COMMUNICATION DEVICE, COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, SERVER DEVICE AND COMMUNICATION METHOD

• US 20140120949A1
• Filed: 06/27/2012
• Published: 05/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Gomyo, Kazumasa
• Application Number:
  US14/126,936
• Publication Number:
  US 20140120949A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• 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 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0251 using monitoring of local events, e.g. events related to user activity
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A communication device includes a manipulation unit for receiving an input manipulation for operation mode switching; a position detection unit for detecting a current position; a communication unit for acquiring pieces of position information of other communication device from the other communication device, respectively; a generation unit for generating pieces of proximity information indicating whether the other respective communication device are dose to the communication device; a data storing unit for storing the pieces of proximity information; and a control unit which, when receiving an input manipulation for operation mode switching, urges a user to switch the operation modes of other communication device that are close to the communication device according to a new operation mode of the communication device.

Claims

1. A communication device comprising:

a display unit;

a manipulation unit that receives an input manipulation for switching an operation mode of the communication device;

a position detection unit that detects a position of the communication device;

a communication unit that acquires position information of other communication device correlated with the communication device from the other communication device via an external network;

a generation unit that generates proximity information indicating whether the other communication device is located close to the communication device, on the basis of a detection result of the position detection unit and the position information of the other communication device;

a data storing unit that stores the pieces of proximity information; and

a control unit that, when the manipulation unit receives an input manipulation for switching the operation mode of the communication device, controls the display unit to make a display for urging a user to switch operation modes of other communication device that is close to the communication device according to a new operation mode of the communication device.

2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein when the manipulation unit receives a prescribed manipulation after the display unit has made the display, the control unit communicates, to the other communication device, an instruction to switch to the same operation mode as the new operation mode of the communication device.

3. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein when receiving the instruction, each of the other communication device switches its operation mode to the same operation mode as the new operation mode of the communication device.

4. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the generation unit generates, in addition to the proximity information, connection information indicating whether the other respective communication device is connected to the communication device via the external network;

wherein the data storing unit stores the connection information in addition to the proximity information; and

wherein when the manipulation unit receives an input manipulation for switching the operation mode of the communication device, the control unit controls the display unit to make a display for urging a user to switch operation modes of other communication device that is close to and is connected to the communication device according to a new operation mode of the communication device.

5. A communication system including a server device and plural communication devices that are connected to the server device via an external network, wherein the server device comprises:

an acquisition unit that acquires position information from the plural communication devices correlated with each other through the external network;

a generation unit that generates proximity information indicating whether the plural communication devices are located close to each other on the basis of the acquired position information of the plural communication devices; and

a communication unit that, when proximity information is updated, sends updated proximity information to the plural communication devices indicated by the updated proximity information; and

wherein each of the plural communication device comprises;

a display unit;

a manipulation unit that receive an input manipulation for switching an operation mode of the communication device;

a position detection unit that detects a position of the communication device;

a communication unit that acquires the proximity information from the server device through the external network; and

a control unit which controls, when the manipulation unit receives an input manipulation for switching the operation mode of the communication device, the display unit to make a display for urging a user to switch operation modes of other communication device that are close to the communication device according to a new operation mode of the communication device.

6. A communication method comprising the steps of:

receiving, by a manipulation unit, an input manipulation for switching an operation mode of a communication device;

detecting, by a detection unit, a position of the communication device;

acquiring, by an acquisition unit, position information of other communication device correlated with the communication device from the other communication device via an external network;

generating, by a generation unit, proximity information indicating whether the other communication device is located close to the communication device, on the basis of the detected position of the communication device and the position information of the other communication device;

storing the proximity information by a data storing unit; and

controlling, when receiving an input manipulation for switching the operation mode of the communication device, by a control unit, a display unit to make a display for urging a user to switch operation modes of other communication device which is close to the communication device according to a new operation mode of the communication device.

