Information providing system, information providing apparatus, information providing method, portable terminal, information outputting method, and computer program

An information providing apparatus that carries out wireless communications with an IC chip included in a portable terminal, the information providing apparatus comprising:

• a browser configured to read content transmitted via a network from an external apparatus and to output the content on a screen based on screen-output control information embedded in data of the content, the screen-output control information defining at least a format for outputting the content on the screen or a data structure of the content;
• and
• a wireless communication unit configured to carry out wireless communications with the IC chip included in the portable terminal;
• wherein transmission target information that is to be transmitted to the portable terminal, and transmission control information instructing transmission of the transmission target information to the portable terminal, are also embedded in the data of the content,
• wherein the browser instructs the wireless communication unit to transmit the transmission target information to the portable terminal based on the transmission control information embedded in the content that has been read, and
• wherein the wireless communication unit, by wireless communications, transmits the transmission target information to the IC chip included in the portable terminal based on the instruction from the browser.

A computer program stored in a storage unit of an information providing apparatus including a wireless communication unit that carries out wireless communications with an IC chip included in a portable terminal, the computer program causing the information providing apparatus to execute processing comprising the steps of:

• reading content transmitted via a network from an external apparatus;
• outputting the content on a screen based on screen-output control information embedded in data of the content, the screen-output control information defining at least a format for outputting the content on the screen or a data structure of the content;
• reading transmission target information that is to be transmitted to the portable terminal and transmission control information instructing transmission of the transmission target information to the portable terminal, the transmission target information and the transmission control information also being embedded in the data of the content;
• and
• instructing the wireless communication unit to transmit the transmission target information to the portable terminal based on the transmission control information.

An information providing method that is implemented using a portable terminal including an IC chip and an information providing apparatus that carries out wireless communications with the IC chip included in the portable terminal, the information providing method comprising the steps, executed by the information providing apparatus, of:

• reading content transmitted via a network from an external apparatus;
• parsing transmission target information that is to be transmitted to the portable terminal and transmission control information instructing transmission of the transmission target information to the portable terminal, the transmission target information and the transmission control information being embedded in the content that has been read;
• and
• transmitting the transmission target information by wireless communications to the IC chip included in the portable terminal based on the transmission control information.