System and method for providing information to a portable terminal

• US 20060189314A1
• Filed: 04/03/2006
• Published: 08/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Fukui, Yoshiki, Taniguchi, Shinya, Kitada, Naruhide
• Granted Patent: US 7,274,942 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/435.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/022 with dynamic range variability

Abstract

An information providing system can include a registration terminal having a guidance information registration database which stores information groups, which are correlated with reference position information. When portable terminal position information for specifying the position of a portable terminal is received together with a transmission request for the guidance information, the guidance information is automatically selected from an information group in accordance with the received transmission request on the basis of the position relationship between the reference position which is specified by the reference position information corresponding to the information group in accordance with the received transmission request, and the position which is specified by the received portable terminal position information, and the selected guidance information is transmitted to the portable terminal.

Claims

1. An information providing system comprising:

a portable terminal that is connected with a registration terminal for registering target information that is to be used by the portable terminal, and that provides the target information in the registration terminal to the portable terminal; and

the registration terminal being adapted to associate a plurality of different pieces of the target information with a single information group, and to register the information group, which is correlated with reference position information for specifying a reference position as a reference;

the target information in the registration terminal being provided to the portable terminal by automatically selecting a particular one of the different pieces of the target information from the information group on the basis of the positional relationship between the reference position that is specified by the reference position information corresponding to the information group, and the portable terminal, and by transmitting the selected target information to the portable terminal.

2. The information providing system according to claim 1, the registration terminal including a storage device that stores the information group, which is correlated with the reference position information, in which, when portable terminal position information for specifying the position of the portable terminal is received together with a transmission request for the target information, the target information is selected from an information group in accordance with the received transmission request based on a positional relationship between the reference position that is specified by the reference position information corresponding to the information group in accordance with the received transmission request, and the position that is specified by the received portable terminal position information, and the selected target information is transmitted to the portable terminal;

and

the portable terminal including a position information retrieving device that retrieves the portable terminal position information, in which the portable terminal position information retrieved by the position information retrieving device is transmitted to the registration terminal together with the transmission request.

3. The information providing system according to claim 1, the registration terminal including a storage device that stores the information group, which is correlated with the reference position information, in which, when a transmission request for the target information is received, reference position information corresponding to an information group in accordance with the received transmission request is transmitted to the portable terminal, and, when a result of determination by the portable terminal is received in response to the transmission of the reference position information, the target information is selected from an information group in accordance with the received transmission request on the basis of the received result of determination, and the selected target information is transmitted to the portable terminal;

and

the portable terminal including a position information retrieving device that retrieves portable terminal position information for specifying the position of the portable terminal, in which, when the reference position information is received in response to the transmission of the transmission request, the positional relationship between the reference position that is specified by the received reference position information, and the position that is specified by the portable terminal position information retrieved by the position information retrieving device is determined, and a result of the determination is transmitted to the registration terminal.

4. The information providing system according to claim 1, the registration terminal including a storage device that stores the information group, which is correlated with the reference position information, in which, when a transmission request for the target information is received, an information group in accordance with the received transmission request, and the reference position information corresponding thereto are transmitted to the portable terminal;

and

the portable terminal including a position information retrieving device that retrieves portable terminal position information for specifying the position of the portable terminal, in which, when the information group and the reference position information are received in response to the transmission of the transmission request, the target information is selected from the received information group based on the positional relationship between the reference position that is specified by the received reference position information, and the position that is specified by the portable terminal position information retrieved by the position information retrieving device.

5. The information providing system according to claim 1, the registration terminal including a storage device that stores the information group, which is correlated with the reference position information, and stores program data, in which, when a transmission request for the target information is received, an information group in accordance with the received transmission request, the reference position information corresponding thereto, and program data are transmitted to the portable terminal;

the program data being program data that causes the portable terminal to execute the process of selecting the target information from the information group based on the position relationship between the reference position that is specified by the reference position information, and the position that is specified by portable terminal position information for specifying the position of the portable terminal; and

the portable terminal including a position information retrieving device that retrieves the portable terminal position information, in which, when the information group, the reference position information, and the program data are received in response to the transmission of the transmission request, the process is executed according to the received program data to select the target information.

6. The information providing system according to claim 2, the information group including first target information and second target information having more detailed content than the first target information, which are associated with each other;

and

in the selection of the target information, the first target information being selected from the information group if a distance from the reference position that is specified by the reference position information to the position that is specified by the portable terminal position information is within a first predetermined range, and the second target information is selected from the information group if a distance from the reference position that is specified by the reference position information to the position that is specified by the portable terminal position information is within a second predetermined range which is smaller than the first predetermined range.

7. The information providing system according to claim 2, the information group including first target information and second target information that includes more detailed content than the first target information in addition to the content of the first target information, which are associated with each other;

and

in the selection of the target information, the first target information being selected from the information group if a distance from the reference position that is specified by the reference position information to the position that is specified by the portable terminal position information is within a first predetermined range, and the second target information is selected from the information group if a distance from the reference position that is specified by the reference position information to the position that is specified by the portable terminal position information is within a second predetermined range that is smaller than the first predetermined range.

8. The information providing system according to claim 2, the registration terminal being connected with an external terminal having the target information registered therein, and including a target information retrieving device that retrieves the target information from the external terminal;

and

the target information retrieved by the target information retrieving device being stored in the storage device.

9. A registration terminal connected with the portable terminal in the information providing system according to claim 2,

said registration terminal comprising a storage device that stores the information group, which is correlated with the reference position information,

wherein, when the portable terminal position information is received together with the transmission request, the target information is selected from an information group in accordance with the received transmission request based on the position relationship between the reference position that is specified by the reference position information corresponding to the information group in accordance with the received transmission request, and the position that is specified by the received portable terminal position information, and the selected target information is transmitted to the portable terminal.

10. A registration terminal connected with the portable terminal in the information providing system according to claim 3,

said registration terminal comprising a storage device that stores the information group, which is correlated with the reference position information,

wherein, when the transmission request is received, the reference position information corresponding to an information group in accordance with the received transmission request is transmitted to the portable terminal, and, when the result of the determination is received in response to the transmission of the reference position information, the target information is selected from the information group in accordance with the received transmission request on the basis of the received result of the determination, and the selected target information is transmitted to the portable terminal.

11. A registration terminal connected with the portable terminal in the information providing system according to claim 5,

said registration terminal comprising a storage device that stores the information group, which is correlated with the reference position information, and that stores the program data,

wherein, when the transmission request is received, an information group in accordance with the received transmission request, the reference position information corresponding thereto, and the program data are transmitted to the portable terminal.

12. A portable terminal connected with the registration terminal in the information providing system according to claim 3,

said portable terminal comprising a position information retrieving device for retrieving the portable terminal position information,

wherein, when the reference position information is received in response to the transmission of the transmission request, the position relationship between the reference position that is specified by the received reference position information, and the position that is specified by the portable terminal position information retrieved by the position information retrieving device is determined, and a result of the determination is transmitted to the registration terminal.

13. A portable terminal connected with the registration terminal in the information providing system according to claim 4,

said portable terminal comprising a position information retrieving device that retrieves the portable terminal position information,

wherein, when the information group and the reference position information are received in response to the transmission of the transmission request, the target information is selected from the received information group based on the position relationship between the reference position that is specified by the received reference position information, and the position that is specified by the portable terminal position information retrieved by the position information retrieving device.