JP3699342B2 - Information distribution method - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention also relates to the information distribution how to perform information distribution for individuals by a computer system.
[0002]
[Prior art]
When obtaining information on the Internet, it is a conventional way that a user searches for and retrieves necessary information using client software such as a browser. On the other hand, a technique for interpreting and displaying information broadcasted to a user terminal, such as TV broadcasting, on the client side is called a push technique, and an information distribution service using this technique is a push-type service. Appeared in the United States around the year. The pioneer of services using push technology is the “Point Cast Network” launched in the United States. When pointcast (PointCast) is connected to a server with dedicated client software, information such as news continuously distributed from the server can be displayed in real time. There are two types of client display modes. One is a screen saver that receives push-type content and automatically displays it. The other is executed as an application, which receives and displays push-type content by an independent application such as a web browser. The information to be distributed and the information that can be received vary depending on the provider and the client, but the mainstream method is to distribute headline information by a push-type service and to refer to detailed information on the Web. Furthermore, many types of information are distributed from the content provider, but the user can select and receive only the genre and program information that he / she needs.
[0003]
In addition, information distribution services using the Internet include information distribution using electronic mail. In this method, information such as information on new products and events is distributed to member users who have registered e-mail addresses using e-mail.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, since the information distribution service using the push technology is broadcast information distribution, private personal information or important information that cannot be notified to an unspecified number of people cannot be flowed. Further, it is client software that selects a genre or a program required by the user from the broadcast information. Therefore, even if the client software is installed on a terminal other than the terminal that the user owns or uses regularly, such as a shared terminal in a conference room or a terminal that a colleague owns or uses regularly, you need it Distribution of genres and programs is not accepted. There is a problem.
[0005]
Further, in the information distribution service using electronic mail, the user needs to take the mail addressed to the provider's mail server using mail software. If the user owns or uses the terminal on a daily basis, the mail server IP address can be set in advance in the mail software to be used, and mail can be retrieved without any special operation. However, when retrieving mail from a terminal that users do not use every day, work such as setting the IP address of the mail server and setting the mail address of the user is required, and complicated procedures are required. There is a problem of becoming.
[0006]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and when a user is in front of any terminal in the intranet, the user is not required to perform a complicated procedure. You can receive a push-type information distribution service for specific users such as personal information, and when the user leaves the terminal, the information distribution to that terminal automatically stops. Information can be distributed with peace of mind, and if the user moves to another terminal, the information distribution destination is changed to a new terminal in real time, and complicated operations are performed on the new terminal. an object of the present invention is to provide an information delivery how you can receive the information delivery service without.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a non-contact IC card or wireless TAG worn by a user at a plurality of terminals connected to a network in an information distribution method for distributing information for individuals using a computer system. The step of monitoring the user that each terminal approaches within a predetermined distance by receiving a signal from the signal transmission means such as the terminal of the user who has discovered the user approaching within the predetermined distance From the signal transmitting means and sending it to the server, the server identifies the user from the sent user ID, searches the stored information about the identified user, and finds new information In some cases, the server distributes the identified user information and the user authentication key to the terminal that has notified the user that the user has been found; A step in which the terminal displays information sent from the server and displays the presence / absence of information to the user, and a step in which the user inputs a personal authentication key to the terminal in response to a request from the terminal to prompt the display of information content and, the terminal if it is confirmed that the person in comparison with the authentication key that sent the authentication key that has been presented from the user from the server, the information content of the user that has been sent from the server to the user Presenting, the terminal instructing the server to stop delivering information to the terminal when the user is away from a predetermined distance, and the server periodically providing the user's personal information And collecting and storing, and the server manages the information distribution status to the user, and erases the already distributed information and prevents the same information from being retransmitted.
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0012]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. In this figure, reference numeral 10 denotes a server, which is connected to the intranet 30. Reference numerals 1, 2, 3, 4,... Are various terminals connected to the intranet 30 in the same manner as the server 10. Reference numerals 101 and 102 denote users (information receivers). Reference numerals 50 and 51 are signal transmitting means such as a non-contact IC card and a wireless TAG, and each user (information receiver) wears them. In addition, the terminals 1, 2,... Communicate with input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse, and signal transmission means 50, 51,. Have means for.
