Information providing system, registration terminal, and portable terminal

• US 20020115437A1
• Filed: 02/05/2002
• Published: 08/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Fukui, Yoshiki, Taniguchi, Shinya, Kitada, Naruhide
• Granted Patent: US 7,050,816 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/435.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/022 with dynamic range variability

Abstract

To provide an information providing system suitable for providing appropriate information depending upon the position of a user and to facilitate acquisition of information by the user. A registration terminal 100 includes a guidance information registration DB 42 which stores information groups, which are correlated with reference position information, in which, when portable terminal position information for specifying the position of a portable terminal 200 is received together with a transmission request for the guidance information, the guidance information is selected from an information group in accordance with the received transmission request on the basis of the position relationship between the reference position which is specified by the reference position information corresponding to the information group in accordance with the received transmission request, and the position which is specified by the received portable terminal position information, and the selected guidance information is transmitted to the portable terminal 200. The portable terminal 200 includes a position information retrieving device 66 which retrieves the portable terminal position information, in which the portable terminal position information retrieved by the position information retrieving device 66 is transmitted to the registration terminal 100 together with the transmission request.

Claims

1. An information providing system which communicatably connects a portable terminal with a registration terminal for registering target information which is to be used by the portable terminal, and which provides the target information in the registration terminal to the portable terminal,

wherein the registration terminal is adapted to associate a plurality of different pieces of the target information with a single information group, and to register the information group, which is correlated with reference position information for specifying a reference position as a reference;

and

the target information in the registration terminal is provided to the portable terminal by selecting the target information from the information group on the basis of the position relationship between the reference position which is specified by the reference position information corresponding to the information group, and the portable terminal, and by transmitting the selected target information to the portable terminal.

2. An information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the registration terminal includes storage means for storing the information group, which is correlated with the reference position information, in which, when portable terminal position information for specifying the position of the portable terminal is received together with a transmission request for the target information, the target information is selected from an information group in accordance with the received transmission request on the basis of the position relationship between the reference position which is specified by the reference position information corresponding to the information group in accordance with the received transmission request, and the position which is specified by the received portable terminal position information, and the selected target information is transmitted to the portable terminal;

and

the portable terminal includes position information retrieving means for retrieving the portable terminal position information, in which the portable terminal position information retrieved by the position information retrieving means is transmitted to the registration terminal together with the transmission request.

3. An information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the registration terminal includes storage means for storing the information group, which is correlated with the reference position information, in which, when a transmission request for the target information is received, reference position information corresponding to an information group in accordance with the received transmission request is transmitted to the portable terminal, and, when a result of determination by the portable terminal is received in response to the transmission of the reference position information, the target information is selected from an information group in accordance with the received transmission request on the basis of the received result of determination, and the selected target information is transmitted to the portable terminal;

and

the portable terminal includes position information retrieving means for retrieving portable terminal position information for specifying the position of the portable terminal, in which, when the reference position information is received in response to the transmission of the transmission request, the position relationship between the reference position which is specified by the received reference position information, and the position which is specified by the portable terminal position information retrieved by the position information retrieving means is determined, and a result of the determination is transmitted to the registration terminal.

4. An information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the registration terminal includes storage means for storing the information group, which is correlated with the reference position information, in which, when a transmission request for the target information is received, an information group in accordance with the received transmission request, and the reference position information corresponding thereto are transmitted to the portable terminal;

and

the portable terminal includes position information retrieving means for retrieving portable terminal position information for specifying the position of the portable terminal, in which, when the information group and the reference position information are received in response to the transmission of the transmission request, the target information is selected from the received information group on the basis of the position relationship between the reference position which is specified by the received reference position information, and the position which is specified by the portable terminal position information retrieved by the position information retrieving means.

