SEARCH SYSTEM, MANAGEMENT SERVER, MOBILE COMMUNICATION DEVICE, SEARCH METHOD, AND PROGRAM

• US 20080307060A1
• Filed: 03/26/2008
• Published: 12/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: OKAMURA, YUSAKU
• Granted Patent: US 7,949,743 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4557 Directories for hybrid networks, e.g. including telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

When a mobile terminal device detects the existence of the feature information of an article whose position is requested to be searched, it notifies an article management server of the detected position information and the time information together with the feature information of the article, and the article management server notifies a terminal device of the position information of the target estimated based on the detected position information, the time information and the feature information of the target and causes the terminal device to output the information. With this operation, when an article and the like are searched, they can be effectively searched even if they are not provided with a wireless tag, and thus a probability of discovery can be enhanced.

Claims

1. A search system comprising:

a terminal device for requesting a management server to search a position at which a target whose location is desired to be searched exists by sending search request information, which includes at least the information of the target and the feature of the target, to the management server;

the management server for receiving the search request from the terminal device and issuing target information, which includes at least target identification information for identifying respective targets and the feature information of the respective targets, to a mobile communication device based on the search request information; and

at least one mobile communication device which comprises a unit for obtaining the feature information of the target and a unit for measuring the position of the mobile communication device and searches the position at which the feature information of the target whose position is requested to be searched exists based on the target information obtained from the management server,

wherein when the mobile communication device detects the existence of the feature information of the target whose position is requested to be searched, the mobile communication device notifies the management server of the detected position information and the time information together with the feature information of the target; and

the management server notifies the terminal device of the position information of the target estimated based on the detected position information, the time information and the feature information of the target and causes the terminal device to output the information.

2. The search system according to claim 1, wherein the management server device holds preferential search area information showing an area to be preferentially searched which is received from the terminal device and causes the mobile communication device locating in a predetermined area to preferentially perform a search based on the preferential search area information.

3. The search system according to claim 1, wherein when the mobile communication device detects the existence of the feature information of the target whose position is requested to be searched, the mobile communication device periodically notifies the management server of the detected position information and the time information together with the feature information of the target.

4. A management server of a search system which comprises:

a terminal device for requesting a management server to search a position at which a target whose location is desired to be searched exists by sending search request information, which includes at least the information of the target and the feature of the target, to the management server;

the management server for receiving the search request from the terminal device and issuing target information, which includes at least target identification information for identifying respective targets and the feature information of the respective targets, to a mobile communication device based on the search request information; and

at least one mobile communication device which comprises a unit for obtaining the feature information of the target and a unit for measuring the position of the mobile communication device and searches the position at which the feature information of the target whose position is requested to be searched exists based on the target information obtained from the management server,

wherein when the mobile communication device detects the existence of the feature information of the target whose position is requested to be searched, the management server is notified of the detected position information and the time information together with the feature information of the target; and

the management server notifies the terminal device of the position information of the target estimated based on the detected position information, the time information and the feature information of the target and causes the terminal device to output the information.

5. The management server system according to claim 4, wherein the management server device holds preferential search area information showing an area to be preferentially searched which is received from the terminal device and causes the mobile communication device locating in a predetermined area to preferentially perform a search based on the preferential search area information.

6. The management server according to claim 4, wherein when the mobile communication device detects the existence of the feature information of the target whose position is requested to be searched, the management server is periodically notified of the detected position information and the time information together with the feature information of the target.

7. A mobile communication device of a search system which comprises:

a terminal device for requesting a management server to search a position at which a target whose location is desired to be searched exists by sending search request information, which includes at least the information of the target and the feature of the target, to the management server;

a management server for receiving the search request from the terminal device and issuing target information, which includes at least target identification information for identifying respective targets and the feature information of the respective targets, to a mobile communication device based on the search request information; and

at least one mobile communication device which comprises means for obtaining the feature information of the target and means for measuring the position of the mobile communication device and searches the position at which the feature information of the target whose position is requested to be searched exists based on the target information obtained from the management server,

wherein when the mobile communication device detects the existence of the feature information of the target whose position is requested to be searched, the mobile communication device notifies the detected position information and time information together with the feature information of the target; and

the management server notifies the terminal device of the position information of the target estimated based on the detected position information, the time information and the feature information of the target and causes the terminal device to output the information.

