Terminal having function for managing position information and program recorded medium

• US 8,346,277 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2008
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Hyong-Won, Yoon, Tae-Sook
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar, Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): Obayanju, Omoniyi
• Application Number:
  US12/195,276
• Publication Number:
  US 20090054086A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,595 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/457
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3438 Rendez-vous, i.e. searching a destination where several users can meet, and the routes to this destination for these users; Ride sharing, i.e. searching a route such that at least two users can share a vehicle for at least part of the route

Abstract

A wireless communication terminal having a wireless communication unit and a display is able to receive location information about the position of the terminal, remote terminal s, and at least one third location. The terminal obtains route information from the terminal to the at least one third location, from the terminal to the remote terminals, and from the remote terminals to the at least one third location, and displays travel routes between the locations. The terminal also obtains travel information comprising speed, estimated travel time, and travel direction from the terminal and the remote terminals, and displays travel progress of the terminal and the remote terminals.

Claims

1. A terminal comprising:

an input unit for receiving, from a user of the terminal, identification information identifying at least one remote terminal which is a mobile phone type terminal;

a wireless communication unit for receiving position information of the terminal, the at least one remote terminal, and at least one destination, the position information of the at least one remote terminal received in response to the received identification information;

a memory for storing the received position information of the at least one remote terminal according to the identification information;

a controller for determining route information between the terminal and the at least one destination, and between the at least one remote terminal and the at least one destination based on the position information of the terminal, the at least one remote terminal, and at least one destination; and

a display for displaying first travel information between the terminal and the at least one destination and second travel information between the at least one remote terminal and the at least one destination, the first and second travel information displayed concurrently according to the determined route information,

wherein;

the first travel information comprises at least a distance between the terminal and the at least one destination, a speed of the terminal traveling, an estimated travel time for the terminal, or a direction of travel from a position of the terminal to a position of the at least one destination;

the second travel information comprises at least a distance between the at least one remote terminal and the at least one destination, a speed of the at least one remote terminal, an estimated travel time for the at least one remote terminal, or a direction of travel from a position of the at least one remote terminal to a position the at least one destination;

the input unit comprises at least a keypad, a touchpad, or a touchscreen display;

the input unit further receives an input for setting a first condition and a second condition for obtaining a position of the at least one destination, the first condition and the second condition having different values;

the first condition is related to the terminal and the at least one destination and the second condition is related to the at least one remote terminal and the at least one destination, the first condition and the second condition each comprising estimated travel time to the at least one destination;

the controller is further for determining that the estimated travel time has been increased greater than a threshold time while displaying the first and second travel information according to the first condition and the second condition;

the display displays a window for prompting a user whether to change the at least one destination to a new destination or to change the route information from a currently displayed route to a new route when the controller determines that the estimated travel has been increased; and

the input unit further receives an input for changing the at least one destination or the route information in response to the prompted window.

2. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the identification information further comprises a name.

3. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the at least one remote terminal comprises two or more remote terminals.

4. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the displayed second travel information further comprises the direction of travel from the position of the at least one remote terminal to the position of the at least one destination.

5. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication unit transmits the position information of the at least one destination to the at least one remote terminal and receives from the at least one remote terminal the route information between the at least one remote terminal and the at least one destination.

6. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication unit transmits to the at least one remote terminal the route information between the terminal and the at least one destination.

19. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the position information of the at least one remote terminal stored in the memory is updated periodically by receiving current position information of the at least one remote terminal.

20. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the identification information is received via at least the keypad, the touchpad, or the touchscreen and comprises a telephone number corresponding to the at least one remote terminal.

21. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the display is further for displaying a map including both the first travel information and the second travel information.

