Action history recording apparatus, action history recording method, and program

• US 8,918,275 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2012
• Issued: 12/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Sakazaki, Naoyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Mawari, Redhwan K
• Application Number:
  US13/366,536
• Publication Number:
  US 20120209521A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,051 Days
• US Class Current: 701/408
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3617 using user history, behaviour, conditions or preferences, e.g. predicted or inferred from previous use or current movement
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/10 Map spot or coordinate position indicators; Map reading aids optical projection apparatus per se G03B

Abstract

With use of GPS, an action-history recording apparatus obtains latitudes and longitudes representing places of user'"'"'s action where a user is acting, and stores action-history data containing place names indicating the places of user'"'"'s action at a predetermined processing timing. In the case where, the place of user'"'"'s action is a specific place unique to the user, where the user visits customarily or frequently, the user is allowed to enter an arbitrary name independent of the latitude and longitude. The name entered by the user is used as a pace name to be contained in action-history data. In this way, the apparatus obtains a place name appropriate for the user and the user can use the name conveniently as the place name of the user'"'"'s action.

Claims

1. A place-information obtaining apparatus comprising:

a position detecting unit for detecting a present position to obtain position data;

a position storing unit for storing plural pieces of position data previously obtained by the position detecting unit as action-history information;

a place-name storing unit for storing specific place data, the specific place data comprising plural place names respectively corresponding to the plural pieces of position data;

a converting unit for converting the position data into a place name by searching for a place name corresponding to the position data to be converted from among the plural place names stored in the place-name storing unit;

a judging unit for judging whether or not position data newly obtained by the position detecting unit coincides with any one of the plural pieces of position data stored in the position storing unit; and

a conversion controlling unit for making the converting unit convert the position data newly obtained by the position detecting unit into a place name, when the judging unit determines that the newly obtained position data coincides with one of the plural pieces of position data stored in the position storing unit;

wherein the place-name storing unit stores the specific place data such that the specific place data corresponds to a specific user.

2. The place-information obtaining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the converting unit comprises:

a name obtaining unit for obtaining a place name corresponding to position data, when the converting unit fails to find the place name corresponding to said position data among the plural place names stored in the place-name storing unit; and

a place-name adding unit for associating the place name obtained by the name obtaining unit with the corresponding position data and for adding and storing said place name in the place-name storing unit.

3. The place-information obtaining apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an action-history record controlling unit for sequentially storing in the position storing unit, as the action-history information which represents an action history of a user, position data obtained by the position detecting unit in combination with a date on which the position data is obtained,

wherein the judging unit judges, based on the action-history information stored in the position storing unit, whether or not a place represented by the position data newly obtained by the position detecting unit is a specific place unique to the user.

4. The place-information obtaining apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an action-history record controlling unit for sequentially storing in the position storing unit, as the action-history information which represents an action history of a user, position data obtained by the position detecting unit in combination with a date on which the position data is obtained; and

an action-history display controlling unit for displaying the place name converted by the conversion controlling unit in place of the position data, when displaying the action-history information stored in the position storing unit.

5. The place-information obtaining apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an action-history record controlling unit for sequentially storing in the position storing unit, as the action-history information which represents an action history of a user, position data obtained by the position detecting unit in combination with a date on which the position data is obtained,

wherein when the converting unit has converted position data into a place name, the action-history record controlling unit uses said place name in place of the position data to store the action-history information.

6. The place-information obtaining apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the judging unit determines that a place in the action history of the user is the specific place unique to the user, when position data (i) is periodically stored in the position storing unit and (ii) represents a place that can be determined to be the same as the place represented by the position data newly obtained by the position detecting unit.

7. The place-information obtaining apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the judging unit determines that a place in the action history of the user is the specific place unique to the user, when position data (i) is stored in the position storing unit with a frequency higher than a predetermined frequency and (ii) represents a place that can be determined to be the same as the place represented by the position data newly obtained by the position detecting unit.

8. The place-information obtaining apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the name obtaining unit obtains a name determined by a user as the place name corresponding to the position data.

9. The place-information obtaining apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the name obtaining unit obtains a name of an indication such as a place and building, which is stored at a position in map data indicated by position data, as the place name corresponding to the position data.

10. The place-information obtaining apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the name obtaining unit obtains the place name corresponding to the position data from other equipment through a network.

11. The place-information obtaining apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a name providing unit for providing a temporary place name to a user,

wherein the name obtaining unit obtains the temporary place name provided from the name providing unit.

12. The place-information obtaining apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising:

an altering unit for altering the place name stored in the place-name storing unit in accordance with a request from the user.

13. The place-information obtaining apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

an action-type information obtaining unit for obtaining action-type information representing a type of an action taken by the user when position data has been obtained by the position detecting unit,

wherein the action-history record controlling unit sequentially stores in the position storing unit, as the action-history information representing the action history of the user, the position data obtained by the position detecting unit in combination with the date on which the position data is obtained and the action-type information obtained by the action-type information obtaining unit.

14. The place-information obtaining apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising:

a diary producing unit for producing an action diary representing positions, dates, times, and types of actions of the user based on the action-history information stored in the position storing unit.

15. The place-information obtaining apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the diary producing unit produces an action-history moving image as the action diary, in which moving images representing respective types of actions indicated by the action-type information are connected in an order in which the corresponding action-type information was recorded, wherein the moving images are expressed by movements of a character representing the user.

16. The place-information obtaining apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the diary producing unit produces the action-history moving image such that place names indicating places of the actions of the user are displayed on the respective moving images in an overlapping manner.

18. The place-information obtaining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the place-name storing unit stores the specific place data for each of a plurality of users, the specific place data being different for each of the plurality of users.

19. The place-information obtaining apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the position storing unit stores the plural pieces of position data as the action-history information such that the action-history information is specific to the specific user.

20. The place-information obtaining apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the action-history information is specific to the specific user from among the plurality of users, each of the plurality of users having different action-history information specific thereto.

17. A place-information obtaining method comprising:

a position detecting process of detecting a present position to obtain position data;

a storing process of storing in a storing unit (i) plural pieces of position data previously obtained in the position detecting process as action-history information, and (ii) specific place data comprising plural place names respectively corresponding to the plural pieces of position data;

a converting process of converting the position data into a place name by searching for a place name corresponding to the position data from among the plural place names stored in the storing unit;

a judging process of judging whether or not position data newly obtained in the position detecting process coincides with any one of the plural pieces of position data stored in the storing unit; and

a conversion controlling process of converting the newly obtained position data into a place name, when it is determined in the judging process that the newly obtained position data coincides with one of the plural pieces of position data stored in the storing unit;

wherein the storing unit stores the specific place data such that the specific place data corresponds to a specific user.