Presence update system and method therefor, and mobile communication terminal and non-contact communication apparatus used therefor

• US 20060099911A1
• Filed: 11/01/2005
• Published: 05/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Shibuya, Atsushi
• Granted Patent: US 7,522,882 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A burden on a user is reduced as much as possible in updating presence,and the presence is automatically updated. Near-field communication is performed with a non-contact communication apparatus installed in each place by means of the low-power-output transmission/receiving section of a mobile phone to acquire, from the non-contact communication apparatus, information about the place where it is installed. The mobile phone compares presence information registered with a presence management table and the received installation place information, generates presence information based on presence information corresponding to the installation place information, and transmits the presence information with the use of a transmission/receiving section.

Claims

1. A presence update system for transmitting up-to-date presence information indicating the location or the condition of a user of a mobile communication terminal, to a presence management apparatus, the system comprising:

a non-contact communication apparatus capable of transmitting information indicating at least an installation place; and

the mobile communication terminal comprising;

registration means with which information indicating the location of the user or the condition of the user at the location is registered in advance;

receiving means for receiving information from the non-contact communication apparatus; and

transmission means for generating the presence information based on information in the registration means corresponding to the installation place in the received information and transmitting the presence information to the presence management apparatus.

2. The presence update system according to claim 1, wherein information indicating communication permission/refusal at the installation place is also registered with the registration means, and the transmission means is adapted to generate and transmit the presence information with the information indicating communication permission/refusal included therein.

3. The presence update system according to claim 1, wherein the non-contact communication apparatus is an RF-ID tag, and the receiving means of the mobile communication terminal is a reader for reading information stored in the RF-ID tag.

4. The presence update system according to claim 1, wherein the receiving means is adapted to receive information from the non-contact communication apparatus in response to an operation by the user.

5. The presence update system according to claim 1, wherein the receiving means is adapted to receive the information from the non-contact communication apparatus at a predetermined timing.

6. The presence update system according to claim 3, further comprising an apparatus for transmitting a radio wave indicating the installation place of the RF-ID tag, wherein the receiving means of the mobile communication terminal is adapted to receive the information from the non-contact communication terminal in response to receiving the radio wave.

7. The presence update system according to claim 1, wherein information about an expiration period is added to the information from the non-contact communication apparatus;

and the mobile communication terminal further comprises means for holding the information with the expiration period information added thereto, and is adapted to, if the information from the non-contact communication apparatus is identical to the held information, refer to the expiration period and perform control to discard the identical information.

8. The presence update system according to claim 1, wherein the transmission means of the mobile communication terminal is adapted to control permission/refusal of transmission of the information indicating the location or the condition of the user based on information indicating the privacy level set in accordance with a user operation.

9. A presence update method for transmitting up-to-date presence information indicating the location or the condition of a user of a mobile communication terminal, to a presence management apparatus, wherein:

there is provided a non-contact communication capable of transmitting information indicating at least an installation place; and

the method comprising;

a receiving step of receiving information from the non-contact communication apparatus in the mobile communication terminal;

a generation step of generating the presence information based on registration information corresponding to the installation place in the information received by the receiving step from among registration information in registration means with which information indicating the location of a user or the condition of the user at the location is registered in advance; and

a transmission step of transmitting the generated information to the presence management apparatus.

10. The presence update method according to claim 9, wherein information indicating communication permission/refusal at the installation place is also registered with the registration means, and the generation step is adapted to generate the presence information with the information indicating communication permission/refusal included therein.

11. The presence update method according to claim 9, wherein the receiving step is adapted to receive information from the non-contact communication apparatus in response to an operation by the user.

12. The presence update method according to claim 9, wherein the receiving step is adapted to receive the information from the non-contact communication apparatus at a predetermined timing.

13. The presence update method according to claim 12, wherein an apparatus for transmitting a radio wave indicating the installation place of the RF-ID tag is provided, and the receiving step is adapted to receive the information from the non-contact communication terminal in response to receiving the radio wave.

14. The presence update method according to claim 9, wherein information about an expiration period is added to the information from the non-contact communication apparatus;

and the method further comprises a step of holding the information with the expiration period information added thereto in the mobile communication terminal and a step of, if the information from the non-contact communication apparatus is identical to the held information, referring to the expiration period and performing control to discard the identical information.

15. The presence update method according to claim 9, wherein the transmission step is adapted to control permission/refusal of transmission of the information indicating the location or the condition of the user based on information indicating the privacy level set in accordance with a user operation.

16. A mobile communication terminal adapted to transmit up-to-date presence information indicating the location or the condition of a user, to a presence management apparatus, the mobile communication terminal comprising:

registration means with which information indicating the location of the user or the condition of the user at the location is registered in advance;

receiving means for receiving information indicating at least an installation place and transmitted from a non-contact communication apparatus; and

transmission means for generating the presence information based on information in the registration means corresponding to the installation place in the received information and transmitting the presence information to the presence management apparatus.

17. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 16, wherein information indicating communication permission/refusal at the installation place is also registered with the registration means, and the transmission means is adapted to generate and transmit the presence information with the information indicating communication permission/refusal included therein.

18. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 16, wherein the non-contact communication apparatus is an RF-ID tag, and the receiving means is a reader for reading information stored in the RF-ID tag.

19. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 16, wherein the receiving means is adapted to receive information from the non-contact communication apparatus in response to an operation by the user.

20. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 16, wherein the receiving means is adapted to receive the information from the non-contact communication apparatus at a predetermined timing.

21. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 20, wherein the receiving means is adapted to receive the information from the non-contact communication terminal in response to receiving, from an apparatus for transmitting a radio wave indicating the installation place of the RF-ID tag, the radio wave.

22. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 16, wherein information about an expiration period is added to the information from the non-contact communication apparatus;

and the mobile communication terminal further comprises means for holding the information with the expiration period information added thereto; and

is adapted to, if the information from the non-contact communication apparatus is identical to the held information, refer to the expiration period and perform control to discard the identical information.

23. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 16, wherein the transmission means is adapted to control permission/refusal of transmission of the information indicating the location or the condition of the user based on information indicating the privacy level set in accordance with a user operation.

24. A non-contact communication apparatus in a presence update system for transmitting up-to-date presence information indicating the location or the condition of a user of a mobile communication terminal, to a presence management apparatus;

the apparatus being installed at a predetermined position, and comprising means for transmitting information indicating at least the installation place to the mobile communication terminal.

25. The non-contact communication apparatus according to claim 24, configured by an RF-ID tag.

26. A program for causing a computer to perform the operation of a mobile communication terminal adapted to transmit up-to-date presence information indicating the location or the condition of a user, to a presence management apparatus, the program comprising:

a process of receiving information indicating at least an installation place and transmitted from a non-contact communication apparatus; and

a process of generating the presence information based on information corresponding to the installation place in the received information, among registration information in registration means with which information about the location of a user or the condition of the user at the location is registered in advance, and transmitting the presence information to the presence management apparatus.