[0013]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the server 10. In this figure, reference numeral 11 denotes a control means, which is constituted by a CPU or the like and controls each part, performs data transfer, calculation, data storage, and the like. Reference numeral 12 denotes input / output control means for controlling data input from the terminals 1, 2,... Connected via the intranet 30 and data output to the terminals 1, 2,. Reference numerals 13 to 15 are storage means, each of which stores the following files.
[0014]
First, the main program is stored in the storage means 13. This main program is used in the control means 11, for example, mail information that the users 101 and 102 want to distribute and news information in a specific field that the users 101 and 102 want to distribute are periodically sent to the mail server or Emails that the users 101 and 102 wish to distribute in response to requests from the news server to obtain and update the distribution information file 14 and requests from the terminals 1, 2,... Connected via the intranet 30 A program for transmitting information, news information, etc., a user authentication key for confirming whether the users 101, 102 are authentic, etc. to the terminals 1, 2,. It consists of programs that manage distribution information, such as deleting from The storage means 14 stores mail, news information, and the like that each user 101, 102 desires to distribute according to their interests for all the users. User information is stored in the storage means 15. User information includes user ID, identity authentication key (information that can identify an individual such as passwords and ecological information), the field of news that the user wants to distribute, and the email address at which the server goes to see the email on behalf of the user Etc. are stored.
[0015]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the terminal and the signal transmission means. The configuration of the terminals 1, 2,... Connected to the intranet 30 and the transmission means 50, 51 worn by the users 101, 102 will be described. Each of the terminals 1, 2,... Is a standard PC (personal computer) terminal having a display device 117 such as a CRT or LCD and an input device 118 such as a keyboard and a mouse. An antenna 115 and wireless input / output control means 114 for communicating with means 50 (contactless IC card, wireless TAG, etc.) are provided. The communicable distance between the antenna 115 and the signal transmission means 50 is between 50 cm and 2 m. Reference numeral 111 is an input / output control means, and reference numerals 112 and 116 are storage means.
[0016]
The storage unit 112 stores a program. This program is used in the control means 113. The program receives the identification information (personal ID) from the signal transmission means 50 worn by the user 101 approaching within a predetermined distance from the antenna 115, and the received identification information. A program for instructing the server 10 to distribute the latest distribution information related to the user 101 by sending (personal ID) to the server 10 and the presence / absence of distribution information related to the user 101 sent from the server 10 are displayed. 101 for prompting the user to determine whether or not to display more detailed information, and prompting the user to enter a personal authentication key such as a password when displaying the detailed contents of the information, and comparing it with the personal authentication key sent from the server 10 Only when they match each other, it is composed of a program for displaying the contents of the user information.
[0017]
The signal transmission means 50 and 51 hold identification information (personal ID) for identifying the users 101 and 102 by, for example, a non-contact IC card or a wireless TAG.
[0018]
Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. Here, terminals 1, 2, 3, 4,... Are terminals connected to an intranet in a company, and are connected to server 10 for communication. For convenience of explanation, the terminal 1 will be described as an example. The terminal 1 is not a terminal that the user 101 usually uses frequently, but is a terminal that is used by a colleague of the user 101, for example, or a shared terminal that is installed in a conference room. The operation of this embodiment will be described by taking as an example the case where the user sits on a seat in front of the terminal 1.
[0019]
[User monitoring by terminal]
First, FIG. 4 shows a flow chart until the terminal 1 detects the user 101 approaching a predetermined distance and informs the server. In step Sa1 in FIG. 4, the terminal 1 periodically checks the reception status of the identification information from the signal transmission means 50 worn by the user 101 at regular short time intervals. If the identification information has been received, the process proceeds to step Sa2 to check whether or not the identification information has been received at the time of the previous check. If there is no reception of identification information immediately before, the user 101 has approached the terminal 1 within a predetermined distance between the previous check and the current check. On the other hand, the received identification information of the user 101 and an information distribution start command related to the user 101 are sent (A1).
