Location based assisting apparatuses, methods and computer readable mediums

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016249181-A1
Application number	US-201514837408-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 27, 2015
Priority date	Feb 23, 2015
Publication date	Aug 25, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An apparatus includes at least one processor and a transceiver. The at least one processor is configured to execute computer readable instructions to: acquire first location information representing locations of a plurality of user terminals, second location information representing a location of at least one vehicle, and third location information representing a location of a destination of the plurality of user terminals; and determine a route from the location of the at least one vehicle to the location of the destination based on the first location information, the second location information and the third location information, wherein the route includes the location of each of the plurality of user terminals. The transceiver is configured to transmit the route to the plurality of user terminals.

First claim

1 . An apparatus comprising:
at least one processor configured to execute computer readable instructions to
acquire first location information, second location information, and third location information in response to a request to share a vehicle among a plurality of users, each of the plurality of users corresponding to a user terminal among a plurality of user terminals, the first location information representing locations of the plurality of user terminals, the second location information representing a location of the vehicle, and the third location information representing a location of a destination of the plurality of user terminals, and
determine a route from the location of the vehicle to the location of the destination based on the first location information, the second location information and the third location information, the route including the locations of the plurality of user terminals; and
a transceiver configured to transmit the route to the plurality of user terminals.

2 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of user terminals are associated with one another through one or more social relationships created through a service subscribed to by the plurality of user terminals.

3 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the route first passes through a location of a first of the plurality of user terminals that is further from the location of the destination relative to others of the plurality of user terminals.

4 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the route first passes through a location of a first of the plurality of user terminals that is closer to the location of the vehicle relative to others of the plurality of user terminals.

5 . The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein
the at least one processor is further configured to execute the computer readable instructions to
acquire at least one portion of the second location information, and
determine a portion of the route for each of the at least one portion of the second location information; and
the apparatus further includes
a list display unit configured to display a list of instructions for each determined portion of the route.

6 . The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the list display unit is further configured to display a list of instructions for the route based on a travel distance for the route.

7 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the transceiver is further configured to transmit information indicating that a first of the plurality of user terminals has entered or exited the vehicle to at least a second of the plurality of user terminals.

8 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the transceiver is further configured to transmit information indicating that the vehicle is approaching a first of the plurality of user terminals when a distance between the location of the vehicle and a location of the first of the plurality of user terminals is less than or equal to a first threshold distance.

9 . An apparatus comprising:
at least one processor configured to execute computer readable instructions to
acquire first location information, second location information, and third location information, the first location information representing locations of a plurality of user terminals, the second location information representing a location of at least one vehicle, and the third location information representing a location of a destination of the plurality of user terminals, and
determine a route from the location of the at least one vehicle to the location of the destination based on the first location information, the second location information and the third location information, the route including the locations of the plurality of user terminals; and
a transceiver configured to transmit the route to the plurality of user terminals; wherein
the transceiver is further configured to transmit information indicating that the at least one vehicle is approaching a first of the plurality of user terminals when a distance between the location of the at least one vehicle and a location of the first of the plurality of user terminals is less than or equal to a first threshold distance, and
the at least one processor is further configured to execute the computer readable instructions to determine that the first of the plurality of user terminals has entered the at least one vehicle when a distance between the location of the first of the plurality of user terminals and the location of the at least one vehicle is less than or equal to a second threshold distance.

10 . The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the computer readable instructions to determine that the first of the plurality of user terminals has entered the at least one vehicle when the location of the first of the plurality of user terminals and the location of the at least one vehicle move in the same direction.

11 . The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the computer readable instructions to determine that the first of the plurality of user terminals has exited the vehicle when the distance between the location of the first of the plurality of user terminals and the location of the at least one vehicle exceeds the second threshold distance.

12 . The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the computer readable instructions to determine that the first of the plurality of user terminals has exited the at least one vehicle when the location of the at least one vehicle and the location of the first of the plurality of user terminals indicates that the at least one vehicle is moving in a different direction relative to the first of the plurality of user terminals.

13 . The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein
at least one of the first of the plurality of user terminals and the at least one vehicle includes a near field communication transceiver, the near field communication transceiver being configured to generate a signal when a distance between the first of the plurality of user terminals and the at least one vehicle is less than or equal to the second threshold distance; and the at least one processor is further configured to execute the computer readable instructions to determine that the first of the plurality of user terminals has entered or exited the at least one vehicle based on the signal.

14 . A non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer readable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause a computer to perform a method comprising:
acquiring first location information, second location information, and third location information in response to a request to share a vehicle among a plurality of users, each of the plurality of users corresponding to a user terminal among a plurality of user terminals, the first location information representing locations of the plurality of user terminals, the second location information representing a location of the vehicle, and the third location information representing a location of a destination of the plurality of user terminals; determining a route from the location of the vehicle to the location of the destination based on the first location information, the second location information and the third location information, the route including the locations of the plurality of user terminals; and transmitting the route to the plurality of user terminals.

15 . A method comprising:
acquiring first location information,

Assignees

• Line Corp

Inventors

• Taniguchi Tomohiko

Classifications

• H04W4/046 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04W4/028

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G01C21/3605

  Destination input or retrieval · CPC title

• H04W4/026

  using orientation information, e.g. compass · CPC title

• H04W4/023 Primary

  using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds · CPC title