Information collecting and/or service furnishing systems by which a user can request information from a central data base using a portable personal terminal and an access terminal

Claim 2

An information collecting system for collecting information corresponding to a demand item by accessing a data base, having a communication interface, which stores information corresponding to said demand item, comprising: an IC memory card, including: a memory means; input and output means for receiving and outputting data information, respectively; a menu area for storing one or more menus, each of which includes a listing of information which can be accessed by a user from said data base; and a data base for storing said demand item and also data obtained from said data base; an access terminal, having a communication interface, for connection to said data base through a network and a host computer, including: means for storing one or more menus, each of which includes a listing of information which can be accessed by a user from said data base; a menu checking means for comparing said one or more menus stored on said IC memory card with said one or more menus stored in said access terminal; and means for recording, onto said menu area of said IC memory card, any menus which exist in said access terminal and are not stored on said IC memory card; a portable personal terminal including a menu displaying means for displaying said one or more menus stored on said IC memory card from which the user can select desired data from said data base corresponding to said demand item, and also for displaying said data obtained from said data base which has been stored in the data area of said IC memory card; and means for recording said demand item onto the IC memory card.

Claim 3

A portable personal terminal assembly, comprising: a portable personal terminal having an insertion port for receiving an IC memory card, and having an information displaying means for displaying information stored on said IC memory card to a user, an information selecting means and an information inputting means for input of information by said user to be recorded onto said IC memory card; and at least one of a radio wave and a telephone line information receiving device connected to an input of the portable personal terminal, so that said portable personal terminal can receive information from said information receiving device, wherein the information receiving device has a card-like portion which is adapted for removable insertion into said IC memory card insertion port formed in the portable personal terminal, and the card-like portion of said receiving device is provided with a character information receiving circuit and a character information demodulation circuit for receiving said information using at least one of radio waves and telephone lines.

Claim 4

A portable personal terminal assembly, comprising: a portable personal terminal having an insertion port for receiving an IC memory card, and having an information displaying means for displaying information stored on said IC memory card to a user, an information selecting means and an information inputting means for input of information by said user to be recorded onto said IC memory card; and at least one of a radio wave and a telephone line information receiving device connected to an input of the portable personal terminal, so that said portable personal terminal can receive information from said information receiving device, wherein the information receiving device has a card-like portion which is adapted for removable insertion into said IC memory card insertion port formed in the portable personal terminal, and the card-like portion of said receiving device is provided with a character information receiving circuit and a character information demodulation circuit for receiving said information using at least one of radio waves and telephone lines.

Claim 5

A data storage and retrieval system, comprising: a data base containing data; an IC memory card, comprising: (1) input and output means for receiving information and outputting information; (2) a first memory area for storing a list of information corresponding to said data contained in said data base, (3) a second memory area for storing one or more items selected by the user from said list of information contained in said data base, and (4) a third memory area for storing a portion of said data contained in said data base, said portion of said data corresponding to said one or more items selected by the user from said list; an access terminal, comprising: (1) means for retrieving said list of information from said data base, (2) means for storing said list of information into said first memory area of said IC memory card, (3) means for retrieving data from said IC memory card which has been input thereto by the user, and (4) means for outputting said data from said IC memory card to said access terminal; and a portable personal terminal, comprising: (1) an insertion part for receiving said IC memory card; (2) input means for inputting of information by the user to be recorded onto said IC memory card; and (3) a display means for: displaying said list of information corresponding to said data contained in said data base which has been retrieved from said data base onto said IC memory card upon insertion of said IC memory card into said access terminal, and displaying said portion of said data contained in said data base after the user has selected said one or more items from said list of information upon insertion of said IC memory card into said portable personal terminal and subsequent insertion thereof into said access terminal in order to thereby cause retrieval of said portion of said data contained in said data base corresponding to said selected one or more items, and storage into said third memory area of said IC memory card.

Claim 6

A data storage and retrieval system, comprising: a data base containing data; an IC memory card, comprising: (1) input and output means for receiving information and outputting information; (2) a first memory area for storing a list of information corresponding to said data contained in said data base, (3) a second memory area for storing one or more items selected by the user from said list of information contained in said data base, and (4) a third memory area for storing a portion of said data contained in said data base, said portion of said data corresponding to said one or more items selected by the user from said list; an access terminal, comprising: (1) means for retrieving said list of information from said data base, (2) means for storing said list of information into said first memory area of said IC memory card, (3) means for retrieving data from said IC memory card which has been input thereto by the user, and (4) means for outputting said data from said IC memory card to said access terminal; and a portable personal terminal, comprising: (1) an insertion part for receiving said IC memory card; (2) input means for inputting of information by the user to be recorded onto said IC memory card; and (3) a display means for: displaying said list of information corresponding to said data contained in said data base which has been retrieved from said data base onto said IC memory card upon insertion of said IC memory card into said access terminal, and displaying said portion of said data contained in said data base after the user has selected said one or more items from said list of information upon insertion of said IC memory card into said portable personal terminal and subsequent insertion thereof into said access terminal in order to thereby cause retrieval of said portion of said data contained in said data base corresponding to said selected one or more items, and storage into said third memory area of said IC memory card.

Claim 7

The data storage and retrieval system according to claim 3, wherein said IC memory card further comprises: (5) a fourth memory area for storing additional data input by the user when said IC memory card is inserted into said portable personal terminal.

Claim 8

The data storage and retrieval system according to claim 4, further comprising: a host computer, connected to said access terminal, for receiving said additional data from said fourth memory area of said IC memory card when said IC memory card is inserted into said access terminal after being removed from said portable personal terminal.

Claim 9

The data storage and retrieval system according to claim 3, further comprising: a host computer, connected to said access terminal, for receiving said data output from said IC memory card via said access terminal.

Claim 10

The data storage and retrieval system according to claim 6, wherein said data output from said IC memory card comprises a service requested by the user.

Claim 11

The data storage and retrieval system according to claim 5, wherein said additional data received by said host computer comprises answers to a questionnaire input into said fourth memory area of said IC memory card when said IC memory card is inserted into said portable personal terminal by the user.