Patent ID: 12250338

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, examples of an embodiment according to the present invention will be explained using the drawings. The embodiment described below is one of the examples for achieving the present invention, and depending on configurations of apparatus to which the present invention is applied and various conditions, the present invention should be appropriately corrected or modified in a range without deviating from the significance of the present invention but not be limited to the following embodiment.

The information processing terminal according to the present embodiment is configured to automatically create a response in accordance with a situation and transmit the response when a user thereof cannot respond to an access from an access partner. Upon receiving a message from the access partner in response thereto, the information processing terminal performs processing in accordance with the received message, and automatically creates and transmits a further response. Hereinafter, an information processing terminal100according to the present embodiment which realizes the processing above will be described.

FIG.1illustrates a block diagram of the information processing terminal100according to the present embodiment.FIG.2AandFIG.2Billustrate external views of the information processing terminal100according to the present embodiment. The external view ofFIG.2AandFIG.2Billustrate examples in which the information processing terminal100is an information processing terminal device such as a smart phone, andFIG.2Aillustrates a front surface of the information processing terminal100andFIG.2Billustrates a back surface (behind) of the information processing terminal100.FIG.2AandFIG.2Bomit to illustrate the left, right, top, and bottom surface thereof.

As illustrated inFIG.1, the information processing terminal100includes a main controller101, a system bus102, memory104, a storage110, a video processor120, a voice processor130, an operation unit140, a communication processor150, a sensor160, and an extension interface170.

The information processing terminal100may be an information processing device capable of transmitting and receiving data bidirectionally with another device, for example, which may be a mobile phone, a smart phone, and a tablet terminal. As other examples, it may be a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), a PC (Personal Computer), or a digital camera. Furthermore, it may be a video camera capable of photographing a moving picture, a portable game machine, or other portable digital devices. Hereinafter, a smart phone will be described as an example of the present embodiment.

The main controller101is a microprocessor unit that controls the whole of the information processing terminal100in accordance with a predetermined program. The system bus102is a data communication path for performing data transmission/reception between the main controller101and each part within the information processing terminal100.

The memory104is a program area during execution of a basic operation program and other application programs. Additionally, the memory104is a temporary storage area which stores data as necessary during execution of various application programs. The memory104may be integral with the main controller101.

The storage110stores such as each operation setting value of the information processing terminal100and information of a user of the information processing terminal100. The storage110may store still picture data and moving picture data captured by the information processing terminal100. In this connection, the information processing terminal100is configured such that the function can be extended by downloading a new application program from an application server through the Internet. At this time, the downloaded new application program is stored in the storage110. The main controller101develops the new application program stored in the storage110on the memory104and executes the program so that the information processing terminal100can realize various new functions.

The storage110needs to hold the stored information even in a state where no power is supplied to the information processing terminal100. Accordingly, devices such as a flash ROM, a SSD (Solid State Drive), and a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) are used.

A display121is a display device such as a liquid crystal panel, and provides a user of the information processing terminal100with video data processed by a video signal processor122.

The video processor120includes the video signal processor122as well as a first video input unit123, a second video input unit124, and a third video input unit125. The video signal processor122processes video images acquired by each of the video input units.

As illustrated inFIG.2AandFIG.2B, in the present embodiment, for example, the third video input unit125and the display121are arranged on the same surface (front surface). The first video input unit123and the second video input unit124are arranged on a surface opposite to the display121(back surface). Additionally, a flash unit129is arranged on a position adjacent to the first video input unit123and the second video input unit124.

In the following, there will be cases where the third video input unit125disposed on the same surface on which the display121is disposed is referred to as an “in-camera”, and the first video input unit123and the second video input unit124disposed on the surface opposite to the surface on which the display121is disposed are referred as an “out-camera”. In the present embodiment, the first video input unit123and the second video input unit124are arranged on the positions of the back surface, on the other hand, they may be arranged on the same surface on which the display121is disposed. Furthermore, the first video input unit123and the second video input unit124may be configured as one unit.

The voice processor130includes a voice output unit131, a voice signal processor132, and a voice input unit133. The voice output unit131is a speaker, and outputs a voice signal processed by the voice signal processor132to the outside. The voice input unit133is a microphone, and converts voice of a user into voice data and inputs the data. The voice input unit133is separate from the information processing terminal100, and may be connected to the information processing terminal100by wire communication or wireless communication.

The operation unit140is an instruction input unit for inputting an operation instruction to the information processing terminal100. In the present embodiment, as illustrated inFIG.2AandFIG.2B, the operation unit140includes a touch panel140twhich is overlapped and arranged on the display121, and operation keys140k1,140k2which are arranged as button switches. In this connection, only one of among the touch panel140tand the operation keys140K1,140K2may be used. Furthermore, the information processing terminal100may be configured to be operated by using such as a keyboard connected to the extension interface170which will be described later. Still further, the information processing terminal100may be configured to be operated by using another information processing terminal device connected thereto by wire communication or wireless communication. The touch panel function may be the one which is provided in the display121.

