KR20080081686A - Mobile instant messenger system and method for providing location information - Google Patents

Abstract

A mobile instant messaging system and a method for providing location information are provided to enable each worker in a mobile cooperative environment to easily confirm another worker's location by receiving each worker's present location information through the instant messenger program of each worker's mobile terminal and displays it on a map data screen at the same time. A mobile instant messaging system comprises an LBS(Location Based Service) server(8), mobile terminals(1), and a mobile instant messenger server(10). The LBS server provides the location information of mobile terminals. Each mobile terminal accesses the mobile instant messenger server through an instant messenger program and displays a map which contains the location information of the terminal, the location information of another mobile terminal registered as a friend, and map data. The mobile instant messenger server provides an instant messaging service between mobile terminals. If a map display request is received from a mobile terminal, the mobile instant messenger server extracts the location information of the mobile terminal and the location information of another mobile terminal, registered as a friend by the mobile terminal, from the LBS server.

Description

MOBILE INSTANT MESSENGER SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING LOCATION INFORMATION}

1 is a block diagram of a mobile instant messenger system according to an embodiment.

2 is an internal block diagram of a mobile instant messenger server according to an embodiment.

3 is an internal block diagram of a mobile terminal according to one embodiment;

Figure 4 is a control flowchart of a mobile instant messenger server according to an embodiment.

5 is a control flowchart of a mobile terminal according to one embodiment;

6 is an internal block diagram of a mobile instant messenger server according to another embodiment.

7 is an internal block diagram of a mobile terminal having a GPS module according to another embodiment.

8 is a control flowchart of a mobile instant messenger server according to another embodiment.

9 is a control flowchart of a mobile terminal according to another embodiment.

10 is a mobile instant messenger screen having a location display function according to an embodiment.

11 is a screen for simultaneously displaying location information on a map, according to an exemplary embodiment.

* Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings

1 mobile phone 4 mobile switching center

5: HLR 7: wireless gateway

8: LBS Server 10: Mobile Instant Messenger Server

11, 61: message transmission and reception unit 12, 62: subscriber authentication unit

13, 63: position extraction unit 64, 14: state monitoring unit

15, 65: map DB 16, 66: subscriber DB

67: GPS location information DB 80: GPS module

90: messenger screen 95: map display icon

The present invention relates to a mobile instant messaging system, and more particularly, to a mobile instant messaging system and a method for providing location information for providing an instant messaging service between a mobile terminal and a mobile terminal and between a mobile terminal and a wired terminal.

The development of mobile communication and the Internet has provided many means of communication between clients, which contributed greatly to the formation of social ties and consensus. The demand for mobile communication has increased exponentially due to the characteristics of the ubiquitous environment, which could not be experienced in ordinary landline phones. In addition, many Internet users have been able to maintain and develop communication with each other by using e-mail or instant messenger on-line. In particular, instant messengers, unlike e-mail, have the advantage of being able to send messages in real time, and the number of users is growing rapidly. Initially, the instant messenger was able to send and receive messages only between terminals connected to the wired Internet network. However, recently, the instant messenger can exchange messages in real time between the mobile terminal and the mobile terminal and between the mobile terminal and the wired terminal through a wired or wireless internet network. It became. Accordingly, whenever and wherever the Internet is available, instant messengers can send and receive text messages in the form of messages between friends and acquaintances in real time. In addition, the initial instant messenger was a function of sending a simple message in real time, but in recent years, by providing a real-time communication differentiated from the e-mail that is the most powerful means of communication in daily life as well as corporate activities, It is expected to develop further based on functions and interworking between heterogeneous species. For example, if instant messaging was applied to a collaborative system developed for in-house work, sharing of collaborative data between employees, customers, and partners, text messages and files related to work among employees In addition to being able to send and receive messages in real time, managers and employees could see each other's login, logout, and away status. However, the functions of the conventional instant messenger are tailored to the collaborative working environment in the office, and in the case of the mobile collaborative working environment mainly moved outside, the instant messenger has the mobility in addition to the function of simply sending and receiving instant messages. The ability to visually identify a location like a map is required.

