Operating method of user-specific device providing customized service to multiple adjacent mobile terminals, user-specific device, and mobile terminal

• US 9,877,160 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2016
• Issued: 01/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Choi, Chang Mok, Kim, Sang Joon, Na, Su-Hyun, Na, Yu Jin, Lee, Jong Kee, Jang, Soon Kyu, Cho, Young Ei
• Primary Examiner(s): NEFF, MICHAEL R
• Application Number:
  US15/189,257
• Publication Number:
  US 20160295368A1
• Time in Patent Office: 580 Days
• Field of Search: 455406
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8033 location-dependent, e.g. business or home
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8072 Group, conference or multi-party call
• 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 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/25 Maintenance of established connections

Abstract

A method and apparatus are configured to recognize mobile terminals positioned within a coverage area for short range communication with a user-specific device, wherein each mobile terminal comprises identification information for the user-specific device. The method and the apparatus provide a customized service corresponding to at least one of the mobile terminals.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

recognizing mobile terminals positioned within a coverage area for short range communication with a user-specific device based on identification information of each mobile terminal of the mobile terminals;

determining a priority of each mobile terminal among the mobile terminals,

wherein the priority of a respective mobile terminal corresponds to a distance between the user-specific device and the respective mobile terminal;

selecting at least one mobile terminal among the recognized mobile terminals based on the identification information and the priority of the at least one mobile terminal; and

providing a customized service corresponding to the at least one selected mobile terminal based on the distance between the user-specific device and each mobile terminal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing further comprises:

providing the customized service to a mobile terminal positioned closest to the user-specific device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the priority is editable information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing further comprises:

determining predefined terminal condition information of the customized service; and

providing the customized service based on the terminal condition information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing further comprises:

determining that terminal condition information of a customized service available for the mobile terminals is absent; and

transmitting an unavailable service message to the multiple mobile terminals.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing further comprises:

receiving a billing rate for the customized service from the at least one mobile terminal; and

calculating a fee to be paid based on the received billing rate.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

adjusting a billing rate of remaining mobile terminals among the mobile terminals based on the received billing rate.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising a program comprising instructions to cause a computer to perform the method of claim 1.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein first identification information of a first mobile terminal among the mobile terminals is stored in both the user-specific device and the first mobile terminal.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, when the first identification information stored in the first mobile terminal is different from the first identification information stored in the user-specific device, the first identification information stored in the first mobile terminal is configured to take precedence over the first identification information stored in the user-specific device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein, if the priority of each mobile terminal among the mobile terminals is not determined, transmitting an unavailable service message to the mobile terminals, wherein the unavailable service message prompts a user to input the priority of each mobile terminal.

12. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a communication unit configured to perform short range communication with a user-specific device;

a memory configured to store identification information for the user-specific device and a priority corresponding to a distance from the user-specific device; and

a processor configured to

receive customized service from the user-specific device in response to being within a coverage area for the short range communication with the user-specific device, and

in response to being selected by the user-specific device from among a plurality of mobile terminals based on the stored identification information and priority, to receive the customized service based on the distance from the user-specific device.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the user-specific device is configured to recognize that the mobile terminal is positioned within the coverage area for the short range communication with the user-specific device based on the identification information.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the priority is editable information.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 12, further comprising:

a touch display configured to display a preset billing rate,

wherein the processor is configured to receive a billing rate for the customized service based on a gesture of a user of the mobile terminal in response to the preset billing rate, and transmit the received billing rate to the user-specific device through the communication unit.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 15, wherein the billing rate for the customized service is configured to increase, decrease, or be maintained based on the gesture of the user, and

wherein the billing rate is displayed on the touch display.

17. A user-specific device, comprising:

a recognizer configured to

recognize mobile terminals positioned within a coverage area for short range communication with the user-specific device based on identification information of each mobile terminal of the mobile terminals; and

determine a priority of each mobile terminal among the mobile terminals,

wherein the priority of a respective mobile terminal corresponds to a distance between the user-specific device and the respective mobile terminal;

a selector configured to select at least one mobile terminal from the recognized mobile terminals based on the identification information and the priority of the at least one mobile terminal; and

a provider configured to provide a customized service corresponding to the mobile terminal based on the distance between the user-specific device and each mobile terminal.

18. The user-specific device of claim 17, wherein the user-specific device is configured to recognize that the at least one mobile terminal is positioned within the coverage area for the short range communication with the user-specific device based on the identification information of the at least one mobile terminal.

19. The user-specific device of claim 17, wherein the recognizer reads and processes the identification information of the at least one mobile terminal to recognize the customized service desired by the at least one mobile terminal.

20. The user-specific device of claim 17, wherein the identification information is pre-stored in the at least one mobile terminal or in the user-specific device.