The communication processor150includes a LAN (Local Area Network) transceiver151, a mobile telephone network transceiver152, and a proximity wireless transceiver153. The LAN transceiver151is connected with wireless communication access points for the Internet by wireless communication to transmit/receive data. The mobile telephone network transceiver152performs telephone communication (telephone call) and transmits/receives data by wireless communication with a base station of a mobile telephone network. The proximity wireless transceiver153performs wireless communication in proximity to a reader/writer corresponding thereto. Each of the LAN transceiver151, the mobile telephone network transceiver152, and the proximity wireless transceiver153includes a coding circuit, a decoding circuit, an antenna, etc., respectively. Additionally, they may include an infrared transceiver, etc.

The sensor160is a sensor group for detecting a state of the information processing terminal100. In the present embodiment, the sensor160includes a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver161, an acceleration sensor162, a gyro sensor163, a geomagnetic sensor164, an illuminance sensor165, and a proximity sensor166. The sensor group makes it possible to detect such as a position, a movement, an inclination, and a direction of the information processing terminal100as well as a peripheral brightness and a proximity state of a surrounding object. The sensor160may further include other sensors.

The extension interface170is an interface group for extending the function of the information processing terminal100, and in the present embodiment, includes a video/voice interface, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface, a memory interface, etc. The video/voice interface inputs a video signal/voice signal from an external video/voice output device and outputs a video signal/voice signal to the external video/voice output device. The USB interface connects a keyboard and other USB devices with the information processing terminal100. The memory interface connects a memory card and other memory media with the information processing terminal100to transmit/receive data.

FIG.3illustrates a block diagram of a memory104and a storage110according to the present embodiment.

The main controller101develops a basic operation program110a, a camera function program110b, and a voice recognition program110c, an automatic response program110d, and other programs110ewhich are stored in the storage110on the memory104and executes them, so as to realize a basic operation unit104a, a camera function unit104b, a voice recognition unit104c, an automatic response unit104d, and other-function units104ewhich control operations of the information processing terminal100.

The information processing terminal100may further include each hardware block for realizing the same operations as those of the basic operation unit104a, the camera function unit104b, the voice recognition unit104c, the automatic response unit104d, and the other-function units104ein hardware as substitutes therefor.

The storage110further includes a storage area110ffor storing various kinds of information and data. The various kinds of information and data are stored in the storage area110fin advance, and at the time of execution of each program, for example, developed on a temporary storage area104fof the memory104and used. The data generated during execution of each program and data generated as an execution result are stored in the storage area110for the temporary storage area104f.

In the present embodiment, the various kinds of information and data include, for example, personal information, map information, and traffic information. Such information may not be stored in the storage110, but for example, may be stored in other storages which are accessible through the Internet.

The personal information referred to in the present embodiment is information which is held by the information processing terminal100in a broad sense, and is specific to a user or is input in the information processing terminal100by the user. Specifically, the personal information includes information such as an address, a telephone number, a date of birth of the user, as well as information of pictures and moving pictures stored in the information processing terminal100, and also includes such as contact information, authority information, positional information, and schedule information which will be described later.

The configuration example of the information processing terminal100illustrated inFIG.1includes a number of elements which are not essential to the present embodiment such as a part of the communication processor150and a part of the sensor160, on the other hand, even when these elements are not included in the configuration, an advantageous effect of the present embodiment is not lost. Additionally, elements which are not illustrated in the drawings such as a digital television broadcast receiving function and an electronic money settlement function may be further added to the configuration.

Hereinafter, the automatic response unit104daccording to the present embodiment will be described.FIG.4illustrates a functional block diagram of the automatic response unit104daccording to the present embodiment.

The automatic response unit104dof the present embodiment includes a receiver210, a processer220, and a transmitter240. The automatic response unit104dof the present embodiment uses various data stored in the storage area110fof the various information and data or the temporary storage area104fas a database250to realize automatic response processing.

The receiver210receives an access and message which are sent from an access partner to the information processing terminal100. The receiver210of the present embodiment includes a text data receiver211, a voice data receiver212, and an other-information receiver213.

The processer220creates a response in accordance with a message received by the receiver210. The processer220of the present embodiment includes a character recognition unit221, a voice recognition unit222, an intention recognition unit223, a response creation unit230, an authority setting unit225, a response recording unit226, a terminal controller227, a text data generation unit228, a voice data generation unit229, and a situation grasping unit224.

The transmitter240transmits the response generated by the processer220to the access partner. The transmitter240therefore includes a text data transmitter241and a voice data transmitter242.

The database250stores a personal information DB254and a response recording DB253. The personal information DB254includes a contact information database (DB)251and an authority information DB252.

The text data receiver211receives text data in the message transmitted from the access partner via the communication processor150. The text data receiver211outputs the received text data to the character recognition unit221.

The character recognition unit221analyzes characters to acquire text data. The text data is, for example, a text message in a text chat and a text in an e-mail.

The voice data receiver212receives voice data in the message transmitted from the access partner via the communication processor150. The voice data receiver212outputs the received voice data to the voice recognition unit222. The voice data receiver212transmits the voice data, for example, by telephone using a telephone network, an IP telephone using the internet network, or a telephone available in an application which can be also used as a text chat. In this connection, the data to be transmitted may include video data.

The voice recognition unit222recognizes voice to acquire text data. The voice recognition unit222is realized by the above-mentioned voice recognition unit104c.

