Information sharing system using maps

• US 8,781,501 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2013
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Oceans Inc.
• Original Assignee: Oceans Inc.
• Inventors: Kawazoe, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gao, Jing
• Application Number:
  US14/017,643
• Publication Number:
  US 20140141811A1
• Time in Patent Office: 314 Days
• Field of Search: 4554141-4143, 4554561-4566, 455/457
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0259 based on store location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

System capable of giving a sense of unity or solidarity to a plurality of users sharing information is provided. Each of a plurality of client terminals includes a position information acquiring means. A management server updates user position information stored in a user database based on present position information of the respective client terminals. The management server reads a plurality of items of user position information contained in a predetermined range and a plurality of items of user information associated with the user position information contained in the predetermined range from the user database on the basis of the predetermined range of the map information read from a map database, and transmits them to the client terminals. The client terminal displays the items of user information at respective positions corresponding to the items of user position information on the map information in the predetermined range received from the management server.

Claims

1. An information sharing system in which a plurality of client terminals and a management server are communicably connected to each other via an information communication line,

wherein each of the client terminals comprises:

a position information acquirer that acquires its present position information; and

a client transmitter that transmits the present position information acquired by the position information acquirer, to the management server,

the management server comprises;

a map database that stores map information with a plurality of scales;

a user database that stores user information on the users of the client terminals, user position information on a map stored in the map database, and scale condition information on a scale of map information required for displaying the user information in an associated manner;

a server receiver that receives the present position information transmitted from the client transmitter;

an updater that updates the user position information stored in the user database based on the present position information received by the server receiver;

a map reader that reads the map information in a predetermined range from the map database;

a user information reader that reads the user position information contained in the predetermined range and the user information associated with the user position information contained in the predetermined range from the user database on the basis of the predetermined range of the map information read by the map reader; and

a server transmitter that transmits the user position information and the user information read by the user information reader, to the client terminals together with the map information in the predetermined range read by the map reader,

each of the client terminals further comprises;

a client receiver that receives the map information in the predetermined range, the user position information and the user information transmitted from the server transmitter;

a display that displays the user information at respective positions corresponding to the user position information on the map information in the predetermined range received by the client receiver;

an operating device that changes a scale of the map information and a display range of the map information displayed on the display;

a display scale determiner that determines the scale of the map information displayed on the display; and

a display center determiner that determines the display range of the map information displayed on the display,

display scale information on the scale of the map information determined by the display scale determiner and display range information on the display range of the map information determined by the display center determiner are transmitted by the client transmitter and are received by the server receiver,

the map reader reads the map information in a predetermined range corresponding to the display range information received by the server receiver from the map database, and

the user information reader reads, from the user database, the user information for which the user position information is contained in the predetermined range of the map information corresponding to the display range information and the scale condition information corresponds to the display scale information, on the basis of the predetermined range of the map information corresponding to the display range information read by the map reader and the display scale information received by the server receiver.

2. The information sharing system according to claim 1, wherein the management server further comprises:

a contents database that stores contents information including images in association with contents position information on the map stored in the map database and scale condition information on the scale of map information required for displaying the contents information; and

a contents information reader that reads, from the contents database, the contents information for which the contents position information is contained in the predetermined range of map information corresponding to the display range information and the scale condition information corresponds to the display scale information, on the basis of the predetermined range of the map information corresponding to the display range information read by the map reader and the display scale information received by the server receiver,

the contents information read by the contents information reader is transmitted by the server transmitter together with the contents position information, and is received by the client receiver, and

the display of the client terminal displays images contained in the contents information at respective positions corresponding to the contents position information on the map information in the predetermined range corresponding to the display range information received by the client receiver.

3. The information sharing system according to claim 1, wherein the management server further comprises:

a position shifter that shifts, by a predetermined value, the user position information read from the user database by the user information reader.

4. The information sharing system according to claim 2, wherein the management server further comprises:

a position shifter that shifts, by a predetermined value, the user position information read from the user database by the user information reader, and

the position shifter determines whether the user position information read from the user database by the user information reader matches the contents position information read from the contents database by the contents information reader or is contained in a predetermined range about the contents position information, and if the user position information does not match the contents position information or is not contained in the predetermined range about the contents position information, shifts the user position information by the predetermined value.

5. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium storing a computer program for causing a portable information communication terminal to function as one of the client terminals in the information sharing system according to claim 1.

7. The information sharing system according to claim 2, wherein the management server further comprises:

a position shifter that shifts, by a predetermined value, the user position information read from the user database by the user information reader.

6. An information sharing method performed by a system in which a plurality of client terminals and a management server are communicably connected to each other via an information communication line,

wherein each of the client terminals performs:

acquiring its present position information;

changing a scale of map information displayed on a display and a display range of the map information;

determining the scale of the map information displayed on the display;

determining the display range of the map information displayed on the display; and

transmitting, to the management server, the present position information acquired in the present position information acquiring, display scale information on the scale of the map information determined in the display scale determining, and display range information on the display range of the map information determined in the display range determining,

the management server comprises;

a map database that stores map information with a plurality of scales; and

a user database that stores user information on the users of the client terminals, user position information on a map stored in the map database and scale condition information on a scale of map information required for displaying the user information in an associated manner,

the management server performs;

receiving the present position information, the display scale information and the display range information transmitted in the transmitting by the client terminal;

updating the user position information stored in the user database based on the present position information received in the receiving by the management server;

reading the map information in a predetermined range corresponding to the display range information from the map database;

reading, from the user database, the user position information contained in the predetermined range corresponding to the display range information, on the basis of the predetermined range of the map information corresponding to the display range information read in the map information reading, and reading user information which is associated with the read user position information and for which the scale condition information corresponds to the display scale information on the basis of the display scale information received in the receiving by the management server; and

transmitting, to the client terminals, the user position information and the user information read in the user information reading, together with the map information in the predetermined range corresponding to the display range information read in the map information reading, and

each of the client terminals further performs;

receiving the map information in the predetermined range, the user position information and the user information transmitted in the transmitting by the management server; and

displaying the user information at respective positions corresponding to the user position information on the map information in the predetermined range received in the receiving by the client terminal.