Portable telephone apparatus

• US 20020115450A1
• Filed: 12/12/2001
• Published: 08/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Muramatsu, Toshihiko
• Granted Patent: US 6,941,127 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

A portable telephone apparatus comprises: an input unit; a RAM including a memory table for storing data used to specify a specific individual in correspondence with an arbitrary icon data, data used to specify a portable telephone apparatus owned by the specific individual, and positional information of the portable telephone apparatus; a display unit for displaying various data; and a CPU for executing a control operation that the CPU accesses the portable telephone apparatus corresponding to the arbitrary icon data, downloads the positional information of the portable telephone apparatus to automatically update the storage content of the memory table, and superimposes icon data as a position of the specific individual on a map displayed on the display unit based upon the positional information of the portable telephone apparatus which is owned by the specific individual in order to display thereon the icon data superimposed on the map.

Claims

1. A portable communication terminal capable of detecting a position of the portable communication terminal by using a Global Positioning System, the portable communication terminal comprising:

a register unit which registers data to specify at least one other portable communication terminal whose position is to be detected;

a storage unit which stores at least one musical data;

a detector which detects whether or not the other portable communication terminal is located within a predetermined range previously set by receiving the positional information indicating a position of the other portable communication terminal corresponding to the registered data; and

a reproducing unit which reads out the musical data stored in the storage unit and reproduces music based on the read musical data when the detector detects that the other portable communication terminal is located within the predetermined range.

2. The portable communication terminal according to claim 1 further comprising:

a display;

a display controller which displays a map in vicinity of a target position on the display and displays a mark representing the position of the other portable communication terminal so as to be superposed on the map based on the received positional information.

3. The portable communication terminal according to claim 2, wherein the mark is an icon, and the register unit registers the icon therein in correspondence with the other portable communication terminal.

4. The portable communication terminal according to claim 3, wherein the icons registered in the register unit are different each other for every corresponding other portable communication terminal.

5. The portable communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein

the portable communication terminal is a portable telephone apparatus, and

the data, registered in the register unit, for specifying the at least one other portable telephone apparatus is a telephone number of the other portable telephone apparatus.

6. The portable communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein

a plurality of the musical data are stored in the storage unit, and

the register unit is capable of registering the plurality of the musical data which are different each other for every corresponding other portable communication terminal.

7. The portable communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined range is set as a distance from a predetermined target position.

8. A portable telephone apparatus for acquiring positional information of the portable telephone apparatus by using a Global Positioning System, the portable telephone apparatus comprising:

an input unit which inputs various sorts of data which include first data for specifying a specific individual, second data for specifying a portable telephone apparatus owned by the specific individual, target position data, and target distance data for designating a target range by using the target position as a reference;

a first storage unit including a positional information table which stores thereinto the first data, the second data, the target position data, the target distance data, and present positional information indicative of a present position of the portable telephone apparatus;

a second storage unit which stores thereinto a distance/displacement angle table, various sorts of programs, and fixed data, the distance/displacement angle table including an arc distance with respect to a longitude displacement angle and an arc distance with respect to a latitude displacement angle at each of latitude positions;

a musical piece reproducing unit which reproduces a musical piece; and

a controller which acquires positional information indicative of a present position of the portable telephone apparatus as a communication counter station, updates the present positional information of the positional information table based upon the acquired positional information, and calculates a first distance between the present position of the communication counter station and a target position from the acquired present positional information, the target position data, and the distance/displacement angle data based upon the arc distance with respect to the longitude displacement angle and the arc distance with respect to the latitude displacement angle at latitude in the vicinity of the target position, wherein the controller compares the first distance with a second distance indicated by the target distance data, and drives the musical piece reproducing unit when the calculated first distance is shorter than, or equal to the second distance.

9. A portable communication terminal capable of detecting a position of the portable communication terminal by using a Global Positioning System, the portable communication terminal comprising:

a input unit which inputs first data for specifying a specific individual and second data for specifying a portable communication terminal owned by the specific individual in correspondence with icon data;

a storage unit which stores the inputted first and second data and positional information of the portable communication terminal owned by the specific individual in correspondence with the icon data;

a display; and

a controller which accesses the portable communication terminal corresponding to the icon data, downloads the positional information of the portable communication terminal corresponding to the icon data, automatically updates the positional information of the portable communication terminal corresponding to the icon data which is stored in the storage unit, and displays an icon based on the icon data so as to be superposed on a map displayed on the display.

10. The portable communication terminal according to claim 9, wherein

the portable communication terminal is a portable telephone apparatus,

the second data is a telephone number, and

when the icon displayed on the display is selected, the controller reads out the telephone number corresponding to the selected icon data from the storage unit and executes a telephone calling process operation based on the read telephone number.

11. The portable communication terminal according to claim 9, wherein the map displayed on the display is provided based on map information downloaded through a based station according to the downloaded positional information of the portable communication terminal.

12. The portable communication terminal according to claim 9 further comprising:

an azimuth measuring unit for measuring an azimuth of the specific individual,

wherein an inclination angle of the icon character on the map is controlled based on the measured azimuth.

