Patent ID: 7373218

Claim:
An image distribution system comprising: a plurality of robots, each of the robots including a moving body; a plurality of local managers for managing operations of the moving bodies, respectively; a plurality of portable terminals; a global manager for managing communication connections between the robots and the portable terminals; a content server; each of the robots comprising: a biped walking self-moving device for operating in accordance with an instruction from a corresponding local manager of the local managers; an instruction input section for receiving an instruction on a movement of the self-moving device; a camera; and an image output section for outputting an image photographed by the camera to the local manager; each of the local managers comprising: an image input section for receiving the image outputted from a corresponding robot of the robots; a global map for setting an action plan of the robot; an action instruction section for directing the robot to take an action, based on the global map; an information collection section for receiving, from the content server, contents being related to a current geographic position of the robot, based on the global map; an information superimposing section for producing superimposed data in which the contents received by the information collection section is superimposed on the image received by the image input section; an image sending section for sending the superimposed data to a corresponding portable terminal of the portable terminals; and a connection management section for sending, to the global manager, connection information for determining possibility of a connection with the robot; and the global manager including a menu generation section which, upon receipt of a connection request from one portable terminal out of the portable terminals, generates a menu screen to be displayed on the portable terminal, based on pieces of the connection information sent from the local managers, and which substantially sends, to the portable terminal, the menu screen including at least a utilization selection section of the robots.