The other-information receiver213receives information accompanied by the message transmitted from the access partner (accompanying information). The accompanying information includes, for example, an incoming number in the case of telephone, an e-mail address of a transmission source in the case of e-mail, an application ID in the case of text chat, which are information capable of uniquely specifying an access partner. In the following, information capable of uniquely specifying an access partner is collectively referred to identification (ID) information. The other-information receiver213transmits the received accompanying information to the authority setting unit225.

The authority setting unit225specifies an access partner by using the contact information DB251based on the ID information of the access partner. Then, the authority setting unit225refers to contents of the message as necessary, determines authority of the access partner by using the authority information DB252, and sets the authority of the access partner. The details of the contact information DB251and the authority information DB252and the details of processing of the authority setting unit225will be described later.

The intention recognition unit223analyzes the data which has been made into texts by the character recognition unit221or the voice recognition unit222to identify the intention of the data. The intention recognition unit223outputs an identification result (intention recognition result) to the response creation unit230. In the present embodiment, the data is classified into predetermined intention sections. The intention sections include, for example, schedule confirmation (inquiry), location confirmation, and appointment request. The details thereof will be described later. Analysis of data may, for example, utilize a variety of existing techniques such as machine learning.

For example, firstly, the intention recognition unit223identifies feature of data. The intention recognition unit223identifies the feature based on metadata, location of a part of the data within the data, contents, context, keyword, history, heuristic, inference, rule, division, source of the data, and transmitted/received time/day of the data. Then, the intention recognition unit223divides the data of which the feature has been identified into logical structures such as a character string, word, sentence, and paragraph, extracts features of each logical structure, and identifies the intention from the extracted features.

The intention recognition unit223may be constituted of a classifier by a Support Vector Machine, a Bayes method, a knowledge engineering, etc. Furthermore, learning data which was previously made to learn may be installed in advance and used. Still further, the learning data may be dynamically updated at the time of execution. The intention recognition unit223may employ a method for recognizing an intention by using the technique of machine learning such as deep learning and reinforcement learning.

For example, upon receiving a message such as “where are you?”, the intention recognition unit223recognizes the intention of the message as “location confirmation” and outputs “current location of the information processing terminal100” which is a location to be confirmed. Similarly, upon receiving a message such as “what are you doing now?” or “who are you taking with on the phone?”, the intention recognition unit223outputs “current situation confirmation”. Upon receiving a message such as “Can we meet now?”, “Do you have time on X day of Y month?”, or “Please note that the meeting will be held”, the intention recognition unit223outputs “appointment request”. Upon receiving a message such as “Have you got the pictures from the trip?”, the intention recognition unit223outputs “request of providing data” as well as “pictures from the trip to XX” which is the information for specifying the data to be provided. In this case, the pictures are selected based on the information which can be acquired from date information and location information accompanied by the pictures or analysis of the images of the pictures, etc. Upon receiving a message such as “What is your pulse rate?”, the intention recognition unit223outputs “request for providing medical information” as well as “pulse rate” which is the information to be provided. Upon receiving messages such as “Turn on the light” and “Turn on the sound”, the intention recognition unit223outputs turning on a light, emitting light, outputting a sound, etc. as the request for controlling operations of the information processing terminal100and control processing thereof.

Based on the result of intention recognition which has been identified by the intention recognition unit223and the authority which has been set by the authority setting unit225, the response creation unit230generates response contents on which the result of intention recognition of the access partner is reflected (including the location information and/or schedule information). The response creation unit230outputs the generated response contents to at least one of the text data generation unit228, the voice data generation unit229, and the terminal controller227. The details thereof will be described later.

The response recording unit226records the response contents generated by the response creation unit230together with the ID information of the access partner in the response recording DB253. Here, the access partner is a transmission source of the message which is a basis for generating the response contents. In this connection, the recorded response contents may be adapted to be displayed when the user operates the information processing terminal100for the first time thereafter or when the user operates an associated application for the first time thereafter in order to show to the user that the automatic response function has been executed.

The response recording unit226corresponds the ID information, response contents, recording time, etc. with each other and registers them in the response recording DB253.

The text data generation unit228converts the response contents generated by the response creation unit230into text data, and makes the text data transmitter241transmit the text data to the access partner according to the access method.

The voice data generation unit229converts the response contents generated by the response creation unit230into voice data, and makes the voice data transmitter242transmit the voice data to the access partner according to the access method.

The terminal controller227performs an operation such as outputting a beep sound or lighting the flash unit129based on an instruction from the response creation unit230.

The situation grasping unit224determines whether the user can respond to an access, and when it is determined that the user is unable to respond, it performs initial response processing in accordance with the category and/or authority of the access partner. The situation grasping unit224determines whether the user can respond to the access depending on whether operations including responding, opening an e-mail, etc. is performed or whether the e-mail has already been read within a prescribed time. The details of the initial response processing will be described later.

Hereinafter, the contact information DB251and the authority information DB252which are accessed by the authority setting unit225, the response creation unit230, the situation grasping unit224, etc. at the time of processing and stored in the database250, will be described.

The contact information DB251stores attribute (category) information of the access partner by corresponding it to the ID information of the access partner.FIG.5illustrates an example of the contact information DB251.

Each record item registered in the contact information DB251includes, as illustrated inFIG.5, a name251a, a category251b, a date of birth251c, a password251d, and an ID information251eof the access partner.

