Wireless terminal communication method

• US 7,254,400 B1
• Filed: 10/05/2000
• Issued: 08/07/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Sakakura, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild; Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Huy D
• Application Number:
  US09/679,816
• Time in Patent Office: 2,497 Days
• Field of Search: 455/433, 455/456, 455/435, 455/517, 455/445, 455/456.1, 455/456.5, 455/456.3, 455/456.6, 455/41.2, 455/435.1, 455/435.2, 455/435.3, 455/456.2, 370/315, 370/349, 370/397, 370/409, 370/410
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/22 using selective relaying for reaching a BTS [Base Transceiver Station] or an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/14 between corresponding nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

The present invention aims to perform communication between the wireless terminals by adopting the existing networks and by avoiding the congestion on the network. The terminal location databases set at various networks control the position information of the wireless terminals. According to one of the steps in the method of the present invention, a wireless terminal inquires a terminal location database for the position information of a destination wireless terminal. Then, as for the next step, the wireless terminal receives a reply from the terminal location database regarding the position information of the destination wireless terminal. As for the following step, the wireless terminal communicate to the destination wireless terminal.

Claims

1. A wireless terminal communication method in a network, the network comprising, a plurality of wireless terminals, and a terminal location database for controlling position information of the wireless terminals, the wireless terminal communication method comprises the steps of:

sending an inquiry to the terminal location database by a mobile wireless terminal for position information of a destination mobile wireless terminal of the mobile wireless terminal;

sending communications transmissions to the destination mobile wireless terminal from the mobile wireless terminal to share data between the mobile wireless terminal and the destination mobile wireless terminal when the mobile wireless terminal has received the position information of the destination mobile wireless terminal from the terminal location database;

exchanging periodically the position information of the wireless terminals by the terminal location database;

notifying to an other terminal location database who can respond to the inquiry after the terminal location database receives an inquiry regarding a relevant information from the wireless terminal; and

wherein the wireless terminal makes an inquiry to the other terminal location database based on this notification of the position of the other terminal location database.

2. The wireless terminal communication method as defined in claim 1, wherein the terminal location database replies pending to the inquiring step to the terminal location database by the wireless terminal unless the destination wireless terminal is registered;

and

wherein the terminal location database replies to the inquire after the destination wireless terminal enters and registers the desired position.

3. The wireless terminal communication method as defined in claim 1, wherein the wireless terminal determines a priority order of the inquiries, and sends the inquiring step according to the priority order.

4. The wireless terminal communication method as defined in claim 1, wherein the terminal location database has an address and an ad hoc wireless network interface, and connects to the ad hoc wireless network.

5. The wireless terminal communication method as defined in claim 1, wherein the terminal location database refers and replies to the inquiring step the position information of the wireless terminals controlled by the cellular phone network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said communicating reduces congestion in the network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said inquiring includes inquiring to the terminal location database via a roadside communication device wherein said mobile wireless terminal being co-located with a first vehicle and said destination mobile wireless terminal being co-located with a second vehicle.

8. A wireless terminal communication method in a network, the network comprising, a plurality of wireless terminals, and a terminal location database for controlling position information of the wireless terminals, the wireless terminal communication method comprises the steps of:

inquiring to the terminal location database by a wireless terminal for a position information of a destination wireless terminal of the wireless terminal;

communicating with the destination wireless terminal to share data between the wireless terminal and the destination wireless terminal when the wireless terminal has received the position information of the destination wireless terminal from the terminal location database;

broadcasting periodically a position and address of the terminal location database by the terminal location database; and

wherein the wireless terminal makes an inquiry to the terminal location database based on the broadcast position and address.

9. A wireless terminal communication method in a network, the network comprising, a plurality of wireless terminals, and a terminal location database for controlling position information of the wireless terminals, the wireless communication method comprises the steps of:

broadcasting periodically a position and address of the terminal location database by the terminal location database; and

communicating from a wireless terminal to a destination wireless terminal to share data between the wireless terminal and the destination wireless terminal based on the broadcast position and address wherein the terminal location database is a separate wirelessly communicating entity than the wireless terminal and the destination wireless terminal.

10. A wireless terminal communication method in a network, the network comprising, a plurality of wireless terminals, and a terminal location database for controlling the position information of the wireless terminals, the wireless terminal communication method comprises the steps of:

inquiring to the terminal location database by a wireless terminal for a position information of a destination wireless terminal of the wireless terminal; and

communicating with the destination wireless terminal when the wireless terminal has received the position information of the destination wireless terminal from the terminal location database,

wherein the terminal location database searches for an intermediate terminal to the inquiring step unless the direct communication between the wireless terminal and the destination wireless terminal is possible, and replies to the inquiring step to the terminal location database including the name of the searched intermediate terminals to the wireless terminal.

