Patent Publication Number: US-2003228873-A1

Title: Portable terminal and position information conversion system

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] 1. Field of the Invention  
       [0002] The present invention relates to a method for providing a user with information related to a particular current position based on information on the position, and more particularly to a portable terminal and a position information conversion system that convert current position information to related information based on a conversion rule set by a user in advance.  
       [0003] 2. Description of Related Art  
       [0004] Recently, as a circuit for implementing the position calculation function becomes more compact and its position calculation sensitivity/accuracy improves, a portable terminal user can obtain “current position information” whenever the user wishes and wherever the user is.  
       [0005] To calculate the current position of a portable terminal, the “GPS (Global Positioning System)” function is usually used to measure electric wave signals from the GPS satellites to identify the current position. A “mobile communication terminal”, one of portable terminals communicating over a mobile communication network, can identify the current position by identifying the base station cell to which the terminal belongs.  
       [0006] Information obtained through the position calculation function is only information indicating the current position (for example, latitude and longitude). Therefore, to provide the user with position related information based on position information, it is necessary to extract information from databases and so on.  
       [0007]FIG. 1 shows a position information service system in the prior art in which a mobile communication network is used. This system comprises a position calculation function (PCF) equipped cellular phone  100  and a contents server  200  and a map database server  300  which are on a network.  
       [0008] The PCF-equipped cellular phone  100  comprises a position calculation function unit  101  and a display/output function unit  102 .  
       [0009]FIG. 2 shows a sequence of operations in this system. This figure shows how the PCF-equipped cellular phone  100  provides the user with map information, registered with the map database server  300 , based on current position information obtained by the position calculation function  101 .  
       [0010] The PCF-equipped cellular phone  100  uses the position calculation function unit  101  to obtain current position information (step S 801 ) and sends the obtained position information to the contents server  200 . The contents server  200  obtains the current position information from the PCF-equipped cellular phone  100  (step S 802 ) and, based on the information, obtains map information from the map data base server  300  (step S 803 ). The contents server  200  sends the obtained map information to the PCF-equipped cellular phone  100  (step S 804 ). The PCF-equipped cellular phone  100  obtains map information from the contents server  200  (step S 805 ), and the display/output function unit  102  displays this information to the user using display means not shown (step S 806 ).  
       [0011] The PCF-equipped cellular phone  100  performs the operation described above to provide the user with a map, which covers the current position and its neighboring areas, based on the current position information obtained by the position calculation function unit  101 .  
       [0012]FIG. 3 shows a sequence of operations in the system described above. The figure shows how the PCF-equipped cellular phone  100  provides the user with current-position related information, registered with the map database  300 , based on the current position information obtained by the position calculation function unit  101 .  
       [0013] The PCF-equipped cellular phone  100  uses the position calculation function unit  101  to obtain current position information (step S 901 ) and sends the obtained position information to the contents server  200 . The contents server  200  obtains the current position information sent from the PCF-equipped cellular phone  100  (step S 902 ). The PCF-equipped cellular phone  100  also sends a user-specified search condition to the contents server  200  (step S 903 ). The contents server  200  obtains the search condition from the PCF-equipped cellular phone  100  (step S 904 ).  
       [0014] The contents server  200  searches the map database  300  for the current-position related information based on the position information and the search condition obtained from the PCF-equipped cellular phone  100  (step S 905 ) and sends the search result back to the PCF-equipped cellular phone  100 . The PCF-equipped cellular phone  100  receives the current-position related information from the contents server  200  (step S 906 ) The display/output function unit  102  displays the information using the display means not shown or accumulates and saves the information in the memory for use by the user (step S 907 ).  
       [0015] As described above, with the PCF-equipped cellular phone in the prior art, the user specifies a search condition for the database, which has been built using map data, to obtain “current-position related information” (map, address, telephone number, store name, nearest station name, and so on) based on “current position information”.  
       [0016] However, to build a database using map data, a huge amount of information must be in a memory unit and, in addition, necessary information must be extracted from the stored information. It is difficult for a portable terminal, which must be compact in size, light in weight, and low in power consumption, to have a high-capacity memory unit and a high-speed operation unit.  