7. A method of obtaining route information in a terminal, the method comprising:

receiving from a user, via an input unit of the terminal, identification information identifying at least one remote terminal which is a mobile phone type terminal;

receiving position information of the terminal, the at least one remote terminal, and at least one destination, the position information of the at least one remote terminal received in response to the received identification information;

storing the received position information of the at least one remote terminal according to the identification information;

determining route information between the terminal and the at least one destination, and between the at least one remote terminal and the at least one destination based on the position information of the terminal, the at least one remote terminal, and the at least one destination; and

displaying first travel information between the terminal and the at least one destination and second travel information between the at least one remote terminal and the at least one destination concurrently according to the determined route information,

wherein;

the first travel information comprises at least a distance between the terminal and the at least one destination, a traveling speed of the terminal, an estimated travel time for the terminal, or a direction of travel from a position of the terminal to a position of the at least one destination;

the second travel information comprises at least a distance between the at least one remote terminal and the at least one destination, a speed of the at least one remote terminal, an estimated travel time for the at least one remote terminal, or a direction of travel from a position of the at least one remote terminal to a position of the at least one destination;

the input unit comprises at least a keypad, a touchpad, or a touchscreen display; and

the method further comprises;

receiving, via the input unit, an input for setting a first condition and a second condition for obtaining a position of the at least one destination, the first condition and the second condition having different values,

wherein the first condition is related to the terminal and the at least one destination and the second condition is related to the at least one remote terminal and the at least one destination, the first condition and the second condition each comprising estimated travel time to the at least one destination;

determining that the estimated travel time has been increased greater than a threshold time while displaying the first and second travel information according to the first condition and the second condition;

displaying a window for prompting a user whether to change the at least one destination to a new destination or to change the route information from a currently displayed route to a new route when the controller determines that the estimated travel has been increased; and

receiving, via the input unit, an input for changing the at least one destination or the route information in response to the prompted window.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the identification information further comprises a name.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one remote terminal comprises two or more remote terminals.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the displayed second travel information further comprises the direction of travel from the position of the at least one remote terminal to the position of the at least one destination.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising transmitting the position information of the at least one destination to the at least one remote terminal and receiving from the at least one remote terminal the route information between the at least one remote terminal and the at least one destination.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising transmitting to the at least one remote terminal the route information between the terminal and the at least one destination.

13. A route information system comprising:

a terminal for receiving position information of the terminal, at least one remote terminal, and at least one destination; and

a server for transmitting position information of the terminal, the at least one remote terminal, and the at least one destination,

wherein the terminal comprises;

an input unit for receiving, from a user of the terminal, identification information identifying the at least one remote terminal which is a mobile phone type terminal;

a wireless communication unit for receiving the position information of the at least one remote terminal in response to the received identification information;

a memory for storing the received position information of the at least one remote terminal according to the identification information; and

a display for displaying first travel information between the terminal and the at least one destination and second travel information between the at least one remote terminal and the at least one destination, the first and second travel information displayed concurrently according to the determined route information,

wherein;

the first travel information comprises at least a distance between the terminal and the at least one destination, a speed of the terminal traveling, an estimated travel time for the terminal, or a direction of travel from a position of the terminal to a position of the at least one destination;

the second travel information comprises at least a distance between the at least one remote terminal and the at least one destination, a speed of the at least one remote terminal, an estimated travel time for the at least one remote terminal, or a direction of travel from a position of the at least one remote terminal to a position of the at least one destination;

the input unit comprises at least a keypad, a touchpad, or a touchscreen display;

the input unit further receives an input for setting a first condition and a second condition for obtaining a position of the at least one destination, the first condition and the second condition having different values;

the first condition is related to the terminal and the at least one destination and the second condition is related to the at least one remote terminal and the at least one destination, the first condition and the second condition each comprising estimated travel time to the at least one destination;

the controller is further for determining that the estimated travel time has been increased greater than a threshold time while displaying the first and second travel information according to the first condition and the second condition;

the display displays a window for prompting a user whether to change the at least one destination to a new destination or to change the route information from a currently displayed route to a new route when the controller determines that the estimated travel has been increased; and

the input unit further receives an input for changing the at least one destination or the route information in response to the prompted window.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the identification information further comprises a name.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one remote terminal comprises two or more remote terminals.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the displayed second travel information comprises the direction of travel from the position of the at least one remote terminal to the position of the at least one destination.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the terminal transmits the position information of the at least one destination to the server and receives from the server the travel information between the at least one remote terminal and the at least one destination.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the terminal transmits to the server the travel information between the terminal and the at least one destination.