JP2004328620A - Location information management method and apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a location information management method and apparatus in which a user is enabled to grasp location information of members of a group for two-way communications in group activity. <P>SOLUTION: The trader who manages and provisions location information, includes a location information management server 20, one or more location information grasping terminals 30a-30m and a number of mobile terminals 40a-40n, registers one of the location information grasping terminals for the user who takes part in group activity, takes the plurality of mobile terminals 40 corresponding to the members of the group on a lease of a fixed term and makes every member hold the terminal. Each of the mobile terminals 40 is connected with each of the location information grasping terminals 30 and the location information management server 20 via the Internet to make possible two-way communications using voices or electronic mail. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a position information management method and apparatus, and more particularly to a position information management method and apparatus that acquires and manages position information of group members in a case of acting in a large group.
[0002]
[Prior art]
There are cases where a large group of people go to school excursions, group trips, theme parks and event venues. In such group activities, one or more leaders or managers arrange transportation means such as buses and trains and accompany them to their destinations. At the destination, it is common to freely act according to their own interests or themes, to get together at a predetermined time, and to return home by means of transportation or the like arranged in advance by a group.
[0003]
Also, at an imaging site, a construction site, and the like, a number of members (or staffs) perform a given task in a predetermined mutually distant place, thereby performing one project. In order to carry out such a project efficiently, each member needs to carry out his / her duties (or work) in his / her own place at the same time in accordance with supervision and assistant supervision.
[0004]
However, the leader, manager or supervisor of such a group needs to know the location of the members of the group or the project and / or the progress of the work. Otherwise, for example, a situation in which the number of people does not match at the gathering time or a part of the work will be delayed, which will cause a great obstacle to the overall action and the progress of the project. In addition, the members of the group also need to communicate with each other and with the responsible person or supervisor to appropriately exchange information or confirm work.
[0005]
There are several documents disclosing prior art in such technical field. For example, a position information detection method has been disclosed in which a member of a group carries a portable terminal, personal identification data is provided, and the location of the member is grasped in real time by a simple operation of a predetermined portable terminal (for example, See Patent Document 1.). In addition, a group member using a location information network that can check a dynamic relative distance between group members and selectively transmit and receive information only to a partner meeting specific conditions without requiring an intermediary. An inter-information distribution method and a transmitting terminal and a receiving terminal are disclosed (for example, refer to Patent Document 2).
[0006]
Furthermore, a PDA capable of delivering audio and video and a regional communication network that provides sufficient radio waves throughout the theme park facilities will be constructed, and the PDA will be lent to the visitors. A management system in a theme park facility that enables two-way communication with a venue is disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 3).
[0007]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-2002-222132 (page 5, FIG. 4)
[Patent Document 2]
JP-A-2002-25951 (pages 7-9, FIG. 9)
[Patent Document 3]
JP-A-2003-58922 (pages 4-6, FIG. 1)
[0008]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the user does not always perform a group activity (group action or joint work). For example, it is not practical to have expensive equipment for group activities that are performed as infrequently as once or twice a year. In addition, the members of the group may want to perform not only one-way communication from the supervisor but also communication from the members to the supervisor or between members. There was a problem that it had no function.
[0009]
[Object of the invention]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the related art, and has as its object to provide a position information management method and apparatus that solves or reduces such problems.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the position information management method and device according to the present invention employ the following characteristic configuration.
[0011]
(1) A location information management method by a location information providing service provider that manages and provides location information of members of a group acting for a common purpose,
A plurality of portable terminals used by members of the group and a position information grasping terminal that acquires and displays position information of the portable terminals are borrowed from the position information providing service provider for a predetermined period, and during the predetermined period, Location information for acquiring the location information of each of the mobile terminals, displaying and managing the location information on the location information grasping terminal, and returning the plurality of mobile terminals and the location information grasping terminal to the location information providing service provider after the predetermined period. Management method.
[0012]
(2) The location information management method according to (1), wherein the location information grasping terminal and the portable terminal have an Internet connection function.
[0013]
(3) The position information management method according to (1) or (2), wherein the plurality of mobile terminals are mobile phones, and two-way communication is possible between the mobile phones and between the mobile phone and the location information grasping terminal. .