       [0017] When the terminal is a mobile communication terminal with the position information detection function, current-position related information may be presented to the user based on position information by sending current position information to a server connected via the mobile communication network, requesting the server to search for the information, and sending the result back to the mobile communication terminal. In this case, a map-data based database, if used, would take long for server to execute search processing. Therefore, not only the user cannot obtain information quickly but also the communication cost increases.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0018] In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a portable terminal capable of providing the user with related information based on “current position information” without installing a large-capacity memory unit or a high-speed operation unit on the terminal. It is another object of the present invention to provide a position information conversion system that can reduce the search processing of the server and quickly present current-position related information desired by the user.  
       [0019] To achieve the above objects, there is provided a portable terminal in a first embodiment of the present invention that converts position information on the terminal to an execution instruction executing a predetermined operation associated with the position information. The portable terminal comprises a memory circuit in which at least one conversion rule group for converting the position information to the execution instruction is stored; an operation circuit that allows a user to select a conversion rule group to be applied to the conversion from the position information to the execution instruction; a position calculation function circuit that obtains current position information; a position information conversion circuit that performs processing of a conversion rule, included in the selected conversion rule group and related to the current position information, to generate the execution instruction; and a display output function circuit that executes an operation according to the generated execution instruction.  
       [0020] In the first embodiment of the present invention, the conversion rule group is preferably a collection of conversion processing corresponding to each cell of a matrix based on a position calculation unit of the position information and the position information conversion circuit preferably performs the processing of a conversion rule of a cell corresponding to the current position information to generate the execution instruction. Preferably, one of the conversion rule groups causes the position information conversion circuit to generate an execution instruction that presents information on a station of transportation facilities nearest to the user.  
       [0021] Preferably, one of the conversion rule groups causes the position information conversion circuit to generate an execution instruction that presents information on a landmark, including an intersection, an interchange, and a parking area, nearest to the user. Preferably, one of the conversion rule groups causes the position information conversion circuit to generate an execution instruction that changes a terminal setting based on the current position information.  
       [0022] To achieve the above objects, there is provided a position information conversion system in a second embodiment of the present invention that comprises a portable terminal executing a predetermined operation; a contents server connected to the portable terminal via a mobile communication network; and a position information conversion server connected to the contents server and having a storage unit in which at least one conversion rule group is stored for use in generating an execution instruction executing the predetermined operation based on position information on the portable terminal, wherein the portable terminal comprises a sending/receiving circuit that sends or receive information via the mobile communication network, that sends selection information indicating a conversion rule group selected by a user to the contents server, and that sends current position information to the contents server; an operation circuit which allows the user to select one of the conversion rule groups; a position calculation function circuit that obtains the current position information; and a display output function circuit that executes an operation in response to the execution instruction received from the contents server, wherein the contents server comprises a sending/receiving unit that obtains the current position information from the portable terminal and sends the execution instruction back to the portable terminal, and wherein the position information conversion server comprises a position information conversion circuit that reads one of conversion rule groups from the storage unit based on the selection information and, from the conversion rule groups that were set, reads a conversion rule related to the current position information from the storage unit for generating the execution instruction.  
       [0023] In the second embodiment of the present invention, the conversion rule group is preferably a collection of conversion processing corresponding to each cell of a matrix based on a position calculation unit of the position information and the position information conversion circuit preferably performs the processing of a conversion rule of a cell corresponding to the current position information to generate the execution instruction. Preferably, one of the conversion rule groups causes the position information conversion circuit to generate an execution instruction that presents information on a station of transportation facilities nearest to the user. Preferably, one of the conversion rule groups causes the position information conversion circuit to generate an execution instruction that presents information on a landmark, including an intersection, an interchange, and a parking area, to the user. Preferably, one of the conversion rule groups causes the position information conversion circuit to generate an execution instruction that changes a terminal setting of the portable terminal based on the current position information.  
