Communication apparatus, communication method, program, information management apparatus and communication system

• US 8,339,242 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2009
• Issued: 12/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Rekimoto, Junichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAMSON, SARA B
• Application Number:
  US12/867,380
• Publication Number:
  US 20110006909A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,107 Days
• Field of Search: 340/1.1, 340/6.1, 340/8.1
• US Class Current: 340/8.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0236 Assistance data, e.g. base station almanac
• 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 60/04 using triggered events
• 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 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination

Abstract

An apparatus and method provide logic for managing positional information within a mobile communication network. In one implementation, an information management apparatus includes a history information registration unit, a registration determination unit, and a base station information registration unit. The history information registration unit may be configured to register first and second history information within a storage unit. The registration determination unit may determine whether a difference value between time information associated with the first and second history information is less than a threshold value. The base station information registration unit may subsequently register at least position information associated with a communications apparatus and a base station, when the difference value is less than the threshold value.

Claims

1. An information management apparatus, comprising:

a history information registration unit configured to register first and second history information within a storage unit, the first history information comprising position information indicating a position of a communications apparatus at a predetermined time and first time information indicating the predetermined time, and the second history information comprising base station identification information and second time information indicating a time at which the base station identification information is acquired by the communications apparatus;

a registration determination unit configured to calculate a difference value between the first time information and the second time information and to determine whether the difference value is less than the threshold value; and

a base station information registration unit configured to, when the registration determination unit determines that the difference value is less than the threshold value, register at least a portion of the position information and the base station identification information within the storage unit.

2. The information management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the storage unit is configured to store a plurality of threshold values associated with corresponding modes of transportation;

the first history information comprises information identifying a mode of transportation mode associated with the communications apparatus; and

the registration determination unit acquires the threshold value from the stored threshold values based on at least the transportation mode identification information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the history information registration unit is further configured to obtain information identifying the mode of transportation associated with the communications apparatus.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the storage unit is further configured to store the threshold value.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a communication unit configured to transmit and receive signals across a communications network.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the communication unit is further configured to receive the first and second history information from the communications apparatus across the communications network.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the base station information registration unit is further configured to:

obtain information indicative of a strength of a signal between the communications apparatus and the base station; and

register the signal strength information as at least a portion of the base station identification information, when the difference value fails to exceed the threshold value.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the communication unit receives the signal strength information from the communications apparatus across the communications network.

9. An information management method, comprising:

receiving first and second history information from a communications apparatus, the first history information comprising position information indicating a position of the communications apparatus at a predetermined time and first time information indicating the predetermined time, and the second history information comprising base station identification information and second time information indicating a time at which the base station identification information is acquired by the communications apparatus;

calculating a difference value between the first time information and the second time information;

determining whether the difference value is less than threshold value associated with the communications apparatus; and

when the difference value is less than the threshold value, registering at least a portion of the position information and the base station identification information within a storage unit.

10. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a method, comprising:

receiving first and second history information from a communications apparatus, the first history information comprising position information indicating a position of the communications apparatus at a predetermined time and first time information indicating the predetermined time, and the second history information comprising base station identification information and second time information indicating a time at which the base station identification information is acquired by the communications apparatus;

calculating a difference value between the first time information and the second time information;

determining whether the difference value is less than a threshold value; and

when the difference value is less than the threshold value, registering at least a portion of the position information and the base station identification information within a storage unit.

11. A communication system having a communication apparatus and an information management apparatus, wherein

the communication apparatus includes:

a history information storage unit;

a base station detection unit configured to obtain base station identification information to identify a base station from a signal received from the base station;

a history information registration unit configured to;

acquire position information indicating a position of the communications apparatus at a predetermined time and first time information indicating the predetermined time;

associate the position information and the first time information to register the associated information with the history information storage unit as first history information; and

associate the base station identification information and second time information indicating a time at which the base station identification information is obtained to register the associated information with the history information storage unit as second history information; and

a transmission control unit configured to generate an instruction to transmit the first and second history information to the information management apparatus; and

the information management apparatus includes;

a history information registration unit configured to register the first and second history information within a storage unit, the first history information comprising position information indicating a position of a communications apparatus at a predetermined time and first time information indicating the predetermined time, and the second history information comprising base station identification information and second time information indicating a time at which the base station identification information is acquired by the communications apparatus;

a registration determination unit configured to calculate a difference value between the first time information and the second time information to determine whether the difference value is less than the threshold value; and

a base station information registration unit configured to, when the registration determination unit determines that the difference value is less than the threshold value, register at least a portion of the position information and the base station identification information within a storage unit.

12. The communications system of claim 11, wherein:

the communications apparatus further comprises a first communication unit configured to transmit and receive signals across the communications network; and

the information management apparatus further comprises a second communication unit configured to transmit and receive signals across a communications network.

13. The communications system of claim 12, wherein:

the first communications apparatus is further configured to transmit the first and second history information to the information management apparatus in accordance with the generated instruction; and

the second communications apparatus is further configured to receive the first and second history information from the communications apparatus.

14. The communications system of claim 11, wherein:

the storage unit is configured to store a plurality of threshold values associated with corresponding modes of transportation;

the first history information comprises information identifying a transportation mode associated with the communications apparatus; and

the registration determination unit acquires the threshold value from the stored threshold values based on at least the transportation mode identification information.