JP2007060434A - Information providing server and communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information providing server and a communication system for providing various information items associated with a country or a district of a roaming destination to a user of a mobile phone when the user utilizes a roaming service to carry out mobile communication in various countries or districts. <P>SOLUTION: The information providing server IS stores (i) calendar information indicating holidays, (ii) practice information denoting religious or custom practices, and (iii) data for searching traffic agencies in countries wherein networks HNET, RNET are installed. When the user registers a schedule at traveling overseas to a mobile phone MP, schedule data denoting contents of the schedule are generated. When the user carries the mobile phone MP and moves to a communication area A-R corresponding to the network RNET to which the user makes no subscription, the mobile phone MP transmits the schedule data to the information providing server IS at its position registration, and the information providing server IS distributes various information items to the mobile phone MP on the basis of the schedule data. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for providing various types of information to a mobile terminal device.

  In recent years, mobile communication technology has been developed, and standardization of communication standards has been attempted on a global scale. For example, in IMT (International Mobile Telecommunication) -2000 of ITU (International Telecommunication Union), DS-CDMA (Direct Spread-Code Division Multiple Access) and MC-CDMA (Multi-Channel) are known as mobile communication standards called third generation. Two standards (Carrier-Code Division Multiple Access) have been established, and in these standards, roaming across countries has been realized. Note that “roaming” means that a service of a telecommunications carrier contracted by a user can be received using a network owned by a carrier other than the telecommunications carrier.

Under such circumstances, an area where the user can receive communication services using his / her own mobile phone has been expanded internationally. Proposals have also been made to improve the convenience of the user by correcting the clock function according to the time difference (see Patent Document 1).
JP 2002-156478 A

  By the way, in the real world, there is a reality that customs differ from country to country, such as holidays differ from country to country, or there are areas where behavior is restricted due to religious reasons, etc. . Therefore, in order to improve the convenience of users when using mobile phones in various countries and regions using roaming services, it is not necessary to simply correct the clock function of the mobile phone. It is desirable to be able to provide various types of information regarding the country and region where the previous network infrastructure is installed. However, in the system described in Patent Document 1, the function of time correction is realized, but the function of providing other information is not realized at all.

  The present application has been made in view of the circumstances described above. As an example of the problem, when a user performs mobile communication in various countries and regions using a roaming service, the network infrastructure of the roaming destination is It is an object of the present invention to provide an information providing server and a communication system capable of providing various types of information regarding the installed country and region to a user of a mobile phone.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, in one aspect of the present application, an information providing server according to claim 1 is an information providing server that provides various types of information to a user of a mobile terminal device. When the mobile terminal device performs location registration in a recording means in which characteristic information indicating local characteristics is recorded and an unsubscribed mobile communication network in which the user has not subscribed to the mobile communication service, the unsubscribed mobile In response to a request message transmitted from the mobile communication network, read means for reading the characteristic information corresponding to the region where the unsubscribed mobile communication network is installed from the recording means, and the read characteristic information Distribution means for distributing to the mobile communication terminal via an unsubscribed mobile communication network.

  According to this information providing server, when the mobile terminal device performs location registration in an unsubscribed mobile communication network, that is, when roaming location registration is performed, characteristic information corresponding to the installation area of the mobile communication network is read out. And distributed to the mobile terminal device. For this reason, when a user performs mobile communication in various countries and regions using a roaming service, various information (namely, characteristic information) about the country and region where the network infrastructure of the roaming destination is installed is stored in the mobile communication terminal. Can be provided to other users.

  In this case, when there are a plurality of unsubscribed mobile communication networks, the reading means acquires unsubscribed network identification information for uniquely identifying the non-subscriber mobile communication network that is the transmission source of the request message. If the characteristic information is read based on the unsubscribed identification information (Claim 2), it is sufficient to provide one information providing server for a plurality of unsubscribed mobile communication networks. The cost can be reduced.

  Also, in this case, the characteristic information described in the language of each region is recorded in the recording means, the acquisition means together with the unsubscribed network identification information, and the user of the portable terminal device subscribes to the mobile communication service. Acquired existing network identification information for uniquely identifying the mobile communication network, and when the reading means reads out the characteristic information, the language corresponding to the area where the existing mobile communication network is installed is used as the existing network identification information. Based on this, the characteristic information described in the language may be read out. According to this configuration, it is possible to provide the characteristic information in the language that can be used by the user of the mobile terminal device, and it is possible to dramatically improve the convenience for the user.

