Abstract: An information providing system which includes: an IC card; a settlement center which monitors and holds contents information of the IC card, and upon receiving the contents information readout request, provides the information held therein to the requesting party; communication networks; an information center which, upon receiving a contents information request, outputs a contents information readout request to the settlement center and requests contents information of the IC card, and upon receiving the contents information, transmits this to the communication networks; and a communication terminal which transmits a contents information request to an information center, and upon receiving the contents information of the IC card transmitted from the information center, displays the contents information on a display unit.

Abstract: A Communication processing device, a communication processing method, and a computer program are provided. A configuration is provided wherein multiple access points are set as slaves, a mobile device is set as a master, so as to enable use of multiple resources at different access points. A mobile communication processing device searches access points, generates pico-cell information from communication settings information for each searched access point, generates a mapping table storing available address information conforming to a communication protocol applied to communication with each access point set in the pico-cell information. An address corresponding to a communication protocol is set based on the mapping table, and communication status setting processing is performed based on the pico-cell information to perform communication with each slave. According to this configuration, data processing using various resources connected to multiple access points set as slaves can be performed.

Abstract: An information providing system which includes: an IC card; a settlement center which monitors and holds contents information of the IC card, and upon receiving the contents information readout request, provides the information held therein to the requesting party; communication networks; an information center which, upon receiving a contents information request, outputs a contents information readout request to the settlement center and requests contents information of the IC card, and upon receiving the contents information, transmits this to the communication networks; and a communication terminal which transmits a contents information request to an information center, and upon receiving the contents information of the IC card transmitted from the information center, displays the contents information on a display unit.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus and method is disclosed which navigation information conforming to the interest and the liking of a user can be produced readily.

Abstract: The present invention provides a configuration in which a service corresponding to a user can be provided by using an apparatus near the user, even when the user moves from one location to another and apparatuses near the user change. A mobile apparatus carried by the user forms cells, with the mobile apparatus itself being the master, collects information of nearby apparatuses from a space directory (SDR), which stores information of directly-accessible slaves or nearby apparatuses, and generates and updates mobile directory information in a storage unit based on the collected information. Accordingly, the user can obtain the information of nearby information processors unconsciously without performing a special process and, thus, the user can receive services, such as content distribution and communication services, by using the nearby apparatuses based on the obtained information.

Abstract: A robot 20 periodically moves along specified routes in a user's living space 1, collecting the ID data items of objects 40 existing in the living space 1. Each object 40 has a radio tag 10, which stores the ID data of the object 40. The robot 20 has a communications unit 26. While the robot 20 is moving, the unit 26 keeps transmitting an electric wave to which the radio tags 10 can respond. Upon receiving the electric wave, each radio tag 10 transmits the ID data of the object 40. The robot 20 receives the ID data and generates property data by adding, to the ID data, the data representing the time and position at which the radio tag 10 has transmitted the ID data. The property data shows what exists where and when. A data-managing apparatus 30 has a meta-data recording unit 31, which converts the property data to meta data. The meta data can be used in various types of data-processing apparatuses.

Abstract: Personal information of a user is provided to an information provider from any location, through a simple apparatus, and with reliability. Personal information is pre-stored in a user profile database of a server. When the user accesses a service provider device from a terminal device through the server and the Internet, the service provider device requests the personal information of that user. The server reads the requested personal information from the user profile database and transfers the personal information to the service provider device. This novel arrangement makes it unnecessary for the user to input the personal information.

Abstract: In an information communication system and method, firstly, when individual identification information of a user that originated from a portable terminal is received by a communicating device, the individual identification information is stored and managed in connection with the communicating device, and the user is connected via the accessible communicating device on the basis of the individual identification information designated by an outside source. Secondly, the position of the user and accessible equipment to the user are managed on the basis of the individual identification information of each user that originated from the terminal and thereby, the user is provided with the predetermined information on the basis of the management information.

Abstract: A configuration is provided which allows users, such as children, who cannot sufficiently read map information to easily perform positional confirmation. An information terminal apparatus carried on a user includes an image data storage block storing actually taken image data of two or more geographical points in an area in which positional information is to be provided and a positional information database storing the correlation data between the identifiers of image data stored in the image data storage block and the positional information. On the basis of the positional information obtained from a positional information capture block, the image data identifier corresponding to the positional information is obtained from the positional information database, the actually taken image data are obtained from the image data storage block based on the obtained image data identifier, and the obtained actually taken image data are displayed on a display block.

