Patent ID: 7699228

Claim:
An information providing system, comprising: a portable terminal including an IC chip configured to communicate with an other device wirelessly in accordance with Near Field Communication standard and to send chip identification information identifying the IC chip; and an information providing apparatus configured to carry out wireless communications with the IC chip included in the portable terminal, the information providing apparatus including 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, to receive the identification information from the IC chip, and to identify the IC chip in the portable terminal based on the received identification information, 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, identified by the received identification information, included in the portable terminal based on the instruction from the browser.