Instant communication module capable of positioning a contact and method thereof

• US 20090093258A1
• Filed: 05/08/2008
• Published: 04/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: MiTAC International Corporation (MiTAC Holdings Corp.), MiTAC Research (Shanghai) Ltd. (MiTAC Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: MiTAC International Corporation (MiTAC Holdings Corp.), MiTAC Research (Shanghai) Ltd. (MiTAC Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Teng, Xiao Long
• Application Number:
  US12/151,692
• Publication Number:
  US 20090093258A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]

Abstract

An instant communication module capable of positioning a contact and method thereof are disclosed. The instant communication module can send out a position request to a remote module by using an instant communication program. If the remote module accepts the position request, it will respond a location data back to the instant communication module so as the instant communication module can display the location data on an electronic map. Therefore, the user can exchange message with his/her friends'"'"' and know their location via instant communication module.

Claims

1. A instant communication module capable of positioning a contact comprising:

a signal transmitting and receiving unit for transmitting and receiving at least one signal;

a navigation unit for providing a location data, and having an electronic map database for storing a plurality of map data;

a storage unit for storing an instant communication program;

a processing unit for executing said instant communication program for exchanging a plurality of instant message and a position request with at least one remote module at an instant message platform by said signal transmitting and receiving unit, wherein said remote module sends a remote location data to said signal transmitting and receiving unit after receiving said position request, and said processing unit then positions and displays the location of said remote module on said map data based on the received remote location data; and

a display unit for displaying a visual operation interface of said instant communication program which can show said instant message and the location of said remote module.

2. The instant communication module capable of positioning a contact of claim 1, wherein said instant communication program is a Skype program, a MSN program or other telephone software program.

3. The instant communication module capable of positioning a contact of claim 1, wherein said instant message is a text message or a multimedia message.

4. The instant communication module capable of positioning a contact of claim 1, wherein said navigation unit comprises a global positioning system (GPS) module, a digital compass or a gyroscope.

5. The instant communication module capable of positioning a contact of claim 1, wherein said navigation unit can further comprise a network map searching unit for searching and downloading a plurality of network maps from a website.

6. The instant communication module capable of positioning a contact of claim 5, wherein said network map searching unit is a network map searching engine.

7. The instant communication module capable of positioning a contact of claim 1, wherein said visual operation interface comprises at least a dialog box and a map display box.

8. A method of positioning a contact, applied for an instant communication module, said method comprising the steps of:

executing an instant communication program in said instant communication module for exchanging a plurality of instant messages and a position request with at least one remote module;

searching whether there is a location data about said remote module or not, and displaying the location of said remote module if a location data about said remote module is searched, or sending a position request to said remote module if no location data about said remote module is searched;

determining by a user who operates said remote module whether to respond said position request or not, and sending a location data of said remote module to said instant communication module if said user accepts the position request; and

searching a map data corresponding to said location data of said remote module from an electronic map database and displaying said location data on said map data.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said instant message is a text message or a multimedia message.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said instant communication program is a Skype program, a MSN program or other telephone software program.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of searching and downloading a plurality of network map from a website by an network map searching engine when said electronic map database can not search any information about said map data corresponding to said location data.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said network map searching unit is a network map searching engine.