  The content of the attribute information is arbitrary, and may include, for example, at least one of (a) information indicating a holiday in each area and (b) information indicating a practice in each area. (Claim 4).

  Further, the acquisition means acquires schedule data indicating the schedule of the user of the mobile terminal device together with the unsubscribed network identification information, and the reading means reads out the characteristic information based on both the unsubscribed network identification information and the schedule data. (Claim 5), it becomes possible to distribute the characteristic information reflecting the user's schedule.

  Furthermore, the transportation information recording means in which transportation information related to transportation in each region is recorded, and the transportation information recording means is searched based on the departure place and the destination included in the schedule data, and the destination is reached. And generating means for generating action schedule data indicating the transportation means to be used in the process to be performed, and if the action schedule data is distributed (Claim 6), it should be used according to the user's schedule It is possible to present the transportation facility to the user and improve the convenience of the user.

  In this case, a delay time information recording means for recording delay time information indicating an average number of hours that the transportation system is delayed in each region is provided, and action schedule data based on both the delay time information and the schedule data. (Claim 7), it is possible to present information that takes into account the delay of transportation in each region, and to further improve the convenience for the user.

  Furthermore, in another aspect of the present application, the communication system according to claim 8 is an information providing server that provides various types of information to a user of a mobile terminal device, and a plurality of mobile communication networks installed in different areas. The information providing server includes a recording means in which characteristic information indicating the characteristics of each region is recorded, and an unsubscribed mobile communication network in which a user has not subscribed to a mobile communication service. Reading means for reading out characteristic information corresponding to the region where the unsubscribed mobile communication network is installed from the recording means in response to a request message transmitted from the unsubscribed mobile communication network when performing registration And distribution means for distributing the read characteristic information to the portable terminal device via the unsubscribed mobile communication network. According to this communication system, it is possible to achieve the same effects as the information providing server according to claim 1.

  According to each invention of the present application, when a user performs a mobile communication in various countries and regions using a roaming service, various information regarding the country and region where the network infrastructure of the roaming destination is installed is stored in the mobile phone. Can be provided to other users.

[1] Embodiment [1.1] Configuration of Embodiment The configuration of the communication system S according to the present embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the communication system S according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in the figure, the communication system S according to the present embodiment includes a mobile phone MP held by a user, a plurality of networks HNET and RNET, and an information providing server IS. In the following, of these networks HNET and RNET, the one that the user has subscribed to is referred to as a home network HNET, and the one that has not joined is referred to as an unsubscribed network RNET. In the actual communication system S, there are a plurality of unsubscribed networks RNET and a portable telephone MP. However, in FIG. 1, the communication system S is included in order to prevent the drawing from becoming complicated. Only one unsubscribed network RNET among the unsubscribed networks RNET is described.

  In this communication system S, (a) a communication area A-H is formed by the base stations BS-H accommodated in the home network HNET, and (b) a base station accommodated in the unsubscribed network RNET. A communication area A-R is formed by the BS-R group (hereinafter referred to as “base station BS” and “communication area A” unless otherwise specified). Note that the area covered by both communication areas A-H and A-R is arbitrary, but in this embodiment, one communication area A covers the territory of one country. It shall be.

  In the communication system S having such a configuration, the user of the mobile phone MP can enjoy the mobile communication service in the communication area A-H corresponding to the home network HNET to which the user is subscribed (a) (B) When the mobile phone MP is moved into the communication area A-R in the state of possessing the portable telephone MP, the location registration for roaming is performed in the unsubscribed network RNET, and the mobile communication service via the unsubscribed network RNET is provided. It is also possible to receive (so-called international roaming). Note that “location registration” is information indicating the location of the mobile phone MP (specifically, a cell formed by the base station BS where the mobile phone MP is located and its surrounding base stations BS). (Hereinafter, referred to as “location information”) is registered in the network NET, and by this location registration, routing in the network NET is realized. The Rukoto.

  On the other hand, when the mobile phone MP is to be used in each country as described above, when the user leaves the country for reasons such as overseas travel or overseas business trip, (i) information on holidays in the country ( (Ii) information on religious or customary practices (for example, New Year and Lunar New Year), and (iii) use according to the user's action schedule It is desirable to be able to present to the user information regarding transportation that should be used. Therefore, in the communication system S according to the present embodiment, when the country in which the user exists (that is, the communication area A) is changed and the location registration for roaming is performed, the country to which the user is to travel The method of ensuring the convenience of the user by specifying these and automatically providing such information is adopted.