On the other hand, in a mobile collaborative environment where workers who work outside and are mobile, such as courier companies or quick service company couriers, call taxi company drivers, or police officers, determine the location of each worker in real time and place the worker closest to the place where the workforce is needed. It is important to get in touch with the staff quickly. However, in a conventional mobile collaboration environment, when a manager needs to know the current location of a worker or to contact and move the worker closest to a specific place, the radio is communicated to the worker individually unless they are aware of each worker's movement schedule. I should report via mobile phone. In addition, when there is a need for help to a worker located in a particular place to instruct other workers to move or request cooperation, there is a hassle to explain orally to the mobile phone about the place to move.

An object of the present invention is to provide a mobile instant messaging system and location that can grasp the current location of each worker in a single screen through a mobile instant messenger of a mobile terminal using a wired or wireless Internet network in a collaboration environment by mobile workers from the outside It is to provide a method of providing information.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when a mobile instant messenger server providing an instant messenger service receives a map display request from a messenger program of a predetermined mobile terminal, location information of the mobile terminal is extracted from a location based service (LBS) server to extract the location information of the mobile terminal. The map data simultaneously displaying the location information and the location information of the friend subscriber mobile terminal is transmitted to the mobile terminal. In addition, when the mobile terminal is equipped with a Global Positioning System (GPS) module, when the mobile terminal logs in to the mobile instant messenger server, GPS location information of the GPS module is transmitted to the mobile instant messenger server and stored. When the user requests a map display, the mobile instant messenger server reads the GPS location information of the subscriber mobile terminal registered as a friend and transmits the GPS location information to the mobile terminal, and the messenger program of the mobile terminal drives the GPS program to transmit the GPS location information and the map data. Is displayed in combination.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, in the following description, when there is a risk of unnecessarily obscuring the gist of the present invention, a detailed description of well-known functions and configurations will be omitted.

1 is a block diagram of a mobile instant messenger system according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, a system for providing location information of a subscriber (hereinafter referred to as a friend subscriber) registered as a user and a friend (or a group) using a mobile instant messenger in a mobile terminal, ), A wireless access network composed of a base station 2 and a base station controller 3, a mobile switching center 4, a wireless gateway 7, a LBS (Location Based Service) server 8, and a mobile instant messenger server 10. do. At this time, the wireless access network, the mobile switching center 4 and the wireless gateway 7 constitute a wireless Internet network.

The mobile terminal 1 requests call setup for a voice or data service to the base station 2, transmits a voice or data message input from the subscriber to the base station 2 through a wireless section, and receives from the base station 2; A function of displaying a voice message or a data message to a subscriber. The base station 2 receives a call setup request for voice or data service from the mobile terminal 1, requests a call setup from the mobile switching center 4, and moves a voice or data message received from the mobile communication terminal 1; It transmits to the switching center 4, and is responsible for a function of transmitting a voice or data message received from the mobile switching center 4 to the mobile terminal 1. The base station controller 3 controls a plurality of base stations 2 and is responsible for call setup and data transmission between the mobile switching centers 4. The mobile switching center 4 receives the call setup request from the base station 2, and inquires the location information of the called terminal from the Home Location Register (HLR) 5, requesting the call setup from the large station accommodating the called terminal. In addition, the voice or data message received from the base station 2 is transmitted to the base station 2. In addition, it provides various communication services through a wired network or an internet network through a network.

The mobile terminal 1 is a terminal using a mobile instant messenger service through a wireless communication network, and a mobile instant messenger program is installed. The mobile terminal 1 may use a messenger service with another mobile terminal through a wireless internet network, and may receive location information of another mobile terminal from the mobile instant messenger server 10 according to the present embodiment. In addition, the mobile terminal 1 may use a wired terminal 20 and a messenger service through a wireless Internet network and the Internet 19, and the wired terminal 20 may be located at another mobile terminal from the mobile instant messenger server 10. Information may be provided. In the present embodiment, while the instant messenger service is performed between the mobile terminal and the mobile terminal, the predetermined mobile terminal requests location information from the mobile instant messenger server 10 through the instant messenger program to receive the location information of another mobile terminal. Explain only.

In addition, the mobile instant messenger program stored in the mobile terminal 1 generally includes a registration function for registering a friend, a list display function for displaying a list of registered friends, a deletion function for deleting a registered friend, and a group of registered friends. It provides editing function for editing separately.

