Information provision system, current-position-measurement system, and method therefor

• US 6,571,170 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2002
• Issued: 05/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Nakamura, Akiyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US10/080,463
• Publication Number:
  US 20020077744A1
• Time in Patent Office: 459 Days
• Field of Search: 701/201, 701/202, 701/208, 701/213, 701/214, 705/5, 705/6
• US Class Current: 701/202
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/343 Calculating itineraries, i.e. routes leading from a starting point to a series of categorical destinations using a global route restraint, round trips, touristic trips travelling salesman problem G06Q10/04; optimisation of routes G06Q10/047
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/005 including pedestrian guidance indicator

Abstract

An information provision system 11 is provided which provides in advance a travel data package 10 via the Internet 1, in which data effective for measuring the current position such as the longitude and latitude information of a travel site location is stored based on itinerary information in such a manner as to be associated with an itinerary. Then, as a result of going on a travel by storing the distributed travel data package 10 in a portable terminal 6, it is possible to measure the current position in a short time because the longitude and latitude information, for example, of a scheduled place of the itinerary can be known in advance at a travel site.

Claims

1. An information provision system comprising:

means for obtaining itinerary information in which at least one place, a date and time are associated;

means for extracting position-related information which is related to the place contained in the itinerary information, the position related information including a content of the place;

means for creating a travel data package by associating said extracted position-related information with the date and time contained in said itinerary information; and

means for distributing said travel data package which distributes said travel data package via a computer network.

2. An information provision system according to claim 1, wherein said position-related information further contains one piece of auxiliary position-measurement information used when the current position is measured, at least one piece of longitude and latitude information corresponding to the place of said itinerary information, or map data containing said place.

3. An information provision system according to claim 2, wherein said auxiliary position-measurement information is an almanac used when the current position is measured by receiving radio waves from a satellite.

4. An information provision system according to claim 1, wherein the content of the place includes at least one photograph relating to the place.

5. An information provision method comprising:

a step of obtaining itinerary information in which at least one place, a date and time are associated;

a step of extracting position-related information related to the place contained in the itinerary information, the position related information including a content of the place, and of creating a travel data package in which the position-related information is associated with the date and time contained in said itinerary information; and

a step of distributing said travel data package via a computer network.

6. An information provision method according to claim 5, wherein said position-related information further contains one piece of auxiliary position-measurement information used when the current position is measured, at least one piece of longitude and latitude information corresponding to the place of said itinerary information, or map data containing said place.

7. An information provision method according to claim 6, wherein said auxiliary position-measurement information is an almanac used when the current position is measured by receiving radio waves from a satellite.

8. An information provision system according to claim 5, wherein the content of the place includes at least one photograph relating to the place.

9. A computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon an information provision program having commands capable of executing:

a step of obtaining itinerary information in which at least one place, a date and time are associated;

a step of extracting position-related information related to the place contained in the itinerary information and of creating a travel data package in which the position-related information is associated with the date and time contained in said itinerary information, the position-related information including a content of the place; and

a step of distributing said travel data package via a computer network.

10. A computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon said information provision program according to claim 9, wherein said position-related information further contains one piece of auxiliary position-measurement information used when the current position is measured, at least one piece of longitude and latitude information corresponding to the place of said itinerary information, or map data containing said place.

11. A computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon said information provision program according to claim 10, wherein said auxiliary position-measurement information is an almanac used when the current position is measured by receiving radio waves from a satellite.

12. A transmission medium, which can be transmitted via a computer network, having embedded thereon an information provision program having commands capable of executing:

a step of obtaining itinerary information in which at least one place, a date and time are associated;

a step of extracting postion-related information related to the place contained in the itinerary information and of creating a travel data package in which the position-related information is associated with the date and time contained in said itinerary information, the position-related information including a content of the place; and

a step of distributing said travel data package via the computer network.

13. A transmission medium which can be transmitted via a computer network, wherein a travel data package is embedded in the transmission medium and in which postion-related information related to a place contained in itinerary information in which the position-related information includes a content of the place and in which at least one place, a date and time are associated is stored so as to be associated with the date and time contained in said itinerary information.

14. A transmission medium which can be transmitted via a computer network according to claim 13, wherein said travel data package is embedded in which said position-related information further contains some auxiliary position-measurement information used when the current position is measured, at least one piece of longitude and latitude information corresponding to the place of said itinerary information, or map data containing said place.