Telecommunications – Radiotelephone system – Zoned or cellular telephone system
Utility Patent
1998-04-08
2001-01-02
Cumming, William (Department: 2749)
Telecommunications
Radiotelephone system
Zoned or cellular telephone system
C342S357490, C701S117000, C701S200000, C701S208000
Utility Patent
active
06169902
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information terminal and an information processing method by the information terminal in which the owner of an information terminal knows positional information of another information terminal within a predetermined group in a radio-communication network that interconnects a plurality of information terminals.
2. Description of the Related Art
Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers that are typically used in navigational equipment are also installed on mobile vehicles such as a car. The GPS receiver receives positioning signals transmitted from a plurality of low earth-orbiting satellites for position fixing, and a user thus continuously knows the user's own position even in an area where the user is new.
There are several available information apparatuses having digital communication capability, into which the Personal Handyphone System (PHS) and Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) are integrated. One of such apparatuses displays the map surrounding the present position of own apparatus according to the identification number of an earth receiving base station during use, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 07-342579 (corresponding to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/772,405) filed by the same assignee as the present application.
Among users of information terminals having PHS capability, one user may want to know the present position of second user. In such a case, the first user calls the second user's information terminal over a radio-communication telephone to ask the present position. The second user, if new to the locality, checks the present position through the above positioning means, and answers the first user over the telephone (voice).
When a plurality of users, forming a group, want to know mutually their positions, each user has no choice but to telephone other users in the group person by person to ask all their present positions in voice.
To allow users of information terminals to know each other about their position in the conventional art, each user has to telephone the other users to get answers from them in voice. The user may perform a complex operation, and an answer in voice occasionally presents a difficulty of knowing an accurate position of another user.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an information terminal which, sticking to compact size and simple design, allows a user to know continuously and visually the positions of other users with a simple operation to the user's own information terminal.
The information terminal of the present invention interconnected through a radio-communication network comprises position fixing information acquisition means for acquiring position fixing information that fixes the present position of own information terminal, transmitting means for transmitting through the radio-communication network on demand the position fixing information of own terminal acquired through the position fixing information acquisition means and for transmitting through the radio-communication network a request command for requesting position-related information about each information terminal belonging to a group identified by a predetermined password number, receiving means for receiving through the radio-communication network the position-related information about each information terminal belonging to the group, and display means for displaying the position-related information of each information terminal received by the receiving means.
With this arrangement, a simple operation allows one user belonging to the group identified by a particular password number to know mutually visually the present positions of the other users all at a time within the same group through a radio network.
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patent: 5758313 (1998-05-01), Shah et al.
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patent: 6012012 (2000-06-01), Fleck et al.
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Cumming William
Limbach & Limbach L.L.P.
Sony Corporation
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