In one embodiment, the mobile terminal 1 includes a web browser (not shown) capable of reading a Wireless Markup Language (WML) document and supporting a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), thereby providing a mobile instant messenger server 10. It is a terminal that downloads and executes an instant messenger program (not shown) that operates in conjunction with the mobile instant messenger server 10. The mobile terminal 1 is used to mean a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a mobile phone, or the like. In another embodiment, the mobile terminal 1 can read a Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) document, which is a standard document of the web, and a web browser (software) capable of communicating with a web server using the Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP). And a terminal configured to download and execute a mobile instant messenger program (not shown) from the mobile instant messenger server 10 that is operated in conjunction with the mobile instant messenger server 10.

The LBS server 8 is a server for providing the location information of the mobile terminal 1, so that the location information of the mobile terminal 1 can be determined by providing the location information of the mobile terminal 1 to the mobile instant messenger server 10. do. The location information of the mobile terminal can be grasped by the approximate location information using the base station of the mobile communication network. Location determination using a base station uses a cell-based cell tracking technique, which is a method of processing the position of the base station antenna closest to the location of the mobile phone as the position of the mobile terminal to be tracked. This cell-based location tracking technique uses a signal transmitted and received by a mobile station to a base station for a call to determine the location of the mobile terminal in real time. In another embodiment, the LBS server 8 may use the GPS-based location tracking technology to receive the GPS location information from the mobile terminal having the GPS module to determine the location of the mobile terminal. It is possible to determine the location of the mobile terminal using a hybrid method that combines the base location tracking technology.

The mobile instant messenger server 10 provides the mobile terminal 1 with a mobile instant messenger service similar to that provided by the wired instant messenger service. That is, the mobile instant messenger server 10 provides the mobile terminal 1 with an instant messenger service such as friend registration, one-to-one or one-to-many conversation, file transmission, and dialing. Here, 'friend' refers to a user included in a specific user group, and the user group composed of friends automatically shares access status and status information on a mobile instant messenger service, and the information is transmitted to a mobile instant messenger server ( 10) are registered and managed. In addition, the mobile instant messenger server 10 authenticates a user accessing in association with a subscriber DB 16 which will be described later, and provides the user by identifying whether the users registered as friends by the authenticated user are connected and present status information. do.

In addition to the function of transmitting and receiving instant messages between the mobile terminal and the mobile terminal, the mobile instant messenger server 10 may transmit and receive instant messages between the mobile terminal and the wired terminal (for example, a computer).

FIG. 2 is an internal block diagram of the mobile instant messenger server 10 of FIG. 1. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the mobile instant messenger server 10 includes a message transceiving unit 11 for transmitting and receiving instant messages, a subscriber authenticator 12 for authenticating an instant messenger subscriber, and an LBS server 8. A location extraction unit 13 for inquiring user location information to the user, a status monitoring unit 14 for monitoring status information such as login and logout status of the subscriber, and away from the user, and a map DB 15 for storing map data And a subscriber DB 16 storing subscriber information and status information of the logged-in user.

The location extracting unit 13 extracts the location information of the user logged into the mobile messenger by contacting the LBS server 8. The state monitoring unit 14 monitors the state information of the logged in subscriber in real time and stores it in the subscriber DB 16. The subscriber DB 16 stores user information for authentication processing, information and status information of another subscriber (hereinafter referred to as a friend subscriber) that the user has set as a friend (or group).

The controller 18 executes the mobile messenger program in the mobile terminal 1 and performs an authentication process for the user who requests login. When the map display request signal is received from the mobile terminal 1 of the logged-in user according to the present embodiment, the controller 18 determines whether or not the friend subscribers of the user log in based on the information of the subscriber DB 16. Recognize status information. The control unit 18 extracts the location information of the user requesting the map display and the location information of the subscribers who are logged in among friend subscribers from the LBS server 8 by the location extraction unit 13 and extracts the location information. And the map data are combined and transmitted to the mobile terminal 1 of the user who requested the map display. Specifically, the controller 18 combines the location information (for example, location coordinates) provided from the LBS server 8 with the map data stored in the map DB 15 to display the location of the user and friend subscribers. Create Here, the map image may be in the form of any one of a still image or a vector image which is any one of SIS (Simple Image Service), JPEG, PNG (Portable Network Graphics).

