Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
2001-09-06
2004-08-24
Amsbury, Wayne (Department: 2171)
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
C715S252000, C715S252000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06782397
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a system for delivering a digital content and, more particularly, to a readable information production system and a digital content delivery system, appropriate for outputting digital contents in an easy-to-view layout to users.
2. Description of Related Art
For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 4-192751 discloses an electronic newspaper system intended to be accessed by individuals (hereinafter referred to as “a first conventional art”) as a system for providing digital contents, such as news. Further, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 7-200701 discloses a mail-order sale catalog production system (hereinafter referred to as “a second conventional art”) as a technique for providing digital contents.
The electronic newspaper system of the first conventional art, which receives news information transmitted from a news information data base that stores news information of newspapers, and displays the news information on a screen in a reorganized form, includes an information storage unit for storing interests and knowledge, owned by a plurality of users, as page layout information intended for a plurality of individuals, a learning unit for learning the page layout information intended for the individuals from the history of searches performed by each user, a screen control unit which controls a screen to acquire the page layout information intended for the individuals, reorganizes newspaper information in accordance with each user from the data base, based on the page layout information intended for the individuals, and displays the reorganized newspaper information, and a management unit for managing the information storage unit, the learning unit, and the screen control unit.
In this arrangement, the newspaper information is easily acquired according to the interest and knowledge of each user, and more detailed newspaper information is thus provided.
The mail-order sale catalog production system of the second conventional art prepares a product information file that includes product information (photographs and illustrations of products, and the description thereof) to be listed in a catalog for each product, a customer information file that includes private information relating to particular attributes of each customer, and a product criterion file that sets, for each product, a criterion which matches each attribute of the private information. A listed product extraction unit compares the private information in the customer information file with the criterion in the product criterion file, and extracts only products that match the criterion of each customer. A layout processing unit reads and lays out production information of extracted products. An electronic color printer prints out the laid-out product information on a sheet of paper. The sheets are book-bound into a booklet, which is then sent to individual customers as a catalog.
A catalog that is unique to each customer and that only has products matching the customer's preference is thus produced.
Most of newspaper information that is delivered by a digital content delivery system typically includes text information like news information delivered in an electronic mail form. This is because a vast amount of data cannot be transmitted within an available time due to a slow rate of data transmission over a network, etc. For this reason, in many cases, it suffices to read newspaper information on a screen, and there is no much need for printing out the newspaper information. Even if the newspaper information is printed out, a user simply reads a text portion, and is not very much concerned with the layout thereof. Since, due to hardware development, the data transmission rate over a network has increased, not only text information but also picture information can also be delivered. When reading the newspaper information on a screen, users experience difficulty to entirely comprehend the entire newspaper information, and thus possibly desire to view the delivered newspaper information on a printed sheet.
In the first conventional art, a WWW browser or the like may be used to read the newspaper information. With the WWW browser, if the newspaper information that is displayed on screen is printed, a single piece of newspaper information may be printed that straddles a plurality of sheets, rather than on a single sheet, and a user may experience difficulty to view printout results. Particularly when a single piece of newspaper information is formed of a picture and text information, the picture may be printed on a sheet different from a sheet on which the text information is printed. In such a case, the user has difficulty in entirely comprehending the correspondence between the text information and the picture. The user is thus unable to understand not only the newspaper information as a whole, but also the contents of individual pieces of information themselves.
In the digital content delivery system of the second conventional art, the above problem is resolved to some degree when the product information of an extracted product is read and laid out. However, the output layout of the catalog is determined by the provider of the catalog. The catalog is printed out in a predetermined output layout which is easy to view. Although the catalog is easy to view on the average, not all users find it to easy to view. Specifically, one user may find the text information that is printed in a large font easy to view, while another user may find it easy to view a catalog in which a layout portion assigned to text information is set to be smaller while a layout portion assigned to a picture is set to be larger.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been developed in view of unresolved problems in the conventional art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a readable information production system and a digital content delivery system, appropriate for outputting digital contents in a layout that a user finds easy to view.
To achieve the above object, a readable information production system of the present invention for delivering readable information, includes a layout information storage device that stores a plurality of pieces of layout information relating to an output layout of readable information. To produce the readable information, the readable information production system enters user information and a selection of layout information, registers, in the layout information storage device, the input user information and the selected layout information with the user information being associated with the layout information, and determines an output layout of the readable information based on the layout information in the layout information storage device.
When the user information and the selection of the layout information in this arrangement are input, the user information is associated with the layout information and is then registered in the layout information storage device. Based on the layout information in the layout information storage device, the output layout of the readable information is determined and the readable information is thus produced.
The readable information is thus output in an output layout that is relatively close to the user's satisfaction. The readable information is thus output in an output layout in an easy-to-view fashion to the user.
The system may be implemented in a single apparatus, or may be implemented in a network system communicably connected to a plurality of terminals. In the former case, the user information and the selection of the layout information may be input to a single apparatus by a user or a system controller. In the latter case, a user inputs the user information and the selection of the layout information to a server terminal for registration in accordance with the present invention by accessing a client terminal. The same is true of a digital content delivery system in accordance with the claimed invention.
Amsbury Wayne
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
Seiko Epson Corporation
LandOfFree
Readable information production system and digital content... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Readable information production system and digital content..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Readable information production system and digital content... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3273434