JP2010028806A - Position management server and communication system and communication terminal device, and position providing apparatus and communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a position management server and communication system in which position information of a terminal device is used to exchange and share information with another terminal device proximate to the terminal device. <P>SOLUTION: A position management server 1 is configured to manage positions of two or more terminal devices, including: a position management information recording section 13 for correspondingly recording therein two or more terminal identification information items and terminal position information items of terminal devices identified by the terminal identification information items; a proximate state detection section 14 for detecting another terminal device in a proximate state to one terminal device from the position management information on the basis of terminal identification information and terminal position information of the one terminal device received by a receiving section; and a proximity information transmitting section for transmitting proximity information to the one terminal device. The proximate state detection section detects the other terminal device in the proximate state on the basis of the position management information recorded in the position management information recording section, and the proximity information is provided together with map information in response to time-sequential movement of the terminal device. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a location management server and a communication system for exchanging and sharing information using indirect communication, and an area information acquisition terminal, an information providing device, and a communication system using location information.

  In recent years, a system that detects the position of a terminal device or the like using a global positioning system (hereinafter referred to as “GPS”) or the principle of triangulation has been developed (for example, see Patent Document 1). .

  However, even if the position of a terminal device such as a mobile phone could be detected, it was not easy to determine whether two terminal devices were nearby using the detected position. For example, it is necessary to confirm that the user of one terminal device is near by calling the user of the other terminal device.

  A method of obtaining proximity information without confirming that the user is directly nearby has been developed (see, for example, Patent Document 2). In this document, a user searches for another user by transmitting the latest position information and search conditions to the information providing apparatus. This information providing apparatus needs to be based on the latest position information transmitted by the user.

  In recent years, social networks have been formed on the Web using social networking services (hereinafter referred to as “SNS”), electronic bulletin boards, and the like. These are the means and places to promote communication between friends and acquaintances, or the creation of new relationships through connections with other people who are not directly related to themselves, such as hobbies and preferences, residential areas, home schools, and “friends of friends” Provide a place to do. As a method for constructing such a new human relationship, it is required to always provide a method that does not exist so far.

  On the other hand, based on time-series position information, it has been attempted to exchange information by determining that two terminals have long existed at the same position as proximity (for example, see Patent Document 3). In the method described in this document, physical proximity is a requirement. However, when it is desired to share a common topic such as an unexpected event or accident that is encountered while moving, the two terminals do not necessarily have to be physically close to each other. In such a case, it is more useful if the user can arbitrarily determine the approaching time and distance.

  Furthermore, information is individually provided to a plurality of users according to the users. For example, in Patent Document 4, it is determined whether or not area position data determined from user position data satisfies an information provision condition, and if satisfied, information provision apparatus that associates with user identification data and transmits provision content data to the terminal Is disclosed. However, with this apparatus, it is necessary to register user attributes in advance. For this reason, in this apparatus, there exists a problem that the information which a user requires cannot be acquired flexibly. Further, information to be provided to the user is determined in the information providing apparatus. For this reason, there exists a problem that the structure of an information provision apparatus becomes complicated.

Further, Patent Document 5 discloses a mobile terminal device and a map server device that provide a corresponding map from an external map server based on user position information. In the portable terminal device described in this document, necessary maps are sequentially provided from the map server device according to the movement of the user. Therefore, in order to provide a necessary map even when the mobile terminal device goes out of the area due to the movement of the user, the storage means for storing the map information recommended area in the mobile terminal device, the current location of the user, It is necessary to identify the necessary map in comparison with the map information recommended area. That is, the portable terminal device described in this document needs to have these functions. The map server also needs to store a special map that covers the outside of the area. Furthermore, the invention described in this document does not disclose obtaining information on a specific place existing on a map.
JP 2006-23129 A JP 2003-186900 A JP 2008-176406 A JP 2006-260081 A JP 2009-10607 A

  That is, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its purpose is to use another terminal device that is close to the terminal device (so-called “passing”) using the position information of the terminal device accumulated in time series. It is an object of the present invention to provide a location management server and a communication system that can exchange and share information between terminal devices using indirect communication while visually recognizing the device.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a region information acquisition terminal, an information providing device, and an information providing device that can easily acquire information on a specific location existing around the terminal device and facilitate the user to approach the location. It is to provide a communication system.

  In order to solve the above problems, a location management server of the present invention is a location management server that manages the locations of two or more terminal devices, and includes terminal identification information that is information for identifying the terminal locations, and the terminal identification A receiving unit that receives terminal position information that is information indicating a position accumulated in time series in the terminal device identified by the information, data including a search condition, two or more terminal identification information, and each of the terminal identification information Based on the location management information recording unit that records location management information having the terminal location information associated with the terminal device identified by the terminal unit, and the terminal identification information and the terminal location information of the one terminal device received by the receiving unit A proximity state detection unit that detects another terminal device that is in proximity to the one terminal device from the location management information recorded in the location management information recording unit; and the one terminal device This A proximity information transmission unit that transmits proximity information regarding another terminal device in proximity to one terminal device, and the proximity state detection unit is recorded in the location management information recording unit, Based on the position management information accumulated in the sequence, another terminal device in the proximity state is detected, and the proximity information is provided together with the map information corresponding to the time-series movement of the terminal device.

  With this configuration, one terminal device obtains information on other terminal devices adjacent to this one terminal device based on terminal identification information and terminal position information accumulated in time series provided by the one terminal device. be able to. Moreover, since it is provided with the map information corresponding to the time-sequential movement of a terminal device, the user can recognize a proximity | contact state visually. With this configuration, it is possible to detect the position and time of proximity of a terminal device that has approached the trajectory of movement of one terminal device only once or a terminal device that has approached multiple times.

  The proximity state is a time or distance arbitrarily determined by the user. With this configuration, it is possible to arbitrarily determine the range recognized by the user as close.

  The location management server receives a message requesting information exchange for all or a part of other terminal devices in proximity from the one terminal device that has received the proximity information, and the received It is good to have a message transmission part which transmits the message with respect to another terminal device. With this configuration, information can be exchanged and shared between one terminal device and another terminal device using indirect communication.