3 is an internal block diagram of the mobile terminal 1 of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the mobile terminal 1 is connected to the RF unit 31 for transmitting / receiving a wireless signal, and processes a voice or data signal transmitted / received by the RF unit 31. A data processor 33, an audio processor 32 for processing audio signals output from the data processor 33, a key input unit 34 for a user interface, a memory 36, a camera unit 37, A video processor 38 for processing the video signal of the camera unit 37, a display unit 39 for displaying the video signal output from the video processor 38, and a controller for controlling the overall operation of the terminal; 35).

The mobile instant messenger program is stored in the memory 36 of the mobile terminal 1. The messenger program connects to the mobile instant messenger server 10 to log in with an ID and password input through the key input unit 34, and the user through the mobile messenger screen 90 displayed on the screen of the mobile terminal 1. The mobile terminal of the friend and the mobile terminal of the subscriber subscriber to perform a conversation by instant message. In this case, referring to FIG. 10 to be described later, the friend list 91 of the mobile messenger screen 90 displays names (or screen names) of users and friend subscribers, and status information such as login status and away.

In addition, according to this embodiment, when the messenger program completes the login, the messenger program displays a map display icon 95 for displaying the location information on each of the names (or screen names) of the user and the friend subscriber on the mobile messenger screen 90. do. When the map display icon is selected, the mobile instant messenger program transmits a map display request signal to the mobile instant messenger server 10 to receive map data indicating the location of a user and a friend subscriber from the mobile instant messenger server 10 on the screen. Display.

4 is a control flowchart of a mobile instant messenger server according to an embodiment. The present embodiment relates to a method of extracting location information of the mobile terminal 1 through the LBS server 8 and displaying it on the mobile instant messenger window of the mobile terminal. As shown in FIG. 4, when receiving the instant messenger login request from the mobile terminal 1 (S1), the mobile instant messenger server 10 performs user authentication based on the subscriber DB 16 (S2). The mobile instant messenger server 10 performs a user authentication result and extracts information of the user and friend subscribers from the subscriber DB 16 when the user currently attempting to log in is a mobile instant messenger subscriber (S3). In addition, the mobile instant messenger server 10 inquires the location information of the LBS server 8, recognizes the location information of the user and friend subscribers (S4), the location information provided from the LBS server 8 (for example, Location coordinates) and map data of the map DB 15 are combined to generate a map image in which the locations of the user and friend subscribers are displayed (S5) and transmitted to the mobile terminal 1 (S6). In this case, when combining location information and map data, the location of subscribers registered in a specific group set by the user may be simultaneously displayed on a single map screen, and location information of a friend within a predetermined distance from the user may be displayed. It can also be extracted and displayed on one screen at the same time.

5 illustrates a control procedure of the mobile terminal 1 when the mobile terminal 1 receives a user's location information from the mobile instant messenger server 10 by executing a messenger program. 5, when the user of the mobile terminal 1 logs in to the instant messenger (S11), the messenger program requests authentication from the mobile instant messenger server 10, and the messenger program is displayed on the messenger screen. The login status and the map display icon of the user and friend subscribers are displayed (S12). When the map display icon is selected on the messenger screen (S13), the messenger program of the mobile terminal 1 downloads and displays the map data on which the location of the user and the logged-in friend subscriber are simultaneously displayed (S14).

As such, the mobile instant messenger server 10 requests location information of the mobile terminal from a location based service (LBS) server to manage location information. When the mobile terminal 1 requests a map display, The map data combining the location information and the location data of the terminal of the friend subscriber and the map data may be transmitted to the mobile terminal 1 requesting the map display and displayed simultaneously on one screen.

In the above-described embodiment, the mobile instant messenger server 10 extracts the location information from the LBS server 8 when receiving the map display request signal from the mobile terminal, but the mobile instant messenger server 10 logs in. The location information of the subscribers in the state is extracted from the LBS server 8 and stored in a location information database prepared in advance, and the location information is periodically updated, so that the location information of the subscriber mobile terminal is received from the location information database upon receiving a map display request signal from the user. It may be read and transmitted to the mobile terminal of the user who requested the map display.

