Grouping system, grouping management server, and grouping program

• US 8,407,074 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2007
• Issued: 03/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fugaku Express Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Fugaku Express Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Asanuma, Katsuhide
• Primary Examiner(s): Loftis, Johnna
• Assistant Examiner(s): Koneru, Sujay
• Application Number:
  US12/298,817
• Publication Number:
  US 20090228329A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,188 Days
• Field of Search: 705 711- 742
• US Class Current: 705/7.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3272 Games involving multiple players

Abstract

A group of participants taking part in an event is formed on the basis of intention of the participants. A grouping system includes a mobile terminal 3 having adjacent terminal communicating units 17, and a management server 1 for performing grouping. The management server 1 includes a member personal information database 51 for recording member ID information of the participants; an ID information combination database 52 for recording a combination of ID information obtained from another mobile terminal and ID information of itself; an event management database 53 for recording content of at least one event; an ID group management database 55 for registering an ID group; and group managing unit 67 for forming the ID group by linking ID information combinations having common ID information, recorded in the ID information combination database 52.

Claims

1. A grouping system for grouping a plurality of participants participating in an event, comprising:

a mobile terminal carried by each of the participants, the mobile terminal having adjacent terminal communicating means for directly transmitting/receiving information including information to/from an other mobile terminal; and

a grouping management server for grouping the participants by transmitting/receiving information to/from the mobile terminals,

wherein the grouping management server includes;

a member personal information database for recording ID information of the participants;

an ID information combination database for receiving and recording a combination of ID information obtained by one mobile terminal directly from another one or more mobile terminals by the adjacent terminal communicating means and ID information from the one mobile terminal transmitted by the one mobile terminal;

an event management database for recording content of at least one event;

an ID group management database for registering an ID group formed on the basis of the combination of the ID information;

management server transmitting/receiving means for transmitting/receiving information to/from the mobile terminal;

group managing means for forming the ID group by linking ID information combinations having common ID information, recorded in the ID information combination database; and

control means for controlling the databases and the means, and

the group managing means forms the ID group as an event participation group on the basis of a preset group forming condition, and wherein;

the mobile terminal for obtaining ID information from another one or more of the mobile terminals by adjacent terminal communicating means has the functions of performing;

a process operation of obtaining information of data destinations of mobile terminals from the another one or more of the mobile terminals via the adjacent terminal communicating means, and determining, on the basis of the information obtained from the another one or more of the mobile terminals, whether the mobile terminal has a system application for participating in the grouping system in a storage of the mobile terminal or not, and

a process operation, when the mobile terminal is determined as a mobile terminal which does not store the application in its storage, of transmitting the information of the data destination of the mobile terminal obtained to the grouping management server, and

the grouping management server has the function of performing a process operation of, when the information of the data communication destination of the mobile terminal is obtained from one mobile terminal, downloading the application to the mobile terminal and assigning a member ID on the basis of the information of the data communication destination.

2. The grouping system according to claim 1, wherein the grouping management server further comprises an expression pattern database for recording expression pattern information displayed at least on a screen of the mobile terminal,

wherein each time a new ID group is formed by linking ID information combinations or ID groups having the common ID information, the group managing means transmits predetermined expression pattern information extracted from the expression pattern database to the mobile terminals of the participants belonging to the new ID group.

3. The grouping system according to claim 2, further comprising, as an event participant carrying item, a display screen device for receiving and displaying the expression pattern information,

wherein the display screen device displays the same expression pattern as that displayed on the mobile terminal each time a new ID group is formed.

4. The grouping system according to claim 1, further comprising an organizer terminal for inputting a participant grouping instruction for each event to the grouping management server.

5. A grouping system for grouping a plurality of participants participating in an event, comprising:

a mobile terminal carried by each of the participants, the mobile terminal having adjacent terminal communicating means for directly transmitting/receiving information including information to/from an other mobile terminal; and

a grouping management server for grouping the participants by transmitting/receiving information to/from the mobile terminals,

wherein the grouping management server includes;

a member personal information database for recording ID information of the participants;

an ID information combination database for receiving and recording a combination of ID information obtained by one mobile terminal directly from another one or more mobile terminals by the adjacent terminal communicating means and ID information from the one mobile terminal transmitted by the one mobile terminal;

an event management database for recording content of at least one event;

an ID group management database for registering an ID group formed on the basis of the combination of the ID information;

management server transmitting/receiving means for transmitting/receiving information to/from the mobile terminal;

group managing means for forming the ID group by linking ID information combinations having common ID information, recorded in the ID information combination database; and

control means for controlling the databases and the means, and

the group managing means forms the ID group as an event participation group on the basis of a preset group forming condition, and wherein;

