Information providing system and information providing method

• US 8,477,034 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2007
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Ishihara, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Akhter, Sharmin
• Application Number:
  US12/447,520
• Publication Number:
  US 20100066499A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,085 Days
• Field of Search: 340/8.1, 340 101- 106, 340/438, 3405391-53915, 3405721-5729, 340/994, 235/384, 455/304.1
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/045 using payment protocols involving tickets
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/127 Shopping or accessing services according to a time-limitation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 11/00 Apparatus for validating or cancelling issued tickets
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/02 taking into account a variable factor such as distance or time, e.g. for passenger transport, parking systems or car rental systems G07B15/06 takes precedence; taximeters G07B13/00; parking meters per se G07F17/24; car rental systems per se G07B15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/42 for ticket printing or like apparatus , e.g. apparatus for dispensing of printed paper tickets or payment cards

Abstract

An information providing system includes a portable terminal, and a server that provides the portable terminal with information of an arrival time of the portable terminal at a destination. The portable terminal comprises an RFID tag to which identification information of the destination and identification information of a departure place are written; and a communication unit that transmits the destination identification information, the departure place identification information, and information of a departure time which is a current time to the server when triggered by the departure place identification information written in the RFID tag. The server comprises an arrival time deriving unit that derives the arrival time at the destination using the departure place identification information, the destination identification information, and the departure time information transmitted from the portable terminal; and a communication unit that transmits the information of the arrival time at the destination to the portable terminal.

Claims

1. An information providing system comprising:

a portable terminal; and

a server that provides the portable terminal with information of an arrival time of the portable terminal at a destination,

wherein the portable terminal comprises

an RFID tag to which identification information of the destination and identification information of a departure place are written; and

a communication unit that transmits the destination identification information, the departure place identification information, and information of a departure time which is a current time to the server when triggered by the departure place identification information written in the RFID tag; and

wherein the server comprises

an arrival time deriving unit that derives the arrival time at the destination using the departure place identification information, the destination identification information, and the departure time information transmitted from the portable terminal; and

a communication unit that transmits the information of the arrival time at the destination to the portable terminal;

wherein the information providing system further comprises;

a departure place passage checking device installed in the departure place and having a write unit that writes the departure place identification information to the RFID tag when the portable terminal passes near its own device; and

a destination input device installed in an arbitrary point and having an input unit to which the destination identification information is input and a write unit that writes the destination identification information to the RFID tag,

wherein the destination input device comprises;

an arrival time deriving unit that derives the arrival time at the destination by using the place where the destination input device is installed as the departure place and by using the information of the destination and the current time; and

a display unit that displays the arrival time at the destination.

4. The information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the server further comprises a periphery information acquiring unit that acquires periphery information of the destination.

5. The information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the server further comprises a charge processing unit that performs a charge process for the portable terminal under a given condition.

2. An information providing system comprising:

a portable terminal; and

a server that provides the portable terminal with information of an arrival time of the portable terminal at a destination,

wherein the portable terminal comprises

an input unit to which identification information of the destination is input;

a storage unit in which the destination identification information is stored;

an RFID tag to which identification information of a departure place is written; and

a communication unit that transmits the destination identification information, the departure place identification information, and information of a departure time which is a current time to the server when triggered by the departure place identification information written in the RFID tag; and

wherein the server comprises

an arrival time deriving unit that derives the arrival time at the destination using the departure place identification information, the destination identification information, and the departure time information transmitted from the portable terminal; and

a communication unit that transmits the information of the arrival time at the destination to the portable terminal,

wherein the communication unit of the server transmits the information of the arrival time at the destination to another terminal.

3. The information providing system according to claim 2, further comprising a departure place passage checking device installed in the departure place and having a write unit that writes the departure place identification information to the RFID tag when the portable terminal passes near its own device.

