Private information supplying system for mobile stations, method for displaying private information and method for roughly positioning users

• US 20020183052A1
• Filed: 05/28/2002
• Published: 12/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Tachikawa, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 7,039,427 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/422.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• 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 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 private information supplying system is established in a mobile telephone network, and the mobile stations are assumed to be at the positions of base stations presently communicating; an information service center produces a piece of relative position between users on the basis of the current positions, and transmits the piece of relative position when the user permits the other user to acquire it; the private information supplying system does not require any assistance of the GPS so that the system is economical and does not disturb the privacy.

Claims

1. A private information supplying system for supplying a piece of private information of a first user to a second user, comprising:

plural base stations assigned areas, respectively;

plural mobile stations movable in said areas and outside of said areas, and having respective display panels for producing visual images representative of at least first sub-pieces of private information each indicative of a relative position between said first user and said second user, each of said plural mobile stations communicating with one of said plural base stations while said each of said plural mobile stations is moving in the area assigned to said one of said plural base stations; and

an information service center communicable through said plural base stations with said plural mobile stations, producing each of said first sub-pieces of private information of said first user on the basis of current positions determined through communication between the mobile stations of said first and second users and the base stations communicating therewith when said second user request said information service center to supply said each of said first sub-pieces of private information, and transmitting said each of said first sub-pieces of private information through the associated base station to one of said mobile stations of said second user if said first user permits said second user to access said each of said first sub-pieces of private information.

2. The private information supplying system as set forth in claim 1, in which said information service center has private records assigned to said plural mobile stations, respectively, and each of said private records has a file of mobile stations permitting associated one of said plural mobile stations to access the pieces of first private information respectively including the first sub-pieces of private information, and said information service center checks the private record of the mobile station used by said second user to see whether or not said first user has already permitted said second user to access the piece of private information owned by said first user before transmitting said each of said first sub-pieces of private information to said one of said mobile stations of said second user.

3. The private information supplying system as set forth in claim 2, in which said plural mobile stations are respectively assigned discriminative codes so that the discriminative codes of said mobile stations are stored in said file.

4. The private information supplying system as set forth in claim 2, in which said each of said private records further has a data block where conditions of the access are stored.

5. The private information supplying system as set forth in claim 4, in which said information service center asks said mobile station of said first user whether or not said first user presently permits said second user to access said piece of private information when said conditions are negative.

6. The private information supplying system as set forth in claim 1, in which the mobile stations in said areas are assumed to be at the base stations presently communicable with said mobile stations, and the positions of said base stations are reported from said mobile stations to said information service center as said current positions.

7. The private information supplying system as set forth in claim 6, in which said base stations further report current status of the users to said information service center together with said current positions, and said information service center further produces second sub-pieces of private information representative of said current status of said users so as to transmit the second sub-piece of private information representative of said current status of said first user to said second user together with said each of said first sub-pieces of private information.

8. The private information supplying system as set forth in claim 7, in which said current status selectively represents at least idling state, busy state, working state and sleeping state.

9. The private information supplying system as set forth in claim 1, in which said information service center determines a distance between said current position of said first user and said current position of said second user and a compass bearing of said first user with respect to said second user, and stores said distance and said compass bearing in said each of said first pieces of private information.

10. The private information supplying system as set forth in claim 9, in which in which said base stations further report current status of the users to said information service center together with said current positions, and said information service center further produces second sub-pieces of private information representative of said current status of said users so as to transmit the second sub-piece of private information representative of said current status of said first user to said second user together with said each of said first sub-pieces of private information.

11. The private information supplying system as set forth in claim 10, in which said current status selectively represents at least idling state, busy state, working state and sleeping state.

12. The private information supplying system as set forth in claim 1, in which said plural base stations communicate with the mobile stations in said areas through radio channels.

13. The private information supplying system as set forth in claim 12, in which said plural base stations have directional antennas, respectively, and each of said current positions is determined on the basis of the directions of the radio channels of at least two of said plural base stations.

14. The private information supplying system as set forth in claim 1, in which at least one local area network serves as one of said plural base stations, and is connected through a server computer to said information service center.

15. The private information supplying system as set forth in claim 14, in which said at least one local area network is communicable with at least one of said plural mobile stations through a wireless channel.

16. The private information supplying system as set forth in claim 14, in which said at least one local area network has a transmitter and receiver designed in accordance with a specification of Bluetooth.

17. The private information supplying system as set forth in claim 1, in which said first user and said second user are communicable with one another through said mobile stations and said base stations.