the one mobile terminal for obtaining ID information from the another one or more mobile terminals by the adjacent terminal communicating means has the function of performing;

a process operation of obtaining any of a mobile terminal device ID of the another one or more mobile terminals, an ID of the adjacent communicating means device, a user ID, and a contractor ID from the another one or more mobile terminals via the adjacent terminal communicating means, and determining, on the basis of the information obtained from the another one or more mobile terminals, whether the mobile terminal stores a system application for participating in the grouping system in a storage of the mobile terminal or not, and

a process operation, when the mobile terminal is determined as a mobile terminal having no application in its storage, of transmitting any of the mobile terminal device ID of the mobile terminal, the ID of the adjacent communicating means device, the user ID, and the contractor ID obtained to the grouping management server, and

the grouping management server has the function of performing a process operation of, when any of the mobile terminal device ID of the another one or more mobile terminals, the ID of the adjacent communicating means device, the user ID, and the contractor ID is obtained from the one mobile terminal, accessing an ID management server for managing the mobile terminal device ID, the ID of the adjacent communicating means device, the user ID, or the contractor ID in an ID management database on the basis of any of the mobile terminal device ID, the ID of the adjacent communicating means device, the user ID and the contractor ID obtained,

obtaining information of a data communication destination of the mobile terminal specified by any of the mobile terminal device ID, the ID of the adjacent communicating means device, the user ID, and the contract ID obtained,

downloading the application to the mobile terminal on the basis of the information related to the data communication destination, and assigning a member ID.

6. The grouping system according to claim 5, wherein the grouping management server further comprises an expression pattern database for recording expression pattern information displayed at least on a screen of the mobile terminal,

wherein each time a new ID group is formed by linking ID information combinations or ID groups having the common ID information, the group managing means transmits predetermined expression pattern information extracted from the expression pattern database to the mobile terminals of the participants belonging to the new ID group.

7. The grouping system according to claim 6, further comprising, as an event participant carrying item, a display screen device for receiving and displaying the expression pattern information,

wherein the display screen device displays the same expression pattern as that displayed on the mobile terminal each time a new ID group is formed.

8. The grouping system according to claim 5, further comprising an organizer terminal for inputting a participant grouping instruction for each event to the grouping management server.

9. A grouping system for grouping a plurality of participants participating in an event, comprising:

a mobile terminal carried by each of the participants, the mobile terminal having adjacent terminal communicating means for directly transmitting/receiving information including information to/from an other mobile terminal; and

a grouping management server for grouping the participants by transmitting/receiving information to/from the mobile terminals,

wherein the grouping management server includes;

a member personal information database for recording ID information of the participants;

an ID information combination database for receiving and recording a combination of ID information obtained by one mobile terminal directly from another one or more mobile terminals by the adjacent terminal communicating means and ID information from the one mobile terminal transmitted by the one mobile terminal;

an event management database for recording content of at least one event;

an ID group management database for registering an ID group formed on the basis of the combination of the ID information;

management server transmitting/receiving means for transmitting/receiving information to/from the mobile terminal;

group managing means for forming the ID group by linking ID information combinations having common ID information, recorded in the ID information combination database; and

control means for controlling the databases and the means, and

the group managing means forms the ID group as an event participation group on the basis of a preset group forming condition, and wherein;

the one mobile terminal for obtaining ID information from the another one or more mobile terminals by the adjacent terminal communicating means has the function of performing

a process operation of determining whether the mobile terminal is a mobile terminal having a system application for participating in the grouping system in a storage of the mobile terminal or not on the basis of information obtained from the mobile terminal when communication is performed with the another one or more mobile terminals via the adjacent terminal communicating means,

a process operation of determining whether the mobile terminal is a mobile terminal to which a member ID is assigned or not, and

a process operation of transmitting information for starting the application to the mobile terminal via the adjacent terminal communicating means when the mobile terminal is determined as a mobile terminal which stores the application in its storage but to which no member ID is assigned.

10. The grouping system according to claim 9, wherein the grouping management server further comprises an expression pattern database for recording expression pattern information displayed at least on a screen of the mobile terminal,

wherein each time a new ID group is formed by linking ID information combinations or ID groups having the common ID information, the group managing means transmits predetermined expression pattern information extracted from the expression pattern database to the mobile terminals of the participants belonging to the new ID group.

11. The grouping system according to claim 10, further comprising, as an event participant carrying item, a display screen device for receiving and displaying the expression pattern information,

wherein the display screen device displays the same expression pattern as that displayed on the mobile terminal each time a new ID group is formed.

12. The grouping system according to claim 9, further comprising an organizer terminal for inputting a participant grouping instruction for each event to the grouping management server.