Meanwhile, in the above-described embodiment, the mobile instant messenger server 10 generates the map data simultaneously displaying the location information and transmits the map data to the mobile terminal that requests the map display. However, the mobile instant messenger server 10 stores the map data and the map data in the mobile terminal. In addition, the mobile instant messenger server may transmit only the location information of the LBS server to the mobile terminal, such that the location information and the map data may be displayed on the mobile terminal in combination.

6 is an internal block diagram of a mobile instant messenger server 60 according to another embodiment. The mobile instant messenger server 60 shown in FIG. 6 may be used in place of the mobile instant messenger server 10 in the mobile communication system shown in FIG. The present embodiment is to display the location information at the same time when the mobile terminal is equipped with a GPS module and a GPS map program, as shown in Figure 6, the mobile instant messenger server 60, a message for transmitting and receiving instant messages A transceiver 61, a subscriber authenticator 62 for authenticating an instant messenger subscriber, a status monitor 64 for monitoring login status information of the subscriber, and a subscriber storing location information and status information of the logged-in user. DB 66 and GPS location information DB 67 in which GPS location information transmitted from the logged in subscriber is stored.

The state monitoring unit 64 monitors state information such as a logged-in subscriber's away and stores the state information in the subscriber DB 66. The subscriber DB 66 stores user information for authentication processing, information and status information of subscribers of a friend of a user.

The control unit 68 executes the messenger program in the mobile terminal 1 to perform an authentication process for the user who requests a login, and after completion of the authentication process, the GPS position information transmitted from the mobile terminal 1 to the location information DB 67. Store in In addition, when the map display request signal is received from the mobile terminal 1 of the user, according to the present exemplary embodiment, the controller 68 may provide status information, such as whether the user logs in the friend subscribers, based on the information of the subscriber DB 66. The mobile terminal 1 recognizes the GPS location information of the friend subscribers from the GPS location information DB 67 and transmits the GPS location information to the mobile terminal 1 of the user who requested the map display.

7 illustrates a configuration for displaying location information on a mobile instant messenger when the mobile terminal 70 has a GPS module, according to another embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, the mobile terminal 70 includes an RF unit 71, an audio processor 72, a data processor 73, a key input unit 74, a controller 75, a memory 76, and a camera unit. 77, an image processing unit 78 and a display unit 79, and further includes a GPS module 80 as compared to the configuration of the embodiment of FIG. In addition, the GPS map data and the GPS map program are stored in the memory 76. According to the present embodiment, it is assumed that a messenger program executed in the mobile terminal 70 is linked with a GPS program. Accordingly, when the user executes the messenger program, the messenger program receives the GPS coordinate information from the GPS module 80 and transmits the GPS coordinate information to the mobile instant messenger server 60 at a predetermined time period through the mobile communication network. In addition, the messenger program displays a map display icon on the messenger screen of the mobile terminal 60 together with the information (for example, a name or a screen name) of the user and the user on the messenger screen 90 which will be described later. When the user selects the map display icon, the messenger program transmits a GPS information request signal to the mobile instant messenger server 60. Then, the messenger program receives GPS location information of friend subscribers from the mobile instant messenger server 60, and simultaneously displays the GPS location of the user and the subscribers in the group on the map data to display the map data.

8 is a control flowchart of the mobile instant messenger server 60 according to another embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, when the mobile instant messenger server 60 receives an instant messenger login request from the mobile terminal 70 of a predetermined user (P1), the mobile instant messenger server 60 performs user authentication based on the subscriber DB 66 ( P2). If the user who starts the current login is a messenger subscriber, the mobile instant messenger server 60 receives GPS location information from the mobile terminal 70 of the logged in user and stores it in the subscriber DB 66 (P3). The friend subscriber information is read from the subscriber DB 66 and transmitted to the mobile terminal 70 (P4). In this case, when the mobile terminal 60 using the mobile instant messenger includes a GPS module, the mobile terminal 70 requests the mobile terminal 70 to receive GPS location information, and the mobile terminal 70 does not include the GPS module. The LBS server 8 of 1 may be requested to determine location information of the mobile terminal 70. The mobile instant messenger server 60 extracts the GPS location information of the user and the friend subscriber from the GPS location information DB 67 and transmits the GPS location information to the mobile terminal 70 (P5). Thereafter, the mobile instant messenger server 60 confirms the change of the GPS location information of the user and the friend subscriber (P6), and transmits the changed location information to the mobile terminal 70 of the user (P7).

