Portable information terminal surrounding formulation of an optimum plan

• US 6,249,767 B1
• Filed: 02/19/1998
• Issued: 06/19/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Okayama, Masataka, Hoshi, Tohru
• Primary Examiner(s): Stamber, Eric W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kazimi, Hani M.
• Application Number:
  US09/011,991
• Time in Patent Office: 1,216 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/5, 705/6, 705/10, 705/15, 340/991, 340/992, 340/994, 701/202, 701/204, 701/206, 701/210
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/047 Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

A portable information terminal including a self-positioning measuring device is provided to make reservations and obtain status information of available services from a plurality of reservation centers and a plurality of status information providers, via a communication network. Such a portable information terminal may comprise a reserving unit for accessing to a reservation center, and reservation storage for storing a reservation content of a reservation; a status information collecting and judging unit for collecting status information relating to execution of the reservation content from the status information providers via the communications network and deciding, based on collected information and position information obtained by the self-positioning device, whether to move to a location for execution of the reservation content, deciding whether the reservation content is to be changed; an alternative reservation generating unit for collecting, in the case where the status information collecting and judging unit judges that the reservation content is to be changed, information relating to an alternative reservation to show the alternative reservation; and a reservation change execution unit for canceling the current reservation and storing the alternative reservation into the reservation storage.

Claims

1. A portable information terminal comprising radio communication means for communicating with a plurality of reservation centers and a plurality of status information providing means, via a communication network connected to, said portable information terminal comprising:

reserving means for accessing to a reservation center, and reservation storing means for storing a reservation content of a reservation;

status information collecting and judging means for collecting status information relating to execution of said reservation content from said status information providing means through said communication network, and comparing collected information with said reservation content to judge whether said reservation content is to be changed;

alternative reservation generating means for collecting, when said status information collecting and judging means judges that said reservation content is to be changed, information relating to an alternative reservation to show the alternative reservation; and

reservation change executing means for canceling the current reservation and storing said alternative reservation into said reservation storing means.

2. A portable information terminal according to claim 1, wherein said reserving means is further provided to display information representative of objects of reservation, to access said reservation center corresponding to an object of reservation selected by a user, and to hold the reserved matter into storing means.

3. A portable information terminal according to claim 2, further comprising status information monitoring means provided to extract necessary information, and to determine, in accordance with extracted information, whether execution of the reserved matter held in said storing means is possible.

4. A portable information terminal according to claim 3, wherein said status information monitoring means is further provided to receive information from another portable information terminal through said radio communication device, and to determine on the basis of the received information whether the execution of the reserved matter held in said storing means is possible.

5. A portable information terminal according to claim 3, further comprising a self-position measuring device, and status change coping means provided to determine a shortest time to place for execution of the reserved matter held in said storing means on the basis of positional information acquired by said self-position measuring device, and to determine whether the execution of the reserved matter held in said storing means is possible.

6. A portable information terminal according to claim 3, further comprising status change coping means provided to inform the user that the execution of the reserved matter held in said storing means is possible.

7. A portable information terminal according to claim 3, further comprising status change coping means provided to access to said reservation center to cancel the reservation held in said storing means.

8. A portable information terminal according to claim 3, further comprising status change coping means provided to determine a shortest time to place for execution of the reserved matter held in said storing means, to make a re-reservation in compliance with an estimated instant of time of arrival to place for execution of the reserved matter held in said storing means, and to hold the re-reserved matter into the storing means.

9. A portable information terminal according to claim 3, further comprising status change coping means provided to present alternative means to the user to make a reservation selected by the user, and to cancel the reservation held in said storing means and hold the reserved matter into the storing means.

10. A portable information terminal according to claim 3, further comprising status change coping means provided to change, when the reservation held in said storing means is changed, that reservation held in said storing means which has a relationship with the change.

11. A portable information terminal comprising a self-positioning measuring device and radio communication means for communicating with a plurality of reservation centers and a plurality of status information providing means via a communication network, said portable information terminal comprising:

reserving means for accessing to a reservation center, and reservation storing means for storing a reservation content of a reservation;

status information collecting and judging means for collecting status information relating to execution of said reservation content from said status information providing means via said communications network and deciding, based on collected information and position information obtained by said self-positioning device, whether to move to a location for execution of said reservation content, deciding whether said reservation content is to be changed;

alternative reservation generating means for collecting, in the case where said status information collecting and judging means judges that said reservation content is to be changed, information relating to an alternative reservation to show the alternative reservation; and

reservation change execution means for canceling the current reservation and storing said alternative reservation into said reservation storing means.

12. A communication system, comprising:

one or more reservation centers connected to a communication network, for enabling users to make reservations of available services;

one or more status information providers connected to said communication network, for enabling the users to obtain status information of available services;

one or more base stations connected to said communication network, for enabling one or more mobile terminals carried by the users to communicate with respective reservation centers and status information providers to make reservations and obtain status information of available services respectively, wherein each mobile terminal comprises;

a storage device which stores an agent program for enabling a user to make a reservation, to execute and update said reservation, and to obtain status information of available services, via said communication network;

a radio transceiver which establishes radio communications with one of said designated reservation center, said designated status information network and another mobile terminal, via a corresponding base station;

a global positioning system (GPS) receiver which determines a location of said mobile terminal relative to said corresponding base station;

an input device which provides different control functions designated by the user to make said reservation, to execute and update said reservation, and to obtain status information of available services; and

a display device which provides a visual display of icons indicating objects of reservations and status information of available services.

13. A communication system according to claim 12, wherein said designated reservation center comprises:

a storage device which stores a reservation program for enabling the user to make a reservation, to execute and update said reservation from said mobile terminal, via said communication network;

a communication controller connected to said communication network, which establishes communications with said mobile terminal, via said corresponding base station; and

a display device which provides a visual display of icons indicating objects of reservations of available services.

14. A communication system according to claim 12, wherein said designated status information provider comprises:

a storage device which stores a status information program for enabling the user to obtain status information from said mobile terminal, via said communication network;

a communication controller connected to said communication network, which establishes communications with said mobile terminal, via said corresponding base station; and

a display device which provides a visual display of icons indicating objects of status information of available services.

15. A communication system according to claim 12, wherein said reservations of available services include, but are not limited to, railway, flight, bus, hotel and restaurant restaurant reservations, and said status information includes, but is not limited to, traffic jam information and weather-related information.