  The location management server may be compatible with another server or may be incorporated in another server. With this configuration, it is easy to form a social network on the Web with the obtained terminal device in the proximity state.

  The location management server of the present invention receives information provided when the terminal device is close to a predetermined location, and terminal location information that is information indicating the location of the terminal device identified by the terminal identification information. Based on the reception unit, the provision information storage unit that stores the provision information, the terminal identification information that is information for identifying the terminal position, and the terminal position information of the terminal device, the predetermined position is close to the predetermined position. A proximity state detection unit that detects a terminal device; and a provision information transmission unit that transmits provision information to the terminal device in proximity to the predetermined position.

  With this configuration, when the terminal device is close to a specific place, information can be provided without directly communicating with the information sender.

  The communication system of the present invention is a system including a terminal device having a function of acquiring own position information and a server device that processes information from a plurality of the terminal devices, from the terminal device to the terminal. Transmitting terminal identification information, which is information for identifying a position, terminal position information, which is information indicating the position of the terminal device identified by the terminal identification information, and data including a search condition to the server device; The server device records location management information having the above terminal identification information and terminal location information of the terminal device identified by each terminal identification information in association with each other, the terminal identification information and the terminal location information, The other terminal device in the proximity state is detected from the location management information recorded in the location management information recording unit with respect to the one terminal device that has transmitted the message. And step, to the one terminal device, and a step of transmitting the proximity information about other terminal devices in the proximity state with respect to the one of the terminal device.

  The proximity state detection unit detects other terminal devices in the proximity state based on the location information at a specific time or the location management information accumulated in time series recorded in the location management information recording unit. Is preferred.

  The received proximity information regarding other terminal devices in the proximity state is provided together with the map information on which the one terminal device has moved.

  The terminal device selects all or some of the other terminal devices based on the received proximity information based on the received proximity information on the other terminal devices in the proximity state, and passes through the server device. You may communicate with the terminal device. Further, the terminal device selects all or some of the other terminal devices based on the received proximity information, and determines the network community based on the proximity information about the other terminal devices in the proximity state received. It may be formed.

  The communication system according to the present invention includes a terminal device having a function of acquiring its own location information, and a server device that processes information from a plurality of the terminal devices and information provided to a terminal device close to a predetermined position. A server device that accepts and stores information transmitted to a terminal device close to a predetermined position, terminal identification information that is information for identifying the terminal position from the terminal device, and Transmitting the terminal position information, which is information indicating the position of the terminal device identified by the terminal identification information, to the server device; and the terminal device in proximity to the predetermined position based on the terminal position information of the terminal device And a step of transmitting provision information to a terminal device in proximity to the predetermined position.

  An information providing apparatus according to the present invention is an information providing apparatus that is carried by a user who is an object of information provision and is connected to a terminal having a position measuring function so as to be able to transmit information. Receiving means for receiving a request, user identification data of the user, and communication terminal device position data indicating the latest position of the user, a plurality of destination names, positions, categories, and other provided contents Storage means for storing destination information, detection means for detecting destination information related to the destination determined from the user position data based on the information provision request, and part of the detected destination information (information A) Providing means for providing to the communication terminal device.

  The providing means provides more detailed information (information B) when acquiring information from the terminal that the terminal is close to the provided destination.

  The communication terminal device of the present invention is a communication terminal device that acquires area information based on position information, and is obtained from the GPS communication via a GPS communication means that performs communication with a GPS satellite and a wireless line. Transmitting means for transmitting the received location data of the communication terminal device, the information providing request and the user identification data of the user to the information providing server, and receiving the region information (information A) based on the destination information from the information providing server. A means for selecting and registering a desired destination from the received area information, and a notification for notifying the user when the GPS communication means detects that the communication terminal device has approached the selected destination And when the GPS communication means detects that the terminal has approached the area selected by the terminal, the communication terminal device Further requests transmission of detailed information (information B) to.

  The condition of the area information to be received may be transmitted together with the position information.

  The area information (information A) may include position information and a category of the area.

  The communication terminal device receives position data obtained from the GPS communication, information provision request, and user identification data of the user in the vicinity of the boundary of the range of the area specified from the position data of the communication terminal device and the specified condition. Re-send to the providing server.

The communication system of the present invention includes:
A communication system comprising an information providing server connected to a communication terminal device via a wireless line,
The communication terminal device
A GPS communication means for communicating with a GPS satellite, and a transmission for transmitting the position data of the communication terminal device, the information provision request, and the user identification data of the user to the information provision server via the wireless communication line Means, receiving means for receiving destination information based on position information from the information providing server, receiving means for receiving destination information (information A) based on position information from the information providing server, and received destination information Selection registration means for selecting and registering a desired destination from, and notification means for notifying the user when the GPS communication means detects that the communication terminal device has approached the destination selected,
The information providing server includes:
Receiving means for receiving an information provision request from the communication terminal device having a position measurement function, user identification data of the user, and position data of the communication terminal device indicating the latest position of the communication terminal device; names of a plurality of destinations; Storage means for storing destination information having a position, a category, and other provision contents; detection means for detecting destination information related to the destination determined from the user position data based on the information provision request; Providing means for providing a part of the detected destination information (information A) to the communication terminal device.

  The providing unit provides more detailed information (information B) when information indicating that the communication terminal device and the provided destination are close to each other is acquired from the communication terminal device.

  The area information acquisition method of the present invention includes: a) receiving position data obtained from GPS communication from a communication terminal device, an information provision request, and user identification data of a user; b) based on the information provision request, Detecting destination information relating to a destination determined from the user position data; c) providing destination information (information A) based on the detected position information to the communication terminal device; d) Displaying the destination information based on the position information on the display unit of the communication terminal device; e) selecting and registering a desired destination from the area information based on the displayed position information; f) the above Determining whether the communication terminal device has approached the selected destination; g) detecting that the communication terminal device has approached the selected destination; As well as, and a step of requesting the provision of more detailed information on destinations in proximity (information B) to the information providing server.

