Operating method of user-specific device providing customized service to multiple adjacent mobile terminals, user-specific device, and mobile terminal

• US 10,285,012 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2018
• Issued: 05/07/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Choi, Chang Mok, Kim, Sang Joon, Na, Su-Hyun, Na, Yu Jin, Lee, Jong Kee, Jang, Soon Kyu, Cho, Young Ei
• Primary Examiner(s): Neff, Michael R
• Application Number:
  US15/865,739
• Publication Number:
  US 20180132067A1
• Time in Patent Office: 483 Days
• Field of Search: 455406
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8033 location-dependent, e.g. business or home
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8072 Group, conference or multi-party call
• 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 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/25 Maintenance of established connections

Abstract

A method and apparatus are configured to recognize mobile terminals positioned within a coverage area for short range communication with a user-specific device, wherein each mobile terminal comprises identification information for the user-specific device. The method and the apparatus provide a customized service corresponding to at least one of the mobile terminals.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

recognizing mobile terminals positioned within a coverage area for short range communication with a user-specific device based on identification information of each mobile terminal of the mobile terminals;

selecting at least one mobile terminal among the recognized mobile terminals based on the identification information for the user-specific device; and

providing a customized service corresponding to the at least one selected mobile terminal, wherein the providing comprises receiving a billing rate for the customized service from the at least one mobile terminal and calculating a fee to be paid based on the received billing rate.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the recognizing comprises:

recognizing the mobile terminals positioned within the coverage area using the identification information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing comprises:

providing the customized service corresponding to the at least one selected mobile terminal based on a distance between the user-specific device and each mobile terminal.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the providing further comprises:

providing the customized service to a mobile terminal positioned closest to the user-specific device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a priority of each mobile terminal among the mobile terminals,

wherein the selecting comprises selecting the at least one mobile terminal based on the identification information and the priority of the at least one mobile terminal.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the priority is editable information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing further comprises:

determining predefined terminal condition information of a customized service available for the mobile terminals; and

providing the customized service based on the terminal condition information.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing further comprises:

determining that terminal condition information of a customized service available for the mobile terminals is absent; and

transmitting an unavailable service message to the multiple mobile terminals.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adjusting a billing rate of remaining mobile terminals among the mobile terminals based on the received billing rate.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising a program comprising instructions to cause a computer to perform the method of claim 1.

11. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a communicator configured to perform short range communication with a user-specific device;

a processor configured to receive customized service from the user-specific device in response to being within a coverage area for the short range communication with the user-specific device, and in response to being selected, by the user-specific device, from among a plurality of mobile terminals to receive the customized service based on a characteristic of the mobile terminal; and

a touch display configured to display a preset billing rate,

wherein the processor is configured to receive a billing rate for the customized service based on a gesture of a user of the mobile terminal in response to the preset billing rate, and transmit the received billing rate to the user-specific device through the communicator.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the mobile terminal comprises identification information for the user-specific device.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the user-specific device is configured to recognize that the mobile terminal is positioned within the coverage area for the short range communication with the user-specific device based on the identification information.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the mobile terminal is configured to receive the customized service corresponding to the mobile terminal from the user-specific device based on a distance from the user-specific device.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the billing rate for the customized service is configured to increase, decrease, or be maintained based on the gesture of the user, and

wherein the billing rate is displayed on the touch display.