Group communication system for mobile terminals having real time communication capabilities

• US 6,898,423 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2001
• Issued: 05/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DDI Corporation (TTM Technologies Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: DDI Corporation (TTM Technologies Incorporated)
• Inventors: Motegi, Shinji, Enomoto, Masaru, Horiuchi, Hiroki, Oda, Toshikane
• Primary Examiner(s): Corsaro, Nick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Orgad, Edan
• Application Number:
  US09/814,765
• Publication Number:
  US 20010027111A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,523 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/414.3, 455/414.4, 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/456.4, 455/516, 455/518, 455/519
• US Class Current: 455/414.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

A group communication system includes a plurality of mobile terminals with member-attribute information, and a center component for collecting location information of the mobile terminals. The center component includes a group generation device for generating a group based on a group-area information and a group-attribute information which are specified, and a group member management device for always monitoring joining and leaving of the mobile terminals with the location information and the member-attribute information which correspond to the group-area information and the group-attribute information of the group, respectively.

Claims

1. A group communication system comprising:

a plurality of mobile terminals each with a location information, a user-attribute information, and a measured moving state information; and

a center component for collecting said location information of said plurality of mobile terminals,

wherein said center component includes a group generation means for generating a group of at least one mobile terminal based on a group-area information, a group-attribute information, and a group moving-state information which are specified by said at least one mobile terminal, and a group member management means for monitoring in real time the joining and leaving of said plurality of mobile terminals with said location information, said member-attribute information, and said measured moving state information which correspond to said group-area information, said group-attribute information, and said group moving-state information of said group, respectively, and

wherein said group member management means of said center component sends a joining request information of said group to a mobile terminal which satisfies requirements of said group, said mobile terminal answering to said joining request information joins said group as a member, and when said mobile terminal joins or leaves said group, it notifies other mobile terminals of said group.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said group-attribute information is a subject information for representing a subject of communication contents which characterizes said group.

3. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said group-area information is information representing one geographically continuous region, or a plurality of geographically distributed discontinuous regions.

4. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said group moving-state information and said moving state information are information representing a destination, a moving speed and/or a classification of said mobile terminal.

5. A system as claimed in claim 4, wherein if said mobile terminal is mounted on a vehicle, said group moving-state information and said moving state information are information also representing a type of said vehicle, a state of said vehicle and/or a road classification.