  The mobile terminal may include a step of updating the region information in the vicinity of the boundary of the region specified from the position data of the communication terminal device and the specified condition.

The computer program of the present invention may be a computer program for implementing the region information acquisition method.

  In the present invention, it is possible to obtain information of another terminal device close to the one terminal device via the server. In addition, it is possible to detect the position and time of proximity of a terminal device that has approached the trajectory of movement of one terminal device only once or a terminal device that has approached multiple times. Using this information, a message can be sent to another terminal device via a server, or information about the obtained other terminal device can be used to form a network community. Thus, in the present invention, information can be exchanged and shared without directly communicating with other terminal devices.

  Moreover, in this invention, information is provided to the terminal device close | similar to a specific place via a server. As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to receive information without registering directly with the information provider by registration or the like.

  In the present invention, if it is a communication terminal device capable of GPS communication, the destination information can be easily acquired without using a specific device.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a location management system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the overall operation of the location management server 1 according to the first embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example which showed on the map the time and place which the other terminal device approached within the range which the user of the one terminal device moved which the position management server of this invention moved. FIG. 4 shows an example in which the time and location where the two terminal devices are close to each other are shown on a map using time-series position management information of one terminal device and another terminal device detected by the position management server of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of a location management system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the overall operation of the location management server 1 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a configuration of a communication system including the communication terminal device and the information providing server according to the third embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the communication system according to the third embodiment.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described using embodiments. In the following embodiments, components and steps denoted by the same reference numerals are the same or equivalent, and repetitive description may be omitted.

(Embodiment 1)
A location management server according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a location management system according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, the location management system according to the present embodiment includes a location management server 1 and two or more terminal devices 2 connected to each other via a wired or wireless communication line 100. The position management server 1 manages the positions of two or more terminal devices 2. The terminal device 2 is, for example, a mobile phone, a PC (Personal Computer), a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), and the like that can be carried by the user. These terminal devices have a GPS-compatible function. The communication line 100 is, for example, the Internet, an intranet, a public telephone line network, or the like.

  In FIG. 1, a location management server 1 according to the present embodiment includes a reception unit 11, a location management information recording unit 13, a location management information update unit 12, a proximity state detection unit 14, a transmission unit 15, and an information recording. Part 16.

  The receiving unit 11 receives terminal identification information, terminal position information, and data including a search condition. Here, the terminal identification information is information for identifying the terminal device 2. The terminal identification information may be information unique to the terminal device 2, for example, and may be information unique to a user who uses the terminal device 2 as long as the terminal device 2 can be identified. The information unique to the terminal device 2 may be, for example, the telephone number of the terminal device 2, the MAC address of the terminal device 2, the address of “IP over IEEE 1394” specification, or the like. It may be an address or the like.

  The terminal position information is information indicating the position of the terminal device 2 identified by the terminal identification information. The terminal position information is information indicating longitude and latitude, for example. The terminal position information is acquired using, for example, a GPS-compatible terminal device. If a GPS-compatible terminal device is used, position information can be easily stored in time series. The terminal device 2 stores information indicating longitude and latitude at each acquisition time. From these time-series position information, a predetermined period or place where the user wants to obtain proximity information is specified, and the time-series position information is used as terminal position information.

  The data including the search condition includes, for example, information specifying its own attributes such as a name, a pen name, and an SNS management page, a search condition such as information / condition for obtaining a proximity condition, and the data transmitted to another terminal device 2 Including messages. These data are recorded in the information recording unit 16.

  The reception by the receiving unit 11 means reception of the terminal identification information and the terminal position information of the terminal device 2 transmitted from the terminal device 2 via the wired or wireless communication line 100, for example. The receiving unit 11 may or may not include a device (for example, a modem or a network card) for receiving. The receiving unit 11 may be realized by hardware, or may be realized by software that controls a predetermined device.

  The position management information recording unit 13 stores position management information. Here, the location management information is information having two or more pieces of terminal identification information and terminal location information of the terminal device 2 identified by each terminal identification information in association with each other. This location management information is updated by the location management information updating unit 12 described later. Therefore, the latest position corresponding to a certain terminal device 2 can be known from this position management information. This location management information may be used as location information at a specific time, or may be used as location information having a time history that has moved within a predetermined period. The location management information recording unit 13 can be realized by a predetermined recording medium (for example, a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, etc.).

  The location management information updating unit 12 updates the location management information stored in the location management information recording unit 13 in accordance with the terminal identification information and the terminal location information received by the receiving unit 11. As described above, the location management information is updated by the location management information updating unit 12 so that the location management information is kept up-to-date. Specifically, the location management information update unit 12 corresponds to the terminal identification information received by the receiving unit 11 and the terminal location information associated with the received terminal identification information in the location management information in accordance with the terminal location information. Is changed to the received terminal location information. When the terminal identification information received by the receiving unit 11 is not included in the position management information, information that associates the terminal identification information with the terminal position information may be newly registered in the position management information.

  For a certain terminal device 2, the location management information corresponding to the terminal device 2 is updated according to the frequency with which the receiving unit 11 receives the terminal location information and the like.

  The proximity state detection unit 14 detects the proximity state with one terminal device 2 received by the reception unit 11 using the location management information stored in the location management information recording unit 13. Here, the proximity state is a state in which one terminal device 2 and another terminal device 2 exist within a certain range at the same time. By detecting the proximity state, it is detected that one terminal device 2 and another terminal device 2 exist in the vicinity (a so-called passing state). In addition, the certain range is a range that is recognized as a certain range by a user who seeks proximity information.

The proximity state is detected as follows, for example.
For example, when the latitude and longitude corresponding to the position of the terminal apparatus 2 are indicated by the terminal position information, the terminal position information of one terminal apparatus 2 and the other terminal apparatus 2 match with a predetermined accuracy. It is possible to detect the proximity state between one terminal device 2 and another terminal device 2 by determining whether or not. In this case, for example, when GPS such as a quasi-zenith satellite is used, position information can be measured with an accuracy of 1 m. Therefore, the distance between the two points can be measured with an accuracy of 2 m. Whether one terminal device 2 and another terminal device 2 are in proximity is determined by whether the distance between the two points is within the threshold range. The threshold value can arbitrarily determine a range that the user considers to be close.