  Hereinafter, each element for realizing such a function will be described.

  First, the home network HNET and the unsubscribed network RNET are both mobile communication networks compliant with the same communication standard (for example, DS-CDMA and MC-CDMA), and provide mobile communication services to the mobile phone MP. It is meant to provide. In order to realize such a function, each network HNET and RNET includes a base station BS and a communication control station CP (CP-H corresponding to the home network HNET and CP-R corresponding to the unsubscribed network). And an exchange station (not shown).

  The communication control stations CP-H and CP-R accommodated in the networks HNET and RNET manage the mobile phones MP located in the communication areas A-H and A-R corresponding to the own network. And manages user information and location information of users who are subscribed to its own network, and location information and roaming numbers related to roaming users. The “roaming number” is an identification number assigned to manage a roaming user between a roaming destination network (that is, an unsubscribed network RNET) and a roaming source network (that is, a home network HNET). Means.

  Here, a specific configuration of the communication control stations CP-H and CP-R having such functions will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the communication control stations CP-H and CP-R according to the present embodiment, and each element shown in the figure is between the communication control stations CP-H and CP-R. In FIG. 2, the element corresponding to the communication control device CP-H is suffixed with “H”, and the element corresponding to the communication control station CP-R is suffixed with “R” ( However, in the following description, when it is not necessary to distinguish each element of both communication control stations CP-H and CP-R, no subscript is attached to each element).

  First, as shown in FIG. 2, the communication control stations CP-H and CP-R according to the present embodiment include an HLR (Home Location Register) 11, a GLR (Gateway Location Register) 12, and a control device 13, respectively. ,have. Among these elements, the HLR 11 includes user information (for example, a user's name and address) of a user who subscribes to the own network and a subscriber ID assigned to the user's mobile phone MP (that is, in the network). It is a database for managing information such as identification information for uniquely identifying the user) and location information corresponding to the mobile phone MP.

  The GLR 12 is a database for temporarily storing and managing various data related to users who have roamed from other networks NET. In this embodiment, when a user moves to the communication area A-R, the mobile communication service is provided in the unsubscribed network RNET (that is, roaming). Information such as the roaming number, the location information of the user, and the network ID for uniquely identifying the home network HNET are stored in the GLR 12.

  Next, the control device 13 executes processing for location registration in response to the location registration request message transmitted from the mobile phone MP. More specifically, when a location registration request message is transmitted from the mobile phone MP of a user who has subscribed to the own network, the control device 13 transmits a base station ID or the like added to the message in the network NET. Based on the exchange ID, position information of the mobile phone MP is generated and stored in the HLR 11. Further, when a location registration request message is transmitted from a mobile phone MP of a user who has not joined the local network (that is, during roaming), a roaming number is assigned to the mobile phone MP, and then the roaming The number is stored in the GLR 12 together with the position information. At this time, the control device 13 specifies the network NET to which the user is subscribed (that is, the home network HNET) and transmits a request message for location registration to the communication control station CP-H of the home network HNET. Then, the HLR 11 of the home network HNET performs location registration for roaming.

  Further, when an incoming call is made to the mobile phone MP located in the communication area A corresponding to the own network, the control device 13 is based on information such as location information and subscriber ID stored in the HLR 11 and GLR 12. Then, routing is performed up to the exchange (not shown) that accommodates the base station BS corresponding to the cell in which the portable telephone MP is located.

  As will be described in detail later, as a characteristic feature of the present embodiment, the control device 13 performs various types of information on the country where the network NET is installed from the information providing server IS at the time of location registration when starting roaming. A function of acquiring information and transmitting it to the mobile phone MP is also realized.

  Next, the information providing server IS is connected to the communication control stations CP-H and CP-R, and based on the message transmitted from the communication control stations CP-H and CP-R, the network to which the user has not joined Various information regarding the country where the NET (that is, the unsubscribed network RNET) is installed is provided.

  Hereinafter, a specific configuration of the information providing server IS will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a specific configuration of the information providing server IS according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in the figure, the information providing server IS according to the present embodiment includes a communication unit 21, a system control unit 22, a calendar for mediating data exchange with the control device 13 of the communication control station CP. It has an information DB 23, a practice information DB 24, a transportation facility search DB 25, and a data bus 26 for interconnecting the elements.

