Mobile communication terminal recognition system and mobile communication terminal recognition method using the system

• US 20050177851A1
• Filed: 02/18/2003
• Published: 08/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Fujise, Masayuki, Kojima, Fumihide, Murao, Yuji, Okita, Hirokazu
• Application Number:
  US10/504,736
• Publication Number:
  US 20050177851A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/75
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/06 among broadcast stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41422 located in transportation means, e.g. personal vehicle arrangements specially adapted for transportation systems in broadcast systems H04H20/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Herein disclosed are a mobile communication terminal recognizing system, a mobile communication terminal, a relay apparatus, a center apparatus, and a mobile communication terminal recognizing method, which enable a user to receive contents related to a cable television service, as well as are capable of easily identifying the service area where the user is located and accordingly communicating with the user regardless of whether or not the user moves into a service area other than the service area of the CATV station which the user has subscribed to. When a vehicle (5) moves into a service area of a CATV station (3, 4) other than the service area of the CATV station which the user has subscribed to and a CATV mobile terminal (6) receives contents from the ATV station (3, 4) by wireless, the CATV station (3, 4) is operated to store therein delivery history information indicative of a history of delivering the contents, and the CATV mobile terminal (6) is operated to store therein utilization history information indicative of a history of utilizing the contents. A subscriber station (2) is operated to collect and count the delivery history information and the utilization history information after transmitting an inquiry about the delivery history information and the utilization history information to the CATV station (3, 4) and the CATV mobile terminal (6) by way of multicast communication.

Claims

1. A mobile communication terminal recognizing system, comprising:

a mobile communication terminal mounted on a movable object and capable of establishing a connection with a cable television service line by wireless;

a plurality of relay apparatuses respectively installed in a plurality of service areas, and each of said relay apparatuses being operative to deliver contents concerning a cable television service to said mobile communication terminal moving within each of said service areas; and

a center apparatus for establishing a connection with said mobile communication terminal and said relay apparatuses to ensure that said mobile communication terminal moving within said service area receives said contents from one of said relay apparatuses, and in which

said mobile communication terminal moving within a service area is operative to transmit request information and user information to said relay apparatus installed in said service area by wireless,

said relay apparatus installed in said service area is operative to assign relay position identification information to said mobile communication terminal in response to said request information and user information,

said mobile communication terminal is operative to transmit content request information to said relay apparatus determined in accordance with said relay position identification information by wireless upon receiving said relay position identification information,

said relay apparatus is operative to deliver said contents to said mobile communication terminal and store therein delivery history information indicative of a history of delivering said contents in response to said content request information,

said mobile communication terminal is operative to store therein utilization history information indicative of a history of utilizing said contents,

said center apparatus is operative to inquire to said relay apparatuses about said delivery history information by wireless,

said relay apparatuses are operative to transmit said delivery history information to said center apparatus if stored therein,

said center apparatus is operative to collect and count said delivery history information received from said relay apparatuses and inquire to each of said relay apparatuses about said user information of said mobile communication terminal having logged into in said service area of each of said relay apparatuses, and

said mobile communication terminal is operative to transmit to said center apparatus said relay position identification information assigned thereto within said service area and said utilization history information stored therein in combination with said user information when said center apparatus inquires about said user information of said mobile communication terminal having logged into in said service area.

2. A mobile communication terminal recognizing system as set forth in claim 1, in which

said center apparatus is operative to compare said collected and counted delivery history information with said utilization history information, and perform an accounting process on the basis of the result of the comparison when said mobile communication terminal transmits to said center apparatus said relay position identification information assigned thereto and said utilization history information stored therein in combination with said user information.

3. A mobile communication terminal recognizing system as set forth in claim 1 or claim 2, in which said user information is constituted by personal information stored in an IC (integrated circuit) card or a magnetic card.

4. A mobile communication terminal recognizing system as set forth in any of claims 1 through 3, in which said mobile communication terminal is operative to communicate with each of said relay apparatuses using said relay position identification information assigned thereto by each of said relay apparatuses.

5. A mobile communication terminal mounted on a movable object and capable of establishing a connection with a plurality of relay apparatuses each operative to deliver contents concerning a cable television service by wireless as well as communicating with a center apparatus operative to control said relay apparatuses, said mobile communication terminal comprising:

first transmitting means for transmitting request information and user information to a relay apparatus installed in a service area by wireless;

first receiving means for receiving relay position identification information assigned thereto from said relay apparatus by wireless;

second transmitting means for transmitting content request information to said relay apparatus by wireless upon receiving said relay position identification information by said first receiving means;

second receiving means for receiving said contents delivered from said relay apparatus;

storage means for storing therein utilization history information indicative of a history of utilizing said contents received by said second receiving means, and

third transmitting means for transmitting to said center apparatus said relay position identification information assigned thereto within said service area and said utilization history information stored therein in combination with said user information when said center apparatus inquires about said user information by way of multicast communication.