The category251bis a unit for specifying the authority in the authority information DB252which will be described later. In the present embodiment, the category251bincludes a belonging251f, an importance flag (importance)251g, and a type251h. The importance flag251gis used to set a plurality of different authority to people in the same type251h. With the importance flag251g, for example, it is possible to set the different authority to the people, even if they belong to the same company, depending on whether the person is a superior.

The information of the user of the information processing terminal100is also registered in the contact information DB251. As the information of the user, information capable of specifying the identity of the user such as “myself” is registered in the type251h.

The ID information251eincludes a telephone number251i, an e-mail address251j, and an application ID251k, which are the information for identifying the access partner as described above.

In this connection, in the “emergency” of the category251b, for example, an administration ID is registered as the ID information251e. The administration ID can be used, for example, as a clue for finding a missing person by an administrative organization such as a fire station in the case of disaster. Specifically, the administration may access the information processing terminal100of a victim buried in rubble to acquire its positional information and/or specify its position by generating a sound.

The name251ais used for providing the user with the identification information specified by the ID information251esince the name can be understood by the user more easily than a telephone number and an e-mail address. The user merely needs to know who the access partner is, and accordingly, the name251ais not limited to the names of people, but can recite, for example, a company name or school name. In this connection, the names in the name251amay overlap with each other.

Furthermore, information such as a zip code, an address, and pictures may be registered in the contact information DB251. On the other hand, all the items in the contact information DB251are not necessarily filled in but only necessary information may be appropriately recited.

The authority information DB252stores propriety of execution processing, which is performed by the information processing terminal100in accordance with the message from the access partner, as the authority for each category.FIG.6illustrates an example of the authority information DB252.

Each record registered in the authority information DB252includes, as illustrated inFIG.6, a category252aand an execution processing propriety information252b. The category252acorresponds to the category251bof the contact information DB251, and includes a type, a belonging, and an importance flag.

The propriety information252bis information for specifying whether each execution processing can be performed. The registered execution processing includes, for example, providing positional information, schedule confirmation (providing scheduled information), appointment processing, providing personal information, providing health information, and emergency processing. The execution processing is not limited to the items above, but necessary inquiry contents can be set as the execution processing, and appropriately added thereto or deleted therefrom.

In the present embodiment, a case where the number of the authority information DB252is one will be described as an example. However, the reliability of telephone numbers is different from that of e-mail addresses. That is, e-mail addresses are easily camouflaged. Therefore, another different authority information DB252may be provided for when the ID information251ewhich is the basis for specifying the category252ais telephone numbers and for when it is e-mail addresses. In this case, the authority in the authority information DB252of the e-mail addresses is restricted more than that of the authority information DB252of the telephone numbers even for the same category252a.

The contact information DB251and the authority information DB252are stored in the storage110, and appropriately developed on the memory104as needed during execution of a program.

Hereinafter, the details of the response creation unit230will be described.FIG.7illustrates a functional block diagram of the response creation unit230. The response creation unit230creates response contents by using the intention recognition result and the authority as described above. To realize above, the response creation unit230includes an execution processing storage235for storing execution processing contents which has been determined in advance for each intention, an execution unit231for performing the execution processing, and a contents generation unit234. The execution unit231includes a controller232and an information collection unit233.

The execution processing storage235stores the processing to be performed (execution processing) for each intention recognition result. The execution processing is, for example, acquiring positional information from the GPS receiver161when the location to be confirmed by the location confirmation is a current position. Even in the case of the location confirmation, when the location to be confirmed is a specific location other than the current position, the execution processing is accessing a map information DB110pwhich is held in the storage110or on the network and acquiring the positional information of the location.

The execution unit231accesses the execution processing storage235, and performs the execution processing in accordance with the received intention recognition result. As needed during the execution processing, the execution unit231makes the controller232control the operation of the terminal, and makes the information collection unit233collect information.

The controller232controls the operations of the information processing terminal100in accordance with an instruction from the execution unit231. Specifically, during the execution processing, when the function for acquiring the positional information is turned off even though the processing for acquiring the positional information is included in the execution processing, the controller232temporarily turns on the function. In the present embodiment, for example, the GPS receiver161serves as the function for acquiring the positional information.

The information collection unit233collects information in accordance with an instruction from the execution unit231when it is necessary to collect various information during the execution processing.

The information collection unit233, for example, acquires the latitude/longitude information from the information acquired by the GPS receiver161of the sensor160to specify the position. Next, the information collection unit233searches the map information DB110pheld in the storage110, etc. to acquire such as an address, a facility name, and a building name which serve as a landmark of the current position.

In this connection, acquisition of the positional information can be performed not only from the GPS but also via the communication processor (specifically, via Wi-Fi, mobile communication network, etc.)150. Furthermore, specification of the position may be performed based on the positional information of the access points which are the communication destination of the communication processor150.

The information collection unit233acquires such as personal information, pictures, and moving pictures in the information processing terminal100from the personal information DB254. Likewise, the information collection unit233may acquire such as an address, a telephone number, an e-mail address, and an application ID of each person registered in the contact information DB251therefrom. In this connection, when each application has the respective application IDs, the information collection unit233acquires them from each application by referring to the contact information DB251as needed.

Furthermore, the information collection unit233may acquire schedule information of the user of the information processing terminal100from a schedule DB110rin the personal information DB254. The schedule information includes time information and location information.