Abstract: Personal information of a user is provided to an information provider from any location, through a simple apparatus, and with reliability. Personal information is stored beforehand in a user profile database of a server. When the user accesses a service provider device from a terminal device through the server and the Internet, the service provider device requests the terminal device to enter the personal information of that user. The server reads the requested personal information from the user profile database and transfers the personal information from a proxy device to the service provider device. This novel arrangement makes it unnecessary for the terminal device to input the personal information on its own. This holds true the a personal computer.

Abstract: A collation processing apparatus (1) comprises user identification information memory means (14) for storing user identification information which identifies user, collation information input means (10) for inputting collation information, collating means (11) for carrying out collation processing on the basis of the collation information inputted by the collation information input means (10), user identification information reading means (16) for reading out a predetermined user identification information from the user identification information memory means (14) on the basis of collation result by the collating means (11), and output means (2) for outputting, to an external unit, user identification information which has been read out by the user identification information reading means (16), thereby making it possible to specify user.

Abstract: Personal information of a user is provided to an information provider from any location, through a simple apparatus, and with reliability. Personal information is pre-stored in a user profile database of a server. When the user accesses a service provider device from a terminal device through the server and the Internet, the service provider device requests the personal information of that user. The server reads the requested personal information from the user profile database and transfers the personal information to the service provider device. This novel arrangement makes it unnecessary for the user to input the personal information.

Abstract: Personal information of a user is provided to an information provider from any location, through a simple apparatus, and with reliability. Personal information is stored beforehand in a user profile database of a server. When the user accesses a service provider device from a terminal device through the server and the Internet, the service provider device requests the terminal device to enter the personal information of that user. The server reads the requested personal information from the user profile database and transfers the personal information from a proxy device to the service provider device. This novel arrangement makes it unnecessary for the terminal device to input the personal information on its own. This holds true the a personal computer.

Abstract: Personal information of a user is provided to an information provider from any location, through a simple apparatus, and with reliability. Personal information is pre-stored in a user profile database of a server. When the user accesses a service provider device from a terminal device through the server and the Internet, the service provider device requests the personal information of that user. The server reads the requested personal information from the user profile database and transfers the personal information to the service provider device. This novel arrangement makes it unnecessary for the user to input the personal information.

Abstract: An information providing system which includes: an IC card; a settlement center which monitors and holds contents information of the IC card, and upon receiving the contents information readout request, provides the information held therein to the requesting party; communication networks; an information center which, upon receiving a contents information request, outputs a contents information readout request to the settlement center and requests contents information of the IC card, and upon receiving the contents information, transmits this to the communication networks; and a communication terminal which transmits a contents information request to an information center, and upon receiving the contents information of the IC card transmitted from the information center, displays the contents information on a display unit.

Abstract: An information holding medium stores the common key of the user used in the common-key encryption method. In response to a user authentication request sent from an information processing apparatus, the user is authenticated by the common-key encryption method by using the common key stored in the information holding medium of the user. Only when the user has been authenticated, predetermined processing for making the information processing apparatus authenticate the user by the public-key encryption method is performed.

Abstract: Personal information of a user is provided to an information provider from any location, through a simple apparatus, and with reliability. Personal information is stored beforehand in a user profile database of a server. When the user accesses a service provider device from a terminal device through the server and the Internet, the service provider device requests the terminal device to enter the personal information of that user. The server reads the requested personal information from the user profile database and transfers the personal information from a proxy device to the service provider device. This novel arrangement makes it unnecessary for the terminal device to input the personal information on its own. This holds true the a personal computer.

Abstract: A network transaction server apparatus manages virtual world privilege information that is issued for a transaction that a user has conducted in a virtual world by manipulating a personal computer. A settlement server apparatus manages real world privilege information that is issued for a transaction that the user has conducted in a real world. In response to a request from the personal computer, the settlement server apparatus converts virtual world privilege information that is managed by the network transaction server apparatus into real world privilege information using a prescribed conversion factor.

Abstract: Personal information of a user is provided to an information provider from any location, through a simple apparatus, and with reliability. Personal information is pre-stored in a user profile database of a server. When the user accesses a service provider device from a terminal device through the server and the Internet, the service provider device transmits a request to the terminal device to enter the personal information of that user. The server reads the requested personal information from the user profile database and transfers the personal information from a proxy device to the service provider device. This arrangement makes it unnecessary for the terminal device to input the personal information. This holds true for a personal computer.

Abstract: A communications system, a communication management system and method are disclosed. Distribution information is distributed to communication terminal devices to which communication lines are connected. And a privilege is assigned to a user of the communication terminal device to which the distribution information is distributed.