System and method for providing position information

• US 20050009540A1
• Filed: 06/15/2004
• Published: 01/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Choi, Eun-young, Lee, Sang-man, Lee, Su-hyun
• Granted Patent: US 7,349,708 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.600
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0072 Transmission between mobile stations, e.g. anti-collision systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

A system and method capable of providing position information through a data burst message so that a user can use position information without accessing the wireless Internet using a mobile communication terminal. The method including if a position information service for a user of a mobile communication terminal subscribed to the position information service is requested, searching for position information on the relevant terminal in a position information server with position information on a predetermined mobile communication terminal; transmitting the searched position information to a short message service center; and generating a data burst message using the position information received from the short message service center, and transmitting the generated data burst message to the mobile communication terminal.

Claims

1. A mobile communication terminal, comprising:

a position information processing module operable to extract position information in a data burst message and operable to provide the extracted position information; and

an application processing module operable to provide current position information to a user based on the extracted position information.

2. The terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

said position information processing module analyzes the data burst message received from a position information server in order to extract the position information.

3. The terminal as claimed in claim 2, wherein if transmission of position information on a current position of the user to a specific receiving terminal is requested by the user, the position information processing module determines whether the position information on the current position exists, and the position information on the current position is transmitted to the call number of the specific receiving terminal through a short message service center if it is determined that the position information on the current position exists, or a position information requesting message is transmitted to the position information server to cause the position information on the current position to be transmitted to the call number of the specific receiving terminal through the position information server if it is determined that the position information on the current position does not exist.

4. The terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data burst message comprises a body comprising position information comprising latitude, longitude and measurement time transmitted from the position information server.

5. The terminal as claimed in claim 4, wherein if the data burst message is a short message of which BURST_TYPE=3, the data burst message further comprises a predetermined discriminating tag for discrimination from a general short message.

6. A position information server, comprising:

means for collecting position information on a predetermined mobile communication terminal, and

means for searching and providing position information on the relevant terminal to a user by a data burst message through a short message service center, if a position information service for a specific terminal registered for the position information service is requested.

7. The server as claimed in claim 6, wherein the server transmits the position information on the terminal to the call number of a designated receiving terminal by the data burst message according to a request from a user of the mobile communication terminal.

8. The server as claimed in claim 6, wherein the data burst message comprises a body comprising position information comprising latitude, longitude and measurement time transmitted from the position information server.

9. The server as claimed in claim 8, wherein if the data burst message is a short message of which BURST_TYPE=3, the data burst message further comprises a predetermined discriminating tag for discrimination from a general short message.

10. A method of providing position information, comprising:

if a position information service for a user of a mobile communication terminal subscribed to the position information service is requested, searching for position information on the relevant terminal in a position information server with position information on a predetermined mobile communication terminal;

transmitting the searched position information to a short message service center; and

generating a data burst message using the position information received from the short message service center, and transmitting the generated data burst message to the mobile communication terminal.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising transmitting, by the position information server, the position information on the terminal to the call number of a designated receiving terminal according to a request from the user of the mobile communication terminal.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the data burst message comprises a body comprising position information comprising latitude, longitude and measurement time transmitted from the position information server.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein if the data burst message is a short message of which BURST_TYPE=3, the data burst message further comprises a predetermined discriminating tag for discrimination from a general short message.

14. A method of providing position information, comprising:

receiving, by a mobile communication terminal, a data burst message provided from a position information server;

if the data burst message is received, extracting position information from the data burst message by executing a position information processing module; and

providing current position information to a user through an application processing module by inputting the extracted position information to the application processing module.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising providing, by the mobile communication terminal, position information on its own current position to a user of a specific mobile communication terminal through the position information processing module.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein providing the position information on its own current position to the user of the specific mobile communication terminal comprises:

inputting the call number of the specific mobile communication terminal to which the position information on the current position will be sent, and determining whether the position information on the current position exists in the mobile communication terminal;

if it is determined that the position information on the current position exists, transmitting the position information on the current position to the user of the specific mobile communication terminal through a short message service center, and

if it is determined that the position information on the current position does not exist, transmitting a position information requesting message to the position information server and causing the position information of the mobile communication terminal to be transmitted to the call number of the specific mobile communication terminal through the position information server.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein when position information is transmitted through the short message service center, data burst message comprises a predetermined tag for discrimination from a general short message and a body comprising position information comprising latitude, longitude and measurement time.

18. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the data burst message comprises a body comprising position information comprising latitude, longitude and measurement time transmitted from the position information server.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein if the data burst message is a short message of which BURST_TYPE=3, the data burst message further comprises a predetermined discriminating tag for discrimination from a general short message.