Position information system and dispatch supporting system

• US 20040054647A1
• Filed: 09/29/2003
• Published: 03/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ARKRAY, Inc
• Original Assignee: ARKRAY, Inc
• Inventors: Inaba, Minoru, Nakanishi, Kosuke
• Granted Patent: US 7,054,647 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/38 Displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6018 Subscriber or terminal logon/logoff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42093 Notifying the calling party of information on the called or connected party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A position information system (101) obtains position information (latitude and longitude) of a dispatch location from a telephone number/address DB (113) or an address/position information DB (114) based on the sender telephone number of a telephone (103) of a customer or the like requesting the dispatch. A display control portion (132) obtains map images of the vicinity of the dispatch location from a map DB (138) based on the position information, and displays these on a display (136) with the display location in the center. Also, position information and the current status of each dispatch staff member is obtained at any time from portable terminals (104) of the dispatch staff members, and based on this information, markings representing the dispatch staff members in the vicinity of the dispatch location are displayed on the map, allowing a staff member to be dispatched to be quickly and appropriately selected.

Claims

6-1. The position display system according to claim 4, further comprising a mobile information storage portion storing mobile information that is transmitted from mobile terminals and that includes position information on the mobile terminals,

wherein the display control portion displays markings representing the mobile terminals on the map of the display, based on the mobile information obtained from the mobile information storage portion.

12-2. The dispatch support system according to claim 10,

wherein the support processing portion in the management device includes a display and a display control portion, and

wherein the display control portion, when there is a dispatch request, displays a map of the area surrounding the dispatch location on a display in such a manner that the dispatch location is located in a screen center portion based on the position information of that dispatch location, and also displays markings representing dispatch staff members in the area surrounding the dispatch location at the locations of the dispatch staff members in the map that is displayed on the display based on the position information of the dispatch staff members included in the dispatch staff member information.

13-3. The dispatch support system according to claim 11, wherein the display control portion sets the markings representing the dispatch staff members in the area surrounding the dispatch location to a display condition corresponding to a status of the dispatch staff members based on status data of the dispatch staff members, which are included in the dispatch staff member information.

14-4. The dispatch support system according to any one of claims 10, wherein the support processing portion in the management device further comprises a selection portion for selecting an appropriate staff member to be dispatched to the dispatch location from the dispatch staff members in the area surrounding the dispatch location based on the dispatch staff member information on each dispatch staff member, which is obtained from the dispatch staff member information storage portion.

15-5. The dispatch support system according to any one of claims 10, wherein the management device further comprises an information provision portion for transmitting dispatch staff member support information to the terminal devices of the dispatch staff members via the communications portion.

17-6. The dispatch support system according to claim 15 wherein the dispatch staff member support information includes information relating to identical cases.

18. A management device for communicating with terminal devices carried by dispatch staff members in a dispatch support system so as to support dispatch of the dispatch staff members,

wherein the terminal devices transmit to the management device position information on their location obtained from a positioning system and status data that are input by the dispatch staff member and that represent a status of the dispatch staff member,

the management device comprising:

a communications portion for communicating with the terminal devices;

a dispatch staff member information storage portion for storing dispatch staff member information on each dispatch staff member, including position information and status data received from the terminal devices; and

a support processing portion that carries out a process for supporting selection of staff members to dispatch to the dispatch location, when there is a dispatch request, based on the dispatch location information including position information on the dispatch location, and dispatch staff member information on the dispatch staff members, which is obtained from the dispatch staff member information storage portion.

1. A position information system comprising:

a telephone number obtaining portion for obtaining a sender telephone number when a telephone call is received; and

a position information obtaining portion for obtaining position information of the sender telephone using a database with which, from a telephone number, a location where the telephone is installed can be specified.

2. The position information system according to claim 1, wherein the position information is an address of the location where the sender telephone is installed.