5. An information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the registration terminal includes storage means for storing the information group, which is correlated with the reference position information, and for storing program data, in which, when a transmission request for the target information is received, an information group in accordance with the received transmission request, the reference position information corresponding thereto, and the program data are transmitted to the portable terminal;

the program data is program data which causes the portable terminal to execute the process of selecting the target information from the information group on the basis of the position relationship between the reference position which is specified by the reference position information, and the position which is specified by portable terminal position information for specifying the position of the portable terminal; and

the portable terminal includes position information retrieving means for retrieving the portable terminal position information, in which, when the information group, the reference position information, and the program data are received in response to the transmission of the transmission request, the process is executed according to the received program data to select the target information.

6. An information providing system according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the information group includes first target information and second target information having more detailed content than the first target information, which are associated with each other;

and

in the selection of the target information, the first target information is selected from the information group if a distance from the reference position which is specified by the reference position information to the position which is specified by the portable terminal position information is within a first predetermined range, and the second target information is selected from the information group if a distance from the reference position which is specified by the reference position information to the position which is specified by the portable terminal position information is within a second predetermined range which is smaller than the first predetermined range.

7. An information providing system according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the information group includes first target information and second target information that has more detailed content than the first target information in addition to the content of the first target information, which are associated with each other;

and

in the selection of the target information, the first target information is selected from the information group if a distance from the reference position which is specified by the reference position information to the position which is specified by the portable terminal position information is within a first predetermined range, and the second target information is selected from the information group if a distance from the reference position which is specified by the reference position information to the position which is specified by the portable terminal position information is within a second predetermined range which is smaller than the first predetermined range.

8. An information providing system according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein the registration terminal is communicatably connected with an external terminal having the target information registered therein, and includes target information retrieving means for retrieving the target information from the external terminal;

and

the target information retrieved by the target information retrieving means is stored in the storage means.

9. A registration terminal communicatably connected with the portable terminal in the information providing system according to claim 2,

said registration terminal comprising storage means for storing the information group, which is correlated with the reference position information,

wherein, when the portable terminal position information is received together with the transmission request, the target information is selected from an information group in accordance with the received transmission request on the basis of the position relationship between the reference position which is specified by the reference position information corresponding to the information group in accordance with the received transmission request, and the position which is specified by the received portable terminal position information, and the selected target information is transmitted to the portable terminal.

10. A registration terminal communicatably connected with the portable terminal in the information providing system according to claim 3,

said registration terminal comprising storage means for storing the information group, which is correlated with the reference position information,

wherein, when the transmission request is received, the reference position information corresponding to an information group in accordance with the received transmission request is transmitted to the portable terminal, and, when the result of the determination is received in response to the transmission of the reference position information, the target information is selected from the information group in accordance with the received transmission request on the basis of the received result of the determination, and the selected target information is transmitted to the portable terminal.

11. A registration terminal communicatably connected with the portable terminal in the information providing system according to claim 5,

said registration terminal comprising storage means for storing the information group, which is correlated with the reference position information, and for storing the program data,

wherein, when the transmission request is received, an information group in accordance with the received transmission request, the reference position information corresponding thereto, and the program data are transmitted to the portable terminal.

12. A portable terminal communicatably connected with the registration terminal in the information providing system according to claim 3,

said portable terminal comprising position information retrieving means for retrieving the portable terminal position information,

wherein, when the reference position information is received in response to the transmission of the transmission request, the position relationship between the reference position which is specified by the received reference position information, and the position which is specified by the portable terminal position information retrieved by the position information retrieving means is determined, and a result of the determination is transmitted to the registration terminal.

13. A portable terminal communicatably connected with the registration terminal in the information providing system according to claim 4,

said portable terminal comprising position information retrieving means for retrieving the portable terminal position information,

wherein, when the information group and the reference position information are received in response to the transmission of the transmission request, the target information is selected from the received information group on the basis of the position relationship between the reference position which is specified by the received reference position information, and the position which is specified by the portable terminal position information retrieved by the position information retrieving means.