6. A mobile communication terminal as set forth in claim 5, in which

said user information is constituted by personal information stored in an IC (integrated circuit) card or a magnetic card, and which further comprises:

reading means for reading said user information stored in said IC card.

7. A mobile communication terminal as set forth in claim 6, in which

said mobile communication terminal is operative to communicate with each of said relay apparatuses using said relay position identification information assigned thereto by each of said relay apparatuses.

8. A relay apparatus installed in a service area, for delivering contents concerning a cable television service to a mobile communication terminal under the control of a center apparatus, said relay apparatus comprising:

first receiving means for receiving request information and user information from said mobile communication terminal by wireless;

first transmitting means for transmitting relay position identification information to be assigned to said mobile communication terminal to said mobile communication terminal in response to said request information and user information received by said first receiving means;

second receiving means for receiving content request information from said mobile communication terminal by wireless;

delivering means for delivering said contents to said mobile communication terminal in response to said content request information received by said second receiving means;

storage means for storing therein delivery history information indicative of a history of delivering said contents;

second transmitting means for transmitting said delivery history information stored in said storage means to said center apparatus when said center apparatus inquires about said delivery history information by way of multicast communication; and

third transmitting means for transmitting to said center apparatus said user information of said mobile communication terminal having logged into in said service area when said center apparatus inquires about said user information of said mobile communication terminal having logged into in said service area, by way of multicast communication.

9. A relay apparatus as set forth in claim 8, in which

said relay apparatus is operative to communication with said mobile communication terminal using said relay position identification information assigned to said mobile communication terminal by said relay apparatus in said service area.

10. A center apparatus for controlling a plurality of relay apparatuses respectively installed in a plurality of service areas, and each of said relay apparatuses being operative to deliver contents concerning a cable television service to a mobile communication terminal moving within each of said service areas, said center apparatus comprising:

first transmitting means for inquiring to said relay apparatuses about a delivery history information indicative of a history of delivering said contents by way of multicast communication;

first receiving means for receiving said deliver history information from said relay apparatuses;

collecting and counting means for collecting and counting said delivery history information received from said relay apparatuses;

second transmitting means for inquiring each of said relay apparatuses about user information of said mobile communication terminal having logged into in said service area of each of said relay apparatuses; and

second receiving means for receiving relay position identification information assigned to said mobile communication terminal within said service area and utilization history information indicative of a history of utilizing said contents in combination with said user information from said mobile communication terminal.

11. A center apparatus as set forth in claim 10, further comprising accounting means for comparing said collected and counted delivery history information with said utilization history information, and perform an accounting process on the basis of the result of the comparison when said mobile communication terminal transmits to said center apparatus said relay position identification information assigned thereto and said utilization history information in combination with said user information.

12. A mobile communication terminal recognizing method of recognizing a mobile communication terminal moving within a service area in a system comprising a plurality of relay apparatuses respectively installed in a plurality of service areas, each of said relay apparatuses being operative to deliver contents concerning a cable television service to said mobile communication terminal moving within each of said service areas, a center apparatus for controlling said relay apparatuses to establish a connection with said mobile communication terminal and said relay apparatuses to ensure that said mobile communication terminal is recognized, said method comprising the steps of;

(a) transmitting request information and user information to said relay apparatus installed in said service area by wireless;

(b) transmitting relay position identification information assigned to said mobile communication terminal in response to said request information and user information, by said relay apparatus;

(c) transmitting content request information to said relay apparatus determined in accordance with said relay position identification information by wireless upon receiving said relay position identification information, by said mobile communication terminal;

(d) delivering said contents to said mobile communication terminal and store therein delivery history information indicative of a history of delivering said contents, by said relay apparatus in response to said content request information, by said relay apparatus;

(e) storing therein utilization history information indicative of a history of utilizing said contents, by said mobile communication terminal;

(f) inquiring to said relay apparatuses about said delivery history information by wireless, by said center apparatus;

(g) transmitting said delivery history information to said center apparatus if stored therein, by said relay apparatuses;

(h) collecting and counting said delivery history information and inquiring to each of said relay apparatuses about said user information of said mobile communication terminal having logged into in said service area of each of said relay apparatuses, by said center apparatus; and

(i) transmitting from said mobile communication terminal to said center apparatus said relay position identification information assigned thereto within said service area and said utilization history information stored therein in combination with said user information when inquired about said user information of said mobile communication terminal having logged into in said service area.