4. A position display system using the position information system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising:

a display;

a map database storing map image data; and

a display control portion that, when a telephone call is received, obtains map image data on a region corresponding to position information from the map database and displays these on the display, based on the position information of the sender telephone that is obtained by the position information system.

5. The position display system according to claim 4, wherein the map image data that are obtained from the map database are map image data in which the sender telephone is located in the center.

6. The position display system according to claim 4 or claim 5, further comprising a mobile information storage portion storing mobile information that is transmitted from mobile terminals and that includes position information on the mobile terminals,

wherein the display control portion displays markings representing the mobile terminals on the map of the display, based on the mobile information obtained from the mobile information storage portion.

7. The position display system according to claim 6, wherein the mobile information further includes information representing a current status of the person carrying the mobile terminal.

8. A computer-readable storage medium, storing a program executing a process for obtaining a sender telephone number when a telephone call is received, and

obtaining position information on the sender telephone using a database with which a location where the telephone is installed can be specified from the telephone number.

9. A computer-readable storage medium, storing a program executing a process for obtaining a sender telephone number when a telephone call is received,

obtaining position information on the sender telephone using a database with which a location where the telephone is installed can be specified from the telephone number,

obtaining map image data on a region corresponding to the position information using a map database storing map image data, and

displaying obtained map image data on a display.

10. A dispatch support system including terminal devices carried by dispatch staff members and a management device for supporting dispatch of the dispatch staff members,

wherein the terminal devices comprise:

a position information obtaining portion for obtaining information on its location from a positioning system;

an input portion for the dispatch staff members to input status data expressing their status; and

a communications portion for transmitting position information obtained by the position information obtaining portion and status data input through the input portion, to the management device;

wherein the management device comprises;

a communications portion that communicates with the terminal devices;

a dispatch staff member information storage portion storing dispatch staff member information on each dispatch staff member, including position information and status data received from the terminal devices; and

a support processing portion that, when there is a request for dispatch, performs a process for supporting selection of a staff member to dispatch to a dispatch location based on dispatch location information including position information on the dispatch location and dispatch staff member information on the dispatch staff members that is obtained from the dispatch staff member information storage portion.

12. The dispatch support system according to claim 10 or claim 11,

wherein the support processing portion in the management device includes a display and a display control portion, and

wherein the display control portion, when there is a dispatch request, displays a map of the area surrounding the dispatch location on a display in such a manner that the dispatch location is located in a screen center portion based on the position information of that dispatch location, and also displays markings representing dispatch staff members in the area surrounding the dispatch location at the locations of the dispatch staff members in the map that is displayed on the display based on the position information of the dispatch staff members included in the dispatch staff member information.

14. The dispatch support system according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein the support processing portion in the management device further comprises a selection portion for selecting an appropriate staff member to be dispatched to the dispatch location from the dispatch staff members in the area surrounding the dispatch location based on the dispatch staff member information on each dispatch staff member, which is obtained from the dispatch staff member information storage portion.

15. The dispatch support system according to any one of claims 10 to 14, wherein the management device further comprises an information provision portion for transmitting dispatch staff member support information to the terminal devices of the dispatch staff members via the communications portion.

16. The dispatch support system according to claim 15, wherein the dispatch staff member support information includes information relating to service cases at that dispatch location.

17. The dispatch support system according to claim 15 or claim 16, wherein the dispatch staff member support information includes information relating to identical cases.

19. The management device according to claim 18,

wherein the support processing portion includes a display and a display control portion, and

wherein the display control portion, when there is a dispatch request, displays a map of the area surrounding the dispatch location, based on the position information of the display location, on the display in such a manner that the dispatch location is located in a screen center portion, and displays markings that represent dispatch staff members in the area surrounding the dispatch location at the locations of the dispatch members in the map that is displayed on the display, based on the position information of the dispatch staff members included in the dispatch staff member information.

20. The management device according to claim 18 or claim 19, wherein the display control portion sets the markings that represent the dispatch staff members in the area surrounding the dispatch location to a display condition that corresponds to a status of the dispatch staff members based on status data of the dispatch staff members included in the dispatch staff member information.

