Location registration method, information distribution method, mobile communications network and mobile communications terminal

• US 6,947,754 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2001
• Issued: 09/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Ogasawara, Koichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh, Sonny
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAN, HUY Q
• Application Number:
  US10/111,733
• Publication Number:
  US 20020177451A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,476 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.3, 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/432.1, 455/404.2, 455/422.1, 455/556.2, 455/566, 455/414.1, 455/414.3
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

An ID signal indicating a base station ID is broadcasted by a base station 21 sited in a specific area of a location registration area. When receiving the ID signal, a mobile station 10 located in the radio zone of the base station 21 transmits to the base station 21 a location registration request signal including the base station ID and a mobile station ID. The base station ID and the mobile station ID are registered in a home memory 23 as narrow-area location registration information. An IP server 40a acquires location related information from a location-related information data base 41a and transmits it to a gateway server 25. The gateway server 25 specifies a destination of transmission for the received location related information by referring to the home memory 23 and transmits the location related information to the mobile station 10.

Claims

1. A gateway server communicating with a plurality of mobile terminal via a first network and communicating with a plurality of information provider servers via a second network, comprising:

a menu data control that sends a mobile terminal via the first network at least one set of menu data to guide a user of the mobile terminal, through at least one round of menu selection process, to a selection requesting location-related information that the user is interested in obtaining, wherein at least one of the at least one set of menu data is accessible by the gateway server;

a request transmission control that receives a request for the location-related information from the mobile terminal via the first network and sends the request via the second network to an information provider server;

an area code finder that uses at least one communication area identifier, recognized for communication with the mobile terminal within the first network, to obtain an area code, and informs the information provider server of the area code via the second network, wherein the information provider server uses the area code to obtain the location-related information regarding a geographical area definable by the information provider server in relation to the area code; and

an information transmission control that receives from the information provider server via the second network at least a part of the location-related information regarding the geographical area and sends at least a part of the received information to the mobile terminal via the first network.

2. A gateway server according to claim 1, wherein there is more than one set of menu data, and a selection from one set of menu data leads to a next set of menu data.

3. A gateway server according to claim 1, wherein the area code finder informs the information provider server of the area code when the request transmission control sends the request to the information provider server.

4. A gateway server according to claim 1, wherein the area code finder obtains the area code before the request transmission control sends the request to the information provider server.

5. A gateway server according to claim 1, wherein the request from the mobile terminal comprises a network address attributed to the information provider server.

6. A gateway server according to claim 1, wherein the communication area identifier is indicative of a point of attachment to the first network by the mobile terminal.

7. A gateway server according to claim 1, wherein the communication area identifier is recognized for communication with the mobile terminal situated in the geographical area.

8. A gateway server according to claim 1, wherein the mobile terminal is a wireless mobile terminal.

9. A gateway server according to claim 8, wherein the communication area identifier is indicative of a base station that provides a wireless connection to the mobile terminal.

10. A gateway server according to claim 8, wherein the communication area identifier is indicative of the location of a base station that provides a wireless connection to the mobile terminal.

11. A gateway server according to claim 8, wherein the communication area identifier is indicative of an paging area in which the mobile terminal may be found.

12. A gateway server according to claim 1, wherein the area code relates to the geographical area definable to variable scale.

13. A gateway server according to claim 1, wherein the area code is devised independently of a postal code system.

14. A gateway server according to claim 1, wherein the area code identifies the geographical area by a street number and name.

15. A gateway server according to claim 1, wherein the area code identifies the geographical area by a landmark object.

16. A gateway server according to claim 1, wherein the geographical area is defined generally by at least one radio zone including a radio zone created by a base station that provides a wireless connection to the mobile terminal.

17. A gateway server according to claim 1, wherein the location-related information regarding the geographical area comprises location information of at least one location where a service of interest is available in the geographical area.

18. A gateway server according to claim 1, wherein the location-related information regarding the geographical area comprises location information of at least one location where an event of interest is held in the geographical area.

19. A gateway server according to claim 1, wherein the area code finder determines the area code by accessing a table that correlates communication area identifiers to their corresponding area codes.

20. A gateway server according to claim 1, wherein the geographical area id defined by the information provider server in relation to the area code.

21. A method for providing a mobile terminal with location-related information through a gateway server that communicates with a plurality of mobile terminals via a first network and communicates with a plurality of information provider servers via a second network, comprising the steps of:

sending a mobile terminal via the first network at least one set of menu data to guide a user of the mobile terminal, through at least one round of menu selection process, to a selection requesting the location-related information that the user is interested in obtaining, wherein at least one of the at least one set of menu data is accessible by the gateway server;

receiving a request for the location-related information from the mobile terminal via the first network;

sending the request via the second network to an information provider server;

obtaining an area code by using at least one communication area identifier, recognized for communication with the mobile terminal within the first network;

informing the information provider server of the area code via the second network, wherein the information provider server uses the area code to obtain the location-related information regarding a geographical area definable by the information provider server in relation to the area code;

receiving from the information provider server via the second network at least a part of the located-related information regarding the geographical area; and

sending at least a part of the received information to the mobile terminal via the first network.

22. A method according to claim 21, wherein there is more than one set of menu data, and a selection from one set of menu data leads to a next set of menu data.

23. A method according to claim 21, wherein sending the request to the information provider server and informing the information provider server of the area code are performed concurrently.

24. A method according to claim 21, wherein obtaining an area code is performed prior to sending the request to the information provider server.

25. A method according to claim 21, wherein the request from the mobile terminal comprises a network address attributed to the information provider server.

26. A method according to claim 21, wherein the communication area identifier is indicative of a point of attachment to the first network by the mobile terminal.

27. A method according to claim 21, wherein the communication area identifier is recognized for communication with the mobile terminal situated in the geographical area.

28. A method according to claim 21, wherein the mobile terminal is a wireless mobile terminal.

29. A method according to claim 28, wherein the communication area identifier is indicative of a base station that provides a wireless connection to the mobile terminal.

30. A method according to claim 28, wherein the communication area identifier is indicative of the location of a base station that provides a wireless connection to the mobile terminal.

31. A method according to claim 28, wherein the communication area identifier is indicative of an paging area in which the mobile terminal may be found.

32. A method according to claim 28, wherein the geographical area is defined generally by at least one radio zone including a radio zone created by a base station that provides a wireless connection to the mobile terminal.

33. A method according to claim 21, wherein the area code relates to the geographical area definable to variable scale.

34. A method according to claim 21, wherein the area code is devised independently of a postal code system.

35. A method according to claim 21, wherein the area code identifies the geographical area by a street number and name.

36. A method according to claim 21, wherein the area code identifies the geographical area by a landmark object.

37. A method according to claim 21, wherein the location-related information regarding the geographical area comprises location information of at least one location where a service of interest is available in the geographical area.

38. A method according to claim 21, wherein the location-related information regarding the geographical area comprises location information of at least one location where an event of interest is held in the geographical area.

39. A method according to claim 21, wherein obtaining an area code comprises accessing a table that correlates communication area identifiers to their corresponding area codes.

40. A method according to claim 21, wherein the geographical area is defined by the information provider server in relation to the area code.