7. A communication system including a server device and plural communication device that are connected to the server device via an external network, wherein the server device comprises:

an acquisition unit that acquires position information from plural respective communication device registered in advance through the external network;

a generation unit that generates proximity information indicating whether the plural communication devices are located close to each other on the basis of the acquired position information of the plural communication devices;

a data management unit that manages the proximity information generated by the generation unit and operation mode switching settings that are set for the plural respective communication devices; and

a communication unit that receives an operation mode switching notice from one of the plural communication device through the external network, and sending, through the external network, operation mode switching instructions to a communication device that is close to the communication device from which the operation mode switching notice has been received; and

each of the plural communication devices comprises;

a display unit;

a manipulation unit that receives an input manipulation for switching an operation mode of the communication device;

a position detection unit that detects a position of the communication device;

a communication unit that sends an operation mode switching notice to the server device through the network when the operation mode of the communication device has been switched, and receives the operation mode switching instruction from the server device through the external network; and

a control unit that, when the communication unit receives the operation mode switching instruction, switches the operation mode or controls the display unit to display a picture for urging a user to switch the operation mode according to the operation mode switching setting of the communication device in response to the operation mode switching instruction.

9. The communication system according to claim 7, wherein after sending the operation mode switching instructions to the close communication device, the server device disregards an operation mode switching setting sent from the close communication device until a lapse of a prescribed time.

8. A communication system including a server device and plural communication devices that are connected to the server device via an external network, wherein the server device comprises:

an acquisition unit that acquires position information from the plural communication devices registered in advance over the external network;

a memory unit that stores position information acquired by the acquisition unit in time series for each of the plural communication devices;

a generation unit that, when an operation mode switching notice is received from one of the plural communication devices through the external network, generates proximity information indicating whether the communication device from which the operation mode switching notice has been received and other communication device are located close to each other, on the basis of the position information stored by the memory unit;

a data management unit that manages the proximity information generated by the generation unit and operation mode switching settings that are set for the plural communication devices; and

a communication unit that receives an operation mode switching notice from one of the plural communication device through the external network, and sends, through the external network, operation mode switching instructions to the communication device that is close to the communication device from which the operation mode switching notice has been received; and

each of the plural communication device comprises;

a display unit;

a manipulation unit that receives an input manipulation for switching an operation mode of the communication device;

a position detection unit that detects a position of the communication device;

a communication unit that sends an operation mode switching notice to the server device through the network when the operation mode of the communication device has been switched, and receives the operation mode switching instruction from the server device through the external network; and

a control unit that, when the communication unit receives the operation mode switching instruction, switches the operation mode or controls the display unit to display a picture for urging a user to switch the operation mode according to the operation mode switching setting of the communication device in response to the operation mode switching instruction.

13. The communication system according to claim 8, wherein after sending the operation mode switching instructions to the close communication device, the server device disregards an operation mode switching setting sent from the close communication device until a lapse of a prescribed time.

10. A server device which is connected to plural communication device via an external network, comprising:

an acquisition unit that acquires position information from the plural communication devices registered in advance through the external network;

a generation unit that generates proximity information indicating whether the plural communication devices are located close to each other on the basis of the acquired position information of the plural communication devices;

a data management unit for managing the proximity information generated by the generation unit and operation mode switching settings that are set for the plural communication devices; and

a communication unit that receives an operation mode switching notice from one of the plural communication devices through the external network, and sends, through the external network, an operation mode switching instruction to the communication device that is close to the communication device from which the operation mode switching notice has been received.

12. The server device according to claim 10, wherein when the communication unit has sent the operation mode switching instruction to the close communication device, the server device disregards an operation mode switching setting sent from the close communication device until a lapse of a prescribed time.

11. A server device which is connected to plural communication devices through an external network, comprising:

an acquisition unit that acquires position information from the plural communication devices registered in advance through the external network;

a memory unit that stores position information acquired by the acquisition unit in time series for each of the plural communication devices;

a generation unit that, when an operation mode switching notice is received from one of the plural communication devices through the external network, generates proximity information indicating whether the communication device from which the operation mode switching notice has been received and other communication device are located close to each other, on the basis of the position information stored by the memory unit;

a data management unit that manages the proximity information generated by the generation unit and operation mode switching settings that are set for the plural communication devices; and

a communication unit that receives an operation mode switching notice from one of the plural communication devices through the external network, and sends, through the external network, an operation mode switching instruction to a communication device that is close to the communication device from which the operation mode switching notice has been received.

14. The server device according to claim 11, wherein when the communication unit has sent the operation mode switching instruction to the close communication device, the server device disregards an operation mode switching setting sent from the close communication device until a lapse of a prescribed time.