Action analyzing/recording system

• US 6,195,022 B1
• Filed: 09/19/1997
• Issued: 02/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Yamakita, Tooru
• Primary Examiner(s): SWARTHOUT, BRENT
• Application Number:
  US08/934,331
• Time in Patent Office: 1,257 Days
• Field of Search: 340/988, 340/573.1, 340/573.4, 340/991, 340/995, 340/990, 340/905, 340/992, 340/993, 340/994, 340/961, 340/936, 340/539, 701/210, 701/214, 701/207, 701/300, 701/213, 369/25, 707/4, 707/5, 707/6, 707/7, 395/200.42, 395/200.47, 705/8, 705/9
• US Class Current: 340/988
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 1/10 together with the recording, indicating or registering of other data, e.g. of signs of identity
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/127 to a central station ; Indicators in a central station

Abstract

The action of a user who is carrying a movable terminal is analyzed in a host terminal. The portable terminal detects the time and position where the portable terminal is present at a predetermined time interval and supplies the pieces of information to the host terminal. The host terminal analyzes the time-serially detected information to recognize the moving locus and the moving speed of the user who is carrying the movable terminal. The host terminal has position information of railway lines and roads as line patterns. By matching processing between the moving locus and the line patterns, the transport facility used by the user for movement is estimated. This invention is to provide a system capable of analyzing/recording a daily action without performing any cumbersome operation.

Claims

1. An action analyzing/recording system wherein information transmitted through a communication control unit of a terminal is analyzed by an information processing unit connected to a network as an action record, data of an analysis result is stored in correspondence with a terminal identification code, and the data is transferred to said terminal as needed, and wherein said terminal comprises a detector for detecting position information and time information, and accumulates the position information and time information detected by said detector, and transmits the accumulated information at once together with the terminal identification code after the accumulated information has reached a predetermined number or predetermined capacity.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said information processing unit comprises means for storing map information representing a transport route including a railway line, specifies a name of a region of movement based on the map information and the position information and the time information transmitted from said terminal, and stores the name of the region of movement together with a time.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein said information processing unit calculates a moving speed from the position information and the time information transmitted from said terminal, and estimates a users'"'"' method of movement based on the calculated moving speed.

4. An action analyzing/recording system comprising:

means for detecting position information and time information with respect to a portable terminal;

means for analyzing a moving locus and moving speed of said portable terminal based on the detected position and time information;

means for estimating an action route by specifying a name of a transport facility based on map information and the analyzed moving locus and moving speed; and

means for storing information with respect to a place and time of an action as an action record based on the estimated action route.

5. The system according to claim 4, further comprising means for detecting ambient information including sound information, and wherein said estimating means estimates the action route taking into consideration the detected ambient information.

6. An article of manufacture comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program stored thereon for causing an action to be analyzed and recorded, said computer readable program comprising:

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to detect position information and time information with respect to a portable terminal;

computer readable program code means for causing the computer to analyze a moving locus and moving speed of the portable terminal based on the detected position information and time information;

computer readable program code means for causing the computer to estimate an action route by specifying a name of a transport facility based on map information and the analyzed locus and moving speed; and

computer readable program code means for causing the computer to store information with respect to a place and time of an action as an action record based on the estimated action route.

7. An action analyzing/recording system comprising:

a portable terminal having a detector which detects a position of the portable terminal at particular times for generating position and time data of the portable terminal;

a host device having a data processor for processing the position and time data;

a network connecting the portable terminal and the host device and through which the portable terminal transmits the position and time data to the host device; and

means for storing route data of predetermined locations associated with a particular type of transport vehicle;

wherein said data processor comprises means for analyzing the position and time data and route data to produce an action record which indicates when and where a user of the portable terminal has been, whether the user has used mechanized transportation to move from one location to another, and if the user has used mechanized transportation, what type of mechanized transportation has been used, based on whether the position data matches the stored route data.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein:

said system comprises a plurality of portable terminals which transmit respective position data along with respective identification information;

said data processor produces respective action records corresponding to the plurality of portable terminals; and

said host device comprises a communication control unit which transmits the action records to the corresponding portable terminals in accordance with the respective identification information.

9. The system according to claim 7, wherein:

said detector of said portable terminal detects positions of said portable terminal plural times to generate plural position data with different timings; and

said portable terminal comprises a memory for storing the plural position data, and transmits the plural position data when a remaining capacity of the memory reaches a predetermined limit.

10. The system according to claim 7, wherein said data processor comprises means for storing map information representing a transport route including at least one of a railway and bus line, calculates a moving speed of the user based on the position and time data, and produces the action record by referring to the map information and the calculated moving speed.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein said portable terminal comprises a transmitter that transmits to the host device the position data of the portable terminal and time information of timings when the position data are obtained.

12. The system according to claim 7, wherein said portable terminal comprises means for detecting ambient sound information and transmits the ambient sound information to the host device, and wherein said data processor analyzes the ambient sound information data to determine where the user was and whether the user walked on foot or used mechanized transportation to move.

13. The system according to claim 7, wherein said host device comprises a transmitter that transmits the action record to the portable terminal.

14. An article of manufacture comprising a computer usable medium having a computer readable program stored thereon for causing an action to be analyzed and recorded, said computer readable program comprising:

computer readable code means for causing a portable terminal having a detector which detects a position of the portable terminal at particular times to generate and transmit position and time data of the portable terminal to a host device via a network;

means for storing route data of predetermined locations associated with a particular type of transport vehicle; and

computer readable program code means for causing a data processor of the host device to analyze the position and time data and route data to produce an action record which indicates when and where a user of the portable terminal has been, whether the user has used mechanized transportation to move from one location to another, and if the user has used mechanized transportation, what type of mechanized transportation has been used, based on whether the detected position data matches the stored route data.