Location notification method, location notification system, information processing apparatus, wireless communication apparatus, and program

• US 8,010,135 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2008
• Issued: 08/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Rekimoto, Junichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Danh
• Application Number:
  US12/105,118
• Publication Number:
  US 20080261620A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,230 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.6, 455/456.1, 455/418, 340/993
• US Class Current: 455/456.6
• 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 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier

Abstract

There is provided a wireless communication apparatus including a base station information input portion to input base station information of a base station transmitting a radio wave having a wave reaching range including a particular location, the base station information acquired from a first memory storing a plurality of pieces of base station information containing a base station ID, a recording portion to record the base station information input to the base station information input portion into a second memory placed in the wireless communication apparatus, a reception portion to receive the radio wave transmitted from a surrounding base station, and a notification processing portion to perform prescribed notification processing based on a determination result whether the wireless communication apparatus exists in the particular location.

Claims

1. A location notification method comprising the steps of:

inputting location information indicating a given location;

acquiring base station information, containing a base station ID, of a base station transmitting a radio wave having a wave reaching range including the location indicated by the location information, from a first memory storing a plurality of pieces of base station information of base stations;

recording the base station information acquired from the first memory into a second memory placed in a wireless communication apparatus;

receiving a radio wave containing a base station ID from a surrounding base station by the wireless communication apparatus;

determining whether the wireless communication apparatus exists in the location indicated by the location information based on the radio wave received by the wireless communication apparatus and the base station information stored in the second memory; and

performing prescribed notification processing based on a determination result whether the wireless communication apparatus exists in the location indicated by the location information.

2. A location notification system comprising:

a wireless communication apparatus capable of receiving a radio wave containing a base station ID transmitted from a base station of wireless communication; and

an information processing apparatus connected with the wireless communication apparatus, wherein

the information processing apparatus includes;

a location information input portion to input location information indicating a given location;

an acquisition portion to acquire base station information, containing a base station ID, of a base station transmitting a radio wave having a wave reaching range including the location indicated by the location information input to the location information input portion, from a first memory storing a plurality of pieces of base station information of base stations; and

an output portion to output the base station information acquired by the acquisition portion to the wireless communication apparatus, and

the wireless communication apparatus includes;

a base station information input portion to input the base station information output from the output portion;

a recording portion to record the base station information input to the base station information input portion into a second memory placed in the wireless communication apparatus;

a reception portion to receive the radio wave transmitted from a surrounding base station;

a determination portion to determine whether the wireless communication apparatus exists in the location indicated by the location information based on the radio wave received by the reception portion and the base station information stored in the second memory; and

a notification processing portion to perform prescribed notification processing based on a determination result of the determination portion whether the wireless communication apparatus exists in the location indicated by the location information.

3. A wireless communication apparatus capable of receiving a radio wave containing a base station ID transmitted from a base station of wireless communication, comprising:

a base station information input portion to input base station information of a base station transmitting a radio wave having a wave reaching range including a particular location, the base station information acquired from a first memory storing a plurality of pieces of base station information containing a base station ID;

a recording portion to record the base station information input to the base station information input portion into a second memory placed in the wireless communication apparatus;

a reception portion to receive the radio wave transmitted from a surrounding base station;

a determination portion to determine whether the wireless communication apparatus exists in the particular location based on the radio wave received by the reception portion and the base station information stored in the second memory; and

a notification processing portion to perform prescribed notification processing based on a determination result of the determination portion whether the wireless communication apparatus exists in the particular location.

4. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the reception portion receives the radio wave transmitted from the surrounding base station at a prescribed frequency.

5. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a distance evaluation portion to evaluate a distance between a location of the wireless communication apparatus and the particular location based on the radio wave received by the reception portion and the base station information stored in the second memory, wherein

the reception portion reduces a frequency of receiving the radio wave transmitted from the surrounding base station as the distance between the location of the wireless communication apparatus and the particular location evaluated by the distance evaluation portion is longer.

6. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

a time information input portion to input time information indicating a given time, wherein

the determination portion determines whether the wireless communication apparatus exists in the particular location at the time indicated by the time information input to the time information input portion.

7. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

a notification information input portion to input notification information to be notified to a user of the wireless communication apparatus, wherein

the notification processing portion performs notification processing of the notification information input to the notification information input portion when the determination portion determines that the wireless communication apparatus exists in the particular location.

8. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

a location information input portion to input location information indicating the particular location; and

an acquisition portion to acquire base station information of a base station transmitting a radio wave having a wave reaching range including the particular location indicated by the location information input to the location information input portion, from the first memory.

9. A program executes by a processor for causing a computer to serve as a wireless communication apparatus capable of receiving a radio wave containing a base station ID transmitted from a base station of wireless communication, the wireless communication apparatus comprising:

a base station information input portion to input base station information of a base station transmitting a radio wave having a wave reaching range including a particular location, the base station information acquired from a first memory storing a plurality of pieces of base station information containing a base station ID;

a recording portion to record the base station information input to the base station information input portion into a second memory;

a reception portion to receive the radio wave transmitted from a surrounding base station;

a determination portion to determine whether the wireless communication apparatus exists in the particular location based on the radio wave received by the reception portion and the base station information stored in the second memory; and

a notification processing portion to perform prescribed notification processing based on a determination result of the determination portion whether the wireless communication apparatus exists in the particular location.