Information distributing system and information distributing method

An information distributing system, comprising: an information distributor side device; and audience side terminal unit; wherein the information distributor side device comprises: a database for storing sets of provided information and seller side information, the seller side information representing attributes of an audience to which an information provider wants to distribute the provided information; and a transmitter for distributing the sets to the audience side terminal units, and wherein each of the audience side terminal units comprises: receiver for receiving the sets from the information distributor side device; comparator for comparing each item of the seller side information of each set with each item of buyer side information that represents attributes of an audience who has the audience side terminal unit; and selector for selecting the provided information paired with the seller side information of which the number of matched items with the buyer side information is the maximum.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIG. 1 shows the structure of an information distributing system according to the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1 , in the system, an information provider side device 30 , an information distributor side device 20 (such as a broadcaster 21 ), and audience side terminal units 11 , 12 , and 13 are connected to one another through a communication network 50 such as the Internet so that information can be exchanged thereamong. The information distributor side device 20 distributes provided information provided by the information provider side device 30 to the audience side terminal units 11 , 12 , and 13 through a digital broadcast line 60 . The information provider who has the information provider side device 30 and the audiences who use the audience side terminal units 11 , 12 , and 13 are connected through a distributor 40 and a general distribution network 70 so that the information provider can deliver commodities to the audiences. FIG. 2 shows information that flows among the information provider side device 30 , the information distributor side device 20 , and the audience side terminal units 11 , 12 , and 13 . In FIG. 2 , advertisers &agr;, &bgr;, and &ggr; are shown as owners of the information provider side device 30 who have contracted the information distributor who has the information distributor side device 20 for information distributions. In addition, the broadcaster 21 is shown as an owner of the information distributor side device 20 that has a database 22 . As shown in FIG. 3 , the database 22 stores provided information &agr;, &bgr;, and &ggr; that the advertisers &agr;, &bgr;, and &ggr; want to distribute and corresponding seller side information &agr;&lsqb;n&rsqb;, &bgr;&lsqb;n&rsqb;, and &ggr;&lsqb;n&rsqb;. Seller side information is attributes of an audience to which the information provider side device 30 wants to distribute provided information. Seller side information contains items of for example area, zip code, telephone area code, sex, age range, occupation, and hobby of an audience. A transmitting portion 23 distributes the provided information &agr;, &bgr;, and &ggr; and the seller side information &agr;&lsqb;n&rsqb;, &bgr;&lsqb;n&rsqb;, and &ggr;&lsqb;n&rsqb; (all these information is referred to as “information group Z”) stored in the database 22 to the audience side terminal units 11 , 12 , and 13 using a digital broadcast transmitting facility through the digital broadcast line 60 . The audience side terminal unit 11 has buyer side information A&lsqb;n&rsqb; of audience A and an information selecting portion 11 a . The information selecting portion 11 a compares each item of the seller side information &agr;&lsqb;n&rsqb;, &bgr;&lsqb;n&rsqb;, and &ggr;&lsqb;n&rsqb; contained in the information group Z that has been multiplexed and distributed through the digital broadcast line 60 with each item of the buyer side information A&lsqb;n&rsqb; and selects provided information paired with the seller side information for which the number of matched items with the buyer side information is the maximum (in FIG. 2 , the provided information &agr;). Likewise, the audience side terminal unit 12 has buyer side information B&lsqb;n&rsqb; of audience B and an information selecting portion 12 a . The information selecting portion 12 a compares each item of the seller side information &agr;&lsqb;n&rsqb;, &bgr;&lsqb;n&rsqb;, and &ggr;&lsqb;n&rsqb; contained in the information group Z that has been multiplexed and distributed through the digital broadcast line 60 with each item of the buyer side information B&lsqb;n&rsqb; and selects provided information paired with the seller side information for which the number of matched items with the buyer side information is the maximum (in FIG. 2 , the provided information &bgr;). Likewise, the audience side terminal unit 13 has buyer side information C&lsqb;n&rsqb; of audience C and an information selecting portion 13 a . The information selecting portion 13 a compares each item of the seller side information &agr;&lsqb;n&rsqb;, &bgr;&lsqb;n&rsqb;, and &ggr;&lsqb;n&rsqb; contained in the information group Z that has been multiplexed and distributed through the digital broadcast line 60 with each item of the buyer side information C&lsqb;n&rsqb; and selects provided information paired with the seller side