9 illustrates an operation procedure of the mobile terminal 70 when the mobile terminal 70 receives the GPS location information from the mobile instant messenger server 60 by logging in to the messenger. As shown in FIG. 9, when the user of the mobile terminal 70 logs in to the instant messenger (P11), the messenger program requests authentication from the mobile instant messenger server 60 and, when authentication is completed, the mobile terminal 70. GPS position information received by the GPS module of the) to the mobile instant messenger server 60 (P12). The mobile terminal 70 displays the login status and the map display icon of the user and the friend subscriber together with the user's name (or the screen name) on the instant messenger window based on the received GPS location information of the user and the friend subscriber (P13). ). At this time, when the user selects his map icon in the messenger window (P14), the mobile terminal 70 receives the location information of the user and friend subscribers from the mobile instant messenger server 60 (P15), and executes the map program. By simultaneously displaying the user location and the location of the friend subscribers on the map data (P16).

As such, when the mobile terminal has a GPS module, when the mobile terminal logs in to the instant messenger, the GPS location information of the GPS module is transmitted to the mobile instant messenger server for storage and management, and the user of the mobile terminal requests a map display. The city mobile instant messenger server reads the GPS location information of the terminal of the friend subscriber and transmits the GPS location information to the mobile terminal, and the mobile terminal drives the GPS program to simultaneously display the map data and the received GPS location information on the map.

Accordingly, in the case of mobile and collaborative work such as a call taxi, a police patrol, and a courier company, a group manager can check the distribution state of locations on a map by one subscriber. In addition, when a manpower is needed at a specific place, the group manager may check a screen in which the positions of the subscribers in the group are displayed at the same time, and instruct the mobile station to contact and move to the subscriber located closest to the specific place.

10 is a mobile instant messenger screen having a location display function according to an embodiment, and FIG. 11 is a screen for simultaneously displaying location information on a map, according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, the instant messenger screen 90 includes a friend list 91 on which information of a plurality of subscribers registered as friends is displayed, and a chat list list 92 including a plurality of icons related to a messenger function. . The friend list 91 displays the names of subscribers who are logged in among friend subscribers (eg, 'Hong Gil Dong', 'Kim Yeon Jae', 'Lee Jung Seok', 'Park Ho Yeon'), and the names of subscribers who are logged out (eg For example, 'Jeong Jae Ho') is displayed, and a map display icon is displayed on one side of each subscriber name. The map display icon of each subscriber in the friend list 91 indicates that the location information of the subscriber can be displayed on the map. In addition, the chat window list 92 includes a chat icon 93 for conducting a conversation by an instant message, a friend add icon 94 for performing a friend add function, a map display icon 95, and a messenger program end icon 96. Is provided. Therefore, when the user selects the map display icon 95 from the chat window list 92, the map screen 100 as shown in FIG. 11 is displayed on the mobile terminal 70 requesting the map display. The map screen 100 simultaneously displays the user location of the mobile terminal requesting the map display and the location of the friend subscribers displayed in the login state on the friend list 91 of the messenger screen 90 by an arrow.

By such a configuration, the mobile instant messenger server providing the instant messenger service manages the GPS location information of the logged in user and the location information of the subscriber registered as a friend, and when the location information is requested from a predetermined mobile terminal, the user is a friend. Location information of registered subscribers may be transmitted to a user's mobile terminal to be simultaneously displayed on a map.

While the invention and its various functional components have been described in particular embodiments, the invention may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, middleware, or a combination thereof, and the system, subsystem, components or sub-configurations thereof. It should be understood that they can be used as elements. If implemented in software, the elements of the invention are instructions / code segments for performing the necessary tasks. The program or code segments may be stored in a machine readable medium, such as a processor readable medium, a computer program product, or via a transmission medium or communication link by a computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave or a signal modulated by a carrier. Can be sent. Machine readable media or processor readable media may include any medium that can store or transmit information in a form readable and executable by a machine (eg, processor, computer, etc.).

