Mobile wireless transceiver method and apparatus

• US 6,477,353 B1
• Filed: 03/02/1999
• Issued: 11/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tomtom Global Content B.V (TomTom NV)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kuse, Kazushi, Honda, Ryohjj, Kitayama, Fumihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): Green, Miguel D.
• Application Number:
  US09/260,246
• Time in Patent Office: 1,344 Days
• Field of Search: 701/225, 340/934, 340/989, 340/991, 342/357.1, 342/357.08, 455/575, 455/517, 455/41, 455/456
• US Class Current: 455/11.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/02 Hierarchically pre-organised networks, e.g. paging networks, cellular networks, WLAN [Wireless Local Area Network] or WLL [Wireless Local Loop]

Abstract

Information transmitted from an information origin is transferred from one mobile station to another. At this time, in the mobile station, the transmission of the information is controlled so that the information is not transmitted to a distance more than a predetermined value from the position of the information origin. A valid period of the information is defined and only the information within the valid period is transmitted. Alternatively, controls are carried out in order to avoid overlapping of the transfer paths and detours of them. Particularly, if a density of the mobile stations becomes high, the quantity of the information to be transferred increases tremendously. Therefore, it is necessary to select and limit the information to be transferred. If the mobile station is a portable information terminal and a personal user has this portable information terminal, the information origin is a retail store and transmits special sale information and the like as well as position information. The user holding the portable information terminal may go to the special sale store after seeing the special sale information, and if he feels no interest in it, he leaves the special sale store. When the user is walking on the street after leaving the store, the portable information terminal held by the user who was in the store exchanges information with an information portable terminal of the other users. While repeating the exchange of the information, the information reaches to a person who has an interest in the special sale information.

Claims

1. A method for determining in a mobile wireless transceiver whether received information including position information of an information origin is to be transferred, said method comprising the steps of:

calculating a distance from said information origin using said position information;

comparing said distance with a predetermined threshold value; and

determining that said received information is not to be transferred if said distance is the same as or longer than said predetermined threshold value.

2. A method for determining in a mobile wireless transceiver whether received information including position information of a transmission source is to be transferred or not, comprising the steps of:

detecting a density of the mobile wireless transceivers in the vicinity;

calculating a distance from said transmission source by using the position information of said transmission source;

judging whether said density and said distance satisfy a predetermined condition; and

,

determining that said received information is not to be transferred if said predetermined condition is satisfied.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said step of judging whether said density and said distance satisfy a predetermined condition includes a step of determining whether said density is greater than or equal to a predetermined value and said distance is less than or equal to a predetermined value.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the step of judging whether said density and said distance satisfy a predetermined condition includes a step of determining whether said density and said distance satisfy a predetermined relationship equation.

5. A method for determining in a mobile wireless transceiver whether received information including position information of an information origin and position information of a transmission source is to be transferred, said information origin primarily transmitting information, said method comprising the steps of:

judging whether an angle between a first line connecting said information origin and said transmission source and a second line connecting said transmission source and the mobile wireless transceiver itself is within a predetermined angle, by using said position information of said information origin and said position information of said transmission source;

determining that said received information is not to be transferred if said angle between said first and second lines is not within said predetermined angle; and

wherein said predetermined angle is determined based on a density of said mobile wireless transceivers in a proximate vicinity.

6. A mobile wireless transceiver comprising:

a receiver for receiving a wireless signal of transfer information including position information of a transmission source;

a transmitter for transmitting the wireless signal;

a position detector for detecting a position of the mobile wireless transceiver itself; and

,

a controller for calculating a distance from the position of said transmission source to the position of said mobile wireless transceiver by using position information of said transmission source, detecting a density of the mobile wireless transceivers existing in the vicinity by using position information of said transmission sources of a plurality of wireless signals received by said receiver, judging whether said density and said distance satisfy predetermined conditions, and determining that said transfer information is not to be transmitted by said transmitter if said predetermined conditions are satisfied.

7. The mobile wireless transceiver according to claim 6, wherein said controller judges whether said density is greater than or equal to a predetermined value and said distance is less than or equal to a predetermined value.

8. The mobile wireless transceiver according to claim 6, wherein said controller judges whether said density and said distance satisfy a predetermined relationship.

9. A mobile wireless transceiver comprising:

a receiver for receiving a wireless signal of transfer information including position information of an information origin initially transmitting information and position information of a transmission source;

a detector for detecting a position of the mobile wireless transceiver itself;

a transmitter for transmitting a wireless signal; and

,

a controller for judging whether an angle between a first line connecting said information origin and said transmission source and a second line connecting said transmission source and said mobile wireless transceiver itself is within a predetermined angle by using said position information of said information origin and the position information of said transmission source, and determining that said transfer information is not to be transferred by said transmitter if said angle between said first and second lines is not within said predetermined angle wherein said predetermined angle is determined based on a density of mobile wireless transceivers in the vicinity which is obtained by using the position information of said transmission sources of a plurality of wireless signals received by said receiver.