21. The management device according to any one of claims 18 to 20, wherein the support processing portion further comprises a selection portion for selecting an appropriate staff member to be dispatched to the dispatch location from the dispatch staff members in the area surrounding the dispatch location based on the dispatch staff member information on the dispatch staff members, which is obtained from the dispatch location staff member information storage portion.

22. The management device according to any one of claims 18 to 20, further comprising an information provision portion for transmitting dispatch staff member support information to the terminal devices of the dispatch staff members via the communications portion.

23. The management device according to claim 22, wherein the dispatch staff member support information includes information relating to service cases at the dispatch location.

24. The management device according to claim 22 or claim 23, wherein the dispatch staff member support information includes information relating to identical cases.

20-7. The management device according to claim 18, wherein the display control portion sets the markings that represent the dispatch staff members in the area surrounding the dispatch location to a display condition that corresponds to a status of the dispatch staff members based on status data of the dispatch staff members included in the dispatch staff member information.

21-8. The management device according to any one of claims 18, wherein the support processing portion further comprises a selection portion for selecting an appropriate staff member to be dispatched to the dispatch location from the dispatch staff members in the area surrounding the dispatch location based on the dispatch staff member information on the dispatch staff members, which is obtained from the dispatch location staff member information storage portion.

22-9. The management device according to any one of claims 18, further comprising an information provision portion for transmitting dispatch staff member support information to the terminal devices of the dispatch staff members via the communications portion.

24-10. The management device according to claim 22, wherein the dispatch staff member support information includes information relating to identical cases.

25. A terminal device carried by each dispatch staff member in a dispatch support system that includes a management device for supporting dispatch of the dispatch staff members,

wherein the management device comprises a communications portion for communicating with the terminal device and a dispatch staff member information storage portion storing dispatch staff member information that includes position information and status data received from the terminal device of each dispatch staff member, and when there is a dispatch request, the management device performs a process for supporting selection of a staff member to dispatch to a dispatch location based on dispatch location information including position information on the dispatch location and dispatch staff member information on the dispatch staff members, which is obtained from the dispatch staff member information storage portion;

wherein the terminal device comprises;

a position information obtaining portion for obtaining position information of the terminal device from a positioning system;

an input portion with which the dispatch staff members input status data expressing their status; and

a communications portion for transmitting position information obtained by the position information obtaining portion and status data input through the input portion to the management portion.

3. The position information system according to claim 1, wherein the position information is latitude and longitude of the location where the sender telephone is installed.

11. The dispatch support system according to claim 10, wherein the management device further comprises:

a telephone number obtaining portion for obtaining the sender telephone number when a telephone call is received, and

a position information obtaining portion for obtaining position information on the sender telephone using a database with which the telephone number and a location where the telephone is installed can be specified; and

wherein the support processing portion uses position information obtained by the position information obtaining portion as position information on the dispatch location.

13. The dispatch support system according to claim 11 or claim 12, wherein the display control portion sets the markings representing the dispatch staff members in the area surrounding the dispatch location to a display condition corresponding to a status of the dispatch staff members based on status data of the dispatch staff members, which are included in the dispatch staff member information.

26. The terminal device according to claim 25, wherein dispatch staff member support information is transmitted from the management device to the terminal device of the dispatch staff members, and

wherein the terminal device further comprises a display, and receives the dispatch staff member support information through the communications portion and displays it on the display.

27. The terminal device according to claim 26, wherein the dispatch staff member support information includes information relating to service cases at the dispatch location.

28. The terminal device according to claim 26 or 27, wherein the dispatch staff member support information includes information relating to identical cases.

a display control portion that, when a telephone call is received, obtains map image data on a region corresponding to position information from the map database and displays these on the display, based on the position information of the sender telephone that is obtained by the position information system.

28-11. The terminal device according to claim 26, wherein the dispatch staff member support information includes information relating to identical cases.