Information link service system, electronic equipment, mobile terminal, authentication apparatus and communication method

• US 20060052086A1
• Filed: 08/26/2005
• Published: 03/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Funato, Yuji
• Granted Patent: US 7,636,564 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0968 Systems involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096838 where the user preferences are taken into account or the user selects one route out of a plurality
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09685 where the complete route is computed only once and not updated
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096872 where instructions are given per voice
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096883 where input information is obtained using a mobile device, e.g. a mobile phone, a PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/182 Network node acting on behalf of an other network entity, e.g. proxy

Abstract

An internet service server transmits an information link mail to a cellular phone through a cellular phone mail server. If the received e-mail is an information link mail, the cellular phone transfers it, for example, to a navigation apparatus. Upon receipt of the information link mail, the navigation apparatus starts a predetermined application and provides a service to a user. The cellular phone may start a predetermined application and store predetermined information in the cellular phone. The cellular phone can communicate with an authentication apparatus through a wireless tag reader. The authentication apparatus checks predetermined information and performs authentication as a result of the check.

Claims

1. An information link service system comprising:

a server;

a mobile terminal which can receive an e-mail from the server; and

electronic equipment which is communicable with the mobile terminal over a predetermined network,

wherein;

the server transmits an information link mail including a description for executing a predetermined application to the mobile terminal;

the mobile terminal has a mail discriminating portion for discriminating whether a received e-mail is an information link mail or not and a mail transferring portion for, if the e-mail is an information link mail, transferring the information link mail to the electronic equipment; and

the electronic equipment has an application executing portion for executing a predetermined application based on the described information in the information link mail transferred from the mobile terminal.

2. The information link service system according to claim 1, wherein the mail discriminating portion discriminates whether a received e-mail is an information link mail with reference to predetermined tag information in the e-mail.

3. The information link service system according to claim 1, further comprising an authentication apparatus communicable with the mobile terminal and the server over a predetermined network, the authentication apparatus having a comparing portion for comparing predetermined information including an expiration date based on the information link mail received from the mobile terminal with information that the server has and an authenticating portion for performing authentication based on the result of the comparison.

4. The information link service system according to claim 1, wherein the server has a table in which information relating to the mobile terminal is associated with information relating to the electronic equipment and transmits the e-mail by reference to the table.

5. The information link service system according to claim 4, wherein the server updates information in the table after the predetermined application is executed.

6. The information link service system according to claim 4, wherein:

the electronic equipment is vehicle-mounted equipment; and

the information relating to the electronic equipment includes information relating to an inspection of a vehicle having the electronic equipment.

7. The information link service system according to claim 1, wherein the server transmits the e-mail at a predetermined timing.

8. The information link service system according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined application includes a description for executing an update of a program included in the electronic equipment.

9. The information link service system according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined application includes a description for sending predetermined information to a display portion included in the electronic equipment.

10. The information link service system according to claim 1, wherein the electronic equipment has a navigation function.

11. Electronic equipment communicable with a mobile terminal, which can receive an e-mail, over a predetermined network, the equipment comprising:

a receiving portion for receiving an information link mail including a description for executing a predetermined application transferred from the mobile terminal; and

an application executing portion for executing a predetermined application based on described information in an information link mail received by the receiving portion.

12. The electronic equipment according to claim 11, wherein the predetermined application includes a description for executing an update of a program included in the electronic equipment.

13. The electronic equipment according to claim 11, wherein the predetermined application includes a description for sending predetermined information to a display portion included in the electronic equipment.

14. The electronic equipment according to claim 11, wherein the predetermined application includes a description for discriminating predetermined tag information within the information link mail and outputs, to a display portion, service information, positional information on service supply, and a display prompting whether or not a destination is to be defined, based on the predetermined tag information.

15. The electronic equipment according to claim 11, wherein:

the information link mail is an e-mail for providing notice of at least one of an inspection time, oil change time, and oil filter exchange time; and

the application is an application for providing the notice by e-mail to a user.

16. The electronic equipment according to claim 11, wherein:

the information link mail is an e-mail for providing notice of the existence of an update version of an application contained in the electronic equipment; and

the application is an application for downloading and installing the update version from a predetermined server.

17. A mobile terminal communicable with electronic equipment over a predetermined network, the mobile terminal comprising:

a receiving portion for receiving an e-mail;

a mail discriminating portion for discriminating whether the e-mail received by the receiving portion is an information link mail including a description for executing a predetermined application;

a transferring portion for, if the e-mail is an information link mail, transferring the information link mail to the electronic equipment.

18. The mobile terminal according to claim 17, wherein the mail discriminating portion discriminates whether a received e-mail is an information link mail by reference to predetermined tag information within the e-mail.

19. The mobile terminal according to claim 17, wherein the information link mail includes expiration date information.

20. The mobile terminal according to claim 17, further comprising an application executing portion for executing a predetermined application based on information described in the information link mail.

21. The mobile terminal according to claim 20, wherein the predetermined application includes a description for storing predetermined information described in the information link mail in the mobile terminal.

22. The mobile terminal according to claim 20, further comprising a transmitting portion for transmitting predetermined information based on the information link mail to an authentication apparatus communicable with the mobile terminal over a predetermined network, the authentication apparatus having a comparing portion for comparing predetermined information based on the information link mail received from the mobile terminal with information that a server has and an authenticating portion for performing authentication based on the result of the comparison.

23. An authentication apparatus communicable with a mobile terminal, which can receive an e-mail, over a predetermined network, the authentication apparatus comprising:

a comparing portion for comparing predetermined information based on an information link mail received from the mobile terminal and including a description for executing a predetermined application with information that a memory included in the authentication apparatus has; and

an authenticating portion for performing authentication based on the result of the comparison.

24. The authentication apparatus according to claim 23, wherein:

the predetermined information is expiration date information and discount authentication information; and

the authentication apparatus is provided at a cashier in a store, and the authentication apparatus checks expiration date information and discount authentication information and displays the authentication result based on the result of the check on a display portion included in the authentication apparatus.

25. An authentication apparatus communicable with a server and a mobile terminal, which can receive an e-mail, over a predetermined network, the authentication apparatus comprising:

a comparing portion for comparing predetermined information based on an information link mail received from the mobile terminal and including a description for executing a predetermined application with information that the server has; and

an authenticating portion for performing authentication based on the result of the comparison.

26. The authentication apparatus according to claim 25, wherein:

the predetermined information is expiration date information and admission ticket authentication information;

the authentication apparatus is provided with an entrance gate, and the authentication apparatus checks the expiration date information and admission ticket information and controls the entrance gate based on the result of the check.

27. The authentication apparatus according to claim 25, wherein:

the predetermined information is expiration date information and rental reservation authentication information; and

the authentication apparatus is located in a rental shop, and the authentication apparatus checks expiration date information and rental reservation authentication information and displays the authentication result on a display portion included with the authentication apparatus based on the result of the check.

28. A communication method comprising the steps of:

discriminating whether an e-mail transmitted from a server is an information link mail including a description for executing a predetermined application;

transferring, if the e-mail is an information link mail, the information link mail to electronic equipment; and

executing, in the electronic equipment, a predetermined application based on described information in an information link mail transferred from a mobile terminal.

29. The communication method according to claim 28, wherein the step of executing implements an update of a program included in the electronic equipment.

30. The communication method according to claim 28, wherein the step of executing sends predetermined information to a display portion included with the electronic equipment.

31. The communication method according to claim 28, further comprising the steps of:

if the e-mail is an information link mail, executing, in the mobile terminal, a predetermined application based on information described in the information link mail;

transmitting, from the mobile terminal, predetermined information based on the information link mail to an authentication apparatus communicable with the mobile terminal over a predetermined network, the authentication apparatus having a comparing portion for comparing predetermined information based on the information link mail received from the mobile terminal and information that the server has and an authenticating portion for performing authentication based on the result of the comparison;

checking, in the authentication apparatus, predetermined information based on the information link mail received from the mobile terminal; and

performing, in the authentication apparatus, authentication based on the result of the check.

32. The communication method according to claim 31, wherein, in the mobile terminal, the step of executing includes storing predetermined information described in the information link mail in the mobile terminal.

33. The communication method according to claim 31, wherein the step of checking includes comparing predetermined information based on the information link mail and information that a memory included with the authentication apparatus has.

34. The communication method according to claim 31, wherein the step of checking includes that the authentication apparatus communicates with the server over a predetermined network and compares predetermined information based on the information link mail and information that the server has.