Wireless communication device, wireless communication method, information processing device, information processing method, and program

• US 8,761,794 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2011
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Rekimoto, Junichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Batista, Marcos
• Application Number:
  US13/188,578
• Publication Number:
  US 20110275386A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-567, 370/312, 370/338
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0407 wherein the identity of one or more communicating identities is hidden cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for anonymous credentials or for identity based cryptographic systems H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A wireless communication device includes a transmission portion, an information acquisition portion, a storage portion, a selection portion, and a transmission control portion. The transmission portion transmits information. The information acquisition portion acquires location information for the wireless communication device that includes a received signal strength of a signal that is transmitted from a base station in the vicinity. The storage portion stores, in association with specific location information, regulating information that regulates the transmission from the transmission portion of the information that corresponds to the location of the wireless communication device. The selection portion selects from the storage portion the regulating information associated with the location information acquired by the information acquisition portion. The transmission control portion controls, based on the regulating information that was selected by the selection portion, the transmission from the transmission portion of the information that corresponds to the location of the wireless communication device.

Claims

1. An information processing device that can communicate with a plurality of communication devices, comprising:

a transmission portion that transmits information;

an information acquisition portion that acquires from each of the communication devices information from which it is possible to estimate a location of the respective communication device, and also further acquires a uniquely associated publication range for each of the communication devices;

a computation portion that computes a distance between a first one of the communication devices and a second one of the communication devices based on the information acquired from each of the communication devices; and

a transmission control portion that controls transmission from the transmission portion of information that corresponds to the location of the first communication device, based on a comparison between the distance between the first communication device and the second communication device that was computed by the computation portion and a user-selected threshold distance corresponding to a maximum distance of the publication range uniquely associated with the first communication device,

wherein the information that corresponds to the location of the first communication device comprises at least one of a geographic location and a location alias.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein:

if the distance between the first communication device and the second communication device that was computed by the computation portion exceeds the user-selected threshold distance corresponding to the maximum distance of the publication range uniquely associated with the first communication device, the transmission control portion prohibits the transmission from the transmission portion of the location information for the first communication device.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the geographic location comprises a latitude and a longitude.

4. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein:

if the distance between the first communication device and the second communication device that was computed by the computation portion is less than the user-selected threshold distance corresponding to the maximum distance of the publication range uniquely associated with the first communication device, the transmission control portion controls the transmission portion to transmit both the geographic location and the location alias corresponding to the first communication device.

5. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein:

the uniquely associated publication range for each of the communication devices corresponds to a respective distance from respective locations of the communication devices within which transmission of location information is allowed.

6. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein:

the user-selected threshold distance is selected by at least one of the first communication device and a user of the first communication device.

7. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein:

the user-selected threshold distance is selected by a user of the first communication device.

8. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein:

the information that corresponds to the location of the first communication device comprises the geographic location of the first communication device.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising a program configured to command a computer to function as:

an information processing device that can communicate with a plurality of communication devices and that includes

an information acquisition portion that acquires from each of the communication devices information from which it is possible to estimate a location of the respective communication device, and further acquires a uniquely associated publication range for each of the communication devices;

a computation portion that computes a distance between a first one of the communication devices and a second one of the communication devices based on the information acquired from each of the communication devices; and

a transmission control portion that controls transmission from a transmission device of information that corresponds to the location of the first communication device, based on a comparison between the distance between the first communication device and the second communication device that was computed by the computation portion and a user-selected threshold distance corresponding to a maximum distance of the publication range uniquely associated with the first communication device,

wherein the information that corresponds to the location of the first communication device comprises at least one of a geographic location and a location alias.

10. An information processing method, comprising the steps of:

acquiring from each of a plurality of communication devices information from which it is possible to estimate a location of the respective communication device, and further acquires a uniquely associated publication range for each of the communication devices;

computing a distance between a first one of the communication devices and a second one of the communication devices based on the information acquired from each of the communication devices; and

controlling transmission of information that corresponds to the location of the first communication device, based on a comparison between the computed distance between the first communication device and the second communication device, and a user-selected threshold distance corresponding to a maximum distance of the publication range uniquely associated with the first communication device,

wherein the information that corresponds to the location of the first communication device comprises at least one of a geographic location and a location alias.