Mobile communication terminal and position monitoring method

• US 20060205445A1
• Filed: 02/22/2006
• Published: 09/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: Casio Hitachi Mobile Communications Company Limited (NEC Corporation)
• Inventors: Uemura, Masaru, Iida, Takashi, Takahashi, Norikazu, Umehara, Yoshiaki, Ueno, Shinji, Sakaniwa, Hidenori, Sudo, Shigeyuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,865,195 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/574
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0267 by controlling user interface components
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Location positioning setting information is read from a setting storage section when the user depressed a power key. The location positioning setting information comprises setting information, such as the maximum duration time of the location positioning operation and the operation timing when a power-off event has been generated. A control section turns off the power of a display section, a speaker, a microphone, etc., excluding a communication function for transmitting location positioning and positioning results. In this state, a location positioning section acquires the positional information of the mobile communication terminal. Then, a wireless communication section transmits the location positioning information of the positioned mobile communication terminal to a predetermined monitoring server which manages the positional information of the mobile communication terminal.

Claims

1. A mobile communication terminal for performing voice communication and data communication, comprising:

a display means for displaying an operation state;

a manipulation means for receiving input from the user and which has a power key for operating power-off;

a communication means for performing voice communication and data communication;

a positional information acquisition means for acquiring positional information indicating current location;

a power control means for turning off power supply to at least the display means and the manipulation means when a power-off operation is performed by the power key of the manipulation means; and

a control means for transmitting positional information acquired by the positional information acquisition means to another terminal or a monitoring unit via a network by the communication means after power supply has been turned off by the power control means.

2. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein said control means activates said communication means and enters an idle state at a predetermined timing during a predetermined duration time after power supply has been turned off by said power control means, and transmits positional information acquired by said positional information acquisition means by said communication means when a location positioning request message has been received from said other terminal or a monitoring unit during the predetermined duration time.

3. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 2, wherein said control means executes a slotted mode in an idle state wherein a location positioning request message is received until said predetermined duration time is reached, and the transmission of an acknowledge message (ack message) is not performed or is rejected when a voice incoming message is received during slotted mode.

4. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 2, wherein said control means executes a slotted mode in an idle state wherein a location positioning request message is received until said predetermined duration time is reached, continues a hand-off operation for changing the standby destination in slotted mode, but on the other hand, omits the location registration operation when a location registration operation is requested in accompaniment with the movement of a registered zone.

16. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, further comprises a storage means for storing location positioning duration time information prescribing the amount of time positional information is acquired and location positioning timing information prescribing the timing for acquiring positional information, wherein:

said control means reads location positioning duration information and location positioning timing information from the storage means after power supply has been turned off by said power control means, performs positional information acquisition from said positional information acquisition means when a location positioning request message is received from said other terminal or said monitoring unit during the timing indicated by the location position timing information until the location positioning duration time indicated by the location positioning duration time information is reached, and transmits the acquired positional information to another terminal or a monitoring unit via a network by said communication means.

5. A mobile communication terminal for performing voice communication and data communication, comprising:

a display means for displaying an operation state;

a manipulation means for receiving input from the user and which has a power key for operating power-off;

a communication means for performing voice communication and data communication;

a positional information acquisition means for acquiring positional information indicating current location;

a power control means for turning off power supply to at least the display means and the manipulation means when a power-off operation is performed by the power key of the manipulation means; and

a control means for activating the communication means at a predetermined timing during a predetermined duration time after power supply has been turned off by said power control means, acquiring positional information from the positional information acquisition means when a location positioning request message is received from the other terminal or the monitoring unit during the predetermined duration time, and transmitting the acquired positional information to another terminal or a monitoring unit via a network by the communication means.

6. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 5, wherein said control means executes a slotted mode in an idle state wherein a location positioning request message is received until said predetermined duration time is reached, and the transmission of an acknowledge message (ack message) is not performed or is rejected when a voice incoming message is received during slotted mode.

7. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 5, further comprises a storage means for storing location positioning duration time information prescribing the amount of time positional information is acquired and location positioning timing information prescribing the timing for acquiring positional information,

wherein said control means reads location positioning duration information and location positioning timing information from the storage means after power supply has been turned off by said power control means, performs positional information acquisition from said positional information acquisition means when a location positioning request message is received from said other terminal or said monitoring unit during the timing indicated by the location position timing information until the location positioning duration time indicated by the location positioning duration time information is reached, and transmits the acquired positional information to another terminal or a monitoring unit via a network by said communication means.

8. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 7, wherein:

said location positioning timing information comprises a time interval for implementing location positioning; and

said control means performs positional information acquisition from said positional information acquisition means when a location positioning request message is received from said other terminal or said monitoring unit during the timing interval until said location positioning duration time is reached.

9. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 7, wherein:

said manipulation means comprises a setting key; and

said control means performs positional information acquisition from said positional information acquisition means when a location positioning request message is received from said other terminal or said monitoring unit during the timing indicated by said location position timing information when the setting key is manipulated until said location positioning duration time indicated by the location positioning duration time information is reached, and transmits the acquired positional information to another terminal or a monitoring unit via a network by said communication means.

10. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 5, wherein said control means acquires positional information by said positional information acquisition means by giving priority to location positioning duration time information comprised in the location positioning request message when location positioning duration time information is comprised in a location positioning request message from said other terminal or said monitoring unit and transmits the acquired positional information to another terminal or a monitoring unit via a network by said communication means.

11. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 5, wherein:

said manipulation means comprises a setting key; and

said power control means turns off the power supply to at least said positional information acquisition means, said communication means, and said display means when the setting key and said power key are manipulated simultaneously.

12. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 5, wherein:

said manipulation means comprises an emergency key;

said power control means turns off the power supply to at least said positional information acquisition means, said communication means, and said display means when the emergency key and said power key are manipulated simultaneously; and

said control means activates said communication means at a predetermined timing during a predetermined duration time after the power supply has been turned off by said power control means, acquires positional information from said positional information acquisition means when a location positioning request message is received from said other terminal or said monitoring unit during the predetermined duration time, and transmits the acquired positional information to another terminal or a monitoring unit via a network by said communication means.

13. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 12, wherein said display means displays that power will be cut off before the power supply is turned off by said power control means.

14. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 5, wherein said control means controls to execute a slotted mode in an idle state wherein a location positioning request message is received from said other terminal or said monitor until said predetermined duration time is reached, and continue a hand-off operation for changing the standby destination in slotted mode and a location registration operation when a location registration operation is requested in accompaniment with the movement of a registered zone.

15. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 5, wherein said control means executes a slotted mode in an idle state wherein a location positioning request message is received from said other terminal or said monitor until said predetermined duration time is reached, continues a hand-off operation for changing the standby destination in slotted mode, but on the other hand, omits the location registration operation when a location registration operation is requested in accompaniment with the movement of a registered zone.

17. A position monitoring method of a mobile communication terminal for performing voice communication and data communication, comprising the steps of:

acquiring positional information indicating current location when a power-off operation is performed;

turning off power supply to at least the display means for displaying the operation state and the manipulation means for receiving input from a user including operating power-off after positional information indicating the current location is acquired; and

transmitting acquired positional information to another terminal or a monitoring unit via a network after the power supply has been turned off.

18. A position monitoring method of a mobile communication terminal for performing voice communication and data communication, comprising the steps of:

turning off power supply to at least the display means for displaying the operation state and the manipulation means for receiving input from a user including operating power-off is turned off when a power-off operation is performed;

monitoring whether a location positioning request message has been received or not from said other terminal or said monitor during a predetermined duration time at a predetermined timing within the predetermined duration time after the power supply has been turned off;

acquiring the positional information indicating the current position when the location positioning request message is received; and

transmitting the acquired positional information to another terminal or a monitoring unit via a network by the communication means.