The execution unit231may temporarily set new schedule information in the schedule DB110rwhen it is determined that the appointment can be made as a result of the execution processing.

The information collection unit233may access a traffic information DB110sto collect information. The execution unit231, for example, calculates an expected time required for travelling between the departure place and the arrival place by using the information collected by the information collection unit233. In addition, the information collection unit233may acquire the expected time required for travelling from the departure place to arrival place directly from the traffic information DB110sfor each of walking, train, bus, and car (taxi).

The traffic information DB110smay be stored in the inside of the information processing terminal100, or may be held on a server on the Internet via the communication processor150. In this connection, calculation of the travelling time by train may take account of delay information, and the calculation of the travelling time by bus and/or car (taxi) may take account of traffic congestion information of the road (current or prediction). For example, when a plurality of routes can be considered, there is a possibility that the priority of the shortest route is lowered due to influence of the delay.

The information collection unit233may acquire the surrounding conditions of the information processing terminal100as image or voice information via the video processor120and the voice processor130.

The contents generation unit234generates response contents by using the execution result by the execution unit231. Thereby, the response creation unit230acquires the information in accordance with the intention of the access partner from the information collection unit233, to generate the response contents including such information.

Hereinafter, a flow of the automatic response processing performed by the automatic response unit104dof the present embodiment will be described. As illustrated inFIG.3, mainly, the voice recognition program110cand the automatic response program110dstored in the storage110are developed on the memory104and executed by the main controller101, and thereby the processing of the automatic response unit104dis realized.

FIG.8illustrates a main flowchart of automatic response processing of the information processing terminal100. In the following, the automatic response in the case of telephone will be described as an example, and reference to some operations of the processing in the case of e-mail and text chat, which are similar to those of the processing in the case of telephone, will be omitted. Meanwhile, characteristic points in the omitted cases will be referred to as needed.

Firstly, upon receiving the first telephone call from the access partner, the situation grasping unit224acquires a telephone number (ID) of the access partner (S301).

Then, the situation grasping unit224determines whether the automatic response function is turned on (S302). When the automatic response function is turned off, the situation grasping unit224performs an operation similar to the case of a normal incoming call (S315). In this case, when the user cannot respond to the incoming call but has set the automatic answering telephone function, the automatic answering telephone function will be operated.

When the automatic response function is turned on, the situation grasping unit224determines whether the user can respond to the access (S303). Determination above by the situation grasping unit224is made, for example, by whether a telephone call is answered, an e-mail is opened, or a message in a text chat is read within a certain period of time.

When the automatic response function is turned on and the user can respond to the access, the situation grasping unit224also proceeds the processing to S315, performs the operation similar to the case of a normal incoming call (S315), and finishes the automatic response function.

When the user cannot respond to the access, the situation grasping unit224specifies who the access partner is (S304). The specification of the access partner is performed by using the acquired ID of the access partner and the contact information DB251. When the acquired ID is not registered in the contact information DB251and specification of the access partner cannot be performed, the situation grasping unit224proceeds the processing to S305while rendering the type251has “unknown”.

Next, the situation grasping unit224refers to the contact information DB251to determine whether the type251hof the access partner is “unsolicited” (S305). When it is determined that the category type of the access partner is “unsolicited”, the situation grasping unit224transmits a response for unsolicited contact (S313), and finishes the processing.

The processing above makes it possible for the user to finish the contact with the access partner who is considered as an unsolicited person by the user without performing subsequent processing when the user registers the telephone number of the unsolicited person in the contact information DB251. Here, an access partner who is considered as an unsolicited person by the user may not necessarily be registered in the contact information DB251. For example, an ID of an access partner who is considered as an unsolicited person by the user may be stored on the server. In this case, the situation grasping unit224acquires the ID thereof via the communication processor150. Furthermore, the situation grasping unit224may determine an access partner who accesses the information processing terminal100with a certain frequency within a certain period of time as an unsolicited person, and automatically sets such an access partner in the contact information DB251. The case above is, for example, for a crank call.

Next, the situation grasping unit224refers to the contact information DB251and the authority information DB252to specify the authority of the access partner (S306).

Then, the situation grasping unit224determines whether the specified authority of the access partner (category252a) is “emergency” (S307). When it is determined that the authority of the access partner (category252a) is “emergency”, the situation grasping unit224executes the emergency processing (S314), and finishes the processing.

Here, for example, a case where the user suffers from the disaster is assumed. The situation grasping unit224performs, as an operation of the emergency processing, such as generating a beep sound, turning on a light or a emitting light, transmitting positional information (by turning on the positional information function when it is turned off), or activating a camera to transmit a still picture or a moving picture. In the case of emergency processing, the situation grasping unit224may request the access partner to input a dedicated password to confirm whether the access partner is the one who has the authority to perform the emergency processing.

Next, the situation grasping unit224confirms a state (S308). The state to be confirmed is a state of the user. Specifically, for example, information for specifying the state of the user (state information) such as during moving, talking on the phone, viewing a moving picture, or playing a game is output as a confirmation result. The details will be described later with reference toFIG.9.

Then, the situation grasping unit224transmits an initial response in accordance with the state confirmed in S308via the text data generation unit228or the voice data generation unit229(S309). The initial response may include, in accordance with the authority of the access partner, a request to transmit a message.