[0014]
(4) The position information management method according to (1), (2) or (3), wherein the portable terminal and the position information grasping terminal can communicate by voice or electronic mail.
[0015]
(5) A management company position information management device provided by a position information providing service provider that provides position information of members of the group to users who need to manage the position information of members of the group,
A plurality of mobile terminals carried and used by members of the group, one or more position information grasping terminals capable of acquiring position information of the plurality of mobile terminals and displaying them on a screen, and the one or more positions A location information management device, wherein the location information providing service provider includes a location information management server that supports an information acquisition terminal, and leases a required number of the portable terminals and the location information acquisition terminals to the user for a certain period of time.
[0016]
(6) The position information management device according to (5), wherein the position information grasping terminal, the mobile terminal, and the position information management server are communicable by being interconnected via the Internet.
[0017]
(7) The position information management device according to (5) or (6), wherein bidirectional communication can be appropriately performed between the position information grasping terminal and the portable terminal and between the portable terminals.
[0018]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of a preferred embodiment of a position information management method and device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0019]
First, FIG. 1 shows a system configuration diagram of a preferred embodiment of a position information management device according to the present invention. The location information management device 10 is a device provided by a location information providing service provider, and is a location information management server 20, one or more location information grasping terminals 30a to 30m, and an organization that wants to receive the services of the location information providing service provider. It is lent to a user (customer) who performs an activity, and is constituted by a large number of customer rented portable terminals (hereinafter, also referred to as portable terminals) 40a to 40n used by members. With this position information management device 10, a position information providing service provider can simultaneously provide a position information management service to the number of users (that is, m) of the position information grasping terminals 30. The number of portable terminals 40 is determined according to the number of group members of the position information grasping terminal 30 lent to each user.
[0020]
The position information grasping terminal 30 is a terminal capable of managing position information of a plurality of registered portable terminals 40 that can be connected to the Internet and grasping position information for displaying the location on a map. The location information management server 20 transmits the location information or communication from each mobile terminal 40 to the specific location information grasping terminal 30 to which it is assigned. Further, the communication from the specific position information grasping terminal 30 is transmitted only to a plurality of mobile terminals assigned to the position information grasping terminal 30. With such a configuration, two-way communication (information exchange) between the position information grasping terminal 30 and the portable terminal 40 is enabled.
[0021]
Next, the functions or operations of the location information management server 20, the location information grasping terminal 30, and the portable terminal 40 that constitute the location information management device 10 will be described. First, the position information management server 20 will be described.
(1) Register the mobile terminal 40 that uses the service (2) Grasp the position information of each registered mobile terminal 40 and match it with the map (3) Display the position information of the specific mobile terminal 40 (can be viewed with a password)
(4) Provision of designated information to registered users (location information grasping terminals) (5) Information exchange by e-mail with service-using portable terminal 40 (6) When portable terminal 40 puts a message on chat site, Transmission of automatic chat start notification with terminal 40 (7) Chat with service-using mobile terminal 40
The functions or operations of the user's location information grasping terminal 30 are as follows.
(1) Registration with the location information management server 20 (2) Confirmation of location information of the mobile terminal 40 via the Internet (3) Chat with necessary terminals via the Internet (4) Location information notification service at a predetermined time by e-mail Reception (5) Reception of automatic chat start notification by e-mail (6) Necessary information exchange with portable terminal 40 by e-mail
Next, functions or operations of the mobile terminal 40 are as follows.
(1) Registration with the location information management server 20 (2) Access to the location information management server 20 via the Internet to confirm the location of another portable terminal 40 (3) Access to the location information management server 20 via the Internet to request other desired Chat with some or all of the mobile terminals 40 (4) Receive automatic chat start notification by e-mail (5) Exchange information with other mobile terminals 40 by e-mail
Next, FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the position information management device 10 shown in FIG. The operation of the position information management system 10 will be described with reference to this flowchart. First, it is determined whether or not an application of a user (or an organization) has been made to a location information management company (hereinafter, referred to as a company) that operates a location information providing service business using the location information management device 10 (step S1). If there is an application (step S1: YES), this user performs user registration (step S2), and obtains a position information grasping terminal (for example, position information grasping) which is a notebook or palm type PC (personal computer) having an Internet connection function. The terminal 30a) and the required number of location information-compatible mobile terminals 40 are lent out (step S3).