       [0024] To achieve the above objects, there is provided a position information conversion system in a third embodiment of the present invention that comprises a position information conversion server connected to a network; a contents server connected to the position information conversion server; and a portable terminal connected to the contents server over a mobile communication network and having means for storing at least one of conversion rule groups each of which converts position information to a predetermined-operation execution instruction, wherein the portable terminal comprises a sending/receiving circuit that sends and receives information over the mobile communication network; an operation circuit that allows a user to select one of the conversion rule groups; a memory circuit that stores the conversion rule group obtained from the contents server; a position calculation function circuit that obtains current position information; a position information conversion circuit that performs processing of a conversion rule, included in the selected conversion rule groups and related to the current position information of the selected conversion rule group, for generating the execution instruction; and a display/output function circuit that executes an operation according to the generated execution instruction, wherein the position information conversion server comprises a memory unit in which at least one of the conversion rule groups is stored, and wherein the contents server comprises a sending/receiving unit that reads the conversion rule group, requested by the portable terminal, from the position information conversion server and sends the conversion rule group to the portable terminal.  
       [0025] In the third embodiment of the present invention, the conversion rule group is preferably a collection of conversion processing corresponding to each cell of a matrix based on a position calculation unit of the position information and the position information conversion circuit preferably performs the processing of a conversion rule of a cell corresponding to the current position information to generate the execution instruction. Preferably, one of the conversion rule groups causes the position information conversion circuit to generate an execution instruction that presents information on a station of transportation facilities nearest to the user. Preferably, one of the conversion rule groups causes the position information conversion circuit to generate an execution instruction that presents information on a landmark, including an intersection, an interchange, and a parking area, to the user. Preferably, one of the conversion rule groups causes the position information conversion circuit to generate an execution instruction that changes a terminal setting based on the current position information. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0026] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:  
     [0027]Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a position information conversion system in the prior art;  
     [0028]FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the position information conversion system in the prior art;  
     [0029]FIG. 3 is a diagram showing another example of the operation of the position information conversion system in the prior art;  
     [0030]FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a portable terminal in a first embodiment that is a preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
     [0031]FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the portable terminal in the first embodiment of the present invention;  
     [0032]FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of conversion rules;  
     [0033]FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the conversion rules;  
     [0034]FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the conversion rules;  
     [0035]FIG. 9 is a diagram showing another example of the conversion rules;  
     [0036]FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of the conversion rules;  
     [0037]Fig. 11 is a diagram showing the configuration of a position information conversion system in a second embodiment that is a preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
     [0038]FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the position information conversion system in the second embodiment;  
     [0039]FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the configuration of a position information conversion system in a third embodiment that is a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and  
     [0040]FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the position information conversion system in the third embodiment. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
     [0041] [First Embodiment] 
     [0042] A first embodiment, which is a preferred embodiment of the present invention, will be described. FIG. 4 shows a cellular phone with the position calculation function according to the present invention. A cellular phone  11  comprises a sending/receiving circuit  114 , a memory circuit  115 , an operation circuit  116 , a display circuit  117 , a control circuit  110 , and a processing circuit, not shown, that controls the whole of the cellular phone. The control circuit  110  comprises a position calculation function circuit  111 , a position information conversion function circuit  112 , and a display/output function circuit  113 .  
     [0043] The position calculation function circuit  111  obtains the current position of the terminal as latitude and longitude information. The position information conversion function circuit  112  converts the current position information to a predetermined-operation execution instruction according to a conversion rule that will be described later. In response to an execution instruction, the display/output function circuit  113  displays or presents the current-position related information to the user using the-display circuit  117 .  
     OPERATION EXAMPLE 1  
     [0044] The operation of the cellular phone in this embodiment will be described.  
     [0045]FIG. 5 shows an example of the operation of the cellular phone  11 .  
     [0046] First, the user of the cellular phone  11  selects a position information conversion rule in advance (step S 11 ). When the user selects to use a conversion rule, the position calculation function circuit  111  obtains the current position of the terminal as latitude and longitude information (step S 12 ). This information is sent to the position information conversion function circuit  112 . The position information conversion function circuit  112  converts the latitude and longitude information to a predetermined-operation execution instruction (for example, an instruction that displays the current-position related information such as a place name or a station name) according to the conversion rule that has been specified (step S 13 ). The cellular phone  11  executes an operation according to the execution instruction obtained as a result of the conversion (for example, the display/output function circuit  113  uses the display circuit  117  to present current-position related information to the user) (step S 14 ).  
     [0047] The operation of the position information conversion function circuit  112  will be described using an example of a conversion rule. FIG. 6 shows an example of items of conversion rules that may be applied to the cellular phone  11 . In step S 11 , the user selects a conversion rule item, related to information he or she wants, from many conversion rule items.  