The initial response may be the one which is provided in the first person by the automatic response unit104d, for example, “The user cannot respond to your contact now. Please tell me your message so I am going to help you in place of the user”. Furthermore, the authority information DB252may additionally include a list of “reasons of absence”. When the access partner has the authority to be notified of the “reasons of absence”, the situation grasping unit224may add the state information confirmed in S308to the initial response as the reason of absence. In this case, for example, the initial response says “The user is engaged with another call and cannot answer your contact now” instead of “The user cannot respond to your contact now”.

Next, the processer220determines, after transmission of the initial response, whether the receiver210received a message from the access partner in response to the initial response within a certain period of time (S310). In this connection, the processer220may set another certain period of time which is shorter than the certain period of time used for determining whether the receiver210has received a message from the access partner, and doubly determine such as, when the access partner makes contact via an e-mail, whether the e-mail of the initial response has been opened, and when the access partner makes contact via a text chat, whether the message of the initial response has been read.

Upon receiving a message from the access partner, the processer220performs response generation processing to generate a response according to the contents/purpose of the message (S311). The details will be described later.

Next, the transmitter240transmits the contents generated in S311to the access partner who is the transmission source (S312). Then, the transmitter240returns the processing to S310, and the automatic response function continues to correspond with the access partner until no message arrives from the access partner. When the user becomes ready to respond to the access during the execution of the operation in the flowchart, the automatic response function stops the operation in the middle and switches the response to the user.

Hereinafter, the details of the state confirmation processing performed by the situation grasping unit224in S308will be described.FIG.9illustrates a flowchart of the state confirmation processing.

Firstly, the situation grasping unit224determines whether there is an active application (S401). When it is determined that there is no active application, the situation grasping unit224searches for whether the user has a schedule at the time of being accessed (S402).

When the schedule is found, the situation grasping unit224accesses the schedule DB110rto acquire schedule information (S407), and finishes the processing. At this time, the schedule information is output as state information.

On the other hand, when no schedule is found in S403, the situation grasping unit224determines whether the positional information function is turned on (S404), and when it is turned off, finishes the processing without being capable of confirming the state of the user. When the state of the user cannot be confirmed, information indicating such as unknown is output, or nothing may be output.

When the positional information function is turned on in S404, the situation grasping unit224determines whether the user is moving (S405). Specifically, the situation grasping unit224acquires the positional information to determine whether the user is moving based on changes in the positional information. When the user is not moving, the situation grasping unit224finishes the processing without being capable of confirming the state of the user.

On the other hand, when the user is moving, the situation grasping unit224acquires the moving speed (S406), and finishes the processing. In this case, information indicating that the user is moving is output as the state information. In S406, a threshold may be provided for the moving speed to further determine whether the user is moving at high speed. In addition, the situation grasping unit224may refer to the map information, etc. together with the moving speed to assume the specific moving means such as on foot, by bicycle, car, or train. The determined result and assumed result may be output together with the state information.

Next, when it is determined in S401that there is an active application, the situation grasping unit224determines whether it is a telephone application (S408). If the telephone application is active, the situation grasping unit224acquires information of a conversation partner (S409), and finishes the processing. In this case, information indicating that the user is talking on the phone with the conversation partner is output as the state information.

On the other hand, when the active application is not a telephone application, the situation grasping unit224acquires information of the application (S410), and finishes the processing. In this case, information indicating that the application is in use is output as the state information.

The reason for searching for an active application is, for example, there is a possibility that the user does not answer an incoming call while viewing a moving picture or playing a game. In such a situation, when someone accesses the information processing terminal100via an e-mail or a text chat, there is also a possibility that the user cannot even notice that someone has accesses to his/her information processing terminal100.

Hereinafter, the details of the response generation processing in step S311will be described.FIG.10illustrates a flowchart of the response generation processing in S311

Firstly, the intention recognition unit223analyzes a message received from the access partner to specify the access partner's intention to access the information processing terminal100, that is, purpose of the access (S501).

Then, the response creation unit230determines whether the purpose of the access is identification confirmation (S502). Originally, the information processing terminal100is owned by the user himself/herself. Accordingly, there are basically few cases that the information processing terminal100receives an access from the user himself/herself. However, in a case where the information processing terminal100is such as a portable smart phone, there is a possibility that the user loses the occupancy of the information processing terminal100due to lost or theft thereof. In such a case, the user himself/herself needs to access the information processing terminal100to confirm the location of his/her information processing terminal100(smart phone) which has been lost. An access from a user himself/herself assumes such the case above.

When the purpose of the access is identification confirmation, the response creation unit230requests the user to input a password to confirm that the access partner is the user himself/herself (S503). After receiving the password (S504) and confirming that the input password coincides with the password251din the contact information DB251(S505), the response creation unit230sets the authority of the access partner as “myself” (the user of the information processing terminal100) (S506). Then, the response creation unit230creates response contents in accordance with the purpose (identification confirmation) and the authority (S512), and finishes the processing.

When the purpose of the access is not identification confirmation in S502, the response creation unit230determines whether the purpose of the access is leaving a message (S507). When it is determined that the purpose is leaving a message, the response creation unit230records the message from the access partner (S508), creates response contents in accordance therewith (S512), and finishes the processing.

