Method and system for providing information for a mobile terminal and a mobile terminal

• US 6,882,933 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2002
• Issued: 04/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kondou, Takeshi, Takebe, Keishi, Takahashi, Yasuhiro, Matsui, Susumu
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Donnelly, Arthur D.
• Application Number:
  US10/164,619
• Publication Number:
  US 20020156578A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,044 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/202, 701/201, 701/203, 701/207, 701/208, 701/209, 701/210, 701/211, 701/213, 340/990, 340/995, 340/998, 731/78.R
• US Class Current: 701/203
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/008 using a mobile telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A mobile terminal, and an information providing method and system which immediately provides information, which the user of the mobile terminal desires, for the mobile terminal. Area and related service information are stored in corresponding relationship in a database. An information server which includes means for calculating the area of the destination of the mobile terminal loads information on the destination area from the database to the mobile terminal which moves toward the destination area, using radio communication means before the mobile terminal arrives at the destination area.

Claims

1. An information providing system in which a mobile terminal and an information server are coupled via a network, and said information server manages information to be provided in a manner that said information to be provided is correlated with positional information associated with said information to be provided, and said information server provides said information to be provided with reference to said positional information of said mobile terminal,

wherein said information server divides map data into a plurality of areas and manages information to be provided in a manner that said information to be provided is correlated with any area among said plurality of areas including the position represented by said positional information associated with said information to be provided and manages a destination and a current place of said mobile terminal, and when a current area including said current place is different from a destination area including said destination, said information server retrieves information concerning said destination area and starts to transmit said information retrieved, before said mobile terminal moves into said destination area.

2. An information providing system according to claim 1, wherein when said destination is changed so that a new destination belongs to a different area, said information server retrieves information concerning said different area and transmits said information retrieved to said mobile terminal.

3. An information providing system according to claim 2, wherein said mobile terminal transmits information of a destination input by a user to said information server, and said information server manages said destination using said information transmitted.

4. An information providing system according to claim 3, wherein said mobile terminal periodically obtains information of a current place and transmits said information of a current place to said information server, and said information server manages said current place using said information transmitted, and when information of an updated current place is included in another area, said information server transmits information concerning said another area to said mobile terminal.

5. An information providing system according to claim 4, wherein said information server manages a plurality of current places transmitted from a moving mobile terminal and predicts a root to a destination area of said moving mobile terminal on the basis of said positional information managed and retrieves information concerning an area through which said root passes and provides said information retrieved.