Terminal unit, position display method, information providing system, and information providing method

• US 6,907,255 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2001
• Issued: 06/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kawamoto, Yoji
• Primary Examiner(s): Gelin, Jean
• Application Number:
  US09/859,030
• Publication Number:
  US 20010024957A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,490 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456, 455/457, 455/458, 455/459, 455/422, 455/404, 455/405, 455/407, 455/408, 455/423, 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 4554563-4566, 342/357, 701/212, 701/213, 701/214, 701/207, 701/211, 340/988, 340/905, 340/990
• US Class Current: 455/456.5
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services

Abstract

A radiocommunication system including a portable terminal, a base station and a server. The portable terminal transmits a destination to the server and further sends the ID number (CS_ID) of the base station coupled through a radio link to the portable terminal. The server has a table representative of a corresponding relationship between the ID number of the base station and the standing position of the base station and retrieves the position corresponding to the ID number thereof as the present position of the portable terminal from the table. Further, the server transmits map data corresponding to the present position of the portable terminal to the portable terminal.

Claims

1. An information providing system comprising:

reception means for receiving from a terminal unit a signal to be used to determine a present position of said terminal unit other than by said terminal unit at a position apart from said terminal unit, said signal being demodulated from a multiplexed signal previously received by said terminal unit;

determination means for determining the present position of said terminal unit on the basis of said signal received by said reception means from said terminal unit without position determination processing having been performed on the demodulated signal at said terminal unit to determine the present position of said terminal unit; and

transmission means for transmitting the present position determined by said determination means to said terminal unit.

2. An information providing system as defined in claim 1, further comprising map selection means for selecting map information on the basis of the present position of said terminal unit determined by said determination means so that said transmission means adds said map information selected by said map selection means to present position information to transmit them to said terminal unit.

3. An information providing method comprising the steps of:

receiving from a terminal unit a signal to be used to determine a present position of said terminal unit other than by said terminal unit at a position apart from said terminal unit, said signal being demodulated from a multiplexed signal previously received by said terminal unit;

determining the present position of said terminal unit on the basis of said received signal from said terminal unit without position determination processing having been performed on the demodulated signal at said terminal unit to determine the present position of said terminal unit; and

transmitting the determined present position to said terminal unit.

4. A storage medium positioned within an external processing unit, said storage medium having one or more instructions stored therein, said instructions comprising:

an instruction for causing said external processing unit to receive from a terminal unit a signal to be used to determine a present position of said terminal unit other than by said terminal unit at a position apart from said terminal unit, said signal being demodulated from a multiplexed signal previously received by said terminal unit;

an instruction for causing said external processing unit to determine the present position of said terminal unit on the basis of said received signal from said terminal unit without position determination processing having been performed on the demodulated signal at said terminal unit to determine the present position of said terminal unit; and

an instruction for causing said external processing unit to transmit the determined present position to said terminal unit.

5. The storage medium of claim 4, said instructions further comprising:

an instruction for causing said external processing unit to select map information on the basis of the determined position of said terminal unit;

an instruction for causing said external processing unit to combine said selected map information and said present position; and

an instruction for causing said external processing unit to transmit said combined information to said terminal unit.

6. A storage medium positioned within a terminal unit, said storage medium having one or more instructions stored therein for performing an information providing method comprising the steps of:

accepting input destination information at said terminal unit;

transmitting an input designation signal from said terminal unit to an external processing unit to calculate position information on a destination associated with said input destination signal, whereby said position information is used other than by said terminal unit at a position apart from said terminal unit, said signal being demodulated from a multiplexed signal previously received by said terminal unit;

receiving said position information on said destination at said terminal unit;

combining at said terminal unit said received destination position information with map information from said terminal unit without position determination processing having been performed on the demodulated signal at said terminal unit to determine the present position of said terminal unit; and

outputting the combined result from said terminal unit.