Mobile radio terminal

• US 8,768,404 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2007
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Godo Kaisha IP Bridge 1 (IP Bridge, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Mobile Communications Limited (Fujitsu Limited)
• Inventors: Kono, Tatsuya, Kagami, Yukio
• Primary Examiner(s): Hu, Jinsong
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nealon, William
• Application Number:
  US11/769,311
• Publication Number:
  US 20080125115A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,561 Days
• Field of Search: 455/419, 455/418, 455/410, 455/456.1, 455/404.2, 370/331, 342/450, 342/457, 380/270
• US Class Current: 455/550.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

When active software makes a request for measuring position information, during roaming, a control unit does not execute GPS measurement, but notifies the software of an error indicating that, for example, measurement is failed, and thereby prevents establishment of communication for a function which cannot be executed by the software.

Claims

1. A mobile radio terminal comprising:

a communication unit configured to establish radio communication with a base station;

a memory unit configured to store an application;

a control unit configured to;

execute the application stored in the memory unit;

receive, from the application, a request to obtain the current position of the mobile radio terminal;

determine, when the mobile radio terminal is in radio communication with a base station of a contract carrier, that the mobile radio terminal is not roaming or, when the communication unit is in radio communication with a base station of a roaming carrier, that the mobile radio terminal is roaming;

obtain the current position of the mobile radio terminal, and provide the current position of the mobile radio terminal to the application, if the mobile radio terminal is not roaming; and

notify the application that that the current position of the mobile radio terminal cannot be obtained if the mobile radio terminal is roaming.

2. The mobile radio terminal according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is further configured to:

compulsorily end the execution of the application if the mobile radio terminal is roaming.

3. The mobile radio terminal according to claim 2, wherein the control unit is further configured, prior to compulsorily ending the execution of the application, to:

determine that at least a preset time has elapsed since the request to obtain the current position of the mobile radio terminal was received from the application;

or

determine that the application has been notified at least a present number of times that the current position of the mobile radio terminal cannot be obtained.

4. The mobile radio terminal according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is further configured, if the mobile radio terminal is roaming, to:

search for a base station of the contract carrier; and

if the base station of the contract carrier is found, execute a handover from the base station of the roaming carrier to the base station of the contract carrier.

5. The mobile radio terminal according to claim 4, wherein the control unit is further configured, prior to searching for the base station of the contract carrier, to:

determine that at least a preset time has elapsed since the request to obtain the current position of the mobile radio terminal was received from the application;

or

determine that the application has been notified at least a present number of times that that the current position of the mobile radio terminal cannot be obtained.

6. The mobile radio terminal according to claim 1, wherein:

the mobile radio terminal further comprises a global positing system (GPS) receiving unit configured to receive GPS signals sent from satellites; and

the control unit is configured to obtain the current position of the mobile radio terminal if the mobile radio terminal is not roaming by calculating the current position of the mobile radio terminal based at least in part on the GPS signals received by the GPS receiving unit.

7. A mobile radio terminal comprising:

a communication unit configured to establish radio communication with a base station;

a memory unit configured to store an application;

a control unit configured to;

execute the application stored in the memory unit;

receive, from the application, a request to obtain the current position of the mobile radio terminal;

determine, when the mobile radio terminal is in radio communication with a base station of a contract carrier, that the mobile radio terminal is not roaming or, when the communication unit is in radio communication with a base station of a roaming carrier, that the mobile radio terminal is roaming;

obtain the current position of the mobile radio terminal, and provide the current position of the mobile radio terminal to the application, if the mobile radio terminal is not roaming; and

if the mobile radio terminal is roaming, search for a base station of the contract carrier and, if the base station of the contract carrier is found, execute a handover from the base station of the roaming carrier to the base station of the contract carrier.

8. The mobile radio terminal according to claim 7, wherein the control unit is further configured, prior to searching for the base station of the contract carrier, to:

determine that a preset time has not elapsed since the request to obtain the current position of the mobile radio terminal was received from the application; and

determine that the application has not been notified at least a present number of times that that the current position of the mobile radio terminal cannot be obtained.