13. A method of controlling a portable communication terminal which is capable of detecting a position of the portable communication terminal by using a Global Positioning System, the method comprising the steps of:

registering data for specifying at least one other portable communication terminal whose position is to be detected;

storing at least one musical data;

receiving the positional information indicating a position of the other portable communication terminal corresponding to the registered data;

detecting whether of not the other portable communication terminal is located within a predetermined range previously set based on the received positional information; and

reading out the musical data and reproducing music based on the read musical data when the other portable communication terminal is located within the predetermined range.

14. A method of controlling a portable telephone apparatus for acquiring positional information of the portable telephone apparatus by using a Global Positioning System, the method comprising the steps of:

inputting various sorts of data which include first data for specifying a specific individual, second data for specifying a portable telephone apparatus owned by the specific individual, target position data, and target distance data for designating a target range by using the target position as a reference;

storing, in a positional information table, the first data, the second data, the target position data, and the target distance data;

storing a distance/displacement angle table, various sorts of programs, and fixed data, the distance/displacement angle table including an arc distance with respect to a longitude displacement angle and an arc distance with respect to a latitude displacement angle at each of latitude position;

acquiring positional information indicative of a present position of the portable telephone apparatus as a communication counter station;

storing and updating, in the positional information table, present positional information indicative of a present position of the portable telephone apparatus based upon the acquired positional information;

calculating a first distance between the present position of the communication counter station and a target position from the acquired present positional information, the target position data, and the distance/displacement angle data based upon the arc distance with respect the longitude displacement angle and the arc distance with respect to the latitude displacement angle at latitude in the vicinity of the target position;

comparing the first distance with a second distance indicated by the target distance data; and

reproducing a musical piece when the calculated first distance is shorter than, or equal to the second distance.

15. A method of controlling a portable communication terminal capable of detecting a position of the portable communication terminal by using a Global Positioning System, the method comprising the steps of:

inputting first data for specifying a specific individual and second data for specifying a portable communication terminal owned by the specific individual in correspondence with icon data;

storing the inputted first and second data and positional information of the portable communication terminal owned by the specific individual in correspondence with the icon data;

accessing the portable communication terminal corresponding to the icon data;

downloading the positional information of the portable communication terminal corresponding to the icon data;

automatically updating the positional information of the portable communication terminal corresponding to the stored icon data; and

displaying an icon based on the icon data so as to be superposed on a map displayed on a display.

16. A computer program product including instructions, wherein the instruction, when executed by a computer provided in a portable communication terminal capable of detecting a position of the portable communication terminal by using a Global Positioning System, cause the portable communication terminal to perform the steps of:

registering data for specifying at least one other portable communication terminal whose position is to be detected;

storing at least one musical data;

receiving the positional information indicating a position of the other portable communication terminal corresponding to the registered data;

detecting whether of not the other portable communication terminal is located within a predetermined range previously set based on the received positional information; and

reading out the musical data and reproducing music based on the read musical data when the other portable communication terminal is located within the predetermined range.

17. A computer program product including instructions, wherein the instruction, when executed by a computer provided in a portable telephone apparatus for acquiring positional information of the portable telephone apparatus by using a Global Positioning System, cause the portable telephone apparatus to perform the steps of:

inputting various sorts of data which include first data for specifying a specific individual, second data for specifying a portable telephone apparatus owned by the specific individual, target position data, and target distance data for designating a target range by using the target position as a reference;

storing, in a positional information table, the first data, the second data, the target position data, and the target distance data;

storing a distance/displacement angle table, various sorts of programs, and fixed data, the distance/displacement angle table including an arc distance with respect to a longitude displacement angle and an arc distance with respect to a latitude displacement angle at each of latitude position;

acquiring positional information indicative of a present position of the portable telephone apparatus as a communication counter station;

storing and updating, in the positional information table, present positional information indicative of a present position of the portable telephone apparatus based upon the acquired positional information;

calculating a first distance between the present position of the communication counter station and a target position from the acquired present positional information, the target position data, and the distance/displacement angle data based upon the arc distance with respect the longitude displacement angle and the arc distance with respect to the latitude displacement angle at latitude in the vicinity of the target position;

comparing the first distance with a second distance indicated by the target distance data; and

reproducing a musical piece when the calculated first distance is shorter than, or equal to the second distance.

18. A computer program product including instructions, wherein the instruction, when executed by a computer provided in a portable communication terminal capable of detecting a position of the portable communication terminal by using a Global Positioning System, cause the portable communication terminal to perform the steps of:

inputting first data for specifying a specific individual and second data for specifying a portable communication terminal owned by the specific individual in correspondence with icon data;

storing the inputted first and second data and positional information of the portable communication terminal owned by the specific individual in correspondence with the icon data;

accessing the portable communication terminal corresponding to the icon data;

downloading the positional information of the portable communication terminal corresponding to the icon data;

automatically updating the positional information of the portable communication terminal corresponding to the stored icon data; and

displaying an icon based on the icon data so as to be superposed on a map displayed on a display.