In addition, while the present invention has been described in connection with some embodiments, it is to be understood that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as will be understood by those skilled in the art. You will need to know Also, such modifications and variations are intended to fall within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

According to the above embodiments, by using the instant messenger of the mobile terminal through the wired and wireless Internet network in a mobile collaboration environment by a lot of mobile workers from the outside, the current location information of each worker is received and displayed on the map data screen simultaneously. It is easy to identify the positions among the workers. In addition, the system administrator can form a fast and convenient mobile collaboration environment by checking the location information of the workers through the map data by the mobile terminal possessed by each worker.

Claims (17)

In the mobile instant messaging system, A location information providing server providing location information of a mobile terminal; Providing an instant messaging service between the mobile terminal and the mobile terminal through a wireless Internet network, and when the map display request from a predetermined mobile terminal, the location information of the mobile terminal and the location information of at least one other terminal registered as a friend by the mobile terminal; A mobile instant messenger server extracted from a location information providing server, A mobile instant including a mobile terminal accessing the mobile instant messenger server by an instant messenger program and displaying a map combining location information of the mobile terminal, location information of another mobile terminal registered as a friend by the mobile terminal, and map data; Messaging system. The method of claim 1, The location information providing server is a LBS (Location Based Service) server of a mobile communication network, a mobile instant messaging system. The method of claim 2, The mobile instant messenger server, A message transceiver for transmitting and receiving an instant message with the mobile terminal; Subscriber authentication unit that performs the subscriber authentication process, A status monitoring unit for monitoring status information including whether a mobile terminal is logged in and is away; A subscriber database storing user information of a mobile terminal and state information of the state monitoring unit; A location extracting unit for extracting location information of a mobile terminal from the LBS server; A map database where map data is stored, When the map display request is received from the mobile terminal, location information of the mobile terminal and location information of other mobile terminals registered as friends by the mobile terminal are extracted through the location extractor to generate map data simultaneously displaying the location information. Mobile instant messaging system comprising a control unit for transmitting to the mobile terminal through a message transmission and reception unit. The method of claim 3, The controller extracts only the location information of the mobile terminal in the logged-in state, based on the state information of the subscriber database. The method of claim 3, The control unit extracts and stores the location information of the mobile terminals at a predetermined time period from the LBS server by the location extractor, mobile instant messaging system. The method of claim 1, The instant messenger program operating in the mobile terminal generates and displays an instant messenger screen including an icon for displaying a map. And requesting a map display from the mobile instant messenger server when the map display icon is selected. The method of claim 1, The wireless Internet network includes a base station, a base station controller and a mobile switching center connected to the base station controller to perform a switching function, and includes a wireless gateway connecting the wireless internet network and a wired internet network. The mobile instant messenger server provides an instant messaging service between a wired terminal connected to the wired internet network and the mobile terminal, and provides the map display function to an instant messenger program of the wired terminal. In the mobile instant messaging system, Provides an instant messaging service between the mobile terminal and the mobile terminal, and stores the GPS location information transmitted from the mobile terminals logged into the service, and other mobile terminals registered as a friend when requesting map information from a predetermined mobile terminal A mobile instant messenger server which reads the GPS location information of the mobile terminal and transmits the GPS location information to the corresponding mobile terminal; And a GPS module, accessing the mobile instant messenger server by an instant messenger program, transmitting GPS location information of the GPS module to the mobile instant messenger server, and requesting the mobile instant messenger server to move to another friend registered as a friend. And a mobile terminal for receiving the GPS location information of the terminals and displaying the location information of the GPS module and the location information of the other mobile terminal in the map data by interworking a GPS program. The method of claim 8, The mobile instant messenger server, Message sending and receiving unit for sending and receiving instant messages, Subscriber authentication unit that performs the subscriber authentication process, A status monitoring unit for monitoring status information including whether a mobile terminal is logged in and is away; A subscriber database storing user information and status information of the mobile terminal; A GPS location information database storing GPS location information transmitted from the mobile device upon login of the mobile device; A mobile instant