Communication control system

• US 8,099,100 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2007
• Issued: 01/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamada, Toshiyuki, Hidaka, Shunsuke, Hirokawa, Shigeki
• Primary Examiner(s): Corsaro, Nick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel, Mahendra
• Application Number:
  US12/443,777
• Publication Number:
  US 20100240381A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,568 Days
• Field of Search: 455/452, 455/518, 455/414.1, 455/902, 455/575.1, 455/509, 455/515, 455/550.1, 455/552.1, 455/569.1, 455/519, 455/416, 379/159, 704/235, 370/278
• US Class Current: 455/450
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/5072 Multiple active speakers conducting a computer conference, e.g. Admission detection H04L12/1822
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42093 Notifying the calling party of information on the called or connected party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42289 with carrierprovider selection by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42348 Location-based services which utilize the location information of a target
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42357 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management

Abstract

The present invention provides a communication control system which can prevent unnecessary communication connections while ensuring user-friendliness when 1 to N communication is performed.

The communication control system judges whether an area code of a mobile terminal and area codes of the other mobile terminals of the group match, and establishes 1 to N communication between the mobile terminal and the mobile terminals of which area codes match. As a result, when the users are contacted to meet, for example, the communication control system can prevent unnecessary communication connections without indiscriminately connecting the mobile terminals of users at distant locations for whom it is difficult to travel for a meeting. In addition, the communication destination mobile terminals are automatically selected based on the area code, user-friendliness can therefore be sufficiently ensured.

Claims

1. A communication control system for controlling simultaneous communication among a plurality of mobile terminals belonging to a pre-registered group, the system comprising:

position information storage means for storing position information which indicates a current position of each of said mobile terminals from said pre-registered group;

start request information reception means for receiving start request information to request the start of a communication connection from one mobile terminal of said pre-registered group;

area judgment means for judging whether each other mobile terminal of said pre-registered group that did not initiate the start request information are located within a predetermined area in which the mobile terminal that initiated the start request information is located by referring to said position information stored in said position information storage means when said start request information reception means receives said start request information,

the predetermined area defined by an area code associated with a plurality of base stations and an area which is set with a position specified by a user of said one mobile terminal as a center, and

each mobile terminal that is in communication with a base station included in the plurality of base stations associated with the area code judged to be located in the predetermined area;

connection control means for establishing a communication connection between said mobile terminal of said pre-registered group that initiated the start request information and each other of said mobile terminals of said pre-registered group that did not initiate the start request information which have been judged as being located within said predetermined area by said area judgment means; and

position information monitoring means for monitoring, during said communication, position information of each of said mobile terminals participating in said communication and judging whether a current position of each of said mobile terminal participating in said communication mutually approaches within a predetermined distance upon indication that a base station ID associated with any one of said mobile terminals participating in said communication has changed.

2. The communication control system according to claim 1, further comprising:

approach information transmission means for transmitting approach information to notify the mutual approach of the current position to a mobile terminal for which said position information monitoring means has judged that the current position has mutually approached within said predetermined distance.

3. The communication control system according to claim 1, further comprising:

transmission request information reception means for receiving, during said communication from said mobile terminal that initiated the start request information, transmission request information to request the transmission of position information of one mobile terminal participating in said communication to each other of said mobile terminals participating in said communication; and

position information transmission means for transmitting the position information of said one mobile terminal participating in said communication to each other of said mobile terminals participating in said communication when said transmission request information reception means receives said transmission request information.

4. The communication control system according to claim 1, further comprising:

receive request information reception means for receiving, during said communication from said mobile terminal that initiated the start request information, receive request information to request the reception of position information of each other of said mobile terminals participating in said communication; and

position information transmission means for transmitting the position information of each other of said mobile terminals participating in said communication to said mobile terminal that initiated the start request information when said receive request information reception means receives said receive request information.

5. The communication control system according to claim 1, further comprising:

display means for displaying, during said communication on said mobile terminal that initiated the start request information, a position of each other of said mobile terminals participating in said communication relative to said mobile terminal that initiated the start request information.

6. A communication control system for controlling simultaneous communication among a plurality of mobile terminals belonging to a pre-registered group, the system comprising:

a position information storage device to store position information which indicates a current position of each of said mobile terminals from said pre-registered group;

a start request information reception device to receive start request information to request the start of a communication connection from one mobile terminal of said pre-registered group;

an area judgment device to judge whether each other mobile terminal of said pre-registered group that did not initiate the start request information are located within a predetermined area in which the mobile terminal that initiated the start request information is located by referring to said position information stored in said position information storage device when said start request information reception device receives said start request information,

the predetermined area defined by an area code associated with a plurality of base stations and an area which is set with a position specified by a user of said one mobile terminal as a center, and

each mobile terminal that is in communication with a base station included in the plurality of base stations associated with the area code judged to be located in the predetermined area;

a connection control device to establish a communication connection between said mobile terminal of said pre-registered group that initiated the start request information and each other of said mobile terminals of said pre-registered group that did not initiate the start request information which have been judged as being located within said predetermined area by said area judgment device; and

a position information monitoring device to monitor, during said communication, position information of each of said mobile terminals participating in said communication and judging whether a current position of each of said mobile terminal participating in said communication mutually approaches within a predetermined distance upon indication that a base station ID associated with any one of said mobile terminals participating in said communication has changed.

7. The communication control system according to claim 6, further comprising:

an approach information transmission device to transmit approach information to notify the mutual approach of the current position to a mobile terminal for which said position information monitoring device has judged that the current position has mutually approached within said predetermined distance.

8. The communication control system according to claim 6, further comprising:

a transmission request information reception device to receive, during said communication from said mobile terminal that initiated the start request information, transmission request information to request the transmission of position information of one mobile terminal participating in said communication to each other of said mobile terminals participating in said communication; and

a position information transmission device to transmit the position information of said one mobile terminal participating in said communication to each other of said mobile terminals participating in said communication when said transmission request information reception device receives said transmission request information.

9. The communication control system according to claim 6, further comprising:

a receive request information reception device to receive, during said communication from said mobile terminal that initiated the start request information, receive request information to request the reception of position information of each other of said mobile terminals participating in said communication; and

a position information transmission device to transmit the position information of each other of said mobile terminals participating in said communication to said mobile terminal that initiated the start request information when said receive request information reception means receives said receive request information.

10. The communication control system according to claim 6, further comprising:

a display device to display, during said communication on said mobile terminal that initiated the start request information, a position of each other of said mobile terminals participating in said communication relative to said mobile terminal that initiated the start request information.