Location based assisting apparatuses, methods and computer readable mediums

• US 10,003,929 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2016
• Issued: 06/19/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LY Corp. (A Holdings Corp.), Z Intermediate Global Corporation
• Original Assignee: LINE Corporation (A Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Taniguchi, Tomohiko
• Primary Examiner(s): LAM, KENNETH T
• Application Number:
  US15/373,977
• Publication Number:
  US 20170094479A1
• Time in Patent Office: 557 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3605 Destination input or retrieval
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3626 Details of the output of route guidance instructions traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/026 using orientation information, e.g. compass
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]

Abstract

An apparatus includes at least one processor and a transceiver. The at least one processor is configured to execute computer readable instructions to: acquire first location information representing locations of a plurality of user terminals, second location information representing a location of at least one vehicle, and third location information representing a location of a destination of the plurality of user terminals; and determine a route from the location of the at least one vehicle to the location of the destination based on the first location information, the second location information and the third location information, wherein the route includes the location of each of the plurality of user terminals. The transceiver is configured to transmit the route to the plurality of user terminals.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor configured to execute computer readable instructions to

acquire each of first location information, second location information, and third location information in response to a single request to share a vehicle among a plurality of users, each of the plurality of users corresponding to a user terminal among a plurality of user terminals, the first location information representing locations of the plurality of user terminals, the second location information representing a location of the vehicle, and the third location information representing a location of a destination of the plurality of user terminals, and

determine a route from the location of the vehicle to the location of the destination based on the first location information, the second location information and the third location information, the route including the locations of the plurality of user terminals; and

a transceiver configured to transmit the route to the plurality of user terminals;

wherein

the single request to share a vehicle is from only a first user among the plurality of users, and

the single request to share a vehicle is received prior to transmission of the route to the plurality of user terminals.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of user terminals are associated with one another through one or more social relationships created through a service subscribed to by the plurality of user terminals.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the route first passes through a location of a first of the plurality of user terminals that is further from the location of the destination relative to others of the plurality of user terminals.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the route first passes through a location of a first of the plurality of user terminals that is closer to the location of the vehicle relative to others of the plurality of user terminals.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the at least one processor is further configured to execute computer readable instructions to

acquire at least one portion of the second location information, and

determine a portion of the route for each of the at least one portion of the second location information;

and

the apparatus further includes a list display unit configured to display a list of instructions for each determined portion of the route.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the list display unit is further configured to display a list of instructions for the route based on a travel distance for the route.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transceiver is further configured to transmit information indicating that a first of the plurality of user terminals has entered or exited the vehicle to at least a second of the plurality of user terminals.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transceiver is further configured to transmit information indicating that the vehicle is approaching a first of the plurality of user terminals when a distance between the location of the vehicle and a location of the first of the plurality of user terminals is less than or equal to a first threshold distance.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the transceiver is further configured to transmit information indicating that the vehicle is approaching a first of the plurality of user terminals when a distance between the location of the vehicle and a location of the first of the plurality of user terminals is less than or equal to a first threshold distance;

and

the at least one processor is further configured to execute the computer readable instructions to determine that the first of the plurality of user terminals has entered the vehicle when a distance between the location of the first of the plurality of user terminals and the location of the vehicle is less than or equal to a second threshold distance.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the computer readable instructions to determine that the first of the plurality of user terminals has entered the vehicle when the location of the first of the plurality of user terminals and the location of the vehicle move in the same direction.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the computer readable instructions to determine that the first of the plurality of user terminals has exited the vehicle when the distance between the location of the first of the plurality of user terminals and the location of the vehicle exceeds the second threshold distance.

12. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the computer readable instructions to determine that the first of the plurality of user terminals has exited the vehicle when the location of the vehicle and the location of the first of the plurality of user terminals indicates that the vehicle is moving in a different direction relative to the first of the plurality of user terminals.

13. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

at least one of the first of the plurality of user terminals and the vehicle includes a near field communication transceiver, the near field communication transceiver being configured to generate a signal when a distance between the first of the plurality of user terminals and the vehicle is less than or equal to the second threshold distance;

and

the at least one processor is further configured to execute the computer readable instructions to determine that the first of the plurality of user terminals has entered or exited the vehicle based on the signal.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the plurality of users includes the first user and at least one second user;

and

the at least one processor is further configured to execute computer readable instructions to acquire the first location information in response to the single request to share a vehicle and an authorization response message from the at least one second user, the authorization response message authorizing acquisition of a location of the user terminal corresponding to the at least one second user.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer readable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause a computer to perform a method comprising:

acquiring each of first location information, second location information, and third location information in response to a single request to share a vehicle among a plurality of users, each of the plurality of users corresponding to a user terminal among a plurality of user terminals, the first location information representing locations of the plurality of user terminals, the second location information representing a location of the vehicle, and the third location information representing a location of a destination of the plurality of user terminals;

determining a route from the location of the vehicle to the location of the destination based on the first location information, the second location information and the third location information, the route including the locations of the plurality of user terminals; and

transmitting the route to the plurality of user terminals;

wherein

the single request to share a vehicle is from only a first user among the plurality of users, and

the single request to share a vehicle is received prior to transmission of the route to the plurality of user terminals.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein

the plurality of users includes the first user and at least one second user;

and

the method further includes acquiring the first location information in response to the single request to share a vehicle and an authorization response message from the at least one second user, the authorization response message authorizing acquisition of a location of the user terminal corresponding to the at least one second user.

17. A method comprising:

acquiring each of first location information, second location information, and third location information in response to a single request to share a vehicle among a plurality of users, each of the plurality of users corresponding to a user terminal among a plurality of user terminals, the first location information representing locations of the plurality of user terminals, the second location information representing a location of a vehicle, and the third location information representing a location of a destination of the plurality of user terminals;

determining a route from the location of the vehicle to the location of the destination based on the first location information, the second location information and the third location information, the route including the locations of the plurality of user terminals; and

transmitting the route to the plurality of user terminals;

wherein

the single request to share a vehicle is from only a first user among the plurality of users, and

the single request to share a vehicle is received prior to transmission of the route to the plurality of user terminals.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein

the plurality of users includes the first user and at least one second user;

and

the method further includes acquiring the first location information in response to the single request to share a vehicle and an authorization response message from the at least one second user, the authorization response message authorizing acquisition of a location of the user terminal corresponding to the at least one second user.