6. A method for providing information of an arrival time of a portable terminal at a destination, from a server to the portable terminal, comprising:

writing, by the portable terminal, identification information of the destination and identification information of a departure place to an RFID tag;

transmitting, by the portable terminal, the destination identification information, the departure place identification information, and information of a departure time which is a current time to the server when triggered by the departure place identification information written in the RFID tag;

deriving, by the server, the arrival time at the destination using the departure place identification information, the destination identification information, and the departure time information transmitted from the portable terminal; and

transmitting, by the server, the information of the arrival time at the destination to the portable terminal,

wherein in the writing step,

a departure place passage checking device installed in the departure place writes the departure place identification information to the RFID tag when the portable terminal passes near its own device, and

a destination input device installed in an arbitrary point writes the destination identification information to the RFID tag at arbitrary timing,

wherein the information providing method further comprises;

deriving, by the destination input device, the arrival time at the destination by using the place where the destination input device is installed as the departure place and by using the information of the destination and the current time; and

displaying, by the destination input device, the arrival time at the destination.

9. The information providing method according to claim 6, further comprising acquiring, by the server, periphery information of the destination.

10. The information providing method according to claim 6, further comprising performing, by the server, a charge process for the portable terminal under a given condition.

7. A method for providing information of an arrival time of a portable terminal at a destination, from a server to the portable terminal, comprising:

inputting, by the portable terminal, identification information of the destination;

storing, by the portable terminal, the destination identification information;

writing, by the portable terminal, identification information of a departure place to an RFID tag;

transmitting, by the portable terminal, the destination identification information, the departure place identification information, and information of a departure time which is a current time to the server when triggered by the departure place identification information written in the RFID tag;

deriving, by the server, the arrival time at the destination using the departure place identification information, the destination identification information, and the departure time information transmitted from the portable terminal;

transmitting, by the server, the information of the arrival time at the destination to the portable terminal; and

transmitting, by the server, the information of the arrival time at the destination to another terminal.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the destination identification information is input to the portable terminal at arbitrary timing in the inputting step and

a destination input device installed in an arbitrary point writes the destination identification information to the RFID tag in the writing step at timing when the portable terminal passes near its own device.

11. An information providing system comprising:

a portable terminal; and

a server that provides the portable terminal with information of an arrival time of the portable terminal at a destination,

wherein the portable terminal comprises

an RFID tag to which identification information of the destination and identification information of a departure place are written; and

a communication unit that transmits the destination identification information, the departure place identification information, and information of a departure time which is a current time to the server when triggered by the departure place identification information written in the RFID tag; and

wherein the server comprises

an arrival time deriving unit that derives the arrival time at the destination using the departure place identification information, the destination identification information, and the departure time information transmitted from the portable terminal; and

a communication unit that transmits the information of the arrival time at the destination to the portable terminal,

wherein the communication unit of the server transmits the information of the arrival time at the destination to another terminal.

12. An information providing system comprising:

a portable terminal; and

a server that provides the portable terminal with information of an arrival time of the portable terminal at a destination,

wherein the portable terminal comprises

an RFID tag to which identification information of the destination and identification information of a departure place are written; and

a communication unit that transmits the destination identification information, the departure place identification information, and information of a departure time which is a current time to the server when triggered by the departure place identification information written in the RFID tag; and

wherein the server comprises

an arrival time deriving unit that derives the arrival time at the destination using the departure place identification information, the destination identification information, and the departure time information transmitted from the portable terminal; and

a communication unit that transmits the information of the arrival time at the destination to the portable terminal,

wherein the information providing system further comprises;

a destination passage checking device installed in the destination and having a write unit that writes the destination identification information to the RFID tag when the portable terminal passes near its own device,

wherein the server further comprises an arrival time management unit that manages the arrival time at the destination, and

wherein the communication unit of the server transmits the information of the arrival time at the destination to another terminal and makes a notification to the other terminal when the writing in the RFID tag by the destination passage checking device is present after a given time from the arrival time at the destination has elapsed and when the writing in the RFID tag in a place other than the destination is present before the writing by the destination passage checking device.