8. A search method making use of:

a terminal device for requesting a management server to search a position at which a target whose location is desired to be searched exists by sending search request information, which includes at least the information of the target and the feature of the target, to the management server;

the management server for receiving the search request from the terminal device and issuing target information, which includes at least target identification information for identifying respective targets and the feature information of the respective targets, to a mobile communication device based on the search request information; and

at least one mobile communication device which comprises a unit for obtaining the feature information of the target and a unit for measuring the position of the mobile communication device and searches the position at which the feature information of the target whose position is requested to be searched exists based on the target information obtained from the management server, the search method comprising the steps of;

notifying, when the mobile communication device detects the existence of the feature information of the target whose position is requested to be searched, the management server of the detected position information and time information together with the feature information of the target from the mobile communication device; and

notifying the terminal device of the position information of the target estimated based on the detected position information, time information and the feature information of the target from the management server and causing the terminal device to output the position information.

9. The search system according to claim 8, wherein the management server device holds preferential search area information showing an area to be preferentially searched which is received from the terminal device and causes the mobile communication device locating in a predetermined area to preferentially perform a search based on the preferential search area information.

10. The search method according to claim 8, wherein when the mobile communication device detects the existence of the feature information of the target whose position is requested to be searched, the mobile communication device periodically notifies the management server of the detected position information and the time information together with the feature information of the target.

11. A storage medium for storing a program for causing a management server to perform:

a processing for receiving the notification, when the mobile communication device detects the existence of the feature information of a target whose position is requested to be searched, of the detected position information and time information together with the feature information of the target; and

a processing for notifying the terminal device of the position information of the target estimated based on the detected position information, the time information and the feature information of the target and causing the terminal device to output the information,

wherein the search system comprises;

the terminal device for requesting a management server to search a position at which the target whose location is desired to be searched exists by sending search request information, which includes at least the information of the target and the feature of the target, to the management server;

the management server for receiving the search request from the terminal device and issuing target information, which includes at least target identification information for identifying respective targets and the feature information of the respective targets, to a mobile communication device based on the search request information; and

at least one mobile communication device which comprises a unit for obtaining the feature information of the target and a unit for measuring the position of the mobile communication device and searches the position at which the feature information of the target whose position is requested to be searched exists based on the target information obtained from the management server.

12. The storage medium for storing the program according to claim 11, wherein the program causes the management server to hold preferential search area information showing an area to be preferentially searched which is received from the terminal device and causes the mobile communication device locating in a predetermined area to preferentially perform a search based on the preferential search area information.

13. The storage medium for storing the program according to claim 11, wherein the program causes the management server to perform, when the existence of the feature information of the target whose position is requested to be searched is detected by the mobile communication device, a processing of periodically receiving the detected position information and the time information together with the feature information of the target.

14. A storage medium for storing a program for causing:

a mobile communication device to execute a processing, when the existence of the feature information of the target whose position is requested to be searched is detected, for notifying of the detected position information and the time information together with the feature information of the target the managing server; and

a management server to notify the terminal device of the position information of the target estimated based on the detected position information, the time information and the feature information of the target and output the information,

wherein the search system comprises;

the terminal device for requesting a management server to search a position at which a target whose location is desired to be searched exists by sending search request information, which includes at least the information of the target and the feature of the target, to the management server;

the management server for receiving the search request from the terminal device and issuing target information, which includes at least target identification information for identifying respective targets and the feature information of the respective targets, to a mobile communication device based on the search request information; and

at least one mobile communication device which comprises means for obtaining the feature information of the target and means for measuring the position of the mobile communication device and searches the position at which the feature information of the target whose position is requested to be searched exists based on the target information obtained from the management server.