Information providing system and information providing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10278007-B2
Application number	US-201715666363-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 1, 2017
Priority date	Mar 20, 2015
Publication date	Apr 30, 2019
Grant date	Apr 30, 2019

Abstract

A portable terminal obtains a first code used to obtain provision information and a second code, different from the first code, from a communication device. The portable terminal transmits the first and second codes to an information processing device, receives the provision information from the information processing device as a response to the transmission, and outputs the received provision information. The information processing device includes a first storage unit storing the first code and a second storage unit storing, by associating, the second code and the provision information. The information processing device receives the first and second codes from the portable terminal, obtains provision information associated with the received second code from the second storage unit when the received first code is stored in the first storage unit, and transmits the obtained provision information to the portable terminal. The first code is deleted in exiting from a specific area.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An information providing method to he executed in an information providing system including a portable terminal and an information processing device, the information providing method comprising:
obtaining, by the portable terminal, a first code used to obtain provision information;
obtaining, by the portable terminal, a second code from a communication device arranged in a specific area, the second code being different from the first code;
transmitting, by the portably terminal, the first code and the second code to the information processing device;
receiving, by the information processing device, the first code and the second code from the portable terminal, the information processing device including:
a first storage configured to store the first code,
a second storage configured to store the second code and the provision information in association with each other, and
a third storage configured to store the provision information, positional information of an exhibition article, and a notification time indicating a time of notifying the provision information in advance, in association with each other;

determining, by the information processing device, whether the first code received from the portable terminal is stored in the first storage;
obtaining, by the information processing device when the first code is determined to be stored in the first storage, the provision information stored in the second storage and that is associated with the second code received from the portable terminal;
transmitting, by the information processing device, the provision information and the position information to the portable terminal when the portable terminal is within a predetermined range and the notification time is reached;
receiving, by the portable terminal, the provision information from the information processing device in response to the transmitting the first code and the second code; and
outputting, by the portable terminal, the received provision information.

2. The information providing method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
capturing, by the portable terminal, an image of an information-embedded pattern; and
deleting, by the portable terminal, the first code from the portable terminal depending on the image capturing of the information-embedded pattern including information that invalidates the first code, wherein
the first code is obtained depending on the image capturing of the information-embedded pattern including the first code.

3. The information providing method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
generating, by the portable terminal, an information-embedded pattern including the first code; and
displaying, by the portable terminal, the information-embedded pattern, the first code being obtained from the information processing device;
capturing, by the information processing device, a first image of the information-embedded pattern displayed by the portable terminal;
receiving, by the information processing device, the first code from an entrance device that controls to open an entrance gate of the specific area;
determining, by the information processing device, whether the first code received from the entrance device is stored in the first storage;
instructing, by the information processing device, the entrance device to open the entrance gate when the first code is determined to be stored in the first storage;
capturing, by the information processing device, a second image of the information-embedded pattern displayed by the portable terminal;
receiving, by the information processing device, a request for deleting the first code from an exit device that controls to open an exit gate of the specific area;
deleting, by the information processing device when receiving the deletion request from the exit device, the first code from the first storage; and
instructing, by the information processing device, the exit device to open the exit gate when the first code is deleted from the first storage.

4. The information providing method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
confirming, by the portable terminal, a connection with the communication device; and
outputting, by the portable terminal, the provision information while the connection with the communication device is confirmed.

5. The information providing method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
registering, by the information processing device in a history storage, by associating as a history, user information of a user that carries the portable terminal, the first code, the second code, and communication identifying information that identifies the communication device that provides the second code when the first code and the second code are received from the portable terminal; and
referring to, by the information processing device, the history storage and further transmitting visit history information of an exhibition article visited by the user.

6. The information providing method according to claim 3 , further comprising:
registering, by the information processing device in a history storage, by associating as a history, user information of a user that carries the portable terminal, the first code, the second code, and communication identifying information that identifies the communication device that provides the second code when the first code and the second code are received from the portable terminal; and
referring to, by the information processing device, the history storage to generate information of notifying an exhibition article not visited by the user, and transmitting the information to the portable terminal when the exit device is instructed to open the exit gate.

Assignees

• Nishimura Tatsuo
• Kato Hiroshi
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Nishimura Tatsuo
• Kato Hiroshi

Classifications

• H04W4/04 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04W4/02 Primary

  Services making use of location information · CPC title

• H04W4/33

  for indoor environments, e.g. buildings · CPC title

• H04W4/30

  Services specially adapted for particular environments, situations or purposes · CPC title

• H04W4/029 Primary

  Location-based management or tracking services · CPC title