11. The wireless terminal communication method as defined in claim 10, wherein the terminal location database sets up a route information;

and further comprising;

sending the route information to the intermediate terminals.

12. A wireless communication system using a network of a plurality of wireless terminals, comprising:

a terminal location database to control position information of the plurality of wireless terminals;

a mobile wireless terminal to inquire the terminal location database for the position information of a destination mobile wireless terminal; and

a communication control mechanism on the wireless terminal to control direct communication between the wireless terminal and the destination wireless terminal based on the position information of the destination mobile wireless terminal provided by the terminal location database, wherein the terminal location database periodically broadcasts a position and address of the terminal location database, wherein the terminal location database is a separate wirelessly communicating entity than the wireless terminal and the destination wireless terminal.

13. The wireless communication system of claim 12, further comprising an intermediate terminal to facilitate communication between the wireless terminal and the destination wireless terminal.

14. A wireless communication system using a network of a plurality of wireless terminals, comprising:

a terminal location database to control position information of the plurality of wireless terminals;

a wireless terminal to inquire the terminal location database for the position information of a destination wireless terminal; and

a communication control mechanism on the wireless terminal to control direct communication between the wireless terminal and the destination wireless terminal based on the position information of the destination wireless terminal provided by the terminal location database;

wherein the terminal location database periodically broadcasts a position and address of the terminal location database, wherein the terminal location database is a separate wirelessly communicating entity than the wireless terminal and the destination wireless terminal.

15. A wireless terminal communication method in a network, the network comprising, a plurality of wireless terminals, and a terminal location database for controlling position information of the wireless terminals, the wireless terminal communication method comprises:

receiving an inquiry at the terminal location database sent from a mobile wireless terminal for position information of a destination mobile wireless terminal of the mobile wireless terminal;

sending the position information of the destination mobile wireless terminal to the mobile wireless terminal, from the terminal location database, to generate communications transmissions to the destination mobile wireless terminal from the mobile wireless terminal to share data between the mobile wireless terminal and the destination mobile wireless terminal;

exchanging periodically the position information of the wireless terminals by the terminal location database;

notifying to an other terminal location database who can respond to the inquiry after the terminal location database receives an inquiry regarding a relevant information from the wireless terminal; and

wherein the wireless terminal makes an inquiry to the other terminal location database based on this notification of the position of the other terminal location database.

16. A wireless terminal communication method in a network, the network comprising, a plurality of wireless terminals, and a terminal location database for controlling position information of the wireless terminals, the wireless terminal communication method comprises the steps of:

sending an inquiry to the terminal location database by a mobile wireless terminal for position information of a destination mobile wireless terminal of the mobile wireless terminal; and

sending communications transmissions to the destination mobile wireless terminal from the mobile wireless terminal to share data between the mobile wireless terminal and the destination mobile wireless terminal when the mobile wireless terminal has received the position information of the destination mobile wireless terminal from the terminal location database;

wherein the terminal location database replies pending to the inquiring step to the terminal location database by the wireless terminal unless the destination wireless terminal is registered; and

wherein the terminal location database replies to the inquire after the destination wireless terminal enters and registers the desired position, wherein the terminal location database periodically broadcasts a position and address of the terminal location database, wherein the terminal location database is a separate wirelessly communicating entity than the wireless terminal and the destination wireless terminal.

17. A wireless terminal communication method in a network, the network comprising, a plurality of wireless terminals, and a terminal location database for controlling position information of the wireless terminals, the wireless terminal communication method comprises:

receiving an inquiry at the terminal location database sent from a mobile wireless terminal for position information of a destination mobile wireless terminal of the mobile wireless terminal; and

sending the position information of the destination mobile wireless terminal to the mobile wireless terminal, from the terminal location database, to generate communications transmissions to the destination mobile wireless terminal from the mobile wireless terminal to share data between the mobile wireless terminal and the destination mobile wireless terminal;

wherein the terminal location database replies pending to the inquiring step to the terminal location database by the wireless terminal unless the destination wireless terminal is registered; and

wherein the terminal location database replies to the inquire after the destination wireless terminal enters and registers the desired position wherein the terminal location database periodically broadcasts a position and address of the terminal location database, wherein the terminal location database is a separate wirelessly communicating entity than the wireless terminal and the destination wireless terminal.