Method and electronic device for performing exchange of messages

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9608956-B2
Application number	US-201514797287-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 13, 2015
Priority date	Jul 17, 2014
Publication date	Mar 28, 2017
Grant date	Mar 28, 2017

Abstract

An electronic device is provided that easily performs message exchange that exploits the relative position relationship with other vehicles while traveling. The electronic device ( 2 ) includes a display unit ( 11 ), a wireless communication unit ( 20 ) that receives information including positional information of a sender and message information desired by the sender to be transmitted to a correspondence party, a relative position calculation unit ( 41 ) that calculates relative position information of the sender relative to an own device based on the positional information, and a display control unit ( 43 ) that provides a first display region ( 111 ) to the display unit ( 11 ) and display message information in the first display region ( 111 ), as well as displaying relative position information without displaying a map.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for an electronic device equipped with a display unit and a wireless communication unit to display, on the display unit, information including user information related to a sender, positional information of the sender and message information desired by the sender to be transmitted to a communication party connected via the wireless communication unit, the method comprising the electronic device performing the steps of:
calculating relative position information of the sender relative to an own device based on positional information of the sender; and
displaying, on the display unit, information including user information related to the sender and message information desired by the sender to be transmitted to the communication party which are sent and received via the wireless communication unit, and relative position information of the sender relative to the own device,
wherein the step of displaying includes a first display mode control step of displaying the user information and the message information in a majority region including a central portion of the display unit, and displaying a relative position based on a relative distance from the own device to the sender without displaying a current position of the sender, on a map, of devices of members which make communication connection with the own device,
wherein the first display mode control step further includes providing a third display region that is separate from the majority region in the display unit, and displaying the relative position information of the sender relative to the own device in the third display region,
wherein the relative position information of the sender relative to the own device is displayed based on a relative distance between an own device position and a current position of the sender,
wherein the wireless communication unit performs direct wireless communication and is implemented via a programmable processor.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first display mode control step displays the relative position information of the sender relative to the own device in the majority region.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the relative position information of the sender relative to the own device is displayed based on an ahead/behind position from the current position of the sender in relation to a moving direction of the own device.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the relative position information of the sender relative to the own device is displayed based on a moving direction of the sender in relation to a moving direction of the own device.

5. A method for an electronic device equipped with a display unit and a wireless communication unit to display, on the display unit, information including user information related to a sender, positional information of the sender and message information desired by the sender to be transmitted to a communication party connected via the wireless communication unit, the method comprising the electronic device performing the steps of:
calculating relative position information of the sender relative to an own device based on positional information of the sender; and
displaying, on the display unit, information including user information related to the sender and message information desired by the sender to be transmitted to the communication party which are sent and received via the wireless communication unit, and relative position information of the sender relative to the own device,
wherein the step of displaying includes a first display mode control step of displaying the user information and the message information by providing a display region in the display unit, and displaying a relative position based on a relative distance from the own device to the sender without displaying a current position of the sender, on a map, of devices of members which make communication connection with the own device,
wherein the first display mode control step further includes providing a third display region that is separate from a majority region in the display unit, and displaying the relative position information of the sender relative to the own device in the third display region,
wherein the relative position information of the sender relative to the own device is displayed based on a relative distance between an own device position and a current position of the sender,
wherein the wireless communication unit performs direct wireless communication and is implemented via a programmable processor.

6. An electronic device comprising:
a display unit;
a wireless communication unit that receives information including user information related to a sender, positional information of the sender, and message information desired by the sender to be transmitted to a communication party connected via the wireless communication unit;
a relative position calculation unit, implemented via a programmable processor, that calculates relative position information of the sender relative to an own device based on the positional information; and
a display control unit implemented via the programmable processor that displays, on the display unit, the information including the user information related to the sender, and the message information desired by the sender to be transmitted to the communication party which are sent and received via the wireless communication unit, and the relative position information of the sender relative to the own device,
wherein the display control unit includes a first display mode control section that displays the user information and the message information in a majority region including a central portion of the display unit, as well as displaying a relative position based on a relative distance from the own device to the sender without displaying a current position of the sender, on a map, of devices of members which make communication connection with the own device,
wherein the display control unit further provides a third display region that is separate from the majority region in the display unit, and the display control unit displays the relative position information of the sender relative to the own device in the third display region,
wherein the relative position information of the sender relative to the own device is displayed based on a relative distance between an own device position and a current position of the sender,
wherein the wireless communication unit performs direct wireless communication and is implemented via the programmable processor.

7. A method for an electronic device equipped with a display unit and a wireless communication unit to display information on the display unit, the method comprising a display control step of the electronic device displaying, on the display unit, information including user information related to a sender and message information desired by the sender to be transmitted to a communication party connected via the wireless communication unit,
wherein the display control step includes: a first display mode control step of providing a first display region including a central portion of the display unit, and a second display region positioned at the periphery of the first display region to the display unit;
displaying the user information sent and received via the wireless communication unit in either one display region among the first display region and the second display region; and
displaying the message information in the other display region among the first display region and the second display region,
wherein the first display mode control step further includes providing a third display region that is separate from a majority region in the display unit, and displaying relative position information of the sender relative to an own d

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Sawato Hiroaki

Classifications

• H04L51/20 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04L65/403

  Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences (data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15) · CPC title

• H04W4/12 Primary

  Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements · CPC title

• H04L51/32

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04W4/046

  Electricity · mapped topic