Mobile telephone system which sends a mobile's positional data to certain nearby mobiles

• US 6,101,391 A
• Filed: 02/27/1998
• Issued: 08/08/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kozera, Masatoshi, Ishizuka, Seijiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): SOBUTKA, PHILIP
• Application Number:
  US09/031,688
• Time in Patent Office: 893 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456, 455/457, 455/440, 455/518, 455/519, 455/566, 455/422, 455/414, 342/367, 342/357.01, 342/357.1
• US Class Current: 455/457
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A base station calculates distances to respective mobile stations and transmits the distances, and a control station determines positions of respective mobile stations based on the distances between plural base stations and respective mobile stations. The control station previously stores the same identification code for specific plural mobile stations, and examines whether or not any other mobile station having the same identification code exists within a range scale designated by one of the specific plural mobile stations, and then gives notice of the search result to one of specific plural mobile stations via the base station.

Claims

1. A mobile communication system including plural base stations synchronized with each other, a control station for performing general administration of the plural base stations, and plural mobile stations, each of said plural base stations comprising:

distance calculating means for calculating distances between the base station and respective mobile stations, on a basis of signal transmission velocities and signal transmission times which are obtained by communicating with said respective mobile stations;

transmitting means for transmitting the calculated distances to said control station, and

said control station comprising;

position determining means for determining positions of said respective mobile station, on a basis of the distances between said respective base stations and said respective mobile stations, which are transmitted by said plural base stations to said control station;

storage means for storing a same identification code for specific ones of said mobile stations out of said plural mobile stations; and

notifying means for determining whether any other mobile station having said same identification code exists within a range scale designated by one of said specific ones of said plural mobile stations, and for providing a result of the determination to said one of plural mobile stations via one of said base stations, wherein

said notifying means, if other mobile stations having the same identification code exist within said range scale, provides positional information of said one of said specific ones of said plural mobile stations to the remaining mobile stations of said specific plural mobile stations.

2. The mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein

said range scale designated by said one of specific plural mobile stations is designated with said one of specific plural mobile station as a center.

3. The mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein

said range scale designated by said one of specific plural mobile stations is designated with a base station which said one of specific plural mobile stations communicates with as a center.

4. The mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein

said notifying means, if other mobile stations having the same identification code exist within said range scale, provides telephone numbers of said other mobile stations as said determination result.

5. A mobile communication system comprised of plural base stations synchronized with each other, a control station for performing general administration of the plural base stations, and plural mobile stations, each of said mobile stations comprising:

distance calculating means for calculating distances between the mobile station and respective base stations, on a basis of signal transmission velocities and signal transmission times which are obtained by communicating with said respective base stations; and

position determining means for determining a position of the mobile station, on a basis of calculated distances between the mobile station and said respective base stations, and

said control station comprising;

first storage means for storing absolute positions of said respective plural mobile stations, which are sent from said plural mobile stations; and

storage means for storing a same identification code for specific ones of said mobile stations out of said plural mobile stations; and

notifying means for determining whether any other mobile station having the same identification code exists within a range scale designated by one of said specific ones of said plural mobile stations, and for providing a result of the determination to said one of said specific plural mobile stations via one of said base stations, wherein

said notifying means, if other mobile stations having said same identification code exist within said range scale, provides positional information of said one of said specific plural mobile stations to the remaining mobile stations of said specific plural mobile stations.

6. The mobile communication system according to claim 5, wherein

said range scale designated by said one of specific plural mobile stations is designated with said one of specific plural mobile stations as a center.

7. The mobile communication system according to claim 5, wherein

said range scale designated by said one of specific plural mobile stations is designated with a base station which said one of specific plural mobile stations communicates with as a center.

8. The mobile communication system according to claim 5, wherein

said notifying means, if other mobile stations having said same identification code exist within said range scale, provides telephone numbers of said other mobile stations as the determination result.

9. A mobile terminal in a mobile communication system with plural base stations synchronized with each other, which determine distances to respective mobile terminals, and a control station which performs general administration of the base stations, determines positions of respective mobile terminals based on the determined distances, sent from the plural base stations, to the respective mobile terminals, and stores a same identification code for specific plural mobile terminals including said mobile terminal, said mobile terminal comprising:

transmitting/receiving means for communicating with a base station;

input means for designating a desired range scale; and

display means for displaying information of other mobile terminals having said same identification code existing within said desired range scale, which has been received by said transmitting/receiving means from said control station via one of said base stations, wherein

said information of other mobile terminals which is displayed by said display means is positional information.

10. The mobile terminal according to claim 9, wherein

said range scale to be designated by said input means is designated with said mobile terminal as a center.

11. The mobile terminal according to claim 9, wherein

said range scale to be designated by said input means is designated with a base station which said mobile terminal communicates with as a center.

12. The mobile terminal according to claim 9, wherein

said information of other mobile terminals which is displayed by said display means is telephone number information.

13. A mobile terminal in a mobile communication system with plural base stations synchronized with each other, which determine distances to respective mobile terminals, and a control station which performs general administration of the base stations, determines positions of respective mobile terminals based on distances, sent from the plural base stations, to the respective mobile terminals, and stores a same identification code for specific plural mobile terminals including said mobile terminal, said mobile terminal comprising:

transmitting/receiving means for communicating with a base station;

distance calculating means for calculating distances between said mobile terminal and respective base stations, based on signal transmission velocities and signal transmission times which are obtained by communicating with said respective based stations;

position determining means for determining a position of said mobile terminal based on the calculated distances between said mobile terminal and said respective base stations;

input means for designating a desired range scale; and

display means for displaying information of other mobile terminals having said same identification code existing within said desired range scale, which has been received by said transmitting/receiving means from said control station via one of said base stations, wherein

said information of other mobile terminals which is displayed by said display means is positional information.

14. The mobile terminal according to claim 13, wherein

said range scale to be designated by said input means is designated with said mobile terminal as a center.

15. The mobile terminal according to claim 13, wherein

said range scale to be designated by said input means is designated with a base station which said mobile terminal communicates with as a center.

16. The mobile terminal according to claim 13, wherein

said information of other mobile terminals which is displayed by said display means is telephone number information.