including a control unit that reads the GPS location information of another mobile terminal registered as a friend by the requested mobile terminal from the GPS location information database and transmits the GPS location information to the mobile terminal through the message transmitting and receiving unit when the map information is requested from the mobile terminal. Messaging system. The method according to claim 8 or 9, The mobile terminal includes a map database in which map data is stored, and when receiving GPS location information from the mobile instant messenger server, the mobile terminal displays the map data in combination with the map data together with the location information of the GPS module. The method of claim 8, The mobile terminal periodically transmits and stores the GPS location information of the GPS module to the mobile instant messenger server. The method of claim 8, The instant messenger program generates and displays an instant messenger screen including an icon for displaying a map. And requesting GPS location information from the mobile instant messenger server when the map display icon is selected. The method of claim 8, The wireless Internet network includes a base station, a base station controller and a mobile switching center connected to the base station controller to perform a switching function, and includes a wireless gateway connecting the wireless internet network and a wired internet network. The mobile instant messenger server provides an instant messaging service between a wired terminal connected to the wired internet network and the mobile terminal, and provides the map display function to an instant messenger program of the wired terminal. In the method for providing location information of a mobile instant messaging system, Logging in the mobile instant messenger server through the wireless Internet network; Extracting a subscriber who is logged in from among instant messenger subscribers registered as a friend by a user of the mobile terminal; Displaying, by the mobile terminal, an instant messenger screen including a map display function; Receiving, by the mobile instant messenger server, a map display request signal according to the selection of the map display function from the mobile terminal; Requesting and extracting location information of the mobile terminal and location information of the friend subscriber mobile terminal in the logged-in state from an LBS server connected to the wireless Internet network; Generating, by the mobile instant messenger server, map data indicating location information of the extracted mobile terminal and location information of a friend subscriber mobile terminal; Displaying the generated map data on the mobile terminal location information providing method of a mobile instant messaging system. In the method for providing location information of a mobile instant messaging system, Logging in a mobile instant messenger server through a wireless internet network by a mobile terminal having a GPS module; Extracting, by the mobile terminal, GPS location information from a GPS module and transmitting the GPS location information to the mobile instant messenger server; Extracting a subscriber who is logged in from among subscribers registered as a friend by a user of the mobile terminal; Displaying, by the mobile terminal, an instant messenger screen including a map display function; Receiving, by the mobile instant messenger server, a GPS location information request signal according to the selection of the map display function from the mobile terminal; And reading out GPS location information of a friend subscriber mobile terminal of the mobile terminal in which the mobile instant messenger server is logged in, and transmitting the GPS location information to the mobile terminal. A computer readable storage medium storing computer executable instructions for performing a method for providing location information of a mobile instant messaging system. The method, Logging in the mobile instant messenger server through the wireless Internet network; Extracting a subscriber who is logged in from among instant messenger subscribers registered as a friend by a user of the mobile terminal; Displaying, by the mobile terminal, an instant messenger screen including a map display function; Receiving, by the mobile instant messenger server, a map display request signal according to the selection of the map display function from the mobile terminal; Requesting and extracting location information of the mobile terminal and location information of the friend subscriber mobile terminal in the logged-in state from an LBS server connected to the wireless Internet network; Generating, by the mobile instant messenger server, map data indicating location information of the extracted mobile terminal and location information of a friend subscriber mobile terminal; Displaying the generated map data on the mobile terminal. A computer readable storage medium storing computer executable instructions for performing a method for providing location information of a mobile instant messaging system. The method, Logging in a mobile instant messenger server through a wireless internet network by a mobile terminal having a GPS module; Extracting, by the mobile terminal, GPS location information from a GPS module and transmitting the GPS location information to the mobile instant messenger server; Extracting a subscriber who is logged in from among subscribers registered as a friend by a user of the mobile terminal; Displaying, by the mobile terminal, an instant messenger screen including a map display function; Receiving, by the mobile instant messenger server, a map display request signal according to the selection of the map display function from the mobile terminal; And reading GPS location information of a friend subscriber mobile terminal of the mobile terminal in which the mobile instant messenger server is logged in, and transmitting the GPS location information to the mobile terminal.

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