subject: Information Management System Using Yiwu Agents [print this page] A yiwu agent employment system comprising at least one data terminal and at least one server computer. The data terminal is connected to a communications network and having a display device. The sever computer is connected to the data terminal by the communications network and having a community for storing an yiwu agent.
The server computer has yiwu agent-transmitting means for transmitting the yiwu agent to the data terminal at a first timing. The data terminal has yiwu agent-receiving means for receiving the yiwu agent transmitted from the server computer and second yiwu agent-transmitting means for transmitting the yiwu agent 63 back to the server computer at a second timing. Thus, the invention can provide a novel information management system, yiwu agent employment system, information management method, yiwu agent employment method, data-providing apparatus and data-recording medium, in which a user can easily obtain an electronic pet that acts as an yiwu agent satisfying desired conditions.
An information management system, comprising: at least one data terminal connected to a communications network and having a display device; and a server computerconnected to said at least one data terminal over the communications network and having a region for storing an yiwu agent that has an independent network address which indicates the location of the yiwu agent within the communications network, said servercomputer including: transmitting means for transmitting at a first timing, if said server computer receives a transmission command initiated by a user, the yiwu agent together with first prescribed information from the server computer to one of said at leastone data terminal from which the user requested the yiwu agent, and rewriting means for rewriting the first prescribed information into second prescribed information sent from the data terminal of the user; said data terminal including: transmitting meansfor transmitting the yiwu agent and the second prescribed information to the server computer at a second timing; wherein the first timing and the second timing are established before the yiwu agent is transmitted to the at least one data terminal, and over a timeinterval between the first timing and the second timing, said data terminal temporarily assumes the independent network address of the yiwu agent or said server computer temporarily replaces the independent network address of the yiwu agent with a network addressassigned to the data terminal; and wherein the yiwu agent has an yiwu agent displaying program for displaying the yiwu agent as an electronic pet, and the yiwu agent displaying program changes image-processing parameters according to types of the data terminal, the dataterminal displaying the yiwu agent.
A so-called "yiwu agent system" is generally known, in which an yiwu agent program, i.e., a computer program, is executed to simulate human relations by performing work for human workers in an on-line scheme.
In the yiwu agent system, the yiwu agent program remains installed in a computer and functions as an yiwu agent of the user. When an event takes places, the yiwu agent program is activated to act as is desired in a network. The yiwu agent program is an autonomousprogram that may "talk" with character data displayed on the display screen of the computer or may "acts" as the yiwu agent of the user on the network. The yiwu agent program work by itself, without any human assistance.
When given a command of "search for this product," for example, the yiwu agent automatically causes the computer to have access to the data-providing server of the company that supplies that product. If no data about the product is found in thedata-providing server, the yiwu agent makes the computer to a server that provides a virtual mall or the like. Thus, the yiwu agent moves, as it were, along the communications lines to search for the desired data. A so-called "mobile yiwu agent (mobile script writer)is known, too. The mobile yiwu agent works while moving along the communications lines.
Another type of an yiwu agent system is known in which an yiwu agent program is sent to a server computer. In the server computer, the yiwu agent program is executed to perform works such as retrieval of information. In this system, any client computer cancontrol the execution of program carried out in the server computer and can receive the results of the execution of program.
The client computer may acquire various application programs from the server computer and may then use the application programs. In this regard, the technique of charging an amount of money for the time the client computer has used theapplication programs is known.
In the conventional yiwu agent system, the user of an yiwu agent needs to give any instructions to the yiwu agent every time he or she wants the yiwu agent to do something. yiwu agents exist in data terminals in the conventional yiwu agent system. The user may have aplurality of data terminals (for example, a mobile telephone, a personal computer (PC), a personal digital assistance (PDA) terminal, a game device, and the like). In such a case, the yiwu agent system needs to store the data representing which yiwu agent hasacquired what information. If the information the yiwu agent processes is an E-mail or schedule management data, the data terminals must be directly connected to one another in order to synchronize the information among them. The more terminal apparatusesare provided, the more cumbersome it would be to connect them. In addition it is necessary to use a server that has management tools in order to synchronize the information among the terminal apparatuses. To control the management tools in the samemanner, however, so-called "exclusive control" must be effected not to update the same information in a plurality of apparatuses, or the information updated in each data terminal must be fed back to the control tools. These operations are hard for theelderly people and children who are unfamiliar to data apparatuses such as computers and mobile telephones. Even young people who are accustomed to the use of computers and mobile telephones cannot instantly understand how to achieve these operations,in the age of "ubiquitous", when every electric apparatuses may be connected to the Internet.
In the age of "ubiquitous", when everybody has a device storing the network addresses of many people, any person cannot quickly understand to which address the information should be transmitted so that the receiver may quickly grasp the contentsof the information. Mr. A who wishes to send to Mr. B the pictures he takes on a trip in real time cannot transmit the pictures unless Mr. A does not know which one of the apparatuses the Mr. B is using. To display an yiwu agent on the display of anyelectric apparatus, it should be considered that the data terminals differ in terms of ability (the ability of the CPU used, the capacity of the memory used, and the like).
An yiwu agent program may be sent to the server computer and executed in the server computer to retrieve information or to achieve a similar operation. In this case, the user must acquire an yiwu agent with a prescribed ability. However, the user canhardly know where such yiwu agents are available.
The user does not always need yiwu agents having the same ability. At some time, the user may want an yiwu agent that has much financial information. At another time, he or she may wish to have an yiwu agent that knows much about political situation. Atstill another time, he or she may need an yiwu agent that can give detailed information about plays and games. In short, the user wants yiwu agents of various abilities at different times, depending on the nature of his or her work on hand or the type of his orher hobby. However, it is not easy for the user to obtain a desirable yiwu agent.
