Mobile terminal and battery saving method in mobile communication system

• US 9,504,002 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2013
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Murakami, Keiichi, Kushida, Yusuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Torres, Juan A
• Application Number:
  US14/380,436
• Publication Number:
  US 20150065163A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,385 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0209 in terminal devices terminal devices per se H04W88/02
• 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: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A mobile terminal that obtains location information and information of an identifier of an area in which the mobile station resides. The mobile station causing the location information to be obtained in a case that the identifier of the area in which the mobile terminal currently resides is different from an identifier of an area in which the mobile terminal resided in the past. The mobile terminal then reports the location information to a server.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal in a mobile communication system, the mobile terminal comprising:

location measurement circuitry configured to obtain location information;

a communication interface configured to obtain information of an identifier of an area in which the mobile terminal resides; and

control circuitry configured to

cause the location measurement circuitry to obtain the location information in the case where the mobile terminal is not being operated while the mobile terminal is in an accelerated state, and

cause the location measurement circuitry to obtain the location information (1) in the case where it is determined that some information is being input to an input interface of the mobile terminal and the identifier of the area in which the mobile terminal currently resides is different from an identifier of the area in which the mobile terminal resided in the past;

or (2) in the case where it is determined that the mobile terminal is a foldable type and the mobile terminal is not in a folded state and the identifier of the area in which the mobile terminal currently resides is different from the identifier of the area in which the mobile terminal resided in the past, wherein

the communication interface is configured to report the location information obtained by the location measurement circuitry to a server.

2. The mobile terminal as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

an acceleration sensor configured to detect an acceleration of the mobile terminal, wherein

the control circuitry is configured to cause the location measurement circuitry to obtain the location information in the case where;

the acceleration sensor detects an acceleration equal to or greater than a predefined value, and

the identifier of the area in which the mobile terminal currently resides is different from the identifier of the area in which the mobile terminal resided in the past.

3. The mobile terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the reporting communication interface reports the location information obtained by the location measurement circuitry to the server in the case where the current location of the mobile terminal is equal to or more than a predefined distance away from a past location.

4. The mobile terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein

in the case where an area in which the mobile terminal resides corresponds to a specific area, the control circuitry causes the location measurement circuitry to obtain the location information regardless of the identifier of the area in which the mobile terminal currently resides.

5. The mobile terminal as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:

a timer configured to detect an elapse of a certain period, wherein

the control circuitry, every time the certain period elapses, causes the location measurement circuitry to obtain the location information in the case where;

the acceleration sensor detects an acceleration that is equal to or greater than the predefined value, and

the identifier of the area in which the mobile terminal currently resides is different from the identifier of the area in which the mobile terminal resided in the past.

6. The mobile terminal as claimed in claim 5, wherein

the control circuitry, every time the certain period elapses, causes the location measurement circuitry to obtain the location information in the case where:

it is determined that the acceleration sensor detects an acceleration that is equal to or greater than the predefined value,

the mobile terminal is being operated by a user, and

the identifier of the area in which the mobile terminal currently resides is different from the identifier of the area in which the mobile terminal resided in the past.

7. A battery saving method of a mobile terminal in a mobile communication system, the battery saving method of the mobile terminal comprising:

a step of obtaining information of an identifier of an area in which the mobile terminal currently resides,

a step of causing a location measurement unit to obtain location information in the case where the mobile terminal is not being operated while the mobile terminal is in an accelerated state,

a step of causing the location measurement unit to obtain the location information of the mobile terminal (1) in the case where it is determined that some information is being input to an input interface of the mobile terminal and the identifier is different from an identifier of an area in which the mobile terminal resided in the past;

or (2) in the case where it is determined that the mobile terminal is a foldable type and the mobile terminal is not in a folded state and the identifier of the area in which the mobile terminal currently resides is different from the identifier of the area in which the mobile terminal resided in the past, and

a step of reporting the location information obtained by the location measurement unit to a server.