When the purpose of the access is other than the above, the response creation unit230determines whether a response can be made within the authority of the access partner (S509). When it is determined that a response can be made within the authority of the access partner, the response creation unit230refers to the execution processing storage235to execute processing in accordance with the purpose of the access (S510). In this connection, specific examples of the processing to be executed will be described later.

Thereafter, the response recording unit226records the executed processing in the response recording DB253(S511). The response creation unit230generates response contents by using the execution result (S512), and finishes the processing.

When a response cannot be made within the authority of the access partner, the response creation unit230generates a message indicating that it is not possible to respond to the access from the access partner (S512), and finishes the processing.

Hereinafter, specific examples of the execution processing along the purpose in S510which is performed by the response creation unit230will be described.FIG.11illustrates an example of a flowchart indicating the details of S510. Here, a case where the intention recognition result by the intention recognition unit223is location confirmation is illustrated as an example. For instance, a case where a message from the access partner includes an expression to request to obtain the positional information of the user such as “Where are you?” will be described.

Firstly, the execution unit231determines whether the positional information function of the information processing terminal100is turned on (S601). When the positional information function is turned on, the information collection unit233acquires positional information (S604). Then, the information collection unit233acquires address information from the acquired positional information (S605), and outputs the acquired address information as a processing result. The information collection unit233acquires the address information by referring to the map information DB110p. The address information includes not only a specific address but also may include a building name and/or a place name.

On the other hand, when the positional information function is turned off in S601, the execution unit231confirms whether the authority is the user himself/herself (the user of the information processing terminal100) (S602). If the authority is the user himself/herself, the controller232turns on the positional information function (S603). This is because, as described above, the purpose of searching for a smart phone which the user himself/herself has lost is considered. It is desirable that, after acquiring the positional information, the controller232turns off the position information function for subsequent automatic responses.

When the authority is not the user himself/herself in S602, that is, when the positional information function is turned off and the authority is not the user himself/herself, the execution unit231refers to the schedule DB110rto determine whether the schedule of the user is registered at the time when the access partner accessed the information processing terminal100(S606). When the schedule is registered, the execution unit231refers to the schedule DB110rto determine whether location information is included in the registered schedule (S607). When the location information is included therein, the information collection unit233acquires the location information (S608) and outputs the location information as a processing result (positional information).

On the other hand, if the schedule is not registered in S606and the location information is not included in the schedule in S607, the execution unit231renders that it is not possible to acquire the positional information, outputs the above as a processing result, and finishes the processing.

The processing above is described by giving an example of the case in which, when the execution unit231cannot acquire the positional information by means of the positional information function, it proceeds the processing in order of searching for the schedule information corresponding thereto in the schedule DB110r, and then acquiring the location information as the positional information. Meanwhile, it may be possible to reverse the order above.

Furthermore, the execution unit231may acquire the positional information by only one of the means in accordance with the authority of the access partner. The positional information is information which cannot be changed by the user of the information processing terminal100. On the other hand, the location information included in the schedule DB110rcan be changed by the user. In this way, they are different in nature with each other. It can be said that the information acquired by the positional information function is information to be handled more carefully. For example, it can be assumed that, when the type251his a family or a friend, the positional information acquired by the positional information function is notified to the access partner while when the type251his a company, the positional information acquired by the positional information function is not notified thereto.

Hereinafter, another specific example of the execution processing along the purpose in S510will be described.FIG.12illustrates an example of a flowchart indicating the details of S510. Here, a case where the intention recognition result by the intention recognition unit223is appointment request is illustrated as an example. For example, a case where a message from the access partner includes an expression to request to obtain the schedule information of the user such as “Can we meet now?” will be described.

Firstly, the execution unit231acquires a date and time, and a location which the access partner requests to know (S701). The execution unit231extracts such information from an analysis result by the intention recognition unit223. Note that the location information is not necessarily required. Meanwhile, if the location information can be acquired, it is possible to perform response operations more accurately. The location information may also be acquired via the other-information receiver213. For example, when both the user and the access partner recognize with each other that they are within the walking distance, it is considered that the access partner acquires the positional information from the smart phone (information processing terminal100) of the user. Additionally, when the information processing terminal100stores the positional information of the access partner, the positional information of the access partner may be used as the information of the location of request.

Next, the execution unit231searches for the schedule on the date and time of request (S702). In this case, the execution unit231refers to the schedule DB110rto extract data of the date and time of request.

Then, the execution unit231confirms whether the schedule is already registered on the date and time of request (S703), and when it is confirmed that the schedule is registered, finishes the processing.

On the other hand, when it is confirmed that the schedule is not registered, the execution unit231searches for the schedule immediately before and after the date and time of request (S704) to confirm whether the schedule immediately before and after the date and time of request is registered (S705). When the schedule is not registered, the execution unit231temporarily sets an appointment in the schedule DB110r(S707), and finishes the processing. At the time of temporarily setting an appointment, the execution unit231adds and registers new schedule information on the date and time of request in the schedule DB110r. In this connection, as to whether the user has a schedule immediately before and after the date and time of request, the user can appropriately set its range, namely, within the day or from the day before and after the requested data.