  Among these elements, the system control unit 22 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and a hard disk, and comprehensively controls each unit of the information providing server IS.

  The calendar information DB 23 includes information indicating whether each day is a weekday or a holiday (hereinafter referred to as “calendar information”) in each country where the networks HNET and RNET are installed. When the calendar is displayed, the holidays in the country are displayed in different colors from weekdays based on this calendar information (for example, weekdays are black and holidays are red).

  On the other hand, the customs information DB 24 is, for example, what meaning each holiday has (such as a special day of religion), or notes for each date (after noon for religious reasons) The elements include practice information indicating religious or customary practices (for example, New Year or Lunar New Year) in the countries where the networks HNET and RNET are installed.

  In the present embodiment, the system control unit 22 performs the initial location registration for receiving the roaming service (for example, when the user moves from the communication area A-H to the communication area A-R while holding the mobile phone MP). ), A network ID for uniquely identifying the unsubscribed network RNET as the roaming destination is acquired, and the country where the unsubscribed network RNET is installed is specified based on the ID. Then, the system control unit 22 reads the calendar information and the practice information corresponding to the specified country from the calendar information DB 23 and the practice information DB 24 and distributes them to the mobile phone MP. As a result, when displaying a calendar using the calendar function installed in his / her mobile phone MP, the user can check whether a weekday or a holiday is displayed in different colors and what time is a holiday. In both cases, when the user designates a predetermined date on the calendar, various practices corresponding to the date are displayed.

  In addition, as will be described later, in this embodiment, before the user travels abroad, the travel schedule and the action schedule (for example, where to depart at what time and where, or where to arrive at what time and where) are portable. Data is registered in the telephone set MP. When such registration is performed, data indicating the schedule (hereinafter, “schedule data”) is generated in the portable telephone set MP. Then, the information providing server IS obtains information (hereinafter referred to as “behavior schedule data”) that indicates the transfer guidance of the transportation facility that should be used to take an action in accordance with the action schedule of the user at the time of registering the location for starting roaming. The schedule data is generated based on the schedule data, and the generated action schedule data is transmitted to the mobile phone MP.

  In order to realize such a function, the information providing server IS according to the present embodiment is provided with a transportation facility search DB 25, and the system control unit 22 retrieves the transportation facility retrieval DB 25 based on the schedule data. Action schedule data is generated.

  Here, there is one point to be noted when realizing such a function. That is, the language used differs depending on the country. Therefore, even if various information such as calendar information is created only in the language corresponding to the country where the unregistered network RNET is installed, the mobile phone MP The content of the information may not be understood depending on the user's native language. For this reason, in this embodiment, information corresponding to various languages is stored in the calendar information DB 23, the practice information DB 24, and the transportation facility search DB 25, and corresponds to the country where the user's home network HNET is installed when various information is transmitted. The calendar information of the selected language is transmitted to the mobile phone MP.

  Next, the mobile phone MP exchanges data with the base stations BS accommodated in the networks HNET and RNET by executing a communication program such as a voice communication program or a WWW (World Wide Web) browser. Mobile communication is performed via the network NET. This mobile phone MP transmits a location registration request message to the network HNET or RNET corresponding to the communication area A-H or A-R where the mobile phone is located during such communication. Using the message as a trigger, the process for location registration is executed.

  Further, the portable telephone MP has a calendar display function, and when displaying the calendar on a display unit (not shown) based on the function, the calendar information and the practice information acquired from the information providing server IS are combined. Can be displayed. In addition, when the user performs a predetermined input operation in a state where the calendar is displayed, the mobile phone MP displays a screen for registering an action schedule when traveling abroad according to the input operation. According to the screen, the schedule data is generated according to the input operation performed by the user. The schedule data generated in this way is transmitted to the communication control stations CP-H and CP-R at the time of location registration when starting roaming, and supplied to the information providing server IS. Note that the specific processing contents at this time will be described in detail in the section of “Operation” described below.

[1.2] Operation of the embodiment Next, the specific operation of the communication system S according to the present embodiment having the above-described configuration will be described. In the following, (a) Travel schedule before traveling abroad The operation at the time of registration and (b) the operation at the time of roaming will be described in this order.

