Mobile terminal and control method therefor

• US 7,054,649 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2003
• Issued: 05/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maxell, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Suzuki, Koji, Yamazaki, Masahiro, Kuwamoto, Hideki
• Primary Examiner(s): Ferguson, Keith
• Application Number:
  US10/630,911
• Publication Number:
  US 20040097244A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,034 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/456.4, 455/456.5, 455/456.6, 455/457, 455/403, 455/422.1, 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 455/566, 455/550.1, 455/556.1, 455/557, 455/500, 455/517, 455/418, 455/419, 455/420, 455/414.1, 455/414.2
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location

Abstract

A mobile terminal for automatically decompressing a prescribed application program based on the location of the mobile terminal. A table is created to indicate relationships between application programs and their respective corresponding locations. The mobile terminal constantly acquires information of its own location. Based on the information of the table and the location of the mobile terminal, the corresponding application program is decompressed and ready to be used by the user.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a compressed-application memory configured to compress and store an application program;

a location-information acquirer configured to acquire location information of a location of the mobile terminal;

a determination unit configured to determine whether or not the application program stored in the compressed-application memory should be decompressed based on the location of the mobile terminal; and

a decompressor configured to decompress the application program when the determination unit has determined that the application program should be decompressed.

2. A mobile terminal according to claim 1 further comprising a correspondence table storing the correspondence between an identifier of said application program and data of a location range.

3. A mobile terminal according to claim 2 further comprising:

a decompressed-application memory configured to store the decompressed application program; and

a determination device configured to determine, according to a state of use of the decompressed application program, whether or not the decompressed application program should be deleted from said decompressed-application memory when the location of the mobile terminal is out of the location range corresponding to the decompressed application program on said correspondence table.

4. A mobile terminal according to claim 2, wherein said decompressor decompresses the application program corresponding to the location range when the location information of the mobile terminal acquired by said location-information acquiring means is found a prescribed number of times in succession in said location range stored on said correspondence table.

5. A mobile terminal according to claim 2, wherein the correspondence table stores an identifier of said application program, data of said location range, and data of time of the day and/or of day of the week of use, and the application program corresponding to a particular location range is decompressed when the location information of the mobile terminal is in the particular location range in said correspondence table and the time and/or the day of the week on that occasion corresponds to the time of the day and/or the day of the week of use corresponding to said particular location range.

6. A mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein said location-information acquirer is configured to change or set an interval between acquisitions of location of the mobile terminal.

7. A mobile terminal according to claim 1 further comprising a usage history table establishing the correspondence at least between an identifier of the application program and the location information of the mobile terminal when a user decompresses and uses the application program.

8. A mobile terminal according to claim 7, wherein said usage history table stores an identifier of said application program, said location information, and time at which the user decompressed and used the application program and/or day of the week on which the user decompressed and used the application program.

9. A mobile terminal according to claim 7 further comprising determination device configured to determine whether or not at least the identifier of the application program and the data of the location information are automatically registered on said correspondence table by referring to contents of said usage history table when the user decompresses and uses the application program.

10. A method for controlling a mobile terminal comprising a location acquirer to acquire a location of the mobile terminal, wherein a compressed application program corresponding to a pre-registered particular location range is decompressed when the acquired location of the mobile terminal is found a prescribed number of times in succession in the pre-registered particular location range.

11. A method for controlling a mobile terminal according to claim 10, wherein a user is notified by an audio, visual or vibrating indication when the compressed application program is decompressed.