18. The private information supplying system as set forth in claim 17, in which at least one of telephone network and e-mail network is used for the communication between said first user and said second user.

20. The method as set forth in claim 19, in which said step c) has the sub-steps of

c-1) checking a data block storing discriminative codes of mobile stations permitting said first user to access the pieces of private information of users of said mobile stations to see whether or not said first user has been already permitted to access,

c-2) asking said mobile station whether or not said second user presently permits said first user to access when the answer at the sub-step c-1) is given negative, and

c-3) transmitting said piece of private information to said first mobile station when the answer at either sub-step c-1) or c-2) is given affirmative.

21. The method as set forth in claim 19, in which one of said visual images produced on said display panel represents a distance between said first mobile station and said second mobile station.

22. The method as set forth in claim 20, in which another of said visual images produced on said display panel represents a compass bearing of said second mobile station with respect to said first mobile station, and said distance and said compass bearing are concurrently produced on said display panel.

23. The method as set forth in claim 22, in which said distance is indicated by a symbol representing said second user in concentric circles representative of values of said distance from said first mobile station.

24. The method as set forth in claim 23, in which said concentric circles are accompanied with a scale mark representative of said values of said distance.

25. The method as set forth in claim 23, in which said values are changeable when said first user instructs said first mobile station.

26. The method as set forth in claim 23, in which said symbol is a face-photograph of said second user.

27. The method as set forth in claim 23, in which other symbols representative of buildings serving as landmarks are concurrently produced in said concentric circles.

28. The method as set forth in claim 19, in which a second sub-piece of private information representative of current status of said second user is further produced at said step b), and said second sub-piece of private information is transmitted together with said first sub-piece of private information at said step c) so that said one of said visual images is indicative of said current status of said second user at said step d).

29. The method as set forth in claim 28, in which another of said visual images is indicative of a direction in which said second user is moving.

30. The method as set forth in claim 19, further comprising the step e) asking said first user whether or not said first user wants to communicate with said second user through one of a telephone network and an e-mail network.

31. The method as set forth in claim 30, in which said first mobile station produces a visual image representative of said telephone network and said e-mail network so as to prompt said first user to select one of said telephone network and said e-mail network.

19. A method for producing visual images representative of a piece of private information having at least a first sub-piece of private information indicative of a relative position between a first user and a second user, comprising the steps of:

a) transmitting a request for supplying said piece of private information from a mobile station of said first user through a first base station to an information service center together with a first piece of current private data information representative of at least a current position of said first user determined through communication between said first mobile station and said first base station;

b) producing said at least a first sub-piece of private information on the basis of said first piece of current private data information and a second piece of current private data information representative of at least a current position of said second user determined through communication between a second mobile station of said second user and a second base station;

c) transmitting said piece of private information having said first sub-piece of private information from said information service center through said first base station to said first mobile station; and

d) producing said visual images on a display panel of said first mobile station.

32. A method for positioning a user on a mobile station, comprising the steps of:

a) specifying a base station assigned an area in which said mobile station is; and

b) determining a current position of said mobile station on the assumption that said mobile station is at a certain sub-area in said area.

33. The method as set forth in claim 32, in which said certain sub-area is a position where said base station is.

34. The method as set forth in claim 32, in which said sub-area is determined on the basis of a direction in which said base station transmits a ratio wave received by said mobile station and another direction in which another base station transmits another radio wave received by said mobile station.

36. The private information supplying system as set forth in claim 35, in which said information transmitting and receiving means are partially incorporated in an information service center connected to said plural base stations and partially in said plural mobile stations.

37. The private information supplying system as set forth in claim 35, in which said information transmitting and receiving means are incorporated in said plural mobile stations.

35. A private information supplying system for supplying a piece of private information of a first user to a second user, comprising:

plural base stations assigned areas, respectively;

plural mobile stations movable in said areas and outside of said areas, and having respective display panels for producing visual images representative of at least first sub-pieces of private information each indicative of a position of said first user, each of said plural mobile stations communicating with one of said plural base stations while said each of said plural mobile stations is moving in the area assigned to said one of said plural base stations;

an information producing means associated with said plural mobile stations, and producing each of said first sub-pieces of private information of said first user on the basis of a current position determined through communication between the mobile station of said first user and the base station communicating therewith when said second user request said information producing means to produce said each of said first sub-piece of private information; and

an information transmitting and receiving means associated with said plural mobile stations and said information producing means, and supplying said each of said first sub-pieces of private information to one of said mobile stations of said second user if said first user permits said second user to access said each of said first sub-pieces of private information.