(A) Operation when registering a travel schedule before traveling abroad First, when registering a travel schedule before traveling abroad, the user displays a calendar on the operation unit (not shown) of the portable telephone MP. It is necessary to perform input operations. Then, when the user performs such an input operation on the operation unit, the portable telephone MP reads data for displaying a calendar in accordance with the input operation and displays the data on the display unit. At this time, the contents of the calendar displayed by default are arbitrary, but in this embodiment, the calendar corresponding to the home country of the user of the mobile phone MP (that is, corresponding to a holiday in the country) Displayed calendar) is displayed.

  In this state, when the user performs an input operation for registering a travel schedule on the operation unit, the mobile phone MP starts the process shown in FIG. 4. For example, the “travel start date and travel end date are set. “Please specify” or the like is displayed on the display unit (step Sa1), and a user input operation is waited (step Sa2 “no”). When the user performs an input operation for designating a travel start date and an end date according to this display, the mobile phone MP specifies the date designated by the user based on the input operation (step Sa3), for example, FIG. After the schedule registration screen as shown in FIG. 6 is displayed on the display unit (step Sa4), it is determined whether or not the registration is completed (step Sa5 “no”).

  At this time, the mobile phone MP first displays a screen SC1 for registering a schedule for the first day of travel (see FIG. 5), and the user designates a time zone according to the screen and registers a place to visit. At the same time, it is designated whether the user wants to leave or arrive at the place. Next, register the schedule for the second day of travel according to the screen SC2, then register the schedule for the third and fourth days, and when the registration of the schedule for each day from the travel to the return is completed, the decision is made. An input operation to that effect is performed.

  Then, the mobile phone MP determines “yes” in step Sa5, generates schedule data based on the input information (step Sa6), and records the generated schedule data in a memory (not shown). After (step Sa7), the process ends.

  In this way, when the schedule data is recorded, the mobile phone MP is held to travel, and when roaming is performed, based on the schedule data, how to get to each location included in the schedule (specifically In this case, information indicating what time and what transportation to use and where to go is distributed.

(B) Operation during Roaming Next, an operation when roaming is performed in the communication system S will be described. In the following description, it is assumed that the user travels abroad with a confident mobile phone MP and receives a mobile communication service via the unsubscribed network RNET.

  First, when the user travels abroad with the portable telephone MP, the processing of FIG. 6 is executed at a predetermined timing in the communication system S, and processing for performing roaming is executed.

  In this process, first, a subscriber ID recorded in a memory (not shown) of the portable telephone MP is read by the portable telephone MP (step Sb1), and a location registration request message including the subscriber ID is not yet received. It is transmitted to the base station BS-R of the subscription network RNET (step Sb2).

  On the other hand, when receiving the message transmitted in this way, the control device 13R of the communication control station CP-R, based on the subscriber ID included in the received request signal, the mobile phone MP corresponding to the subscriber ID Is in a state of determining whether or not the location is registered (step Sb3). At this time, the control device 13R specifies the home network HNET to which the user of the mobile phone MP is subscribed based on the acquired subscriber ID, and makes an inquiry to the communication control station CP-H. Then, the location information of the mobile phone MP currently registered in the communication control station CP-H is acquired, and it is determined whether or not the location of the mobile phone MP has been registered based on the information.

  If it is determined as “yes” in step Sb3, that is, if the mobile phone MP has already been registered for location, the control device 13R registers the location with the communication control station CP-H of the home network HNET. Is executed (step Sb19), and the process is terminated. In addition, since the process in this case is the same as the conventional one, the details are omitted.

  On the other hand, when it is determined as “no” in step Sb3, that is, when the mobile phone MP is first located in the communication area AR of the unsubscribed network RNET, the control of the communication control station CP-R The device 13R transmits a schedule data transmission request signal to the mobile phone MP via the base station BS-R (step Sb4), and waits for data reception from the mobile phone MP (step Sb5 “no”). "). At this time, a method for transmitting a transmission request signal for schedule data from the base station BS-R to the mobile phone MP is arbitrary. For example, the transmission may be performed using a control channel. Also good.

  When receiving the transmission request signal transmitted in this way, the mobile phone MP reads the schedule data recorded in the memory (not shown) and transmits it to the base station BS-R (step Sb6), and then registers the location. It will be in the state which waits for reception of the completion notification of (step Sb7 "no").