13. An information providing system comprising:

a portable terminal; and

a server that provides the portable terminal with information of an arrival time of the portable terminal at a destination,

wherein the portable terminal comprises

an input unit to which identification information of the destination is input;

a storage unit in which the destination identification information is stored;

an RFID tag to which identification information of a departure place is written; and

a communication unit that transmits the destination identification information, the departure place identification information, and information of a departure time which is a current time to the server when triggered by the departure place identification information written in the RFID tag; and

wherein the server comprises

an arrival time deriving unit that derives the arrival time at the destination using the departure place identification information, the destination identification information, and the departure time information transmitted from the portable terminal; and

a communication unit that transmits the information of the arrival time at the destination to the portable terminal,

wherein the information providing system further comprises;

a destination passage checking device installed in the destination and having a write unit that writes the destination identification information to the RFID tag when the portable terminal passes near its own device,

wherein the server further comprises an arrival time management unit that manages the arrival time at the destination, and

wherein the communication unit of the server transmits the information of the arrival time at the destination to another terminal and makes a notification to the other terminal when the writing in the RFID tag by the destination passage checking device is present after a given time from the arrival time at the destination has elapsed and when the writing in the RFID tag in a place other than the destination is present before the writing by the destination passage checking device.

14. A method for providing information of an arrival time of a portable terminal at a destination, from a server to the portable terminal, comprising:

writing, by the portable terminal, identification information of the destination and identification information of a departure place to an RFID tag;

transmitting, by the portable terminal, the destination identification information, the departure place identification information, and information of a departure time which is a current time to the server when triggered by the departure place identification information written in the RFID tag;

deriving, by the server, the arrival time at the destination using the departure place identification information, the destination identification information, and the departure time information transmitted from the portable terminal;

transmitting, by the server, the information of the arrival time at the destination to the portable terminal; and

transmitting, by the server, the information of the arrival time at the destination to another terminal.

15. A method for providing information of an arrival time of a portable terminal at a destination, from a server to the portable terminal, comprising:

writing, by the portable terminal, identification information of the destination and identification information of a departure place to an RFID tag;

transmitting, by the portable terminal, the destination identification information, the departure place identification information, and information of a departure time which is a current time to the server when triggered by the departure place identification information written in the RFID tag;

deriving, by the server, the arrival time at the destination using the departure place identification information, the destination identification information, and the departure time information transmitted from the portable terminal;

transmitting, by the server, the information of the arrival time at the destination to the portable terminal;

transmitting, by the server, the information of the arrival time at the destination to another terminal;

writing, by a destination passage checking device installed in the destination, the destination identification information to the RFID tag when the portable terminal passes near its own device; and

making, by the server, a notification to the other terminal when the writing in the RFID tag by the destination passage checking device is present after a given time from the arrival time at the destination has elapsed and when the writing in the RFID tag in a place other than the destination is present before the writing by the destination passage checking device.

16. A method for providing information of an arrival time of a portable terminal at a destination, from a server to the portable terminal, comprising:

inputting, by the portable terminal, identification information of the destination;

storing, by the portable terminal, the destination identification information;

writing, by the portable terminal, identification information of a departure place to an RFID tag;

transmitting, by the portable terminal, the destination identification information, the departure place identification information, and information of a departure time which is a current time to the server when triggered by the departure place identification information written in the RFID tag;

deriving, by the server, the arrival time at the destination using the departure place identification information, the destination identification information, and the departure time information transmitted from the portable terminal;

transmitting, by the server, the information of the arrival time at the destination to the portable terminal;

transmitting, by the server, the information of the arrival time at the destination to another terminal;

writing, by a destination passage checking device installed in the destination, the destination identification information to the RFID tag when the portable terminal passes near its own device; and

making, by the server, a notification to the other terminal when the writing in the RFID tag by the destination passage checking device is present after a given time from the arrival time at the destination has elapsed and when the writing in the RFID tag in a place other than the destination is present before the writing by the destination passage checking device.