DISTRIBUTION DEVICE, DISTRIBUTION METHOD, AND TERMINAL DEVICE

• US 20150094084A1
• Filed: 10/07/2013
• Published: 04/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yahoo Japan Corporation (A Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo Japan Corporation (A Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: IRIYAMA, Takamitsu, HARA, Masanori, UNO, Koji, FUKATSU, Kiichi
• Granted Patent: US 9,363,655 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

A distribution device according to the present application includes a receiving unit, a calculation unit, and a distribution unit. The receiving unit receives location information from a terminal device owned by a user. The calculation unit calculates, once the receiving unit receives the location information, an expected time within which the user arrives from a first coverage region in which communication is possible by way of an out-of-coverage region in which communication is impossible to a second coverage region. The distribution unit distributes an alert to a predetermined distribution destination if the location information of the second coverage region is not received from the terminal device within the expected time calculated by the calculation unit.

Claims

1. A distribution device comprising:

a receiving unit configured to receive location information from a terminal device owned by a user;

a calculation unit configured to, once the receiving unit receives the location information, calculate an expected time within which the user arrives from a first coverage region in which communication is possible by way of an out-of-coverage region in which communication is impossible to a second coverage region; and

a distribution unit configured to distribute an alert to a predetermined distribution destination if the location information of the second coverage region is not received from the terminal device within the expected time calculated by the calculation unit.

2. The distribution device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an accepting unit configured to accept a scheduled path from the terminal device, wherein

the calculation unit calculates the expected time taken for arriving from a point where the first coverage region is switched to the out-of-coverage region to a point where the out-of-coverage region is switched to the second coverage region along the scheduled path accepted by the accepting unit.

3. The distribution device according to claim 1, wherein

the receiving unit receives location information and information about characteristics of the user from the terminal device, and

the calculation unit calculates the expected time based on the location information and the information about the characteristics of the user received by the receiving unit.

4. The distribution device according to claim 2, wherein

the receiving unit receives location information and information about characteristics of the user from the terminal device, and

the calculation unit calculates the expected time based on the location information and the information about the characteristics of the user received by the receiving unit.

5. The distribution device according to claim 1, wherein

the receiving unit receives location information and information about an environment of the scheduled path from the terminal device, and

the calculation unit calculates the expected time based on the location information and the information about the environment of the scheduled path received by the receiving unit.

6. The distribution device according to claim 2, wherein the receiving unit receives location information and information about an environment of the scheduled path from the terminal device, and

the calculation unit calculates the expected time based on the location information and the information about the environment of the scheduled path received by the receiving unit.

7. The distribution device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an estimation unit configured to estimate a present position of the user in the region outside a communication range based on the location information received by the receiving unit, wherein

the distribution unit distributes the present position of the user estimated by the estimation unit to the predetermined distribution destination if the location information of the second coverage region is not received from the terminal device within the expected time.

8. The distribution device according to claim 2, further comprising:

an estimation unit configured to estimate a present position of the user in the out-of-coverage region based on the location information received by the receiving unit, wherein

the distribution unit distributes the present position of the user estimated by the estimation unit to the predetermined distribution destination if the location information of the second coverage region is not received from the terminal device within the expected time.

9. The distribution device according to claim 1, wherein the distribution unit distributes a notification indicating that the user is arriving as scheduled to the predetermined distribution destination if the location information of the second coverage region is received from the terminal device within the expected time.

10. The distribution device according to claim 2, wherein the distribution unit distributes a notification indicating that the user is arriving as scheduled to the predetermined distribution destination if the location information of the second coverage region is received from the terminal device within the expected time.

11. The distribution device according to claim 1, wherein

the receiving unit receives location information, information about characteristics of the user, or information about an environment of a scheduled path from the terminal device, and

the distribution unit sets a buffer based on the location information, the information about the characteristics of the user, or the information about the environment of the scheduled path received by the receiving unit, and distributes an alert to the predetermined distribution destination if the location information of the second coverage region is not received from the terminal device within a time obtained by adding the set buffer to the expected time.

12. The distribution device according to claim 2, wherein

the receiving unit receives location information, information about characteristics of the user, or information about an environment of the scheduled path from the terminal device, and

the distribution unit sets a buffer based on the location information, the information about the characteristics of the user, or the information about the environment of the scheduled path received by the receiving unit, and distributes an alert to the predetermined distribution destination if the location information of the second coverage region is not received from the terminal device within a time obtained by adding the set buffer to the expected time.

13. A distribution method comprising:

by a distribution device,

receiving location information from a terminal device owned by a user;

calculating, once the location information is received at the receiving of the location information, an expected time within which the user arrives from a first coverage region in which communication is possible by way of an out-of-coverage region in which communication is impossible to a second coverage region; and

distributing an alert to a predetermined distribution destination if the location information of the second coverage region is not received from the terminal device within the expected time calculated at the calculating of the expected time.

14. The distribution method according to claim 13, further comprising:

by the distribution device, accepting a scheduled path from the terminal device, wherein

at the calculating of the expected time, an expected time is calculated taken for arriving from a point where the first coverage region is switched to the out-of-coverage region to a point where the out-of-coverage region is switched to the second coverage region along the accepted scheduled path.

15. A terminal device comprising:

an acquisition unit configured to acquire location information about a present location; and

a transmission unit configured to transmit the location information acquired by the acquisition unit to a distribution device, the distribution device including;

a receiving unit configured to receive the location information;

a calculation unit configured to calculate, once the receiving unit receives the location information, an expected time within which the user arrives from a first coverage region in which communication is possible by way of an out-of-coverage region in which communication is impossible to a second coverage region; and

a distribution unit configured to distribute an alert to a predetermined distribution destination if the location information of the second coverage region is not received from the terminal device within the expected time calculated by the calculation unit.