  In the proximity state, it is possible to detect the proximity position and time of the terminal device 2 that has approached the locus of movement of one terminal device 2 at a specific time and the terminal device 2 that has approached multiple times. For the terminal device 2 that is close at a specific time, it is detected whether there is a coordinate of another terminal device 2 that exists on the locus of movement of the one terminal device 2. As for information on a terminal device that has approached a plurality of times, it is detected how many times the locus of movement of another terminal device 2 intersects the locus of movement of one terminal device 2.

  The location management server 1 of the present invention may further include an information recording unit 16. The attribute information recording unit 16 records data including search conditions transmitted from the terminal position 2. The information storage unit 16 can be realized by a predetermined recording medium (for example, a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, etc.).

  When the proximity state detection unit 14 determines that the one terminal device 2 and the other terminal device 2 are in the proximity state, the transmission unit 15 sends the one terminal device 2 to the one terminal device 2. The proximity information related to the other terminal devices 2 in the proximity state is transmitted. The proximity information includes, for example, terminal identification information, time, and position information of the terminal device 2 in the proximity state. Further, personal identification information such as a person name transmitted by the terminal device 2, a message, or the like may be included. The number of other terminal devices 2 is not limited to one and may be plural. In particular, the proximity information may be provided together with the map information when it corresponds to the time-series movement of the terminal device 2.

  The transmission unit 15 may or may not include a transmission device (for example, a modem or a network card) for performing transmission. Moreover, the transmission part 15 may be implement | achieved by the hardware, or may be implement | achieved by the software which controls a predetermined device.

  Further, the two or more storage units of the position management information recording unit 13 and the information storage unit 16 may be realized by the same recording medium or may be realized by different recording media. In the former case, for example, the area of the recording medium in which the position management information is stored becomes the position management information recording unit 13, and the area of the recording medium in which the information is stored becomes the information recording unit 16.

  The terminal device 2 has a function capable of receiving transmission information transmitted from the location management server 1. A known device may be used as a device having a function of receiving information.

  Next, operation | movement of the position management server 1 by this Embodiment is demonstrated using a flowchart. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the overall operation of the location management server 1 according to this embodiment.

(Step S101)
The receiving unit 11 receives terminal location information and terminal identification information. In step S102, the location management information is updated using the received terminal location information or the like. At the same time, the process proceeds to step S103 using the received terminal position information and the like.

(Step S103)
The proximity state detection unit 14 performs processing for detecting a proximity state. The proximity state is detected as follows, for example.

  The proximity state detection unit 14 reads the position information of the other terminal device 2 at the time recorded in the position management information recording unit 13 based on the received position information of the one terminal device 2 at the predetermined time. The distance calculation means 21 in the proximity state detection unit 14 calculates the distance between the two based on the position information of both. Based on the position information at a specific time or the position management information accumulated in time series recorded in the position management information recording unit 13, another terminal device 2 in the proximity state is detected.

  The comparison means 22 in the proximity state detection unit 14 compares the calculated distance and the threshold value using the threshold value. If the distance between the two is less than or equal to the threshold value, it is determined that the two are in proximity. If not, it is determined that there is no proximity state and is not included in the proximity information.

(Step S104)
When the proximity state detection unit 14 detects the proximity state, the transmission unit 15 transmits the terminal device 2 corresponding to the proximity state detected by the proximity state detection unit 14 and ends the detection of the proximity state.

Next, the operation of the location management server 1 according to the present embodiment will be described using a specific example.
It is assumed that the user who owns the terminal device 2 identified by the terminal identification information turns on the terminal device 2. The GPS function of the terminal device 2 acquires the latitude and longitude as the position of the terminal device 2. Thereafter, the location information is accumulated in the terminal device 2 over time. The terminal device 2 records a time history of position information with a recording medium (not shown).

  Next, the user manages terminal identification information, terminal position information that is information indicating a position accumulated in time series in the terminal device 2 identified by the terminal identification information, and data including a search condition. Sent to server 1 address. This search condition may include information specifying the location and time at which the user seeks proximity information. Alternatively, when terminal identification information or the like is received by the location management server 1, the location management server 1 may request the terminal device 2 to specify the location and time for the user to request proximity information. Further, it may be instructed to use time-series position management information as the position management information of another terminal device 2. Furthermore, the location and time for which the proximity information that the user transmits is not necessarily the latest location management information. For example, it may be proximity information of another terminal device 2 that is close to a specific place one year ago.

  Next, an operation in which the proximity state of the terminal device 2 is detected and transmission information is transmitted will be described. In this specific example, it is assumed that the proximity state is detected when the two terminal devices 2 are within 2 meters.

  The distance calculation means 21 uses the terminal position information of one terminal apparatus 2 and the terminal position information of the other terminal apparatus 2 read from the position management information recording unit 13, and based on both terminal position information, both terminal apparatuses The distance between the two is calculated. Since the method for calculating the distance from the information indicating the position is already known, detailed description thereof is omitted. When the distance between one terminal device 2 and another terminal device 2 is 1.8 meters, the comparison unit 22 compares the calculated distance with a threshold value of 10 meters, It is determined that the distance between the terminal devices 2 is within the threshold (step S103). The comparison unit 22 temporarily records the information of the other terminal device 2 that is within the threshold using a recording medium (not shown). In the case of position information at a specific time recorded in the position management information recording unit 13, it is set as information of another terminal device 2 by this operation. Further, when one terminal device 2 moves within a predetermined time, the distances of other terminal devices 2 that are close to each other on the locus of movement within this time are calculated. When detecting another terminal device 2 in the proximity state based on the position management information accumulated in time series, the trajectories of one terminal device 2 and the other terminal device 2 are arranged in, for example, two-dimensional coordinates. Then, the distance is calculated as described above for the parts that are close to or intersect with each other. Next, with respect to the other terminal devices 2 other than the other terminal devices 2 as well, the distance from the one terminal device 2 is calculated and compared in order. Finally, a list of information of other terminal devices 2 within the threshold is created.

  Moreover, you may further select the other terminal device 2 suitable for the search conditions which the one terminal device 2 transmitted from the produced | generated list | wrist.

  The transmission unit 15 transmits the proximity information regarding the other terminal device 2 in the proximity state to the one terminal device 2 to the one terminal device 2. The proximity information includes terminal identification information that is information for identifying the other terminal position 2, the time and place at which one terminal device 2 and the other terminal device 2 are in proximity, and a message attached to the other terminal device 2. Is included. In particular, the proximity information is provided together with map information corresponding to time-series movement of the terminal device 2.

  Using the terminal identification information and the terminal location information transmitted from one terminal device 2, the location management information updating unit 12 updates the location management information and records it in the location management information recording unit 13. As a result, other users can use the latest location management information. The message is recorded in the information recording unit 16.

  Proximity information regarding another terminal device received by one terminal device 2 is displayed on a display unit (not shown) of the one terminal device 2. The display method is not particularly limited as long as one terminal device 2 and another terminal device 2 can identify the time and place where they are in close proximity. For example, a map including a range in which the user of one terminal device 2 has moved is shown, a place close to the map is indicated by a symbol such as a circle, and time is described. In addition, when a message is attached, the user of one terminal device 2 may be notified that the message exists by changing the color of the symbol. In addition, the part where the color of the symbol is changed may be read by hyperlinking to another user's message.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a map showing the time and place where the terminal management server 1 of the present invention detects and the time when the user of one terminal device 2 has moved to another terminal device 2 within the range of movement. is there. In the example of this figure, the other terminal devices 2 that are close to the one terminal device 2 on the locus of movement of the one terminal device 2 within a predetermined time are indicated by circles. In the example of this figure, the color of the circle is changed depending on the presence or absence of a message.

  FIG. 4 is a map showing the time and place where the two terminal devices 2 approach each other using time-series position management information of one terminal device 2 and another terminal device 2 detected by the position management server 1 of the present invention. It is a figure which shows an example. In the example of this figure, one terminal device 2 and the other terminal device 2 are represented by thick solid lines. From this figure, at the part where this solid line touches (the part surrounded by a large white circle in the figure), it moves in a close state, and at the intersecting point (the part surrounded by a small white circle in the figure) You can see that they passed each other. As described above, when the proximity state between one terminal device 2 and another terminal device 2 is detected using time-series position management information, the user can obtain the position information by GPS such as in a building or under an overpass. Even in the case of temporary movement to an unobtainable position, it is possible to predict the proximity state of both.

  The user can send a message for exchanging information to all or selected users of the other terminal devices 2 with reference to the proximity information regarding the other terminal devices 2 shown. As described above, when a map including a range in which the user of one terminal device 2 has moved is displayed, another terminal device can be selected by surrounding a specific area. For example, the message is transmitted to a message receiving unit (not shown) provided in the location management server 1 by designating another terminal device 2 that requests information exchange. The location management server 1 transmits this message to the other designated terminal device 2.

  The location management server 1 of the present invention may be compatible with another server or may be incorporated in another server. As a result, it becomes possible to make contact with the user of the other terminal device 2 from which the proximity information is obtained via the SNS and to exchange and share information using the electronic bulletin board.

  Alternatively, the obtained proximity information can be incorporated into the network game.

(Embodiment 2)
A location management server according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of a location management system according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 5, the location management system according to the present embodiment includes a location management server 1, a terminal device 2, and a terminal 3 that are connected to each other via a wired or wireless communication line 100. The position management server 1 manages the position of the terminal device 2. The terminal device 2 is the same as that shown in the first embodiment. Further, the terminal 3 transmits information to be provided to the terminal device 2 to the location management server 1. As the terminal 3, the same device as the terminal device 2 shown in the first embodiment can be used. Moreover, in the example of this figure, the terminal device 2 has a GPS function, and performs GPS communication with the GPS device 40. However, the terminal 3 may not have a GPS function.

  In FIG. 5, the location management server 1 according to the present embodiment includes a reception unit 11, a provision information storage unit 17, a proximity state detection unit 14, and a transmission unit 15.

  The receiving unit 11 includes information to be provided to the terminal device 2, terminal identification information that is information for identifying the terminal position 2, and terminal position information that is information indicating the position of the terminal device 2 that is identified by the terminal identification information. Accept.

  The provided information is information transmitted from a position where the location can be specified and the location does not change. For example, it is a store, an advertisement signboard, etc., and accident information or crime information related to a specific position. The provided information includes a message transmitted to the terminal device and position information (longitude, latitude, etc.) specifying the location.

  The provided information received by the location management server 1 is stored in the provided information storage unit 17. The provided information storage unit 17 can be realized by a predetermined recording medium (for example, a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, etc.).

  Similarly to the first embodiment, the receiving unit 11 receives terminal identification information that is information for identifying a terminal position, and terminal position information that is information indicating the position of the terminal device 2 identified by the terminal identification information. . The terminal identification information is the same as that in the first embodiment. The terminal position information is also longitude, latitude, etc. as in the first embodiment. The receiving means and the like are the same as those in the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, the terminal location information is not accumulated in time series but needs to be the latest information. This is because it is necessary to provide information when the terminal device is close to a specific place.

  The proximity state detection unit 14 detects a proximity state between the predetermined position and the terminal device. Here, the proximity state is a state where the predetermined position and the terminal device exist within a certain range. This detection method is the same as in the first embodiment.

  When the proximity state detection unit 14 detects that the predetermined position and the terminal device 2 are in the proximity state, the transmission unit 15 transmits the provision information to the terminal device 2. Transmitter 15 is the same as that in the first embodiment.

  Next, operation | movement of the position management server 1 by this Embodiment is demonstrated using a flowchart. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the overall operation of the location management server 1 according to this embodiment.

(Step S201)
The receiving unit 11 receives provision information to be provided to the terminal device 2 and position information regarding a predetermined position for providing the information. Further, the provided provision information is stored in the provision information storage unit 17.

(Step 202)
The receiving unit 11 receives terminal location information and terminal identification information. The terminal location information is the latest terminal location information.

(Step S203)
The proximity state detection unit 14 performs processing for detecting a proximity state. The proximity state is detected as follows, for example. The detection of the proximity state is the same as that of the first embodiment except that the position information regarding the predetermined position for providing information and the terminal position information are used.

(Step S204)
When the proximity state detection unit 14 detects the proximity state, the transmission unit 15 transmits the provision information stored in the provision information storage unit 17 to the terminal device 2 and ends the detection of the proximity state.

  Next, the operation of the location management server 1 according to the present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment.

(Embodiment 3)
In this embodiment, the information providing server receives the location data of the communication terminal device and the information provision request, detects the destination information determined from the location data of the communication terminal device based on the information provision request, The detected destination information is transmitted to the communication terminal device. In addition, the communication terminal device is an example in which the user selects a desired destination from the transmitted destination information and downloads necessary data regarding the selected destination.

  FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a configuration of a communication system including the communication terminal device and the information providing server according to the present embodiment.

  In FIG. 7, the communication system includes a communication terminal device 4, an information providing server 5, and a wireless line communication network 6.

  The communication terminal device 4 includes a GPS communication unit 41 that communicates with a GPS satellite, an input unit 42 that receives a user's key input, a display unit 43 that displays characters and images to the user, and the GPS communication. The transmission means 44 for transmitting the obtained position data, the information provision request and the user identification data of the user to the information provision server, the reception means 45 for receiving the destination information based on the position information from the information provision server, Selection registration means 46 for selecting and registering a desired destination from destination information, selection information storage means 47 for storing the selected desired destination, and proximity to the destination selected by the communication terminal device 4 A proximity determination means 48 for determining whether the communication terminal apparatus 4 is close to the selected area, a notification means 49 for notifying the user of the proximity, A current position calculating means (50) for calculating the current position from the obtained position data, and an execution control unit 51 for controlling the execution of each of the above means, provided.

  The communication terminal device 4 has GPS communication means 41. The communication terminal device 4 measures the position based on the signal received from the GPS communication unit 41. The communication terminal device 4 communicates with the information providing server 5 via a wireless line communication network. Examples of the communication terminal device 4 include devices that perform mobile communication such as mobile phones, PHS (Personal Handyphone System), PDA (Personal Digital Assistants) having a wireless communication function, and notebook PCs.

  The information providing server 5 is connected via a wireless line communication network 6. The information providing server 5 receives an information providing request from the communication terminal device 4 having a position measurement function, user identification data of the user, and communication terminal device position data indicating the latest position of the user, and a plurality of receiving units 52 Destination information storage means 53 for storing destination information having a destination name, position, category, and other provision contents, and destination information determined from the user position data based on the information provision request Detecting means 54 for detecting, and providing means 55 for providing the detected destination information to the communication terminal device 4.

  Next, detailed operation of the communication system according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the communication system according to the present embodiment.

  First, the user activates the application of the communication terminal device 4 and starts processing (step S301). Next, the GPS communication means 41 of the communication terminal device 4 receives GPS information from GPS communication (step S302). The current position calculation means 50 calculates the current position from the obtained GPS information (step S303).

  Based on the instruction of the activated application, the user inputs the area information condition requested from the input means 42 (step S304).

  The area information conditions include a condition for specifying a physical range for searching information and a condition for specifying the contents of each destination. The conditions for specifying the physical range are, for example, within a predetermined radius centered on the position data, a predetermined direction starting from the position information, or between the position information and the final destination (for example, a station), etc. And a condition for specifying a predetermined range (including direction) from the position information of the terminal device 4. Further, when a predetermined direction is specified with the position information as a starting point, a certain range may be included, such as a sector having a predetermined angle with the position information as a starting point. The condition for specifying the physical range is input by specifying the size and direction of the radius at the position indicated by the display means 43. Or the map centering on position information may be displayed on the display means 43, and a physical range may be specified. The condition for specifying the contents of each destination is performed by selecting a category. The categories are classified as “tourism”, “meal”, and the like. The category selection is not limited to one, and a plurality of categories may be selected. When selecting a plurality of categories, a category including all categories or a category including any one of the selected categories may be added to the selection condition.

  The condition of the area information may be set when transmitting the position information as described above, and further conditions may be added by looking at the displayed area information.

  Next, the user transmits the position data, the information provision request, and the user identification data of the user to the information provision server 5, and requests area information acquisition (step S305).

  The information providing server 5 includes information (hereinafter referred to as “information A”) for the user to select desired destination information from the area information based on the position information data, and more detailed information (hereinafter referred to as “information”). Information B ”).

Information A includes the following information.
1. 1. Information representing position in longitude and latitude 2. Information expressed in coordinates on map information Information on the category (for example, “meal”, “tourism”, “walk”, etc.) of the location specified by the location information. 4. Brief explanation about the position specified by each position information Detailed description about each piece of position information and internal link information linked to an external link In addition, as long as the position can be specified, the position is not limited to those expressed by longitude and latitude. On the other hand, since the position is confirmed using the GPS function, it is preferable that the position is expressed by longitude and latitude.

Information B includes the following information.
1. 1. Detailed explanation about position information External link information linked to an external information source related to each position information The external information source includes, for example, a website or a blog explaining the area. As these information sources, those used for normal information retrieval may be used.

  Upon receiving the region information acquisition (step S306), the detection unit 54 of the information providing server 5 stores the information in the destination information storage unit 53 based on the received position information and the region information condition included in the information provision request. The matching destination information is detected from the existing information (step S307). The providing means 55 provides the communication terminal device 4 with information A regarding the detected destination information (step S308).

  The communication terminal device 4 receives the information A related to the destination information (step S309). The display means 43 of the communication terminal device 4 displays the received destination information. The user selects a destination of interest from the displayed destination information (step S310). The user can select a destination of interest from a plurality of destination information displayed on the display means 43 of the communication terminal device 4 while referring to a simple explanation. The destination selected by the user is registered in the selection registration means 46 (step S311).

  The communication terminal device 4 is in a state where GPS communication can always be received. The proximity determination unit 48 of the communication terminal device 4 compares the position information of the selected area with the position of the terminal device obtained from GPS communication, and determines whether the communication terminal device 4 and the selected destination are approaching. (Step S312). Whether or not they are close to each other is determined based on whether or not the position information of the selected destination and the position of the communication terminal device 4 obtained from GPS communication are at a predetermined interval. The predetermined interval can be arbitrarily determined. The communication terminal device 4 notifies the user that the destination selected by the notification means 49 such as an alarm is approaching (step S313).

  At the same time, the communication terminal device 4 accesses the internal link included in the relevant destination information A (step S314). Thereby, the information provision server 5 receives the information B acquisition request of the relevant destination from the communication terminal device 4 (step S315). The information providing server 5 provides the information B to the communication terminal device 4 (step S316). The communication terminal device 4 obtains a detailed description of the destination based on the information B from the information providing server 5 (step S317). In addition, necessary information can be downloaded using an external link included in information B.

  The user can know the highlights at the destination, recommended dishes, and the like by referring to the detailed explanation provided from the information providing server 5 and necessary information obtained from the external link. Further, since detailed information and the like are obtained when approaching the corresponding destination, an excessive burden is not placed on the memory of the communication terminal device 4.

  The communication terminal device 4 continues to move. Using the GPS communication means 41 of the communication terminal device 4, it is confirmed whether or not it is within an area specified from the position information of the terminal device 4 and the specified condition (step S 318). If the communication terminal device 4 is in the area, the process returns to step S312, and it is determined whether or not the communication terminal apparatus 4 is close to another registered area. When the communication terminal device 4 goes out of the area, the user is notified by an alarm or the like, and the process returns to step S302, and the information providing server 5 newly obtains destination information within a specific range from the position data of the communication terminal device 4. obtain. That is, the same operation is repeated when the user goes out of the area specified by the position information of the communication terminal device 4 and the specified condition. Moreover, a series of information provision systems are complete | finished by ending an application.

  Thus, in the present embodiment, the destination information can be easily acquired without using a specific device as long as it is a communication terminal device capable of GPS communication. Also, only when the communication terminal device approaches the selected destination and when the communication terminal device goes out of the area specified by the location information of the communication terminal device and the specified condition, it connects to the information providing server via the wireless line. To do. For this reason, communication charges can be reduced. Furthermore, the area information stored in the information providing server can be created by combining existing data. For this reason, the communication system of a present Example is easy to implement | achieve and anyone can use it.

  The communication protocol used for communication between the location management server 1 and the terminal device 2 or the communication protocol used for communication between the information providing server 5 and the communication terminal device 4 is not limited. For example, HTTP may be used, Telnet may be used, and other protocols may be used.

In the above embodiment, each process or each function may be realized by centralized processing by a single device or a single system, or may be distributedly processed by a plurality of devices or a plurality of systems. It may be realized by doing.

  In the above embodiment, each component may be configured by dedicated hardware, or a component that can be realized by software may be realized by executing a program. For example, each component can be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or a semiconductor memory.

  In the above program, the transmission step for transmitting information and the reception step for receiving information do not include at least processing performed only by hardware, for example, processing performed by a modem or an interface card in the transmission step. .

  Further, this program may be executed by being downloaded from a server or the like, and a program recorded on a predetermined recording medium (for example, an optical disk such as a CD-ROM, a magnetic disk, a semiconductor memory, or the like) is read out. May be executed by

  In the present specification, the step of describing the program stored in the program recording medium is not limited to the processing performed in time series in the order described, but is not necessarily performed in time series. Or the process performed separately is also included.

The embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Location management server 2 Terminal device 3 Terminal 4 Communication terminal device 5 Information provision server 6 Radio network 11 Receiving part 12 Location management information update part 13 Position management information recording part 14 Proximity state detection part 15 Transmission part 16 Information recording part 17 Provided information storage unit 100 Communication line 40 GPS device 41 GPS communication means 42 Input means 43 Display means 44 Transmission means 45 Reception means 46 Selection registration means 47 Selection information storage means 48 Proximity determination means 49 Notification means 50 Current position calculation means 51 Execution control Means 52 Receiving means 53 Destination information storage means 54 Detection means 55 Providing means

Claims (22)

A location management server that manages the location of two or more terminal devices,
Terminal identification information that is information for identifying the terminal position, terminal position information that is information indicating a position accumulated in time series in the terminal device identified by the terminal identification information, and data including a search condition are received. A receiver,
A location management information recording unit that records location management information having two or more pieces of terminal identification information and terminal location information of the terminal device identified by each terminal identification information in association with each other;
Based on the terminal identification information and the terminal location information of the one terminal device received by the receiving unit, the location management information recorded in the location management information recording unit is brought into a proximity state with respect to the one terminal device. A proximity state detection unit for detecting a certain other terminal device;
The one terminal device has a proximity information transmission unit that transmits proximity information regarding another terminal device in proximity to the one terminal device,
The proximity state detection unit detects other terminal devices in the proximity state based on the location management information stored in the time series recorded in the location management information recording unit,
The proximity information is provided with map information corresponding to time-series movement of the terminal device.   The location management server according to claim 1, wherein the proximity state is time or distance arbitrarily determined by a user. The receiving unit receives a message requesting information exchange for all or a part of other terminal devices in proximity from the one terminal device that has received the proximity information;
The location management server according to claim 1, wherein the transmission unit transmits the received message to the other terminal device.   The location management server according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the location management server is compatible with or incorporated in another server. A location management server that manages the location of a terminal device,
Information provided when the terminal device is close to a predetermined position, terminal identification information that is information for identifying the terminal position, and terminal position that is information indicating the position of the terminal device identified by the terminal identification information A receiving unit for receiving information;
A provision information storage unit for storing the provision information;
Based on the terminal position information of the terminal device, a proximity state detection unit that detects a terminal device in proximity to the predetermined position;
A location management server comprising: a provision information transmission unit that transmits provision information to the terminal device in the proximity state with the predetermined position. A system including a terminal device having a function of acquiring own position information and a server device that processes information from the plurality of terminal devices,
Transmitting terminal identification information, which is information for identifying the terminal position, terminal position information, which is information indicating the position of the terminal apparatus identified by the terminal identification information, and a message from the terminal apparatus to the server apparatus. When,
The server device records location management information having two or more terminal identification information, terminal location information of the terminal device identified by each terminal identification information, and data including the search condition in association with each other;
A step of detecting another terminal device in a proximity state from the position management information recorded in the position management information recording unit with respect to the one terminal device that has transmitted the terminal identification information, terminal position information, and data. When,
A step of transmitting, to the one terminal device, proximity information relating to another terminal device that is in proximity to the one terminal device.   The proximity state detection unit detects other terminal devices in a proximity state based on location information at a specific time or location management information accumulated in time series recorded in the location management information recording unit, The communication system according to claim 6.   The communication system according to claim 6, wherein the received proximity information regarding the other terminal device in the proximity state is provided together with the map information on which the one terminal device has moved.   9. The terminal device according to claim 6, wherein the terminal device selects all or a part of other terminal devices based on the received proximity information and communicates with the other terminal devices via the server device. The communication system described.   Based on the received proximity information, the terminal device selects all or some of the other terminal devices and forms a network community based on the received proximity information about the other terminal devices in the proximity state received. A communication system according to any one of claims 6 to 8. A system comprising a terminal device having a function of acquiring own position information, and a server device that processes information provided from a plurality of the terminal devices and information provided to a terminal device close to a predetermined position;
A server device that receives and stores information to be transmitted to a terminal device close to a predetermined position; and
Transmitting terminal identification information, which is information for identifying the terminal position, and terminal position information, which is information indicating the position of the terminal device identified by the terminal identification information, from the terminal device to the server device;
Detecting a terminal device in proximity to the predetermined position based on terminal position information of the terminal device;
And a step of transmitting provision information to a terminal device in a proximity state with the predetermined position. An information providing device that is carried by a user who is an object of information provision and is connected to a communication terminal device having a position measuring function so as to be able to transmit,
Receiving means for receiving an information provision request, user identification data of the user, and communication terminal device position data indicating the latest position of the communication terminal device from a communication terminal device having a position measurement function;
Storage means for storing destination information having a plurality of destination names, positions, categories, and other provided contents;
Detecting means for detecting destination information related to a destination determined from the communication terminal device position data based on the information provision request;
An information providing apparatus comprising: providing means for providing a part of the detected destination information (information A) to the communication terminal apparatus.   13. The information providing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the providing unit provides more detailed information (information B) when information indicating that the communication terminal apparatus is close to the provided destination is acquired from the communication terminal apparatus. A communication terminal device that acquires area information based on position information,
GPS communication means for communicating with GPS satellites;
A transmission means for transmitting the communication terminal device position data obtained from the GPS communication, the information provision request, and the user identification data of the user to the information provision server via a wireless line;
Receiving means for receiving destination information (information A) based on position information from the information providing server;
Select registration means for selecting and registering desired destination information from the received area information,
A notification means for notifying a user when the GPS communication means detects that the communication terminal device has approached the selected destination;
When the GPS communication means detects that the communication terminal apparatus has approached the selected destination, the communication terminal apparatus requests the information providing server to transmit more detailed information (information B) regarding the approached area. To
Communication terminal device.   The communication terminal device according to claim 14, wherein a condition of destination information to be received is transmitted together with the position information.   16. The communication terminal apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the area information (information A) includes location information and a category of the destination.   The communication terminal apparatus is an information providing server that receives position data obtained from the GPS communication, an information provision request, and user identification data of a user in the vicinity of a boundary of an area specified from the position data of the communication terminal apparatus and a specified condition. The communication terminal device according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the communication terminal device is transmitted again. A communication system comprising an information providing server connected to a communication terminal device via a wireless line,
The communication terminal device
GPS communication means for communicating with GPS satellites;
Transmitting means for transmitting the position data of the communication terminal device obtained from the GPS communication, the information provision request, and the user identification data of the user to the information provision server via a wireless line;
Receiving means for receiving destination information based on position information from the information providing server;
Receiving means for receiving destination information (information A) based on position information from the information providing server;
A selection registration means for selecting and registering a desired destination from the received area information;
A notification means for notifying a user when the GPS communication means detects that the terminal has approached the selected area;
The information providing server includes:
Receiving means for receiving an information provision request, user identification data of the user, and user position data indicating the latest position of the user from a terminal having a position measurement function;
Storage means for storing destination information having a plurality of destination names, positions, categories, and other provided contents;
Detecting means for detecting destination information relating to a destination determined from the user position data based on the information provision request;
A communication system comprising providing means for providing a part of the detected destination information (information A) to the communication terminal device. The communication system according to claim 18, wherein
The providing means provides more detailed information (information B) when acquiring information that the communication terminal device and the provided destination are approaching from the terminal. a) receiving the communication terminal device position data, the information provision request, and the user identification data of the user obtained from GPS communication from the communication terminal device;
b) detecting destination information relating to a destination determined from the user position data based on the information provision request;
c) providing destination information (information A) based on the detected location information to the terminal;
d) displaying the destination information based on the position information on the display unit of the communication terminal device;
e) selecting and registering a desired destination from the destination information based on the displayed position information;
f) determining whether the communication terminal device has approached the selected destination;
g) When detecting that the communication terminal device has approached the selected destination, notifying the user and requesting the information providing server to provide more detailed information (information B) regarding the approached destination. Including region information acquisition method.   21. The area information acquisition method according to claim 20, comprising a step in which the communication terminal apparatus updates the destination information in the vicinity of the boundary of the area specified from the position data of the communication terminal apparatus and the specified condition. A computer program for carrying out the region information acquisition method according to claim 20 or 21.

Images