US 5,701,580 A · Information providing systems and portable electronic devices

Abstract

A service center has a plurality of controlled areas. When the service center provides service information through a radio communication network, the service center first broadcasts toward all the areas with outline items of the information with corresponding key codes attached thereto. Users each receive the outline items of the information with a user's terminal and determine as required whether a detail item of the information should be had immediately (an urgent one) or can be had later (a regular one). The results of the determination are reported to the service center, which immediately provides the urgent detail items of the information for the respective users who made requests for having those detail items. The service center broadcasts regular detail items of the information with attached corresponding key codes other than the requested urgent ones of the information toward the terminals which requested the regular detail items of the information at a predetermined time. Each terminal has stored a key code attached to the outline item of the information which the terminal requested in a regular manner, and receives only a necessary detail item of the information.

Claims22

Dependent claims

An information providing system using a radio network, comprising:

a service center including:
means for providing respective outline items of information in a first transmission and respective detail items of information in a second transmission;
and
means for attaching to each of said outline items of information and each of said detail items a corresponding key code;
and
at least one terminal including:
selection means for enabling a user to select a desired outline item of information from among the outline items of information provided in the first transmission;
storage means for storing the key code attached to the outline item of information selected by the selection means;
comparison means for comparing the key code stored in said storage means with a respective one of the key codes attached to the detail items of information provided in the second transmission;
and
reception means for accepting the detail item of information whose compared key code is found to match with the key code stored in said storage means.

8 more elements

An information providing system using a radio network, comprising:

a service center including:
means for providing respective outline items of information in a first transmission and respective detail items of information in a second transmission;
and
means for attaching to each of said outline items of information and each of said detail items a corresponding key code;
and
at least one terminal including:
selection means for enabling a user to select a desired outline item of information from among the outline items of information provided in the first transmission;
request means for making a request to said service center to provide said terminal with one of said detail items of information corresponding to the desired outline item of information selected by said selection means;
and
reception means for accepting the requested detail item of information requested by said request means;
and
wherein said service center further includes control means for controlling said providing means to provide a plurality of areas with the respective outline items of information in the first transmission and to provide only an area from which a terminal has made a request with the requested detail item of information in the second transmission.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Information providing systems and portable electronic devices

Life of this patent

Information providing systems and portable electronic devices

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims22