Mobile information terminal and communication system

• US 20060058036A1
• Filed: 01/28/2004
• Published: 03/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ota, Hiroki, Watanabe, Hironobu
• Granted Patent: US 7,200,411 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72451 according to schedules, e.g. using calendar applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10

Abstract

Herein disclosed are a portable information terminal and a communication system according to the present invention. The portable information terminal comprises an information providing unit 109 for providing information in accordance with a providing method which the information providing unit 109 is set to, a providing pattern data storage unit 104 for storing therein pattern data associating each of the providing methods with a location and a moving speed, a sensor unit 102 for detecting a current location and a moving speed, and a providing method control unit 106 for obtaining the providing method associated with the current location and the moving speed from the providing pattern data storage unit 104 and controlling an output port 108 to change the providing method previously set to the information providing unit 109 to have the information provided in accordance with the providing method indicated by the obtained pattern data.

Claims

1. A portable information terminal, comprising:

information providing means operable to be set to a providing method in advance selected from among a plurality of providing methods including an acoustic method having information provided by way of an acoustic message, a visual method having information provided by way of a visual message, and a tactual method having information provided by way of vibration, to provide information in accordance with said providing method set thereto;

storage means for storing therein a data table associating each of said providing methods with a location and a moving speed;

location detecting means for detecting a location;

moving speed calculating means for calculating a moving speed at said location detected by said location detecting means;

obtaining means for obtaining said providing method associated with said location detected by said location detecting means and said moving speed calculated by said moving speed calculating means with reference to said data table stored in said storage means; and

providing method changing means for changing said providing method previously set to said information providing means to have said information provided in accordance with said providing method obtained by said obtaining means.

2. A portable information terminal as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

date and time information managing means for managing date and time information indicative of a date and a time, and in which

said storage means is operative to store therein a data table associating each of said providing methods with a location, a moving speed, and a date and a time, and

said obtaining means is operative to obtain said providing method associated with said location detected by said location detecting means, said moving speed calculated by said moving speed calculating means, and said date and said time managed by said date and time information managing means with reference to said data table stored in said storage means.

3. A portable information terminal as set forth in claim 1, in which

said storage means is operative to store therein a data table associating each of said providing methods with a moving speed at a plurality of locations.

4. A portable information terminal as set forth in claim 3, further comprising:

date and time information managing means for managing date and time information indicative of a date and a time, and in which

said storage means is operative to store therein a data table associating each of said providing methods with a moving speed and a date and a time at a plurality of locations, and

said obtaining means is operative to obtain said providing method associated with said location detected by said location detecting means, said moving speed calculated by said moving speed calculating means, and said date and said time managed by said date and time information managing means with reference to said data table stored in said storage means.

5. A communication system comprising:

a portable information terminal, including;

information providing means operable to be set to a providing method in advance selected from among a plurality of providing methods including an acoustic method having said information provided by way of an acoustic message, a visual method having said information provided by way of a visual message, and a tactual method having said information provided by way of vibration, to provide information in accordance with said providing method set thereto;

location detecting means for detecting a location;

moving speed calculating means for calculating a moving speed at said location detected by said location detecting means;

obtaining means for obtaining said providing method associated with said location detected by said location detecting means and said moving speed calculated by said moving speed calculating means through a network; and

providing method changing means for changing said providing method previously set to said information providing means to have said information provided in accordance with said providing method obtained by said obtaining means, and

a server having stored therein a data table associating each of said providing methods with a location and a moving speed, and said server being operative to obtain said providing method associated with said location detected by said location detecting means of said portable information terminal and said moving speed calculated by said moving speed calculating means of portable information terminal with reference to said data table stored therein, and transmit said providing method thus obtained to said portable information terminal through said network.

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

said portable information terminal further includes:

date and time information managing means for managing date and time information indicative of a date and a time, and

said server has stored therein a data table associating each of said providing methods with a location, a moving speed, and a date and a time, and

said obtaining means of said portable information terminal is operative to obtain said providing method associated with said location detected by said location detecting means, said moving speed calculated by said moving speed calculating means, and said date and said time managed by said date and time information managing means through said network from said server.

9. A communication system as set forth in claim 5, in which

said portable information terminal further includes timing means for obtaining a time at a predetermined time cycle, and

said obtaining means of said portable information terminal is operative to obtain said providing method associated with said location detected by said location detecting means and said moving speed calculated by said moving speed calculating means through said network from said server at said predetermined time cycle.

10. A communication system as set forth in claim 6, in which

said portable information terminal further includes timing means for obtaining a time at a predetermined time cycle, and

said obtaining means of said portable information terminal is operative to obtain said providing method associated with said location detected by said location detecting means, said moving speed calculated by said moving speed calculating means, and said date and said time managed by said date and time information managing means through said network from said server at said predetermined time cycle.

13. A communication system as set forth in claim 5, in which

said information providing means of said portable information terminal has an expiration date of said selected providing method,

said obtaining means of said portable information terminal is operative to judge whether or not said expiration date of said selected providing method is past, and

said obtaining means of said portable information terminal is operative to obtain said providing method associated with said location detected by said location detecting means and said moving speed calculated by said moving speed calculating means through said network from said server when it is judged that said expiration date of said selected providing method is past.

14. A communication system as set forth in claim 6, in which

said information providing means of said portable information terminal has an expiration date of said selected providing method,

said obtaining means of said portable information terminal is operative to judge whether or not said expiration date of said selected providing method is past, and

said obtaining means of said portable information terminal is operative to obtain said providing method associated with said location detected by said location detecting means, said moving speed calculated by said moving speed calculating means, and said date and said time managed by said date and time information managing means through said network from said server when it is judged that said expiration date of said selected providing method is past.

7. A communication system comprising:

a portable information terminal, including;

information providing means operable to be set to a providing method in advance selected from among a plurality of providing methods including an acoustic method having said information provided by way of an acoustic message, a visual method having said information provided by way of a visual message, and a tactual method having said information provided by way of vibration, to provide information in accordance with said providing method set thereto;

storage means for storing therein a data table of a predetermined area associating each of said providing methods with a moving speed at a plurality of locations respectively located within said area;

location detecting means for detecting a location;

moving speed calculating means for calculating a moving speed at said location detected by said location detecting means;

obtaining means for judging whether or not said location detected by said location detecting means is located within said area and contained in said data table of said area, and obtaining said providing method associated with said location detected by said location detecting means and said moving speed calculated by said moving speed calculating means with reference to said data table of said area stored in said storage means;

providing method changing means for changing said providing method previously set to said information providing means to have said information provided in accordance with said providing method obtained by said obtaining means, and

first communication means for transmitting location information indicative of said location detected by said location detecting means through a network when it is judged by said obtaining means that said location detected by said location detecting means is not contained in said data table of said area, and

a server including;

managing means for managing a plurality of data tables of a plurality of areas;

selecting means for selecting an data table of an area from among said plurality of data tables of said plurality of areas managed by said managing means in response to said location information transmitted by said first communication means; and

second communication means for transmitting said data table of said selected area in response to said location information to said portable information terminal, and

said first communication means being operative to receive said data table of said selected area from said server through said network, and

storage means being operative to modify said data table of said predetermined area stored therein in response to said data table of said selected area thus received.

8. A communication system as set forth in claim 7, in which

said portable information terminal further includes:

date and time information managing means for managing date and time information indicative of a current date and a current time,

said storage means of said portable information terminal having stored therein a data table associating each of said providing methods with a moving speed, and a date and a time at a plurality of locations, and

said obtaining means of said portable information terminal is operative to obtain said providing method associated with said location detected by said location detecting means, said moving speed calculated by said moving speed calculating means, and said date and said time managed by said date and time information managing means with reference to said data table stored in said storage means.

11. A communication system as set forth in claim 7, in which

said portable information terminal further includes timing means for obtaining a time at a predetermined time cycle, and

said obtaining means of said portable information terminal is operative to obtain said data table of said area corresponding to said location detected by said location detecting means and said moving speed calculated by said moving speed calculating means through said network from said server at said predetermined time cycle.

12. A communication system as set forth in claim 8, in which

said portable information terminal further includes timing means for obtaining a time at a predetermined time cycle, and

said obtaining means of said portable information terminal is operative to obtain said data table of said area corresponding to said location detected by said location detecting means, said moving speed calculated by said moving speed calculating means, and said date and said time managed by said date and time information managing means through said network from said server at said predetermined time cycle.

15. A communication system as set forth in claim 7, in which

said storage means of said portable information terminal has an expiration date of said data table of said area stored in said storage means,

said obtaining means of said portable information terminal is operative to judge whether or not said expiration date of said data table of said area is past, and

said obtaining means of said portable information terminal is operative to obtain a data table of an area associated with said location detected by said location detecting means and said moving speed calculated by said moving speed calculating means through said network from said server when it is judged that said expiration date of said data table of said area is past.

16. A communication system as set forth in claim 8, in which

said storage means of said portable information terminal has an expiration date of said data table of said area stored in said storage means,

said obtaining means of said portable information terminal is operative to judge whether or not said expiration date of said data table of said area is past, and

said obtaining means of said portable information terminal is operative to obtain a data table of an area associated with said location detected by said location detecting means, said moving speed calculated by said moving speed calculating means, and said date and said time managed by said date and time information managing means through said network from said server when it is judged that said expiration date of said data table of said area is past.