NOTIFICATION CONTROL APPARATUS FOR REPLYING TO RECEIVED INFORMATION AND NOTIFICATION CONTROL METHOD

• US 20150381669A1
• Filed: 06/30/2014
• Published: 12/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation), Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation), Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Hirabayashi, Kazunori
• Granted Patent: US 9,807,133 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1204 resulting in reduced user or operator actions, e.g. presetting, automatic actions, using hardware token storing data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1226 Discovery of devices having required properties
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1292 Mobile client, e.g. wireless printing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00127 Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture

Abstract

In accordance with one embodiment, a notification control apparatus comprises an interface and a control section. The interface receives first information sent from a terminal held by a user. The control section calculates, based on the information received by the interface, a distance from the notification control apparatus to the terminal held by the user, and carries out a control to send reply information to the terminal held by the user if the distance is within a given range, and not to send reply information if the distance is out of the given range.

Claims

1. A notification control apparatus, comprising:

an interface configured to receive first information sent from a terminal held by a user; and

a control section configured to calculate, based on the information received by the interface, a distance from the notification control apparatus to the terminal held by the user, and carry out a control to send reply information to the terminal held by the user if the distance is within a given range, and not to send reply information if the distance is out of the given range.

2. The notification control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the interface receives the position information of the terminal, and

the control section calculates the distance based on the position information received by the interface and the position information of the notification control apparatus.

3. The notification control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the interface receives the first information through a wireless communication, and

the control section calculates the distance based on the strength of electric wave when the first information is received.

4. The notification control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the first information is a sound sent from the terminal held by the user,

the interface collects the sound sent from the terminal, and

the control section calculates the distance based on the level of the collected sound.

5. The notification control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the control section further sends second information to other notification control apparatuses if the distance is within a given range, and

the control section carries out, if the second information is received from other notification control apparatuses, a control so as not to send reply information to the terminal held by the user even if the first information is received.

6. The notification control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the control section sends the second information to other notification control apparatuses if a mode switching instruction is received from the user.

7. The notification control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the control section sends reply information to the terminal held by the user if the mode switching instruction is received from the user and the mode is switched.

8. A notification control apparatus, comprising:

an interface configured to receive first information sent from a terminal held by a user; and

a control section configured to send, if the first information is received by the interface, second information to other notification control apparatuses and send reply information for the first information to the terminal held by the user, and carry out, if the second information sent from other notification control apparatuses is received, a control so as not to send reply information to the terminal held by the user even if the first information is received.

9. The notification control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the control section sends the second information to other notification control apparatuses if a mode switching instruction is received from the user.

10. A notification control method of the notification control apparatus, including:

receiving first information sent from a terminal held by a user;

calculating, based on the received information, a distance from the notification control apparatus to the terminal held by the user;

sending reply information to the terminal held by the user if the distance is within a given range; and

not sending reply information if the distance is out of the given range.