9. The mobile radio terminal according to claim 7, wherein:

the mobile radio terminal further comprises a global positing system (GPS) receiving unit configured to receive GPS signals sent from satellites; and

the control unit is configured to obtain the current position of the mobile radio terminal if the mobile radio terminal is not roaming by calculating the current position of the mobile radio terminal based at least in part on the GPS signals received by the GPS receiving unit.

10. A communication method for a mobile radio terminal and an application executed on the mobile radio terminal, the method comprising:

receiving, from the application, a request to obtain the current position of the mobile radio terminal;

determining, when the mobile radio terminal is in radio communication with a base station of a contract carrier, that the mobile radio terminal is not roaming or, when the communication unit is in radio communication with a base station of a roaming carrier, that the mobile radio terminal is roaming;

obtaining the current position of the mobile radio terminal, and providing the current position of the mobile radio terminal to the application, if the mobile radio terminal is not roaming; and

notifying the application that that the current position of the mobile radio terminal cannot be obtained if the mobile radio terminal is roaming.

11. The communication method according to claim 10, further comprising:

compulsorily ending the execution of the application if the mobile radio terminal is roaming.

12. The communication method according to claim 11, further comprising, prior to compulsorily ending the execution of the application:

determining that at least a preset time has elapsed since the request to obtain the current position of the mobile radio terminal was received from the application;

or

determining that the application has been notified at least a present number of times that the current position of the mobile radio terminal cannot be obtained.

13. The communication method according to claim 12, further comprising:

displaying an error message on a display unit of the mobile radio terminal indicating that the application software has been compulsorily ended and that the current position of the mobile radio terminal cannot be obtained since the mobile radio terminal is roaming.

14. The communication method according to claim 10, further comprising, if the mobile radio terminal is roaming:

searching for a base station of the contract carrier; and

if the base station of the contract carrier is found, executing a handover from the base station of the roaming carrier to the base station of the contract carrier.

15. The communication method according to claim 14, further comprising, prior to searching for the base station of the contract carrier:

determining that at least a preset time has elapsed since the request to obtain the current position of the mobile radio terminal was received from the application;

or

determining that the application has been notified at least a present number of times that that the current position of the mobile radio terminal cannot be obtained.

16. The communication method according to claim 10, wherein:

obtaining the current position of the mobile radio terminal if the mobile radio terminal is not roaming includes calculating the current position of the mobile radio terminal based at least in part on GPS signals sent from satellites and received by a GPS receiving unit of the mobile radio terminal.

17. A communication method for a mobile radio terminal and an application executed on the mobile radio terminal, the method comprising:

receiving, from the application, a request to obtain the current position of the mobile radio terminal;

determining, when the mobile radio terminal is in radio communication with a base station of a contract carrier, that the mobile radio terminal is not roaming or, when the communication unit is in radio communication with a base station of a roaming carrier, that the mobile radio terminal is roaming;

obtaining the current position of the mobile radio terminal, and providing the current position of the mobile radio terminal to the application, if the mobile radio terminal is not roaming; and

if the mobile radio terminal is roaming, searching for a base station of the contract carrier and, if the base station of the contract carrier is found, executing a handover from the base station of the roaming carrier to the base station of the contract carrier.

18. The communication method according to claim 17, further comprising, prior to searching for the base station of the contract carrier:

determining that a preset time has not elapsed since the request to obtain the current position of the mobile radio terminal was received from the application; and

determining that the application has not been notified at least a present number of times that that the current position of the mobile radio terminal cannot be obtained.

19. The communication method according to claim 17, wherein:

obtaining the current position of the mobile radio terminal if the mobile radio terminal is not roaming includes calculating the current position of the mobile radio terminal based at least in part on GPS signals sent from satellites and received by a GPS receiving unit of the mobile radio terminal.