Information guidance service system, information guidance providing device, information guidance service method, and recording medium

• US 20060004599A1
• Filed: 06/30/2005
• Published: 01/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Endo, Kazuo
• Granted Patent: US 8,041,312 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/3.50
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3608 using speech input, e.g. using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/123 indicating the position of vehicles, e.g. scheduled vehicles; Managing passenger vehicles circulating according to a fixed timetable, e.g. buses, trains, tramstransmission of navigation instructions to vehicles G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/39 using speech synthesis
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/15 Information service where the information is dependent on the location of the subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/10 Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/45 for Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-to-Talk over cellular [PoC] services

Abstract

An information guidance service system according to the present invention provides a user terminal with information on a facility in use. The information guidance service system includes the user terminal having a push-to-talk over cellular (PoC) function of performing a transceiver-mode communications; a PoC server which controls the transceiver-mode communications with the PoC function to relay between the user terminal and an information guidance providing device; and the information guidance providing device for providing the information on the facility in use to the user terminal. The information guidance providing device includes a control circuit that controls to communicate with the user terminal via the PoC server and notify the user terminal of the information on the facility in use as a voice signal.

Claims

1. An information guidance service system for providing a user terminal with information on a facility in use, comprising:

the user terminal having a push-to-talkover cellular (PoC) function of performing a transceiver-mode communications;

a PoC server which controls the transceiver mode communication with the PoC function to relay between the user terminal and an information guidance providing device; and

the information guidance providing device for providing the information on the facility in use to the user terminal,

wherein the information guidance providing device includes;

a first control circuit that controls to communicate with the user terminal via the PoC server and notify the user terminal of the information on the facility in use as a voice signal.

2. The information guidance service system according to claim 1, wherein:

the information guidance providing device connects to the user terminal via the PoC function.

3. The information guidance service system according to claim 1, wherein:

the information guidance providing device further includes a database for accumulating the information on usable facilities; and

the first control circuit retrieves the information on the facility in use from the database based on information inputted from the user terminal using the PoC function.

4. The information guidance service system according to claim 3, wherein:

the information guidance providing device further includes a DTMF detector for analyzing a dial tone multi frequency (DTMF) tone from the user terminal; and

the first control circuit retrieves the information on the facility in-use from the database based on analysis-results of the DTMF tone analyzed by the DTMF detector.

5. The information guidance service system according to claim 1, wherein:

the first control circuit at least provides time information on a vehicle of public transportation and a guidance of transit information thereon.

6. The information guidance service system according to claim 5, wherein:

the first control circuit detects a running position of the vehicle of public transportation on which a user of the user terminal is aboard; and

the first control circuit notifies the user terminal of the transit information and get-off information based on the detected running position.

7. The information guidance service system according to claim 1, wherein:

the PoC server includes a second control circuit for performing charging for a time period during which a voice is being outputted from one of the information guidance providing device and the user terminal.

8. The information guidance service system according to claim 7, wherein:

the second control circuit performs charging during a predetermined time period after detection of one of voice data from the information guidance providing device and voice data from the user terminal; and

the second control circuit does not perform charging if one of the voice data from the information guidance providing device and the voice data from the user terminal is not detected within the predetermined time period.

9. An information guidance providing device for providing a user terminal with information, comprising:

a first control circuit that controls to communicate with the user terminal with a push-to-talk over cellular (PoC) communication and notify the user terminal of the information on a facility in use as a voice signal.

10. The information guidance providing device according to claim 9, wherein:

The first control circuit connects to the user terminal via the PoC function.

11. The information guidance providing device according to claim 9, further comprising:

a database for accumulating the information on usable facilities,

wherein the first control circuit retrieves the information on the facility in use from the,database based on information inputted from the user terminal using the PoC function.

12. The information guidance providing device according to claim 11, further comprising:

a DTMF detector for analyzing a dial tone multi frequency (DTMF) tone from the user terminal,

wherein the first control circuit retrieves the information on the facility in use from the database based on analysis results of the DTMF tone analyzed by the DTMF detector.

13. The information guidance providing device according to claim 9, wherein:

the first control circuit at least provides time information on a vehicle of public transportation and a guidance of transit information thereon.

14. The information guidance providing device according to claim 13, wherein:

the first control circuit detects a running position of the vehicle of public transportation on which a user of the user terminal is aboard; and

the first control circuit notifies the user terminal of the transit information and get-off information based on the detected running position.

15. An information guidance service method for providing a user terminal with information, comprising:

controlling to communicate with the user terminal with a push-to-talk over cellular (PoC) communication and notify the user terminal of the information on a facility in use as a voice signal.

16. The information guidance service method according to claim 15, further comprising:

connecting to the user terminal via the PoC function.

17. The information guidance service method according to claim 15, further comprising:

retrieving the information on the facility in use from a database for accumulating the information on usable facilities, based on information inputted from the user terminal using the PoC function.

18. The information guidance service method according to claim 17, further comprising:

analyzing a dial tone multi frequency (DTMF) tone from the user terminal; and

in the case of searching for the information on the facility in use, retrieving the information on the facility in use from the database based on analysis results of the analyzed DTMF tone.

19. The information guidance service method according to claim 15, further comprising:

at least providing, in the case of notifying of the information on the facility in use, time information on a vehicle of public transportation and a guidance of transit information thereon.

20. The information guidance service method according to claim 19, further comprising:

detecting a running position of the vehicle of public transportation on which a user of the user terminal is aboard; and

notifying, in the case of notifying of the information on the facility in use, the user terminal of the transit information and get-off information based on the detected running position.

21. The information guidance service method according to claim 15, further comprising:

performing charging for a time period during which a voice is being outputted from one of the information guidance providing device and the user terminal.

22. The information guidance service method according to claim 15, further comprising:

performing charging during a predetermined time period after detection of one of voice data to the user terminal and voice data from the user terminal; and

preventing charging if one of the voice data to the user terminal and the voice data from the user terminal is not detected within the predetermined time period.

23. A recording medium for storing a program for causing a computer which provides a user terminal with information to execute the processing of:

controlling to communicate with user terminal with a push-to-talk over cellular (PoC) communication and notify the user terminal of the information on a facility in use as a voice signal.

24. The recording medium according to claim 23, further for storing a program for causing the computer to execute the processing of:

retrieving the information on the facility in use from a database for accumulating the information on usable facilities, based on information inputted from the user terminal using the PoC function.

25. The recording medium according to claim 24, further for storing a program for causing the computer to execute the processing of:

retrieving the information on the facility in use from the database based on a dial tone multi frequency (DTMF) tone from the user terminal.

26. The recording medium according to claim 23, further for storing a program for causing the computer to execute the processing of:

at least providing, in the case of notifying of the information on the facility in use, time information on a vehicle of public transportation and a guidance of transit information thereon.

27. The recording medium according to claim 26, further for storing a program for causing the computer to execute the processing of:

detecting a running position of the vehicle of public transportation on which a user of the user terminal is aboard; and

notifying, in the case of notifying of the information on the facility in use, the user terminal of the transit information and get-off information based on the detected running position.