another embodiment of the present invention, a user who has received the related information may request the server to process additional information based on the related information. For example, when the user is provided with related information including two or more price information, the user may want to receive information about a shopping mall that can guarantee the lowest price among the provided price information. In this case, the server analyzes the relevant information and provides only relevant information related to the Internet shopping mall that can guarantee the cheapest price information to the user. When the related information is price information, sale information, auction and reverse auction information of the product, the user may request the server to optimally purchase the product. In this case, the server automatically participates in auctions and reverse auctions, analyzes sales information and price information, and performs an optimal purchase request.

The process of adding or modifying basic information by the user

The user who has been provided with the relevant information can modify and edit some of the related information. Through this process, the basic information of the server can be updated by the user. This process is particularly effective when there is no basic information about the object for which the user has requested a search or there is an error. If there is no basic information or there is an error, retrieval of the related information is not performed correctly, so that the basic information is updated by the user who received the result.

5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process of modifying and editing a part of related information by a user provided with related information according to the present invention. First, basic information is retrieved through the identification number read by the user terminal device (502). It is determined whether the basic information exists (503). If the basic information exists, it is determined whether the basic information is correct (504). If it is determined that the basic information is correct, the relevant information is retrieved based on the basic information (505). If the basic information is incorrect, the user is asked whether the basic information has been changed (506). If the user does not want to change the basic information, the relevant information is retrieved based on the existing basic information (507). If the user wants to change the basic information, he branches to the basic information adding routine which will be described later. If it is determined in the above-described basic information existence step 503 that the basic information does not exist, the user is asked whether to add the basic information (508). If the user does not want to add basic information, the relevant information search is incomplete and notifies the user (509). If the user wants to add the basic information, the user enters the basic information (510). The management server determines whether the basic information input by the user is authentic (511). It is determined whether the basic information input by the user is correct (512). If it is determined that the basic information input by the user is correct, the basic information database is updated (513). If the basic information entered by the user is not correct, the operation is terminated.

The process by which a user records evaluation information about an object

The user can record the subjective evaluation information about the specific object in the server. For example, if a particular object is a product, the user can record the grade of the product on the server. The evaluation information of the user is recorded as the evaluation information together with the basic information about the article of the server.

Such user's evaluation information is provided to the other user together with the basic information of the article when the other user requests a search for related information about the article. As a result, the user can view the evaluation information of various users regarding the article.

In addition, the evaluation information of other users with respect to the evaluation information of the user can also be recorded in the server. Thereby, it is possible to provide not only the user's evaluation information on the said article but also the reliability of the user's evaluation information itself to other users.

The process of recording your search results data

The method according to the invention may comprise the step of recording the history of the object identification code reading of the user. In such a case, when object identification code information is transmitted from a user's terminal device, a recording area is issued to a user who wants to use the server, and a recording area is provided on the server for recording the history of reading the object identification code. It is recorded in real time every time. The search history of such a user can be utilized as a reference for searching and processing related information to be provided to the user.

In addition, in some cases, after the user is provided with the relevant information, the user may wish to selectively record the related information in the server. In such a case, the relevant information recording area is provided in the server, and only the relevant information selected by the user is recorded in the related information recording area. A case where the object read by the user is a medium in which information such as a newspaper or a magazine is described will be described as an example. In this case, the user reads through the terminal apparatus the identification symbol assigned to the article of the newspaper or magazine in order to receive the related information related to the article in the newspaper or magazine. Subsequently, when the related information is provided to the user from various sources on the network through the above-described process, the user sends a command to the server to select and record only the desired information among the related information. The server records only the relevant information selected by the user in the recording area provided in the server. As a result, the user can easily scrap an article of a newspaper or magazine touched in the real space into the virtual space.

Application of the present invention

In the following, an example of practical application of the basic process of the present invention will be described.

First, a case where an object to be searched for related information is a general product will be described as an example. In this case, the identification symbol is printed in one or two dimensions on the product or the surface of the product. The basic information can be the basic attributes of the product, such as the manufacturer of the product, the general consumption price, the specification of the product, and other tastes, aromas, and properties. The related information may be usage information, sales information, auction and reverse auction information about the product from various servers. In this way, the user who has encountered the product in the actual space can receive the information necessary for the act of purchasing the product from the virtual space by reading the relevant information about the product.

A case where an object to be searched for related information is a medium for providing various multimedia contents will be described. In this case, an object to be searched for related information is a medium on which multimedia contents such as video tape, DVD, and CD are recorded. The identification symbol is printed in one or two dimensions on the surface of the package or exterior of the multimedia medium. The basic information may be a copyright holder, a producer, a genre, and a simple content of the multimedia content. The related information may be a compressed file available through a network of the multimedia content, a viewer of another user, and performance information. Thus, the user reads only the identification symbol of the desired DVD to the terminal device at a store that sells the multimedia content, for example, a DVD, and receives the multimedia content recorded on the DVD directly through the network for viewing. You can do it.

