TERMINAL DIFFERENTIATION SERVER AND NETWORK SYSTEM USING THE SAME

• US 20110320549A1
• Filed: 06/23/2011
• Published: 12/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ohyama, Satoshi, Higashida, Masaaki
• Granted Patent: US 8,667,129 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

Provided is a server including: a storage section for pre-storing information on routes between the server and each of a number of terminals; a transmission/reception section for transmitting/receiving messages to/from the number of terminals; a terminal information acquisition section for acquiring information differentiating the terminals and acquiring delay times for transmission between the server and each of the number of terminals; a transmission distance calculation section for calculating respective transmission distances between the server and the number of terminals, based on the transmission delay times acquired by the terminal information acquisition section; and a terminal installation location identifying section for identifying locations where the number of terminals are installed, based on the differentiating information acquired by the terminal information acquisition section, the transmission distances calculated by the transmission distance calculation section, and the route information stored in the storage section.

Claims

1. A server for differentiating among a plurality of terminals connected via a network, the server comprising:

a storage section for pre-storing information as to routes between the server and each of the plurality of terminals;

a transmission/reception section for transmitting messages to the plurality of terminals and receiving response messages from the plurality of terminals, via the network;

a terminal information acquisition section for, based on the response messages received from the plurality of terminals by the transmission/reception section, acquiring information differentiating the terminals and acquiring delay times for transmission between the server and each of the plurality of terminals;

a transmission distance calculation section for calculating transmission distances between the server and each of the plurality of terminals, based on the transmission delay times acquired by the terminal information acquisition section; and

a terminal installation location identifying section for identifying locations where the terminals are installed, based on the differentiating information acquired by the terminal information acquisition section, the transmission distances calculated by the transmission distance calculation section, and the route information stored in the storage section.

2. The server according to claim 1, wherein the transmission distances are relative distances between the server and each of the plurality of terminals.

3. The server according to claim 1, wherein the differentiating information consists of MAC addresses of the plurality of terminals.

4. A network system comprising a plurality of terminals, a server for differentiating among the plurality of terminals, and a repeater connected to the server via a main transmission line and connected to the plurality of terminals via a plurality of sub-transmission lines branching from the main transmission line in correspondence to the plurality of terminals,

the server including:

a storage section for pre-storing information as to routes between the server and each of the plurality of terminals;

a transmission/reception section for transmitting messages to the plurality of terminals and receiving response messages from the plurality of terminals, via the repeater;

a terminal information acquisition section for, based on the response messages received from the plurality of terminals by the transmission/reception section, acquiring information differentiating the terminals and acquiring delay times for transmission between the server and each of the plurality of terminals;

a transmission distance calculation section for calculating transmission distances between the server and each of the plurality of terminals, based on the transmission delay times acquired by the terminal information acquisition section; and

a terminal installation location identifying section for identifying locations where the terminals are installed, based on the differentiating information acquired by the terminal information acquisition section, the transmission distances calculated by the transmission distance calculation section, and the route information stored in the storage section.

5. The network system according to claim 4, wherein the transmission distances are relative distances between the server and each of the plurality of terminals.

6. The network system according to claim 4, wherein the differentiating information consists of MAC addresses of the plurality of terminals.

7. The network system according to claim 4, wherein the transmission distances between the server and each of the plurality of terminals are different from each other.

8. The network system according to claim 4, wherein the repeater is an optical splitter.

9. The network system according to claim 4, further comprising a converter disposed between the server and the repeater, for conversions between electrical signals and optical signals;

wherein

the transmission delay times are delay times required for transmission and reception of messages between the converter and the plurality of terminals.

10. The network system according to claim 4, wherein the locations where the plurality of terminals are installed are locations of seats installed in an airplane.

11. A method executed by a server for differentiating among a plurality of terminals connected via a network, the method including:

a transmission/reception step of transmitting messages to the plurality of terminals and receiving response messages from the plurality of terminals, via the network;

a terminal information acquisition step of, based on the response messages received from the plurality of terminals in the transmission/reception step, acquiring information differentiating the terminals and acquiring delay times for transmission between the server and each of the plurality of terminals;

a transmission distance calculation step of calculating transmission distances between the server and each of the plurality of terminals, based on the transmission delay times acquired in the terminal information acquisition step; and

a terminal installation location identifying step of identifying locations where the terminals are installed, based on the differentiating information acquired in the terminal information acquisition step, the transmission distances calculated at the transmission distance calculation step, and information pre-stored in a memory regarding routes between the server and each of the plurality of terminals.