[0020]
On the other hand, if the identification information has been received immediately before in step Sa2, the process proceeds to step Sa3 to check whether or not the received identification information is the same identification information as the previous reception identification information. As a result, if the identification information is different from the previous one, the user who was within the predetermined distance from the terminal 1 at the previous check moves outside the predetermined distance, and the user 101 newly enters the predetermined distance. Means that. In this case, the terminal 1 sends to the server 10 an information distribution stop command regarding the user who received the previous identification information, and the newly received identification information of the user 101 and the information distribution regarding the user 101. A command is sent to instruct the start of (A2). On the other hand, if the received identification information is the same as the identification information received immediately before in step Sa3, it means that the same user 101 stays within a predetermined distance from the terminal 1, so step Sa1 Return to.
[0021]
If the reception of the identification information is not detected in step Sa1, the process proceeds to step Sa4 to check whether the identification information has been received at the previous check. When the identification information of the user 101 is received immediately before, it means that the user 101 has gone out of the predetermined distance from the terminal 1 between the previous check and the current check. 1 sends an instruction to stop information distribution regarding the user 101 to the server (A3).
[0022]
[Information distribution procedure]
Next, the operation of the server 10 when receiving an information distribution start or stop command from the terminal 1 and the operations of the terminal 1 and the user 101 when receiving distribution information from the server 10 will be described. FIG. 5 shows a flowchart.
[0023]
In step Sb1, the terminal sends the identification information and the information distribution command. The terminal 1 sends the received identification information of the user 101, an information distribution start command and the address of the terminal 1 to the server 10. The server 10 that has received it compares the identification information sent in step Sb2 with the IDs of all the users stored in the user file of the storage means 15, and there is a matching user ID. Find out if. If there is no matching user ID, the process returns to step Sb1. If there is a matching user ID, the process proceeds to step Sb3 to check whether there is undelivered information corresponding to the user in the distribution information file in the storage means 14. If there is no undelivered information, the process proceeds to step Sb5. If there is undelivered information, the server 10 searches the user file in the storage unit 15 for a user authentication key related to the user 101, and combines the undelivered information related to the user 101 and the user authentication key together with the terminal 1. Send back (step Sb4).
[0024]
In step Sb6, the terminal 1 that has received the distribution information about the user 101 and the user authentication key from the server 10 uses the active screen saver software and application software, and the content of the distribution information. Is displayed on the display device 117 so that the user 101 notices that the user 101 needs to input the personal authentication key. When the user 101 wants to see the contents of the distribution information, the user 101 inputs the personal authentication key using the input device 118 of the terminal 1. The terminal 1 compares the input user authentication key with the user authentication key related to the user 101 sent from the server 10 (step Sb7) and checks whether they match. If the authentication keys match, it is confirmed that the user is not mistaken, so the terminal 1 displays the distribution information sent from the server on the display device 117 and shows it to the user 101 (step Sb8). On the other hand, if the authentication key input by the user 101 in step Sb7 does not match the authentication key sent from the server, the user's impersonation can be considered, so the information distributed from the server 10 is displayed. Erase without displaying on the device 117 (Sb9).
[0025]
Although not shown in FIG. 5, the server 10 periodically sends mail addressed to the registered user and news information registered in the specific field to the mail server or news server instead of the user. The information is acquired by accessing, and the distribution information file in the storage unit 14 is updated.