The case where the object to search for related information is a newspaper article or a broadcast program is explained. In this case, the identification symbol is recorded in the newspaper together with the newspaper article, and in the case of a broadcast program, is recorded in a newspaper provided with the broadcast or guiding contents of the broadcast program. The basic information is the title and basic article content of the newspaper article or broadcast program. The related information may be related newspaper article or related detailed information of the broadcast program and related articles. Thus, when a user reads a newspaper or a broadcast and reads an article or program of interest, the user can read the identification symbol through the terminal device so that the article or program can be scraped to a server on the network or related information can be retrieved. Do.

According to the present invention, a user who encounters an object present in the real space can receive information on various virtual spaces of the object in real time without delay.

In addition, when the object is a product, by providing the user with a variety of price information and sales information about the product in a virtual space, it can help the user to buy the product. In this way, the user can search for the lowest price for the product he / she wants to purchase in real time, thereby making it possible to perform an optimal purchasing action for the product. In addition, by providing the user with price information on the product along with link information on an internet shopping mall selling the product, the user can perform online purchase of the product in real time.

Claims (11)

A method for using a cellular telephone terminal device to retrieve, via a network, relevant information relating to an object comprising a physically readable identification symbol for a user; Associating an identification symbol of the object with basic information of the object, Retrieving related information related to the object through a network based on basic information of the object, Interlocking the found related information of the object with basic information of the object, Physically acting on the object via the user side cellular telephone terminal device to read the identification symbol, Retrieving basic information of the object with reference to the read identification symbol, and Providing related information linked to the basic information to the user by referring to the basic information of the object; How to include. The method of claim 1, And the identification symbol comprises a user identification symbol assigned to each user. The method of claim 1, Basic information of the object is recorded in a database of a server connected to a network, Searching for basic information of the object Transmitting, by the user side cellular telephone terminal device, the identification symbol to a server via a network; and The server querying the database to retrieve basic information associated with the transmitted identifying symbol How to include. The method of claim 1, Basic information of the object is recorded in a recording area of the user-side cellular telephone terminal device; Searching for basic information of the object And the user side cellular telephone terminal device retrieves a recording area to retrieve basic information associated with the read identification symbol. The method of claim 1, The identification symbol is printed on the surface of the object or the package of the object in a form readable by a barcode scanner, The user-side cellular telephone terminal device comprises a barcode scanner, And the reading of the identification symbol comprises the barcode scanner reading the identification symbol printed on the surface of the object or the package of the object. The method of claim 1, The identification symbol is printed on the surface of the object or the packaging of the object in a form that can be recognized by the user, The reading of the identifying symbol further comprises the step of the user inputting the identifying symbol directly into a cellular telephone to read it. The method of claim 1, Searching for the related information through a network; Modifying the basic information for use in retrieving the relevant information on the network; Providing the modified basic information as a keyword to a search engine capable of searching for various information on the network; Receiving a search result of the search engine How to include more. The method of claim 1, After providing the relevant information to the user Receiving notification of change of the basic information from the user; and Changing the basic information as requested by the user when the user requests the change of the basic information How to include more. The method of claim 1, Receiving notification from the user whether or not to add evaluation information about the object, and When the user requests the addition of the evaluation information, receiving and recording the evaluation information from the user More, Providing the relevant information further includes providing evaluation information for the article. The method of claim 1, After providing the relevant information to the user Receiving notification of whether the related information is selected by the user; and Recording the related information when the user selects the related information How to include more. A system for retrieving relevant information related to an object including a physically readable identification symbol through a network to a user, A first recording area for recording an association between the identification symbol, the basic information of the object, and the identification symbol of the object and the basic information of the object, and related information related to the object based on the basic information of the object. A search means for searching through, a host computer including a second recording area for recording an interlocking relationship between the related information of the object and the basic information of the object and the related information of the object, and Reading means for physically acting on the object to read the identification symbol, temporary storage means for temporarily storing the read identification symbol, transmission means for transmitting the temporary stored identification symbol to the host computer via a network; A user side cellular telephone terminal device including receiving means for receiving the related information transmitted from the host computer, and means for providing the related information received through the receiving means to a user, The host computer further includes receiving means for receiving an identification symbol transmitted by the user side cellular telephone terminal device, and transmission means for transmitting related information recorded in the second recording area to the user side cellular telephone terminal device. , The host computer extracts the basic information of the object with reference to the identification symbol received by the receiving means, retrieves the relevant information linked with the basic information from the network by referring to the basic information of the extracted object and generates the first information. 2 A system for recording in the recording area.