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

• US 8,704,637 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2012
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• 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:
  US13/724,215
• Publication Number:
  US 20130184001A1
• Time in Patent Office: 487 Days
• Field of Search: 340/1.1, 340/6.1, 340/8.1, 340/539.2, 340/539.13, 455/404.2, 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 455/456.6, 455/461
• 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 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 communication unit capable of transmitting and receiving a signal;

a storage unit that stores a threshold value;

a history information registration unit that;

when first history information comprising position information indicating a position of another apparatus at a predetermined time and first time information indicating the predetermined time is received via the communication unit, registers the first history information with the storage unit; and

when second history information comprising base station identification information and second time information indicating an acquisition time of the base station identification information is received via the communication unit, registers the second history information with the storage unit;

a registration determination unit that determines whether a difference between the first time information and the second time information is less than the threshold value stored in the storage unit; and

a base station information registration unit that, when the difference is less than the threshold value, registers;

at least a portion of position information with the storage unit; and

at least a portion of the base station identification information as base station information with the storage unit.

2. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the storage unit stores the threshold value for each piece of transportation device identification information to identify a transportation device of the other apparatus; and

the registration determination unit acquires the threshold value corresponding to the transportation device identification information from the storage unit when the transportation device identification information is included in the first history information.

3. An information management method comprising:

receiving first and second history information, the first history information comprising position information indicating a position of an 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 an acquisition time of the base station identification information;

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

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

when the difference is less than the threshold value, registering;

at least a portion of the position information with a storage unit; and

at least a portion of the base station identification information as base station information with the storage unit.

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

receiving first and second history information the first history information comprising position information indicating a position of another 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 an acquisition time of the base station identification information,

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

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

when the difference is less than the threshold value, registering;

at least a portion of the position information with a storage unit; and

at least a portion of the base station identification information as base station information with the storage unit.

5. A communication system having a communication apparatus and an information management apparatus, wherein the communication apparatus includes:

a communication unit capable of transmitting and receiving a signal;

a history information storage unit;

an information management apparatus;

a base station detection unit that obtains base station identification information identifying a base station from the received signal;

a history information registration unit that registers first and second history information in the history information storage unit, the first history information comprising position information indicating a position of a local apparatus at a predetermined time and first time information indicating the predetermined time, and the second history information comprising the base station identification information and second time information indicating a time at which the base station identification information is obtained by the base station detection unit; and

a transmission control unit that transmits at least a portion of the first history information to the information storage apparatus, the information management apparatus comprising;

a communication unit capable of transmitting and receiving a signal;

a storage unit that stores a threshold value;

a registration determination unit that determines whether a difference between the first time information and the second time information is less than the threshold value; and

a base station information registration unit that, when the difference is less than the threshold value, registers;

at least a portion of the position information with the storage unit; and

at least a portion of the base station identification information as base station information with the storage unit.