Communication terminal, information supply system, and information supply method

• US 7,519,374 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2005
• Issued: 04/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Ando, Manabu, Matsuda, Hironori, Hasegawa, Shin
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THUAN T
• Application Number:
  US11/108,668
• Publication Number:
  US 20050239512A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,456 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 455/456.6, 455/457, 455/12.1, 455/432.1, 455/404.2, 455/404.1, 714/42, 340/905, 340/988, 340/995
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries

Abstract

A mobile device comprises at least a program starter, a communication controller, a display controller, a display portion, and an instruction portion. The mobile device receives report information that is emitted in a predetermined period by a guidance information terminal upon entering the communication area of the guidance information terminal in a state where a guidance information display application has been started by the program starter. The mobile device causes the display portion to display a dialog screen for issuing an instruction with regard to whether to acquire guidance information by means of the display controller upon reception of the report information. When the acquisition of guidance information has been instructed by the instruction portion, the mobile device issues a request to the guidance information terminal to transmit the guidance information by means of the communication controller and receives the guidance information. The guidance information thus received is displayed on the display portion by means of the display controller.

Claims

1. A communication terminal, comprising:

starting means for starting an application program for displaying supply information once the supply information is transmitted by an external device;

reception means for receiving report information that is emitted by the external device which is installed in a plurality of locations and usually emits report information by using short distance wireless communications, and which communicates an existence of the external device so as to inform said communication terminal that the communication terminal is within communication range of said external device, by using short distance wireless communications;

display control means for causing display means to display a screen, in response to receiving said report information, for issuing an instruction with regard to whether the supply information is to be acquired upon reception of the report information by the reception means in a state where the application program has been started by the starting means; and

instruction means for issuing an instruction to acquire the supply information via the screen that is displayed by the display control means,

wherein the reception means receives the supply information by issuing a request to the external device to transmit the supply information when acquisition of the supply information has been instructed by the instruction means; and

the display control means causes the display means to display the supply information received by the reception means.

2. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the supply information is information with little temporal variation.

3. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the supply information is link information indicating a connection destination other than the external device;

the reception means request transmission of display information to the connection destination indicated by the link information and receive the display information; and

the display control means cause the display means to display the display information received by the reception means.

4. The communication terminal according to claim 3, wherein the display information is domestic information of the connection destination;

and

the reception means request the transmission of the domestic information to the connection destination indicated by the link information via an international line and receive the domestic information.

5. An information supply system, comprising:

starting means for starting an application program for displaying supply information once the supply information is transmitted by an external device;

reception means for receiving report information that is emitted by the external device and which communicates an existence of the external device so as to inform said communication terminal that the communication terminal is within communication range of said external device;

display control means for causing display means to display a screen in response to receiving said report information for issuing an instruction with regard to whether the supply information is to be acquired upon reception of the report information by the reception means in a state where the application program has been started by the starting means; and

instruction means for issuing an instruction to acquire the supply information via the screen that is displayed by the display control means,

wherein the reception means receives the supply information by issuing a request to the external device to transmit the supply information when acquisition of the supply information has been instructed by the instruction means;

the display control means causes the display means to display the supply information received by the reception means; and

an external device that is installed in a plurality of locations and usually emits report information by using short distance wireless communications,

wherein the external device transmits the supply information in accordance with a request from the communication terminal.

6. An information supply method implemented by a communication terminal that is capable of communicating with an external device, comprising the steps of:

starting an application program for displaying supply information that is eventually transmitted by the external device;

receiving report information that is emitted by the external device which is installed in a plurality of locations and usually emits report information by using short distance wireless communications, and which communicates an existence of the external device so as to inform said communication terminal that the communication terminal is within communication range of said external device, by using short distance wireless communications;

causing display means to display a screen for issuing an instruction with regard to whether the supply information is to be acquired upon reception of the report information in the report information reception step in a state where the application program has been started in the starting step;

issuing an instruction to acquire the supply information via the screen that was displayed in the instruction screen display control step;

receiving the supply information by issuing a request to the external device to transmit the supply information when acquisition of the supply information has been instructed in the instruction step; and

causing the display means to display the supply information received in the supply information reception step.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the supply information is information with little temporal variation.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the supply information is link information indicating a connection destination other than the external device;

and

wherein said method further comprises requesting transmission of display information to the connection destination indicated by the link information and receiving the display information; and

displaying the display information once received.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the display information is domestic information of the connection destination;

and

the method further including the step of requesting transmission of the domestic information to the connection destination indicated by the link information via an international line and receiving the domestic information.