Terminal apparatus for acquiring position-related content

• US 7,203,597 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2002
• Issued: 04/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamaguchi, Takao, Sato, Junichi, Itoh, Tomoaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Cuong H.
• Application Number:
  US10/492,545
• Publication Number:
  US 20040260461A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,621 Days
• Field of Search: 701213-214, 701/216, 701207-211, 701/202, 340/995.22, 340/995.24, 340/995.12, 340/988, 340/990, 455/414, 455/422
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network

Abstract

A terminal apparatus is provided with a content list storage section that stores a content list storing at least one pair of an address of content related to a position and the position. A position detecting section detects a position, a specifying section which defines a region including an area forward in the traveling direction based on the detected position, and specifies a position in the defined region among positions stored in the content list. A content acquiring section that acquires content corresponding to an address associated with the specified position.

Claims

1. A terminal apparatus that is configured to be included with a mobile unit and that acquires content for presentation of information associated with a position, the terminal apparatus comprising:

a content list storage that stores a content list including at least one pair of an address of the content and an associated position, the address uniquely specifying a storage location on a network;

a position detector that detects a position of the mobile unit;

a specifier which defines a content acquisition region including an area located in a traveling direction of the mobile unit based on the detected position of the mobile unit, and identifies at least one position included in the content list which is located in the content acquisition region;

a content requester that requests content associated with the at least one identified position using the content address associated with the identified position via a wireless communication to a content server;

a content acquirer that acquires the requested content from the content server; and

a presenter that presents the acquired content.

2. The terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the specifier defines a length of the content acquisition region based upon a moving speed of the mobile unit.

3. The terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the specifier defines the content acquisition region based upon a path of a road located in the traveling direction of the mobile unit.

4. The terminal apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a content list acquirer that acquires the content list by receiving communications or broadcast signals.

5. The terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the presenter presents a map and an indicator indicative of the at least one identified position.

6. The terminal apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a presentation controller that determines whether to present the acquired content with the presenter based on the position of the mobile unit.

7. The terminal apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the presentation controller determines a presentation trigger region in which the mobile unit is predicted to be located after moving for a predetermined time, and presents the acquired content when the position corresponding to the acquired content is in the presentation trigger region.

8. The terminal apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the presentation controller presents the acquired content when the presentation trigger region begins to include the position of the acquired content.

9. A content distribution system, comprising:

the terminal apparatus according to claim 1;

a list server that stores the content list; and

a content server that stores the content,

wherein the terminal apparatus acquires the content list from the list server via wireless communications, and further acquires the content from the content server via wireless communications.

13. The terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the specifier defines the size of the content acquisition region based upon a moving speed of the mobile unit.

14. The terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the content acquirer determines a time period required for acquiring the requested content and acquires the requested content before the mobile unit passes the identified position.

15. The terminal apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the content acquirer determines the time period required for acquiring the requested content by dividing a size of the requested content by a transmission rate of a communication path used to acquire the requested content.

16. The terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the content acquirer acquires the requested content to while the mobile unit is moving.

17. The terminal apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the presenter presents a map indicating the presentation trigger region and the region including the area included in the traveling direction of the mobile unit.

10. A content distribution system, comprising:

a terminal apparatus included with a mobile unit, comprising;

a position detector that detects a position of the mobile unit;

a position transmitter that transmits the detected position of the mobile unit; and

a content receiver that receives transmitted content, and

a server, comprising;

a content list storage that stores a content list including at least one pair of an address of content related to a position and the position;

a position receiver that receives the position of the mobile unit transmitted from the terminal apparatus;

a specifier which defines a content acquisition region including an area located in a traveling direction of the mobile unit based on the received position of the mobile unit, and identifies at least one position included in the content list which is located in the content acquisition region;

a content acquirer that acquires content for a presentation of information associated with the at least one identified position using the address related to the identified position; and

a content transmitter that transmits the acquired content to the terminal apparatus.

11. A method of acquiring content for a presentation of information associated with a position of a terminal apparatus included with a mobile unit, comprising:

storing a content list including at least one pair of an address of the content and an associated position, the address uniquely specifying a storage location on a network;

detecting a position of the mobile unit;

defining a content acquisition region including an area located in a traveling direction of the mobile unit based on the detected position of the mobile unit;

identifying at least one position included in the content list which is located in the content acquisition region;

requesting content associated with the at least one identified position using the address of the content associated with the identified position via a wireless communication to a content server; and

acquiring the requested content from the content server.

12. A computer-readable medium comprising a program for a terminal apparatus included with a mobile unit to acquire content for presentation of information associated with a position, the program comprising instructions for:

storing a content list including at least one pair of an address of the content and an associated position, the address uniquely specifying a storage location on a network;

detecting a position of the mobile unit;

defining a content acquisition region including an area located in a traveling direction of the mobile unit based on the detected position of the mobile unit;

identifying at least one position included in the content list which is located in the content acquisition region;

requesting content associated with the at least one identified position using the address of the content associated with the identified position via a wireless communication to a content server; and

acquiring the requested content from the content server.