  On the other hand, when receiving the schedule data, the control device 13R of the communication control station CP-R stores the schedule data (step Sb8) and then communicates with the communication control station CP-H of the roaming source (that is, the home network HNET). During this period, processing for roaming (hereinafter referred to as “roaming processing”) is executed (step Sb9).

  Various processes can be conceived for roaming in an actual mobile communication network, and what kind of processing is actually performed in step Sb9 is arbitrary. FIG. 7 shows an example of processing executed in step Sb9. In the example shown in the figure, first, the control device 13R of the communication control station CP-R first assigns a roaming number to the mobile phone MP (step Sc1).

  Next, the control device 13R causes the GLR 12R to register information such as the set roaming number (step Sc2). At this time, the specific content of the information registered in the GLR 12R together with the roaming number is arbitrary. For example, the base station ID of the base station BS-R in the mobile phone MP and the subscriber of the mobile phone MP The ID and further terminal information and the like may be stored in association with each other. Next, the control device 13R transmits various types of information (for example, roaming numbers) stored in the GLR 12R to the communication control station CP-H of the home network HNET (step Sc3).

  On the other hand, the communication control station CP-H searches the HLR 11H based on information such as the subscriber ID transmitted from the control device 13H (step Sc4), and corresponds to the subscriber information corresponding to the mobile phone MP. In addition, information such as the roaming number and the base station ID is stored (step Sc5). As a result, when an incoming call or the like to the portable telephone MP occurs later, the call from the communication terminal on the calling side to the switching station that accommodates the base station BS-R of the portable telephone MP by referring to the HLR 11H Routing is possible (when the communication terminal on the calling side is accommodated in another network such as a public telephone network, the base station BS− is located from the POI (Point Of Interface) between the communication network and the home network HNET. Routing to the exchange that houses R).

  In this way, when registration of the roaming number and the like for the HLR 11H is completed, the control device 13H of the communication control station CP-H transmits a location registration completion notification message to the communication control station CP-R of the unsubscribed network RNET. Then, the process for roaming is completed (step Sc6).

  When the roaming process in step Sb9 exemplified above is completed, the control device 13R of the communication control station CP-R transmits schedule data to the information providing server IS (step Sb10), and waits for data reception. (Step Sb11 “no”). At this time, in order to unify the language such as calendar information delivered to the mobile phone MP into the native language of the user, the control device 13R is a network for uniquely specifying the home network HNET of the mobile phone MP in the schedule data. An ID and a network ID corresponding to the own network RNET are added and transmitted to the information providing server IS.

  On the other hand, when the schedule data is received, the system control unit 22 of the information providing server IS specifies the language and the country of travel based on the network ID added to the received schedule data (step Sb12), and then The calendar information and the practice information corresponding to the travel country, which correspond to the language, are read from the calendar information DB 23 and the practice information DB 24 and stored in a RAM (not shown) (step Sb13). At this time, the system control unit 22 reads the calendar information of the month including the travel date indicated by the schedule data and the practice information corresponding to the month.

  Next, the system control unit 22 generates action schedule data indicating the transportation facility to be used by the user based on the schedule data (step Sb14), and transmits it to the communication control station CP-R together with the calendar information and the practice information ( Step Sb15).

  Note that the method for generating the action schedule data in the system control unit 22 of the information providing server IS is arbitrary, and for example, the following method can be adopted. First, a registered character string is extracted in order of time as an action schedule in schedule data, and a station name or a bus stop name corresponding to the place name indicated by each character string is specified. Then, the transportation search DB 25 is searched from the departure time or arrival time included in the schedule data and the specified station name, etc., and the train (or bus) at what time and where, and how to change Then, action schedule data describing the specific result is generated. Note that the search method at this time is the same as the conventional system for realizing the transfer guidance and the like, and thus the details are omitted.

  On the other hand, when the action schedule data and the additional information are transmitted from the information providing server IS, the control unit 13R of the communication control station CP-R transmits the transmitted action schedule data, calendar information, and the like to the mobile phone MP. At the same time, a location registration completion notification is transmitted to the portable telephone MP (step Sb16). Note that the action schedule data and the location registration completion notification may be transmitted through the same channel or may be transmitted through different channels.

