Sony Corporation

Kimiyoshi Yoshida

Akio Sakano

Yasushi Takahashi

Yoshihito Fujiwara

Tatsuo Itabashi

Hideshi Tamaru

Kunio Shikakura

Masayuki Chatani

Hirofumi Tamori

Nobuo Kitamura

Fumihiko Nishio

Hidekazu Tanaka

Haruhiko Sakata

Kaoru Tomono

Kazuo Togawa

Hiroshi Benno

Masayuki Aguro

A server computer stores user favorites information that relates to the favorites of a user. Whether digital information that has newly occurred on a network suits the favorites of the user is judged based on the user favorites information. If it is judged that there exists digital information that suits the favorites of the user, the server computer informs the user of the new establishment of the digital information that suits the favorites of the user by transmitting E-mail to the user. When a browsing request of the digital information is made by the user, the server computer delivers the digital information to the user and stores history information relating to a history of the digital information that has been delivered to the user. Thereafter, the server computer updates the user favorites information based on the history information.

Intelligent information retrieval system using hierarchically classified preferences

Personal information of a user is provided to an information provider from any location, through a simple apparatus, and with reliability. Personal information is stored beforehand in a user profile database of a server. When the user accesses a service provider device from a terminal device through the server and the Internet, the service provider device requests the personal information of that user. The server reads the requested personal information from the user profile database and transfers the personal information to the service provider device. This novel arrangement makes it unnecessary for the user to input the personal information.

Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and transmitting medium

A method of managing personal information of a user wherein personal information of a user is provided to an information provider from any location, through a simple apparatus, and with reliability. Personal information is stored beforehand in a user profile database of a server. When the user accesses a service provider device from a terminal device through the server and the Internet, the service provider device requests personal information of the user. The server reads the requested personal information from the user profile database and transfers the personal information to the service provider device. This novel arrangement makes it unnecessary for the user to input the personal information on its own.

Upon receiving a request for preparing a recommended CD list in Step S, the experience/preference information providing server stores the member ID of the user requested a recommended CD list as remarkable member in Step S. Then, in Step S, the experience/preference information providing server extracts members having a taste similar to that of the remarkable member as taste sharing members (members who like CDs (music) similar to those the remarkable member likes). In Step S, the experience/preference information providing server prepare a synthetic experience/preference list by collecting experience/preference element data of the taste sharing members. In Step S, the experience/preference information providing serverprepares a recommended experience (CD) list best adapted to the user from the synthetic experience/preference list and transmits it to the terminal unit of the remarkable member.

Experience/preference information providing system

A keyword creation method and its apparatus to simply create keywords in user's retrieving a desired item of information from a vast amount of information. The habitual situation characteristics and the degree of typical liking tendency of a user are calculated on the basis of answers on daily items of the user, typical situation dependent keyword(s) of the user in one or more individual typical situations previously prepared is(are) created in accordance with the degree of typical liking tendency of the user and typical situation dependent keyword(s) is(are) revised in accordance with the habitual situation characteristics of the user, so that keyword(s) according to the actual situation of the user can be created.

Keyword creation method and its apparatus

A keyword creation method and its apparatus to simply create keywords in user's retrieving a desired item of information from a vast amount of information. The habitual situation characteristics and the degree of typical liking tendency of a user are calculated on the basis of answers on daily items of the user, typical situation dependent keyword(s) of the user in one or more individual typical situations previously prepared is (are) created in accordance with the degree of typical liking tendency of the user and typical situation dependent keyword(s) is (are) revised in accordance with the habitual situation characteristics of the user, so that keyword(s) according to the actual situation of the user can be created.

Based on a user's own basic selection tastes, the priority order of the information is determined, so that an information retrieval method and the apparatus which can retrieve the information desired by the user easily among from a huge amount of programs can be realized.

Information retrieval method and apparatus

Personal information of a user is provided to an information provider from any location, through a simple apparatus, and with reliability. Personal information is stored beforehand in a user profile database of a server. When the user accesses a service provider device from a terminal device through the server and the Internet, the service provider device requests the terminal device to enter the personal information of that user. The server reads the requested personal information from the user profile database and transfers the personal information from a proxy device to the service provider device. This novel arrangement makes it unnecessary for the terminal device to input the personal information on its own.

In an information retrieval method and apparatus, a specific user model is formed for a specific user based at least upon the specific user's own selection data. A plurality of specific user models formed for respective users are registered, and a group user model is formed on the basis of the plurality of specific user models. Information is subsequently retrieved based on the group user model. The group user model may be formed by selecting a maximum, minimum or average value of the plurality of specific user models.

Personal information of a user is provided to an information provider from any location, through a simple apparatus, and with reliability. Personal information is pre-stored in a user profile database of a server. When the user accesses a service provider device from a terminal device through the server and the Internet, the service provider device requests the personal information of that user. The server reads the requested personal information from the user profile database and transfers the personal information to the service provider device. This novel arrangement makes it unnecessary for the user to input the personal information.

Upon receiving a request for preparing a recommended CD list in Step S , the experience/sympathy information providing server stores the member ID of the user requested a recommended CD list as remarkable member in Step S . Then, in Step S , the experience/sympathy information providing server extracts members having a taste similar to that of the remarkable member as sympathizers (members who like CDs (music) similar to those the remarkable member likes). In Step S , the experience/sympathy information providing server prepare a synthetic experience/sympathy list by collecting experience/sympathy element data of the sympathizers. In Step S ; the experience/sympathy information providing server prepares a recommended experience (CD) list best adapted to the user from the synthetic experience/sympathy list and transmits it to the terminal unit of the remarkable member.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Kimiyoshi Yoshida