Mobile terminal and control method therefor

• US 8,903,417 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2010
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Makoto, Hashimoto, Jun, Itagaki, Kentaro
• Primary Examiner(s): CAI, WAYNE HUU
• Application Number:
  US13/517,913
• Publication Number:
  US 20120258734A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,456 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-4566, 455/404.2, 4554141-4142
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• 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 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• 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 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A mobile terminal receives information adapted to the current location of the mobile terminal via a mobile communication network from an information service providing communication apparatus that sends information adapted to current locations of mobile terminals to mobile terminals. The mobile terminal repeats identifying the location of the mobile terminal, and calculates a linear movement distance of the mobile terminal between a past location of the mobile terminal and the current location of the mobile terminal. The mobile terminal transmits a signal indicating the current location if the linear movement distance is greater than a threshold, but does not transmit the signal indicating the current location if the linear movement distance is less than the threshold.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

circuitry configured to

receive information adapted to a current location of the mobile terminal via a mobile communication network from an information service providing communication apparatus that sends information adapted to current locations of mobile terminals to mobile terminals;

transmit signals to the information service providing a communication apparatus;

identify a location of the mobile terminal;

calculate a linear movement distance of the mobile terminal between a past location of the mobile terminal and a current location of the mobile terminal;

determine whether the linear movement distance is greater than a threshold;

transmit a signal indicating the current location of the mobile terminal if it is determined that the linear movement distance is greater than the threshold, and not transmit the signal indicating the current location if it is determined that the linear movement distance is less than the threshold;

store the past location of the mobile terminal;

determine that transmission of the signal indicating the current location has been successfully completed when an acknowledgement of the signal indicating the current location is received;

determine that transmission of the signal indicating the current location has failed when the signal indicating the current location cannot be transmitted, or an acknowledgement is not received although the signal indicating the current location was transmitted; and

store the current location of the mobile terminal as the past location of the mobile terminal if it is determined that the transmission of the signal indicating the current location has been successfully completed, and not store the current location of the mobile terminal if it is determined that the transmission of the signal indicating the current location has failed.

2. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to:

assume a movement status of the mobile terminal; and

determine whether to identify the location of the mobile terminal on the basis of assumption of the movement status.

3. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to change the threshold based on a location of the mobile terminal.

4. A method for controlling a mobile terminal used in the mobile terminal comprising:

identifying a location of the mobile terminal;

calculating a linear movement distance of the mobile terminal between a past location of the mobile terminal and a current location of the mobile terminal;

determining whether the linear movement distance is greater than a threshold;

regulating a transmitter, so that the transmitter transmits a signal indicating the current location of the mobile terminal if it is determined that the linear movement distance is greater than the threshold, and so the transmitter does not transmit the signal indicating the current location if it has been determined that the linear movement distance is less than the threshold;

receiving information adapted to the current location of the mobile terminal via a mobile communication network from an information service providing communication apparatus that sends information adapted to current locations of mobile terminals to mobile terminals;

determining that transmission of the signal indicating the current location has been successfully completed when an acknowledgement of the signal indicating the current location is received;

determining that transmission of the signal indicating the current location has failed when the signal indicating the current location cannot be transmitted, or an acknowledgement is not received although the signal indicating the current location was transmitted; and

recording the current location of the mobile terminal as the past location of the mobile terminal if it is determined that transmission of the signal indicating the current location has been successfully completed, and not recording the current location of the mobile terminal as the past location of the mobile terminal if it is determined that the transmission of the signal indicating the current location has failed.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

changing the threshold based on a location of the mobile terminal.