# US 10,373,208 B2 · Information providing method

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- Number: US 10,373,208 B2
- Document ID: US10373208B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/432,215
- Filed: 2013-11-06
- Published: 2015-09-10
- Granted: 2019-08-06
- Earliest claimed: 2012-11-30
- Assignees: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America
- Applicants: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America
- Inventors: Koichi Kusukame; Ryo Kitamura; Tetsuji Fuchikami; Motoji Ohmori
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10373208B2

## CPC

- G06Q 30/0269: {based on user profile or attribute}
- G06Q 30/0201: Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
- G06Q 30/0202: Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities
- G06Q 30/0251: Targeted advertisements
- G06Q 30/0255: {based on user history}
- G06Q 30/0261: {based on user location}
- G06Q 30/0267: {Wireless devices}
- H04L 12/282: {based on user interaction within the home (receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204)}
- H04L 12/2829: {involving user profiles according to which the execution of a home appliance functionality is automatically triggered}
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)

## Abstract

An information providing method for providing a user who uses a device with information via a mobile owned by the user, the method generating the information to be provided to the user, in accordance with: lifestyle information obtained by a lifestyle information obtaining unit receiving the lifestyle information from the device used by the user, the lifestyle information being information on a state of operation of the device; and location information obtained by a location information obtaining unit receiving the location information indicating a location to which the user traveled.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An information providing method for providing a user who operates a first device, the first device including an appliance, with information via a mobile device owned by the user, the information providing method comprising:
receiving lifestyle information regarding an operating state of the first device operated by the user from a lifestyle information obtaining unit, the lifestyle information including identification information for the first device;
receiving attribute information regarding the user from a registration information obtaining unit, the attribute information including identification information for the user;
receiving location information regarding a location of the user of the mobile device from a location information obtaining unit, the location information including identification information for the mobile device;
estimating the location of the user based on the location information;
estimating a pattern of behavior of the user in which the user conducts a specific behavior in a specific time slot from the operating state of the first device included in the lifestyle information and the attribute information;
predicting that the user is to act on the specific behavior after the specific time slot at a location which is different from a location of the first device based on a mismatch between behavior of the user in the specific time slot and the specific behavior in the specific time slot indicated by the estimated pattern of behavior and the estimated location of the user derived from a plurality of pieces of the location information on the user obtained by the location information obtaining unit; and
generating control information and providing the control information to a second device when the location of the user is a location which is the same location as the location of the second device, the control information controlling an operation of the second device based on the specific behavior on which the user is predicted to act.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The information providing method according to claim 1,
wherein
in estimating the pattern of behavior, behavior of the user at the location of the second device derived from a plurality of pieces of the location information on the user obtained by the location information obtaining unit is predicted from the lifestyle information obtained by the lifestyle information obtaining unit.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The information providing method according to claim 2,
further comprising generating control information and providing the control information to an information presentation device for controlling an operation of the information presentation device to generate information to be presented to the user, wherein
in estimating the pattern of behavior, user behavior related to an item or service that has a given connection with an intended use of the first device is predicted, and
wherein the information for presentation to the user is related to the item or the service.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The information providing method according to claim 3, wherein
the lifestyle information obtaining unit obtains a plurality of pieces of lifestyle information by receiving the plurality of pieces of lifestyle information from plural devices used by plural users, and
estimating of the pattern of behavior includes predicting behaviors of the plural users at locations derived from a plurality of pieces of location information of the plural users from the plurality of pieces of lifestyle information obtained from the plural devices used by the plural users.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The information providing method according to claim 4, further comprising
attempting, for each of the plural users, to obtain consent from the user to obtain lifestyle information from a device among the plural devices which is used by the user before the lifestyle information obtaining unit obtains the lifestyle information.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The information providing method according to claim 5, wherein
the information for presentation to the user is generated in a manner distinguishing between the plural users to whom the information is to be provided, so that the information provided to a user from which the consent is obtained, among the plural users, includes more content than the information provided to a user from which the consent is not obtained.

### Claim 7 (depends on 2)

The information providing method according to claim 2, wherein
in estimating the behavior, the behavior of the user is predicted based also on biometric information on the user obtained by a biometric information obtaining unit receiving the biometric information from a sensor which measures biometric information from the user.

### Claim 8 (depends on 2)

The information providing method according to claim 2, wherein
the mobile device detects and transmits a location of the mobile device, and
the location information obtaining unit obtains the location information indicating the location of the user by receiving the location information from the mobile device.

### Claim 9 (depends on 2)

The information providing method according to claim 2, wherein
the location information obtaining unit successively obtains the location information, and successively performs the estimating of the pattern of behavior and the generation of the control information.

### Claim 10 (depends on 2)

The information providing method according to claim 2,
further comprising generating information to be provided to the user in accordance with the estimated location of the user, wherein the estimated location of the user is different from a location of the first device and the information provided is based on the estimated location and the estimated pattern of behavior at the estimated location.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The information providing method according to claim 1,
further comprising generating control information and providing the control information to an information presentation device for controlling an operation of the information presentation device to generate information to be presented to the user,
wherein the mobile device includes the information presentation device.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The information providing method according to claim 1, wherein the first device and the second device are different devices.

### Claim 13

A mobile device which provides a user who operates a first device, the first device including an appliance, with information, the mobile device comprising:
a lifestyle information obtaining unit configured to receive lifestyle information regarding an operating state of the first device operated by the user, the lifestyle information including identification information for the first device;
an attribute information obtaining unit configured to receive attribute information regarding the user, the attribute information including identification information for the user; and
an information generation unit configured to:
receive location information regarding a location of the user of the mobile device from a location information obtaining unit, the location information including identification information for the mobile device;
estimate the location of the user based on the location information;
estimate a pattern of behavior of the user in which the user conducts a specific behavior in a specific time slot from the operating state of the first device included in the lifestyle information and the attribute information;
predict that the user is to act on the specific behavior in the specific time slot indicated by the estimated pattern of behavior after the specific time slot at a location which is different from a location of the first device based on a mismatch between behavior of the user in the specific time slot and the specific behavior in the specific time slot indicated by the estimated pattern of behavior and the estimated location of the user derived from a plurality of pieces of the location information on the user obtained by the location information obtaining unit; and
generate control information and provide the control information to a second device when the location of the user is a location which is the same location as the location of the second device, the control information controlling an operation of the second device based on the specific behavior on which the user is predicted to act.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The mobile device according to claim 13, wherein the first device and the second device are different devices.