Location management method and apparatus for managing a location of a GPS-equipped portable telephone carried by a member

• US 6,879,836 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2002
• Issued: 04/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Juken Sangyo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Juken Sangyo Company Limited
• Inventors: Aoki, Tsuyoshi, Nakamoto, Yusho, Muneishi, Tomio
• Primary Examiner(s): PEREZ GUTIERREZ, RAFAEL
• Application Number:
  US10/200,964
• Publication Number:
  US 20030022676A1
• Time in Patent Office: 994 Days
• Field of Search: 340/995.14, 340/995.1, 340/991, 340/992, 340/994, 340/998, 340/989, 340/990, 340/995.18, 340/993, 455/456.2, 455/456.1, 455/456.5, 455/456.6, 455/457, 455/517, 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 701/200, 701/201, 701/204, 701/206, 701/207, 701/208, 701/213, 701/209, 701/210, 342/357.01, 342/357.06, 342/357.07, 342/357.08, 342/357.09, 342/357.1, 342/357.12, 342/357.13, 342/450, 342/457
• US Class Current: 455/456.2
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• 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: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching

Abstract

A location management method manages the location of a member which move around carrying a GPS-equipped portable telephone. The method includes inquiring of the GPS-equipped portable telephone about its current location, making the GPS-equipped portable telephone return positional information of the current location measured by the GPS function, managing the returned positional information of the current location in a file, searching a map database based on the positional information of the current location, and preparing and displaying map data linked with the positional information of the current location.

Claims

1. A location management apparatus for managing a location of a GPS-equipped portable telephone carried by a mobile worker, the apparatus comprising:

an inquiry means for inquiring of the GPS-equipped portable telephone about its current location;

a positional information management means for managing positional information of said current location returned from the GPS-equipped portable telephone;

a map database search means for searching a map database based on returned positional information of said current location and converting said positional information of said current location into a map data in a corresponding administrative division;

a saving means for saving said converted map data in time series order in a first file;

an analyzing means for analyzing said converted map data in time series order of one day for the mobile worker and creating activity log data of said day for the mobile worker;

a daily report creating means for creating a daily report of said day for the mobile worker based on said activity ba data and storing said daily report in a second file; and

a delivery time calculation means for inquiring of the GPS-equipped portable telephone carried by the mobile worker about its current location by said inquiry means in response to an arrival time inquiry request from a customer'"'"'s terminal, searching a map database and retrieving map data corresponding to the current location based on returned positional information of said current location by said map database search means, and determining an estimated arrival time by calculating the time required from said current location to a delivery destination,

wherein said delivery time calculation means estimate arrival time to said delivery destination by calculating time to be needed from said current location of said mobile worker to said delivery destination, the time to be needed being calculated based on distance between said current location of said mobile worker and said delivery destination, volume and weight of goods unloaded at each of delivery destinations located between said current location of said mobile worker and said delivery destination, and actual average speed during delivery.