  When the location registration completion notification is received together with the transmitted action schedule data and additional information by the above processing, the mobile phone MP shifts to a state where the mobile communication service can be enjoyed (step Sb17). The action schedule data, the calendar information, and the practice information are recorded in a memory (not shown) (step Sb18). In this state, the user can perform mobile communication via the unjoined network RNET using the mobile phone MP, and use the calendar function of the mobile phone MP to communicate with the roaming destination network RNET. It is possible to browse various information related to the countries covered by AB.

  Here, the transition state of the display image on the display unit when calendar information, action schedule data, and the like are displayed on the mobile phone MP will be described with reference to FIG. First, the user performs an input operation for starting the calendar function on the operation unit of the portable telephone MP. Then, the calendar information and the practice information are read based on the input operation, and the display process is executed based on these data.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 8A, the holiday portion in the calendar is displayed in a different color from the other days on the display unit of the mobile phone MP. In this state, when the user performs an input operation for designating one of the dates on the operation unit, the display screen is changed as shown in FIG. Various types of information related to the date (for example, a store or the like is closed because it falls on a religious worship day) is displayed. In addition, when the designated date is registered in the schedule as the scheduled travel date, an icon “confirm action schedule” is displayed together with the information. Then, when the user performs an input operation to select this icon, the action schedule data is read according to the input operation, and the display screen is displayed based on the read action schedule data and schedule data as shown in FIG. Change as follows.

  As a result, on the display unit of the portable telephone MP, the visit location registered as a schedule, the route name of the transportation facility to be boarded in order to visit the next visit location from the visit location, the station name (or bus stop name) and The time when you should board the transportation is displayed. In this way, the user can grasp what action should be taken in accordance with his / her action schedule by using the mobile phone MP.

  As described above, in the communication system S according to the present embodiment, when the mobile phone MP performs location registration for roaming in the unsubscribed network RNET, it corresponds to the installation area of the unsubscribed network RNET. Calendar information and the like are read out and distributed to the mobile phone MP. For this reason, when the user performs mobile communication in various countries and regions using the roaming service, the calendar information corresponding to the country or region where the network infrastructure of the roaming destination is installed is given to the user of the mobile phone MP. It becomes possible to provide.

  In the communication system S according to the present embodiment, the calendar to be distributed to the mobile phone MP based on the network ID corresponding to the home network HNET to which the user of the mobile phone MP subscribes to the mobile communication service. Since the configuration for changing the language of information, etc. is adopted, it becomes possible to provide calendar information etc. according to the language available to the user of the mobile phone MP, and dramatically improve the convenience for the user. Is possible.

  Furthermore, in the communication system S according to the present embodiment, the action schedule data indicating the transportation to be used in the action process is generated based on the schedule data, and this action schedule data is distributed. It is possible to present the user with the transportation facility to be used according to the user's schedule, thereby improving the user's convenience.

  In the above embodiment, the description has been made assuming that the territory of one country is covered by the communication areas AH and AR, but the communication areas AH and AR are covered. The area in which it is located may be larger or smaller.

  Further, the content of information distributed from the information providing server IS at the time of location registration at the start of roaming is arbitrary. For example, if the communication area A-H is not a country unit, the characteristics of the area (for example, information on religious colors and practices in the area, recommended dining spots and tourist spots, and It is also possible to distribute various information indicating a timetable or the like.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the information providing server IS and the communication control station CP are configured as separate devices has been described. However, both devices may be realized integrally. In this case, the communication control station CP may hold the various DBs 23 to 25 held by the information providing server IS.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the portable telephone MP has been described as an example, but the same applies to other portable communication terminals having a mobile communication function such as a notebook personal computer or a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants). It is possible to provide services.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a configuration in which one information providing server IS is provided for all the network NETs (for example, the home network HNET, the unsubscribed network RNET, and other networks not shown) is adopted. However, an information providing server IS may be provided for each network NET, or one information providing server IS may be provided for two to three networks NET. Even in this case, it is possible to realize the same function with the same configuration as the above embodiment.

[1.3] Modified Example In the above embodiment, when the action schedule data is generated in the information providing server IS, the temperament of the country, in other words, the national character is not taken into consideration at all. However, depending on the actual country, there are countries with a very strict national character in time and countries with a rough national character in time. For this reason, there are countries where transportation arrives according to the timetable, and countries where transportation operations are likely to be delayed.

  Therefore, even if the action schedule data is generated based only on the timetable, there is a possibility that the transportation system is not operated according to the time in some countries.

