Portable terminal and information provision system utilizing the portable terminal

• US 7,443,291 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2006
• Issued: 10/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Maxell, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Terui, Koichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass; Jeff
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAI, ANNE VIET NGA
• Application Number:
  US11/372,007
• Publication Number:
  US 20060170545A1
• Time in Patent Office: 963 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.11, 340/539.13, 340/539.15, 340/573.1, 340/573.4, 340/686.6, 340/435, 340/436, 340/902, 340/903, 340/988
• US Class Current: 340/539.11
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/005 including pedestrian guidance indicator
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles

Abstract

A portable terminal comprising a transmission part that transmits to information provision equipment or a server, a signal indicating presence at a prescribed location, presence of a communications counterparty at a prescribed location, a reception part that receives from the information provision equipment or the server, a signal indicating the position of a moving body, a moving body is approaching or is present at the prescribed location, an alarm part that issues an alarm using the moving body in position signal received at the reception part, indicating the moving body is approaching or is present at the prescribed location, a light detection part detecting the degree of brightness, a part deciding whether or not to transmit a present in prescribed location signal that decides, using the brightness as detected by the light detection part, whether or not to send a present in prescribed location signal from the transmission part.

Claims

1. A portable terminal comprising:

a position information generator which generates position information of the portable terminal;

a transmitter which transmits the position information generated by the position information generator to information provision equipment or a server;

a receiver which receives, from the information provision equipment or the server, a signal indicating that a moving body is approaching or a present at a prescribed location;

a light detector which detects the degree of brightness; and

an alarm which notifies a user of the portable terminal that the moving body is approaching or is present at the prescribed location when the level of brightness by the light detector is below a fixed level.

2. The portable terminal according to claim 1, wherein the position information generator generates the position information using GPS or a base station that performs communication with the portable terminal.

3. A portable terminal comprising:

a position information generator which generates position information of the portable terminal;

a transmitter which transmits the position information generated by the position information generator to information provision equipment or a server when a specific terminal is not close to the portable terminal;

a receiver which receives, from the information provision equipment or the server, a signal indicating that a moving body is approaching or is present at a prescribed location; and

an alarm which notifies a user of the portable terminal that the moving body is approaching or is present at the prescribed location when the receiver receives the signal from the information provision equipment or the server.