Terminal apparatus

• US 20040260461A1
• Filed: 04/27/2004
• Published: 12/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamaguchi, Takao, Sato, Junichi, Itoh, Tomoaki
• Granted Patent: US 7,203,597 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network

Abstract

A terminal apparatus is provided with a content list storage section that stores a content list storing at least one pair of an address of content related to a position and the position. A position detecting section detects a position, a specifying section which defines a region including an area forward in the traveling direction based on the detected position, and specifies a position in the defined region among positions stored in the content list. A content acquiring section that acquires content corresponding to an address associated with the specified position.

Claims

1. A terminal apparatus that is mounted and used on a mobile unit and that acquires content related to a position, comprising:

a content list storage section that stores a content list storing at least one pair of an address of the content and the position;

a position detector that detects a position of the mobile unit;

a specifying section which defines a region including an area forward in a traveling direction of the mobile unit based on the detected position of the mobile unit, and specifies the position in the region among positions stored in the content list;

a content acquiring section that acquires content associated with the specified position using the address associated with the specified position; and

a presenting section that presents the acquired content.

2. The terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the specifying section varies a length of the region along a moving direction of the mobile unit to define corresponding to moving speed of the mobile unit.

3. The terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the specifying section defines the region corresponding to a condition of a road forward in a moving direction of the mobile unit.

4. The terminal apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a content list acquiring section that acquires the content list by receiving communications or broadcast.

5. The terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the presenting section presents a map and an indicator indicative of the position specified in the specifying section on the map.

6. The terminal apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a presentation controller that determines whether or not to present the selected content on the presenting section based on the position of the mobile unit.

7. The terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the presentation controller determines a presentation trigger region that is a region such that the mobile unit is predicted to arrive at the position of the acquired content after moving for a predetermined time, and presents the acquired content when the position of the acquired content is in the presentation trigger region.

8. The terminal apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the presentation controller presents the acquired content at the time the presentation trigger region starts including the position of the acquired content.

9. A content distribution system comprising:

the terminal apparatus according to claim 1;

a list server that stores the content list; and

a content serer that stores the content,

wherein the terminal apparatus acquires the content list from the list server via wireless communications, and further acquires the content from the content server via wireless communications.

13. The terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the specifying section varies a size of the region to define corresponding to moving speed of the mobile unit.

14. The terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the content acquiring section considers time required for acquiring the content to acquire the content before the mobile unit passes through the position of the content.

15. The terminal apparatus according to claim 14, where the content acquiring section obtains the time required for acquiring the content by dividing a size of the content by a transmission rate of a communication path for use in acquiring the content.

10. A content distribution system comprising:

a terminal apparatus mounted and used on a mobile unit, having;

a position detector that detects a position of the mobile unit;

a position transmitter that transmits the detected position of the mobile unit; and

a content receiver that receives transmitted content, and

a server having;

a content list storage section that stores a content list storing at least one pair of an address of content related to a position and the position;

a position receiver that receives the position of the mobile unit transmitted from the terminal apparatus;

a specifying section which defines a region including an area forward in a traveling direction of the mobile unit based on the received position of the mobile unit, and specifies the position in the region among positions stored in the content list;

a content acquiring section that acquires content associated with the specified position using the address associated with the specified position; and

a content transmitter that transmits the acquired content to the terminal apparatus.

11. A method of acquiring content related to a position of a terminal apparatus mounted and used on a mobile unit, comprising:

storing a content list storing at least one pair of an address of the content and the position;

detecting a position of the mobile unit;

defining a region including an area forward in a traveling direction of the mobile unit based on the detected position of the mobile unit;

specifying the position in the region among positions stored in the content list; and

acquiring content associated with the specified position using the address associated with the specified position.

12. A program for a terminal apparatus mounted and used on a mobile unit to acquire content related to a position, the program having a computer execute:

storing a content list storing at least one pair of an address of the content and the position;

detecting a position of the mobile unit;

defining a region including an area forward in a traveling direction of the mobile unit based on the detected position of the mobile unit;

specifying the position in the region among positions stored in the content list; and

acquiring content associated with the specified position using the address associated with the specified position.