information of which the number of matched items with the buyer side information is the maximum (in FIG. 2 , the provided information &ggr;). Thus, the audience side terminal units 11 , 12 , and 13 can receive useful information that most matches the attributes of the audiences among the information &agr;, &bgr;, and &ggr; that have been multiplexed and distributed. FIG. 4 shows the detailed structure of the audience side terminal unit 11 . The audience side terminal unit 11 comprises a personal computer 113 , a digital broadcast receiving portion 112 , and an IC card 111 . The digital broadcast receiving portion 112 receives a program that is broadcast through the digital broadcast line 60 . The IC card 111 has an information storing portion that stores the buyer side information A&lsqb;n&rsqb;. The information selecting portion 11 a shown in FIG. 2 is accomplished by the digital broadcast receiving portion 112 . The personal computer 113 controls the digital broadcast receiving portion 112 . The structure and operation of each of the audience side terminal units 12 and 13 are the same as those of the audience side terminal unit 11 . FIG. 5 shows the detailed structure of the seller side information &agr;&lsqb;n&rsqb;, &bgr;&lsqb;n&rsqb;, and &ggr;&lsqb;n&rsqb;. The seller side information &agr;&lsqb;n&rsqb; is composed of n items &agr;i (where i&equals;1 to n). As was described above, &agr;i are area, zip code, telephone area code, sex, age range, occupation, and hobby of an audience to which information A is distributed. The structure of each of the seller side information &bgr;&lsqb;n&rsqb; and &ggr;&lsqb;n&rsqb; is the same as that of the seller side information &agr;&lsqb;n&rsqb;. FIG. 6 shows the detailed structure of the buyer side information A&lsqb;n&rsqb;, B&lsqb;n&rsqb;, and C&lsqb;n&rsqb;. The buyer side information A&lsqb;n&rsqb; is composed of n items Ai (where i&equals;1 to n). In reality, as was described above, Ai are area, zip code, telephone area code, sex, age range, occupation, and hobby of an audience A. The structure of each of the buyer side information B&lsqb;n&rsqb; and C&lsqb;n&rsqb; is the same as that of the buyer side information A&lsqb;n&rsqb;. Next, the operation of the embodiment will be described. First, the advertisers &agr;, &bgr;, and &ggr; who want to provide provided information such as advertisements contract with the information distributor and then registers the provided information &agr;, &bgr;, and &ggr; that they want to distribute with the database 22 of the information distributor side device 20 . The information provider may register the provided information &agr;, &bgr;, and &ggr; using portable record mediums (CD-Rs, floppy disks, or the like) or through the communication network 50 . In addition, the advertisers &agr;, &bgr;, and &ggr; create seller side information &agr;&lsqb;n&rsqb;, &bgr;&lsqb;n&rsqb;, and &ggr;&lsqb;n&rsqb; corresponding to the registered provided information &agr;, &bgr;, and &ggr;, respectively. Next, the information group Z composed of the provided information &agr;, the seller side information &agr;&lsqb;n&rsqb;, the provided information &bgr;, the seller side information &bgr;&lsqb;n&rsqb;, the provided information &ggr;, and the seller side information &ggr;&lsqb;n&rsqb; registered with the database 22 is distributed by the broadcaster 21 to the audience side terminal units 11 , 12 , and 13 through the digital broadcast line 60 in an information providing time zone. FIG. 7 shows the state in which the above-described information group Z is inserted in the information providing time zone of one broadcast program. Referring to FIG. 7 , it is clear that the provided information &agr;, the seller side information &agr;&lsqb;n&rsqb;, the provided information &bgr;, the seller side information &bgr;&lsqb;n&rsqb;, the provided information &ggr;, and the seller side information &ggr;&lsqb;n&rsqb; are multiplexed in one information providing time zone. On the other hand, the audience A attaches the IC card 111 that stores the buyer side information A&lsqb;n&rsqb; to the audience side terminal unit 11 . Likewise, the audiences B and C attach the respective IC cards 111 that store the buyer side information B&lsqb;n&rsqb; and C&lsqb;n&rsqb; to the audience side terminal units 12 and 13 , respectively. In this state, the digital broadcast receiving portion 112 of each of the audience side terminal units 11 , 12 , and 13 receives the information group Z composed of the information &agr;, the seller side information &agr;&lsqb;n&rsqb;, the information &bgr;, the seller side information &bgr;&lsqb;n&rsqb;, the information &ggr;, and the seller side information &ggr;&lsqb;n&rsqb;. First, the operation of the audience side terminal unit 11 will be described. Each item of the buyer side information A&lsqb;n&rsqb; of the audience A is compared with each item of each of the seller side information &agr;&lsqb;n&rsqb;, &bgr;&lsqb;n&rsqb;, and &ggr;&lsqb;n&rsqb; contained in the distributed information group Z. It is assumed that when each item of the buyer side information A&lsqb;n&rsqb; and each item of the seller side information &agr;&lsqb;n&rsqb; are compared (namely, A1 and &agr;1, A2 and &agr;2, A3 and &agr;3, . . . , and An and &agr;n are compared), the number of matched items is i. In addition, it is assumed that when each item of the buyer side information A&lsqb;n&rsqb; and each item of the seller side information &bgr;&lsqb;n&rsqb; are compared (namely, A1 and &bgr;1, A2 and &bgr;2, A3 and &bgr;3, . . . , and An and &bgr;n are compared), the number of matched items is k. In addition, it is assumed that when each item of the buyer side information A&lsqb;n&rsqb; and each item of the seller side information &ggr;&lsqb;n&rsqb; are compared (namely, A1 and &ggr;1, A2 and &ggr;2, A3 and &ggr;3 . . . , and An and yn are compared), the number of matched items is l. Moreover, it is assumed that i is larger than k and l (namely, i>k, l). In this case, the audience side terminal unit 11 selects the provided information &agr; as shown in FIG. 2 . Likewise, the operation of the audience side terminal unit 12 will be described. Each item of the buyer side information B&lsqb;n&rsqb; of the audience B and each item of each of the seller side information &agr;&lsqb;n&rsqb;, &bgr;&lsqb;n&rsqb;, and &ggr;&lsqb;n&rsqb; contained in the distributed information group Z are compared. It is assumed that when each item of the buyer side information B&lsqb;n&rsqb; and each item of the seller side information &agr;&lsqb;n&rsqb; are compared (namely, B1 and &agr;1, B2 and &agr;2, B3 and &agr;3, . . . , and Bn and &agr;n are compared), the number of matched items is p. It is assumed that when each item of the buyer side information B&lsqb;n&rsqb; and each item of the seller side information &bgr;&lsqb;n&rsqb; are compared (namely, B1 and &bgr;1, B2 and &bgr;2, B3 and &bgr;3, . . . , and Bn and &bgr;n are compared), the number of matched items is q. In addition, it is assumed that each item of the buyer side information B&lsqb;n&rsqb; and each item of the seller side information &ggr;&lsqb;n&rsqb; are compared (namely, B1 and &ggr;1, B2 and &ggr;2, B3 and &ggr;3, . . . , and Bn and &ggr;n are compared), the number of matched items is r. Moreover, it is assumed that q is larger than p and r (namely, q>p, r). In this case, the audience side terminal unit 12 selects the provided information &bgr; as shown in FIG. 2 . Next, the operation of the audience side terminal unit 13 will be described. Each item of the buyer side information C&lsqb;n&rsqb; is compared with each item of each of the seller side information &agr;&lsqb;n&rsqb;, &bgr;&lsqb;n&rsqb;, and &ggr;&lsqb;n&rsqb; contained in the distributed information group Z. It is assumed that when each item of the buyer side information C&lsqb;n&rsqb; and each item of the seller side information &agr;&lsqb;n&rsqb; are compared (namely, C1 and &agr;1, C2 and &agr;2, C3 and &agr;3, . . . , and Cn and &agr;n are compared), the number of matched items is s. It is assumed that when each item of the buyer side information C&lsqb;n&rsqb; and each item of the seller side information B&lsqb;n&rsqb; are compared (namely, C1 and &bgr;1, C2 and &bgr;2, C3 and &bgr;3, . . . , and Cn and &bgr;n are compared), the number of matched items is t. In addition, it is assumed that when each item of the buyer side information C&lsqb;n&rsqb; and each item of the seller side information &ggr;&lsqb;n&rsqb; are compared (namely, C1 and &ggr;1, C2 and &ggr;2, C3 and &ggr;3, . . . , and Cn and &ggr;n are compared), the number of matched items is u. Moreover, it is assumed that u is larger than s and t (namely, u>s, t). In this case, the audience side terminal unit 13 selects the provided information &ggr; as shown in FIG. 2 . If there are a plurality of seller side information as a result of the above comparison, provided information corresponding to the plurality of seller side information is selected. For example, when the relation of j&equals;k>l is satisfied by the audience side terminal unit 11 , it selects the provided information &agr; and &bgr;. In such a manner, even if the same information group Z is distributed to all the audience side terminal units, provided information selected from the information group Z differs depending on the contents of the buyer side information of each audience. In addition, an audience side terminal unit that an audience can use is not fixed. For example, when audience X attaches the IC card 111 that stores buyer side information X&lsqb;n&rsqb; therein to the audience side terminal unit 11 , the audience X can watch or listen to provided information most suitable therefor using the audience side terminal unit 12 . When the audience A who watched or listened to provided information &agr; of the advertiser a that the audience side terminal unit 11 has selected corresponding to the buyer side information A&lsqb;n&rsqb; uses hyperlink information recited in the provided information &agr; and the audience side terminal unit 11 connected to the communication network 50 , he or she can obtain additional information beyond the provided information &agr; from the information provider side device of the advertiser a connected to the communication network 50 . When the provided information &agr; is commodity information, the audience A can order desired commodity described in the commodity information to the advertiser a through the communication network 50 . The advertiser a can deliver the ordered commodity to the audience A through the distributor 40 and the general distribution network 70 . Although the present invention has been shown and described with respect to the best mode embodiment thereof, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and various other changes, omissions, and additions in the form and detail thereof may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.