[0026]
In step Sb4 in FIG. 5, the server 10 that has sent the distribution information about the user 101 and the user authentication key to the terminal 1 deletes the information sent in step Sb4 ′ from the distribution information file in the storage means 14, and then in step Sb5. Then, it is checked whether or not an instruction for stopping information distribution regarding the user 101 is sent from the terminal 1. If an information distribution stop command has not been sent in step Sb5, the process returns to step Sb3. Then, when the distribution information file in the storage unit 14 is updated so far and new undistributed information regarding the user 101 is collected, the undistributed information of the user 101 updated with respect to the terminal 1 is collected. Will be sent. The terminal 1 that has received the new distribution information displays on the display device 117 that the distribution information has been sent in the same manner as in step Sb6. However, the terminal 1 continuously distributes information about the same user 101 for the second and subsequent times, and If the same user 101 is within a predetermined distance from the terminal 1, and if the user authentication is successful for the first time, the user 101 is not requested to input the user authentication key again. The contents of the distribution information are displayed on the person 101. On the other hand, if an instruction to stop information distribution is sent from the terminal 1 in step Sb5, the server 10 returns to step Sb1 and waits for a new information distribution instruction from the terminal 1.
[0027]
The above is an example regarding the embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the server 10 and the terminals 1, 2, 3, 4,... Are connected via the intranet 30. However, in the present invention, the connection form of both is not limited. . In the above embodiment, the personal authentication key is stored in the user file of the server 10. However, the storage location may be other than the server 10. For example, when the user authentication key is stored in the transmission means 50 worn by the user 101, after the terminal 1 receives the identification information, the user authentication key is received from the transmission means 50, and the user The user authentication may be performed by comparing with the input user authentication key.
[0028]
In this embodiment, the signal transmission means 50 is a non-contact IC card, a wireless TAG, and the like. For this reason, the terminals 1, 2, 3... Have an antenna for communicating with the signal transmission means 50. In the present invention, the communication form of both is not limited. Therefore, the signal transmitting means 50 may be a contact IC card, and the terminals 1, 2,... May have the IC card RW. In this case, the user 101 needs to insert an IC card into the IC card RW of the terminals 1, 2,.
[0029]
In this embodiment, the terminals 1, 2, 3,... Are standard PC terminals. For example, an online ATM terminal or a convenience store cash register terminal may be used. In other words, any terminal having any display function and input / output function may be used.
[0030]
The information distribution method according to the present invention is specifically executed by a computer such as a PC based on an information distribution program recorded in advance on a predetermined computer-readable recording medium.
[0031]
That is, the information distribution program is a procedure for recognizing a user approaching within a predetermined distance of the user terminal, a procedure for informing the server of the recognized user ID, and a procedure for displaying information for the user sent from the server. When the user moves out of the predetermined distance, the computer is caused to execute a procedure for notifying the server that the user has left and notifying the information delivery.
[0032]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, any terminal connected to the network can receive a necessary information distribution service.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a server in an exemplary embodiment according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a terminal and signal transmission means worn by a user in the embodiment according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation in which a terminal monitors a user in an exemplary embodiment according to the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the terminal and the server regarding the information distribution procedure in the embodiment according to the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1, 2, 3, 4... Terminal 10 server 11 control means 12 input / output control means 13-15 storage means 30 intranet 111 input / output control means 112, 116 storage means 113 control means 114 wireless input / output control means 115 antenna 117 display device 118 Input device

Claims (1)

In an information distribution method for distributing information for individuals by a computer system,
Monitors users who are approaching within a specified distance by receiving signals from non-contact IC cards and wireless signal tags such as wireless TAG that are worn by users at multiple terminals connected to the network And steps to
A terminal that has found a user approaching within a predetermined distance, obtains the ID of the found user from the signal transmission means , and sends it to the server;
The server identifies the user from the sent user ID, searches for information about the identified user that is stored, and if there is new information, the server that informs that the user has been found On the other hand, the server distributes the identified user information and the user authentication key,
The terminal displays the information sent from the server and displays the presence or absence of information to the user;
The user inputs a personal authentication key to the terminal in response to a request from the terminal to prompt the display of the information content, and the terminal compares the personal authentication key presented by the user with the authentication key sent from the server. If it is confirmed that the person is Te, and the step of presenting the information contents of the user that has been sent from the server to the user,
Instructing the server to stop delivering information to the terminal when the user is away from a predetermined distance; and
The server periodically collects and stores personal information about users,
A server manages information distribution status to a user, and has a step of deleting already distributed information and not resending the same information.

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