Service providing method and system

• US 20010014911A1
• Filed: 01/05/2001
• Published: 08/16/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Sugiyama, Hiroshi, Doi, Miwako
• Application Number:
  US09/754,149
• Publication Number:
  US 20010014911A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/221
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0414 during transmission, i.e. party's identity is protected against eavesdropping, e.g. by using temporary identifiers, but is known to the other party or parties involved in the communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

In a service provider system, a service provider provides service information dependent on location information of a mobile terminal to the mobile terminal in response to a service request with the location information sent by the mobile terminal. A communication control unit controls communication between the mobile terminal and the service provider. The communication control unit converts a user identifier of the mobile terminal in the service request to a temporary identifier for the communication.

Claims

1. A service providing method, comprising the steps of:

obtaining location information for a mobile terminal sent by the mobile terminal; and

providing a service dependent on the location information to the mobile terminal in response to a service request sent by the mobile terminal.

2. The service providing method according to

claim 1

,

wherein the service is provided in an area neighboring the location of the mobile terminal.

3. The service providing method according to

claim 2

,

further comprising the steps of:

obtaining a moving speed of the mobile terminal with the location information,

wherein the size of the area corresponds to the moving speed of the mobile terminal.

4. The service providing method according to

claim 1

,

further comprising the step of:

providing the location information to the mobile terminal in response to a location information request sent by the mobile terminal before the step of obtaining the location information.

5. A service providing system, comprising:

a service provider configured to provide a service dependent on location information of a mobile terminal to the mobile terminal in response to a service request with the location information sent by the mobile terminal; and

a communication control unit configured to control communication between the mobile terminal and said service provider,

wherein said communication control unit converts a user identifier of the mobile terminal in the service request to a temporary identifier.

6. The service providing system according to

claim 5

,

further comprising:

a location information provider configured to provide the location information to the mobile terminal in response to a location information request sent by the mobile terminal.

7. The service providing system according to

claim 5

,

wherein said communication control unit stores communication control information consisting of a service request identifier, a service provider name, the location information, the temporary identifier and a parameter in response to the service request and the location information sent by the mobile terminal.

8. The service providing system according to

claim 7

,

wherein said communication control unit sends service request information consisting of the service request identifier, the service provider name, the location identifier, and the parameter to said service provider.

9. The service providing system according to

claim 8

,

wherein said service provider stores service request information consisting of the service request identifier, a wireless gateway identifier of said communication control unit, the location information and the parameter in response to the service request information sent by said communication control unit.

10. The service providing system according to

claim 9

,

wherein said service provider creates service information by referring to the parameter, and sends service response information consisting of the service request identifier, the location information and the service information to said communication control unit.

11. The service providing system according to

claim 10

,

wherein said communication control unit reconverts the temporary identifier corresponding to the service response identifier in the service response information to the user identifier in response to the service response information sent by said service provider, and sends the service information to the mobile terminal of the user identifier.

12. The service providing system according to

claim 5

,

further comprising:

a location independent service provider configured to provide a service independent of the location of the mobile terminal to the mobile terminal in response to service request information sent by the mobile terminal through said communication control unit.

13. The service providing system according to

claim 12

,

wherein said communication control unit stores communication control information consisting of the service request identifier, the service provider name, the temporary identifier, and the parameter in response to the service request information irrelevant of the location sent by the mobile terminal, and sends the service request information which is the same as the communication control information to said location independent service provider.

14. A service providing system, comprising:

a user identification service provider configured to provide a service requiring a user identification to a mobile terminal of the user;

a user non-identification service provider configured to provide a service not requiring a user identification to the mobile terminal; and

a communication control unit configured to control communication among the mobile terminal said user identification service provider, and said user non-identification service provider,

wherein said communication control unit converts a user identifier of the mobile terminal in a service request information sent by the mobile terminal to a temporary identifier.

15. The service providing system according to

claim 14

,

wherein said communication control unit sends a user identification service request including the temporary identifier to said user identification service provider in response to a user identification service request sent by the mobile terminal.

16. The service providing system according to

claim 15

,

wherein said communication control unit sends a user non-identification service request without the temporary identifier to said user non-identification service provider in response to a user non-identification service request sent by the mobile terminal.

17. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a dynamic user profile memory configured to store a dynamic user profile representing information dynamically changed over time, the dynamic user profile including location information of the mobile terminal; and

a communication unit configured to send a service request with the dynamic user profile to a location dependent service provider, and to receive service information sent by the location dependent service provider, the service information depending on the location information in the dynamic user profile.

18. The mobile terminal according to

claim 17

,

further comprising:

a location information acquirement unit configured to acquire location information of the mobile terminal, and to update the location information of the dynamic user profile stored in said dynamic user profile memory.

19. The mobile terminal according to

claim 17

,

wherein the dynamic user profile does not include a user identifier related to a user of the mobile terminal.

20. The mobile terminal according to

claim 17

,

further comprising:

a static user profile memory configured to store a static user profile representing information not dynamically changed, the static user profile including a user identifier of the user of the mobile terminal.

21. The mobile terminal according to

claim 20

,

wherein said communication unit sends a service request with the static user profile to a location independent service provider, and receives service information sent by the location independent service provider, the service information being independent of the location of the mobile terminal.

22. The mobile terminal according to

claim 21

,

wherein said communication unit sends a service request with the dynamic user profile to a user non-identification service provider, and receives service information sent by the user non-identification service provider, the service information being unnecessary to identify the user.

23. The mobile terminal according to

claim 22

,

wherein said communication unit sends a service request with the static user profile to a user identification service provider, and receives service information sent by the user identification service provider, the service information being necessary to identify the user.

24. A computer-readable memory containing computer-readable instructions for a mobile terminal, comprising:

an instruction unit to store a dynamic user profile representing information dynamically changed by a time passage, the dynamic user profile including location information of the mobile terminal;

an instruction unit to send a service request with the dynamic user profile to an external server; and

an instruction unit to receive service information sent by the external server, the service information depending on the location of the mobile terminal.