Portable terminal apparatus and the positional information communication method using it

• US 6,563,459 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2001
• Issued: 05/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Increment P Corporation, Pioneer Corporation
• Original Assignee: Increment P Corporation, Pioneer Corporation
• Inventors: Takenaga, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mull, Fred H.
• Application Number:
  US09/875,459
• Publication Number:
  US 20010050631A1
• Time in Patent Office: 707 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.09, 342/357.08, 342/357.1, 342/357.13, 342/29, 342/30, 342/31, 342/32, 701/301
• US Class Current: 342/357.31
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0072 Transmission between mobile stations, e.g. anti-collision systems

Abstract

A portable terminal apparatus which can communicate one'"'"'s current location on a map and an associated message to the party on the other end of a cellular phone line. In the apparatus, a positional information acquiring device acquires positional information. Then, a transmitting device transmits the acquired positional information along with an associated message to other portable terminal apparatuses. Further, a receiving device receives the positional information and message transmitted from other portable terminal apparatuses. Then, a map data acquiring device acquires the map data in a predetermined range including the location shown by the received positional information. A displaying device displays the map data together with a mark that indicates the position shown by the received positional information.

Claims

1. A portable terminal apparatus comprising:

a positional information acquiring device for acquiring positional information;

a transmitting device for transmitting the acquired positional information to other portable terminal apparatuses;

a receiving device for receiving the positional information transmitted from other portable terminal apparatuses;

a map data acquiring device for acquiring the map data in a predetermined range including the position shown by the received positional information; and

a displaying device for displaying the map data together with a mark that indicates the position shown by the received positional information,

wherein the transmitting device comprises an attaching device to attach the positional information to a message to be transmitted to other portable terminals and a transmission unit to transmit the positional information together with the message, and

the displaying device displays the positional information together with the message.

2. The portable terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the positional information acquiring device includes a GPS apparatus which obtains positional information of the portable terminal apparatus based on a wave from a satellite.

3. The portable terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the positional information acquiring device includes a positional information input unit used by a user to enter the positional information.

4. The portable terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the portable terminal apparatus is provided as a cellular phone set and

the transmitting device comprises a transmission instruction input unit for a user to enter transmission instructions during a call and a transmission unit to transmit the positional information when the transmission instruction is entered.

5. The portable terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the portable terminal apparatus is provided as a cellular phone set.

6. The portable terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the map data acquiring device comprises a map data storing device that stores acquired map data and a map data acquiring device for acquiring map data in a predetermined range from the map data storing device based on the positional information.

7. The portable terminal apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the map data storing device is a memory removable to the portable terminal apparatus.

8. The portable terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the map data acquiring device comprises a transmitting device for transmitting the positional information to a site that provides map data via the internet and an acquiring device for acquiring map data in a predetermined range from the site that provides the map information.

9. The portable terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the positional information is attached to an e-mail message and is transmitted and displayed together with the e-mail message.

10. A positional information communication method for communicating positional information between a portable terminal apparatus equipped with a GPS apparatus on a transmission side and another portable terminal apparatus on a reception side, the method comprising the processes of:

acquiring positional information that shows the current location of the portable terminal apparatus using the GPS apparatus;

transmitting the positional information to the terminal apparatus on the reception side from the terminal apparatus on the transmission side;

receiving the positional information in the terminal apparatus on the reception side;

acquiring map data in a predetermined range including the location shown by the positional information;

attaching the positional information to a message to be transmitted to other portable terminals and transmitting the positional information together with the message; and

displaying the map data acquired together with a mark that indicates the location shown by the positional information.