  In this modification, the following method is adopted from this viewpoint. That is, when the action schedule data is generated in the information providing server IS, the information providing server IS holds delay time information indicating the average delay time of the transportation facility in the country where the unsubscribed network RNET is installed. Then, based on this delay time information, it is presented together how much time should be taken to act. In this case, for example, in the display example shown in FIG. 8 (c), how much delay is expected with respect to the departure time of each transportation facility may be displayed together. You may make it let it.

  Also, the method for generating the delay time information is arbitrary. For example, the delay time information may be generated by investigating an average delay time in advance and reflecting the investigation result. The IS may be connected to the Internet and HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) data corresponding to the questionnaire page may be held, and a questionnaire may be taken from the user of the mobile phone MP to investigate a delay in transportation.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the communication system S in embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of communication control station CP-H and CP-R in the same embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of information provision server IS in the embodiment. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation when schedule data is generated by the mobile phone MP in the embodiment. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image displayed on a display unit (not shown) of the mobile phone MP when a schedule is registered by the mobile phone MP in the embodiment. FIG. It is a sequence diagram which shows the process performed at the time of roaming in the communication system S in the embodiment. It is a sequence diagram showing an example of roaming processing in the same embodiment. It is a figure which shows the transition state of the screen in portable telephone set MP of the embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

S ... Communication system MP ... Mobile phone HNET, RNET ... Network CP-H, CP-R ... Communication control station IS ... Information providing server

Claims (8)

An information providing server that provides various types of information to a user of a mobile terminal device,
Recording means in which characteristic information indicating the characteristics of each region in the real world is recorded,
In a non-subscriber mobile communication network in which a user has not subscribed to a mobile communication service, when the mobile terminal device performs location registration, in response to a request message transmitted from the non-subscriber mobile communication network, Reading means for reading out the characteristic information corresponding to the area where the subscriber mobile communication network is installed from the recording means;
Distribution means for distributing the read characteristic information to the portable communication terminal via the unsubscribed mobile communication network;
An information providing server comprising: When there are a plurality of unsubscribed mobile communication networks,
The reading means obtains unsubscribed network identification information for uniquely identifying the unsubscribed mobile communication network that is the transmission source of the request message, and reads the characteristic information based on the non-subscription identification information. The information providing server according to claim 1, wherein the server is an information providing server. In the recording means, the characteristic information described in the language of each region is recorded,
The acquisition means acquires, together with the unsubscribed network identification information, existing network identification information for uniquely identifying an already subscribed mobile communication network in which a user of the mobile terminal device is subscribed to a mobile communication service. ,
The reading means, when reading the characteristic information, specifies a language corresponding to an installation area of the already-registered mobile communication network based on the existing network identification information, and reads the characteristic information described in the language. The information providing server according to claim 1.   2. The information according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic information includes at least one of (a) information indicating a holiday in each area and (b) information indicating a practice in each area. Provision server. The acquisition means acquires schedule data indicating a schedule of a user of the mobile terminal device together with the unsubscribed network identification information,
2. The information providing server according to claim 1, wherein the reading unit reads the characteristic information based on both the unsubscribed network identification information and schedule data. Transportation information recording means in which transportation information relating to transportation in each region is recorded;
Generating means for searching for the transportation information recording means based on a starting point and a destination included in the schedule data, and generating action schedule data indicating a transportation to be used in a process to reach the destination; Further comprising
6. The information providing server according to claim 5, wherein the distribution unit distributes the action schedule data together with the characteristic information. A delay time information recording means for recording delay time information indicating an average number of hours that the transportation facility is delayed in each area;
The information providing server according to claim 6, wherein the generation unit generates the action schedule data based on both the delay time information and the schedule data. An information providing server for providing various types of information to a user of the mobile terminal device;
A plurality of mobile communication networks installed in different areas,
The information providing server includes:
A recording means in which characteristic information indicating the characteristics of each region is recorded;
In a non-subscriber mobile communication network in which a user has not subscribed to a mobile communication service, when the mobile terminal device performs location registration, in response to a request message transmitted from the non-subscriber mobile communication network, Reading means for reading out the characteristic information corresponding to the area where the subscriber mobile communication network is installed from the recording means;
Distribution means for distributing the read characteristic information to the portable terminal device via the unsubscribed mobile communication network;
A communication system comprising:

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