[0025]
Next, the position information grasping terminal 30a displays the registered position information of each portable terminal 40 on a map (step S4). Thereby, the user can always grasp the position (or whereabouts) of the holder of the portable terminal 40 on the map on the display screen of the position information grasping terminal 30a. Next, it is determined whether there is a communication request (step S5). When there is a communication request, the holder of the mobile terminal 40 can also know where the holders of the other mobile terminals 40 are by accessing the location information management server 20 of the dedicated site, so that the holder of the mobile terminal 40 can freely determine if necessary. Communication (chat) for information sharing with the holder of the portable terminal 40 is possible (step S6). In addition, the position information grasping terminal 30a displays the image including the position information of the holder (user) of the portable terminal 40 on the map displayed on the display screen and the text of the situation report as necessary or for a set time. It is also possible to automatically deliver to a destination registered in advance every time.
[0026]
It is determined whether the user's group work is completed and the location information service is to be terminated (step S7). If the service is to be terminated (step S7: YES), the portable terminal 40 or the like is returned to the trader, and a fee determined based on the equipment used and time is paid (step S8), and the location information providing service is terminated.
[0027]
The configuration and operation of the preferred embodiment of the position information management method and device according to the present invention have been described above in detail. However, it should be noted that such embodiments are merely examples of the present invention and do not limit the present invention in any way. It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes can be made in accordance with the particular application without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the invention has many uses other than those described above.
[0028]
【The invention's effect】
As will be understood from the above description, the present invention has the following practically significant effects. If each user independently introduces this location information management service, initial costs and maintenance costs are high. However, if this business method is used, services can be temporarily (temporarily) used at low cost as needed. Further, it is possible to drastically reduce telephone charges and man-hours for grasping the position of each member of the group.
[0029]
Also, when it is desired to transmit information to all members at once (for example, a schedule change, an emergency, assignment of a new job, etc.), two-way communication by means of chat without calling each member individually. (Communication). Furthermore, by combining with location information, it gives instructions to the person who is closest to the work site, and members of the group communicate with each other and join or exchange information with nearby people, for business or private use. Communicate efficiently.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a preferred embodiment of a position information management device according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the position information management device shown in FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 location information management device 20 location information management server 30 location information grasping terminal 40 mobile terminal

Claims (7)

A location information management method by a location information providing service provider that manages and provides location information of members of a group acting for a common purpose,
A plurality of portable terminals used by members of the group and a position information grasping terminal that acquires and displays position information of the portable terminals are borrowed from the position information providing service provider for a predetermined period, and during the predetermined period, Acquiring the location information of each of the mobile terminals, displaying and managing the location information on the location information grasping terminal, and returning the plurality of portable terminals and the location information grasping terminal to the location information providing service provider after the predetermined period. Characteristic location information management method. The location information management method according to claim 1, wherein the location information grasping terminal and the portable terminal have an Internet connection function. 3. The location information management according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of mobile terminals are mobile phones, and two-way communication is possible between the mobile phones and between the mobile phone and the location information grasping terminal. Method. 4. The location information management method according to claim 1, wherein communication between the portable terminal and the location information grasping terminal is possible by voice or electronic mail. A management company position information management device provided by a position information providing service provider that provides position information of members of the group to users who need to manage position information of members of the group,
A plurality of mobile terminals carried and used by members of the group, one or more position information grasping terminals capable of acquiring position information of the plurality of mobile terminals and displaying them on a screen, and the one or more positions A location information management apparatus, wherein the location information providing service provider includes a location information management server that supports an information acquisition terminal, and lends a required number of the mobile terminals and the location information acquisition terminal to the user for a certain period of time. The position information management device according to claim 5, wherein the position information grasping terminal, the mobile terminal, and the position information management server are communicable by being interconnected via the Internet. 7. The position information management device according to claim 5, wherein bidirectional communication can be appropriately performed between the position information grasping terminal and the portable terminal and between the portable terminals.

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