When the schedule is registered on the date and time immediately before or after the date and time of request, the execution unit231also refers to the location information to determine whether the schedule can be moved (S706). For example, the execution unit231makes the information collection unit233acquire the positional information, the location information of the location of request, the traffic information on the area between the two locations, etc., of the date and time immediately before or after the date and time of request from the map information DB110p, the traffic information DB110s, etc. The execution unit231determines whether the user can move to the destination within the time.

Then, the execution unit231finishes the processing when it is determined that the user cannot move to the destination within the time. On the other hand, the execution unit231proceeds the processing to S707when it is determined that the user can move to the destination within the time.

Upon completion of the processing in S510, if having temporarily set the appointment in the schedule, the execution unit231reflects the contents of the appointment on creation of the response contents while if not having temporarily set the appointment in the schedule, the execution unit231reflects the contents above on creation of the response contents. Note that even if the schedule is registered on the date and time immediately before or after the date and time of request, when the location information is not registered, the execution unit231cannot determine whether the user can move to the destination within the time in S706. Therefore, in this case as well, the execution unit231determines that the user cannot move to the destination within the time.

In this connection, still another example of the execution processing in S510is transmission of data stored in the information processing terminal100such as a still picture, a moving picture, and a document. For example, when the access partner is a family member or a friend, the information processing terminal100transmits thereto a still picture or moving picture from the trip. When the access partner is a colleague or superior of the company, the information processing terminal100transmits thereto a necessary document.

A further example of the execution processing in S510is transmission of health information of the user. For example, the information processing terminal100acquires health information (biological information such as pulse and blood pressure) in coordination with a wearable device for acquiring biological information, etc. For example in home care, even when the user is sleeping and cannot respond to an access, a doctor and/or nurse can periodically grasp the health condition of the user, which makes it possible to quickly find the occurrence of emergency.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, an information processing terminal100that performs automatic response, comprises: the database250configured to store personal information of a user of the information processing terminal100; the receiver210configured to receive an access and a message from an access partner; the automatic response unit104d(processor220) configured to, after receiving the access, perform a request to the access partner to transmit the message when an operation in response to the access is not input in the information processing terminal100, and create a response to the message which has been received in response to the request; and the transmitter240configured to transmit the response to the access partner. Furthermore, the automatic response unit104dincludes: the intention recognition unit223configured to recognize an intention of the message; and the response creation unit230configured to refer to the intention of the message and the personal information to create a response to the message.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, when the information processing terminal100receives an access, even if the user does not or cannot react to the access, the information processing terminal100autonomously creates response contents and returns a response to an access source by taking account of the contents of the access and a situation of the information processing terminal100. With this configuration, the information processing terminal100does not require the user to perform complicated processing. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to perform an optimum response operation in accordance with the contents of the access without performing complicated procedure.

Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the receiver210further receives an ID of the access partner, and the database250further may store the contact information DB251that stores a category of the access partner by corresponding it to the ID information of the access partner and the authority information DB252that stores propriety of execution processing, which is performed by the information processing terminal100in accordance with the message from the access partner, as authority for each category. Still further, the response creation unit (processer220) further may perform the execution processing to create a response in accordance with the message by referring to the ID of the access partner, the contact information DB251, and the authority information DB252.

With this configuration, according to the present embodiment, response contents are automatically changed in accordance with access sources. That is, even when receiving the same messages, the information processing terminal100performs response operations in accordance with attributes of access sources, respectively. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to perform more optimum response operations without increasing a burden imposed on a user.

The embodiment above is described under the presumption that the information processing terminal100holds a program for realizing automatic response processing. On the other hand, the present invention is not limited to the present embodiment. For example, the program may be introduced to an external storage of the information processing terminal100as necessary, via for example, a removable storage medium, communication medium (such as a wired, wireless, or optical network, a carrier wave, and digital signals on the network).

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

100: information processing terminal101: main controller102: system bus104: memory104a: basic operation unit104b: camera function unit104c: voice recognition unit104d: automatic response unit104e: other-function unit104f: temporary storage area110: storage110a: basic operation program110b: camera function program110c: voice recognition program110d: automatic response program110e: other program110f: various information/data storage area120: video processor121: display122: video signal processor123: first video input unit124: second video input unit125: third video input unit129: flash unit130: voice processor131: voice output unit132: voice signal processor133: voice input unit140: operation unit140k1: operation key140k2: operation key140t: touch panel150: communication processor151: LAN transceiver152: mobile telephone network transceiver153: proximity wireless transceiver160: sensor161: GPS receiver162: acceleration sensor163: gyro sensor164: geomagnetic sensor165: illuminance sensor166: proximity sensor170: extension interface210: receiver211: text data receiver212: voice data receiver213: other-information receiver220: processer221: character recognition unit222: voice recognition unit223: intention recognition unit224: situation grasping unit225: authority setting unit226: response recording unit227: terminal controller228: text data generation unit229: voice data generation unit230: response creation unit231: execution unit232: controller233: information collection unit234: contents generation unit235: execution processing storage240: transmitter241: text data transmitter242: voice data transmitter250: database251a: name251b: category251c: birth date251d: password251e: ID information251f: belonging251g: importance flag251h: type251i: telephone number251j: e-mail address251k: application ID252a: category252b: propriety information110p: map information DB110r: schedule DB110s: traffic information DB251: contact information DB252: authority information DB253: response recording DB254: personal information DB