Server apparatus, terminal device, and information providing system

• US 20040225712A1
• Filed: 03/05/2004
• Published: 11/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamada, Kazuhiro, Matsumoto, Naoki, Ban, Hiroaki, Tajima, Koji
• Granted Patent: US 7,209,827 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/047 Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem

Abstract

The present invention provides a server apparatus, comprising: storage means for storing a plurality of candidate data including candidate location data and a plurality of attribute data; reception means for receiving search scope indication data, scheduled time data, and present location data, the search scope indication data; extraction means for extracting one attribute data from a plurality of attribute data; calculation means for calculating an expected time of reaching the candidate location on the basis of the present location data and candidate location data corresponding to the extracted attribute data; determination means for determining whether arrival at the candidate location by the expected time is possible, on the basis of the expected time and the scheduled time data; and transmission means for transmitting all or part of the candidate data including the extracted attribute data in a case that the result of the determination by the determination means is negative.

Claims

1. A server apparatus, comprising:

storage means for storing a plurality of candidate data, the candidate data including candidate location data and a plurality of attribute data, the candidate location data showing location information of a candidate location, and each of the plurality of attribute data showing an attribute of the candidate location;

reception means for receiving search scope indication data, scheduled time data, and present location data, the search scope indication data showing a scope of search for a plurality of candidate location data;

extraction means for extracting one attribute data from a plurality of attribute data, the extracted attribute data being included in the scope of search indicated by the search scope indication data;

calculation means for calculating an expected time of reaching the candidate location on the basis of the present location data and candidate location data corresponding to the extracted attribute data;

determination means for determining whether arrival at the candidate location by the expected time is possible, on the basis of the expected time and the scheduled time data; and

transmission means for transmitting all or part of the candidate data including the extracted attribute data in a case that the result of the determination by the determination means is negative.

2. A server apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the reception means further receives a search key for identifying the content of the attribute data;

the search scope indication data indicates a category of the attribute data as the scope of search; and

the extraction means extracts one attribute data which conforms to the search key, from the scope of search.

3. A server apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the reception means further receives terminal device location data showing a location of a terminal device which is a source of the scope indication data, the scheduled time data, and the present location data;

the scope indication data indicates the candidate location data as the scope of search;

the server apparatus further comprises area calculation means for calculating area data showing a geographic area including the location of the terminal device; and

the extraction means extracts one candidate data showing a location which is located in the geographic area shown by the area data, from a plurality of candidate data stored in the storage means.

4. A server apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the server apparatus receives the search scope indication data, the scheduled time data, and the present location data, from a terminal device which is capable of measuring its location.

5. A server apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising communication means for communicating via a mobile communication network to a communication device which is capable of communicating via the mobile communication network.

6. A terminal device capable of obtaining present location data showing a present location of the terminal device, comprising:

storage means for storing a plurality of candidate data, the candidate data including candidate location data and a plurality of attribute data, the plurality of candidate location data corresponding to the candidate location data, the candidate location data showing location information of a candidate location, and each of the plurality of attribute data showing an attribute of the candidate location;

reception means for receiving destination identification data, scheduled time data, and search scope indication data, the destination identification data identifying a location as a destination, the scheduled time data showing a scheduled time to reach the destination, the search scope indication data showing a scope of search for a plurality of candidate data;

first determination means for determining whether or not arrival at the destination by the scheduled time is possible on the basis of the scheduled time data and an expected time of reaching the destination;

the expected time of reaching the destination being calculated by using the present location data and candidate location data corresponding to the destination identification data;

extraction means for extracting one attribute data from a plurality of attribute data, the extracted attribute data being included in the scope of search indicated by the search scope indication data;

calculation means for calculating an expected time to reach the candidate location on the basis of the present location data and candidate location data corresponding to the extracted attribute data;

second determination means for determining whether or not arrival at the candidate location by the expected time is possible, on the basis of the expected time and the scheduled time data; and

display means for displaying a screen on the basis of all or part of the candidate data including the extracted attribute data in a case that the result of the determination by the second determination means is negative.

7. An information provision system having a terminal device and a server apparatus, the terminal device being capable of measuring its location, the server apparatus being capable of communicating with the terminal device, wherein:

the terminal device comprises storage means for storing a plurality of destination data, the destination data including destination location data and destination attribute data, the destination location data showing a geographic location of a location, the destination attribute data showing an attribute of the location, the attribute data corresponding to the destination location data;

the terminal device further comprises reception means for receiving (a) present location data, (b) destination identification data, (c) scheduled time data, and (d) search scope indication data, the present location data showing a present location of the terminal device, the destination identification data identifying a location as a destination, the scheduled time data showing an expected time of reaching the destination, the search scope indication data indicating a scope of search;

the terminal device further comprises first calculation means for calculating an expected time of reaching the destination on the basis of the present location data and the destination location data corresponding to the destination identification data;

the terminal device further comprises first determination means for determining whether or not arrival at the destination by the scheduled time is possible, on the basis of the scheduled time data and an expected time of reaching the destination;

the terminal device further comprises schedule transmission means for transmitting the search scope indication data, the scheduled time data, and the present location data, to the server apparatus in a case that the result of the determination by the first determination means is negative;

the server apparatus comprises storage means for storing a plurality of candidate data, the candidate data including candidate location data and a plurality of attribute data, the candidate location data showing location information of a candidate location, and each of the plurality of attribute data showing an attribute of the candidate location;

the server apparatus further comprises reception means for receiving search scope indication data, scheduled time data, and present location data, the search scope indication data showing a scope of search for a plurality of candidate location data;

the server apparatus further comprises extraction means for extracting one attribute data from the plurality of attribute data, the extracted attribute data being included in the scope of search indicated by the search scope indication data;

the server apparatus further comprises second calculation means for calculating an expected time of reaching the candidate location on the basis of the present location data and candidate location data corresponding to the extracted attribute data;

the server apparatus further comprises second determination means for determining whether arrival at the candidate location by the expected time is possible, on the basis of the expected time and the scheduled time data;

the server apparatus further comprises transmission means for transmitting all or part of the candidate data including the extracted attribute data in a case that the result of the determination by the determination means is negative; and

the terminal device further comprises display means for displaying a screen on the basis of all or a part of the candidate data transmitted by the transmission means.