Terminal device, server, system and program for retrieving landmark name

Abstract

With a registration function, a terminal device sends shooting-location information and a landmark name to a server. The shooting-location information is obtained from an image file, and the landmark name is inputted by a user. The server registers the received location information and the received landmark name in a database so as to relate them. With a retrieval function, the terminal device sends the shooting-location information to the server. On the basis of the received location information, the server retrieves one or more corresponding landmark names along a high-accuracy retrieval program. The retrieved landmark name is sent to the terminal device.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a network according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an illustration of an image frame shown (at a time of new registration) on a display panel of a terminal device according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an illustration of an image frame shown (at a time of retrieval) on the display panel of the terminal device;

FIG. 5 is an illustration of an image frame shown (at a time of renewal registration) on the display panel of the terminal device;

FIG. 6 is an illustration showing a structure of an image file;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an operation of the terminal device and a server;

FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram of a retrieval program (first retrieving method) according to the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an operation of the retrieval program (first retrieving method);

FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram of another retrieval program (second retrieving method) according to the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an operation of the retrieval program (second retrieving method);

FIG. 12 is a conceptual diagram of the other retrieval program (third retrieving method) according to the present invention; and

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an operation of the retrieval program (third retrieving method).

Claims

1. A terminal device connected via communication network to a server provided with a database including location information, which represents a location, and a landmark name corresponding to the location information, said terminal device having an image file including a taken image and shooting-location information representing a shooting location of the taken image, said terminal device comprising: an information acquisition part for obtaining said shooting-location information from said image file;a terminal-side communication part for communicating with said server;a retrieval request part for sending a retrieval request of the landmark name to said server via said terminal-side communication part, said server retrieving the landmark name from said database on the basis of said shooting-location information sent from said terminal device, and then said server sending the landmark name to said terminal device;a landmark-name input part for inputting the landmark name corresponding to said shooting-location information; anda registration request part for sending a registration request of the inputted landmark name to said server via said terminal-side communication part, said server registering the landmark name in said database on the basis of the sent shooting-location information and the sent landmark name so as to relate the landmark name to said shooting-location information.

2. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein said shooting-location information includes a longitude and a latitude of said shooting location.

3. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein said communication network is the Internet and said terminal device is a computer.

4. The terminal device according to claim 3, wherein said computer is connected to a camera-equipped external device, in which said image file is produced, to load said image file from said external device.

5. The terminal device according to claim 3, further comprising a display panel showing said image of said image file for which said retrieval and registration requests are to be made, the retrieved and inputted landmark names, and buttons used for the retrieval request and the registration request.

6. A server provided with a database including location information and a landmark name corresponding to the location information, said server connecting via a communication network to a terminal device having an image file including a taken image and shooting-location information representing a location of the taken image, said server comprising: a server-side communication part for communicating with said terminal device;a retrieval part for retrieving the landmark name from said database on the basis of a retrieval request received from said terminal device via said server-side communication part, said retrieval part retrieving the landmark name, which corresponds to the shooting-location information sent from said terminal device, and sending the landmark name to said terminal device; anda registration part for newly registering and updating the shooting-location information and the landmark name, which are received from said terminal device via said server-side communication part, in said database, said landmark name being inputted by said terminal device.

7. The server according to claim 6, wherein said communication network is the Internet.

8. A landmark-name retrieval system comprising: the terminal device according to claim 1; anda server provided with a database including location information and a landmark name corresponding to the location information, said server connecting via a communication network to a terminal device having an image file including a taken image and shooting-location information representing a location of the taken image, said server comprising:a server-side communication part for communicating with said terminal device;a retrieval part for retrieving the landmark name from said database on the basis of a retrieval request received from said terminal device via said server-side communication part, said retrieval part retrieving the landmark name, which corresponds to the shooting-location information sent from said terminal device, and sending the landmark name to said terminal device; anda registration part for newly registering and updating the shooting-location information and the landmark name, which are received from said terminal device via said server-side communication part, in said database, said landmark name being inputted by said terminal device;wherein said communication network is the Internet.

9. A retrieval program for a landmark-name retrieval system comprising a server and at least one terminal device connected thereto via a communication network, said server storing a database including location information, which represents a location, and a landmark name corresponding to said location information, said program having said server execute the steps of: surrounding said locations, which are represented by all the location information corresponding to the identical landmark name, on said database with a closed curve;specifying the inside of said closed curve as a region of said landmark name; andretrieving the landmark name by judging whether or not the location represented by the shooting-location information received form said terminal device resides in said region.

10. The retrieval program according to claim 9, further having said server execute the step of: excluding the differential location information, which represents the extremely separated location in comparison with the other location information of all the location information corresponding to the identical landmark name, from the region of said landmark name on said database.

11. A retrieval program for a landmark-name retrieval system comprising a server and at least one terminal device connected thereto via a communication network, said server storing a database including location information, which represents a location, and a landmark name corresponding to said location information, said program having said server execute the steps of: searching the location information registered in a near distance of shooting-location information, which is received from said terminal device, on said database every identical landmark name;calculating a summation of values obtained by performing predetermined function operation for distances, which extend between the locations represented by the searched location information and a shooting location, every landmark name;comparing said summations calculated every landmark name; andspecifying one or more landmark names in descending order of the compared summations.

12. The retrieval program according to claim 11, further having said server execute the step of: excluding the differential location information, which represents the extremely separated location in comparison with the other location information of all the location information corresponding to the identical landmark name, on said database.

13. A retrieval program for a landmark-name retrieval system comprising a server and at least one terminal device connected thereto via a communication network, said server storing a database including location information, which represents a location, and a landmark name corresponding to said location information, said program having said server execute the steps of: calculating a gravity-center position and a standard deviation from the locations, which are represented by all the location information corresponding to the identical landmark name, on said database;specifying a circle, which is formed around said gravity-center position and has a radius of said standard deviation multiplied by a predetermined coefficient, as a region of said landmark name; andretrieving the landmark name by detecting the region, in which the location represented by shooting-location information received from the terminal device resides, from among a plurality of the regions.

14. The retrieval program according to claim 13, further having said server execute the step of: excluding the differential location information, which represents the extremely separated location in comparison with the other location information of all the location information corresponding to the identical landmark name, on said database.