     [0048] For example, when the user selects the conversion rule for “train”, the position information conversion function circuit  112  converts the current position information, obtained by the position calculation function circuit  111  in step S 12 , to an instruction that displays the nearest station (station name, train stop name, etc.).  
     [0049] As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, each conversion rules are arranged in a matrix of a range by latitude values and longitude values. Therefore, if the user specifies a destination in advance to find the station name of the destination from the nearest station using the transfer guide information, the user can obtain desired information without entering the name of the nearest station because it is found by the position calculation function.  
     [0050] When the cellular phone  11  obtains current position information using a mobile communication network, the conversion rule is a matrix corresponding to the base station cells.  
     [0051] When the user selects the conversion rule for “car”, the information the user requires during driving is information on the nearest intersection or information on the interchanges or parking areas while driving on an express highway. Therefore, when the conversion rule for “car” is selected, the cellular phone  11  uses the position information conversion function circuit  112  to convert the current position information, obtained by the position calculation function circuit  111  in step S 12 , to an instruction that displays the nearest intersection, interchange, or parking area.  
     [0052] Like the conversion rule for “car”, the conversion rule for “train” is also in a matrix of a range of simple latitude and longitude values. Therefore, if the user specifies a destination in advance, the cellular phone  11  can search for a route using the current position information obtained by the position calculation function circuit  111 .  
     [0053] The user who wants to obtain information on restaurants can select the conversion rule “restaurant” to obtain information on the near restaurants.  
     [0054] Also, the user of the cellular phone  11  can select the conversion rule for “wide area” to know the current position roughly. Conversely, the user can select the conversion rule for “narrow area” to know the current position precisely.  
     OPERATION EXAMPLE 2  
     [0055] The second operation example of the cellular phone  11  will be described. This operation is executed to change the setting of the terminal based on the current position information and is registered with the position information conversion function circuit  112  as one of conversion rules.  
     [0056]FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 show the rule for changing the setting of the terminal based on the latitude and longitude of the current position. As shown in the figures, the setting pattern of the cellular phone is associated with a matrix of a range of latitude and longitude values.  
     [0057] When the user selects the conversion rule for “terminal setting” in step S 11 , the cellular phone  11  changes the setting of the terminal based on the position information obtained by the position calculation function circuit  111  in step S 12  and on the rule for changing the setting described above.  
     [0058] For example, when it is found as a result of position calculation that the user is in area D 2 , the position information conversion function circuit  112  generates an execution instruction that sets the ringing tone to melody  1 , the standby screen to screen  1 , and call receiving illumination to red and requests the cellular phone  11  to change the setting. Similarly, when it is found as a result of position calculation that the user is in area A 1 , the position information conversion function circuit  112  generates an execution instruction that sets the ringing tone to melody  3 , the standby screen to screen  3 , and call receiving illumination to yellow and requests the cellular phone  11  to change the setting.  
     [0059] The cellular phone  11  can automatically calculate current position information using the position calculation function circuit  111  (for example, every minute or at a predetermined interval) to automatically switch the setting that rings a favorite ringing tone at home and turns off the ringing tone in the office (activates the vibrator).  
     [0060] As described above, the cellular phone  11  has conversion rules each of which converts current position information, obtained by the position calculation function circuit  111 , to a predetermined-operation execution instruction. When the cellular phone  11  provides the user with current-position related information, the cellular phone  11  uses those conversion rules to convert current position information, indicated by a latitude and a longitude, to current-position related information without using a database based on map data and then provides the user with the converted result. In other words, the cellular phone  11  converts current position information to a display instruction that displays current-position related information based on a conversion rule specified by the user in advance, thus eliminating the need for a large-capacity memory unit or a high-speed operation unit.  
     [0061] The cellular phone  11  converts position information to a display instruction that displays current-position related information. Therefore, current-position related information may be presented to the user quickly with no communication cost involved in conversion.  
     [0062] In addition, the cellular phone  11  not only provides the user with current-position related information based on current position information but also uses current position information for other purposes; for example, the cellular phone  11  uses current position information to change the setting of the terminal.  
     [0063] [Second Embodiment] 
     [0064] A second embodiment, which is a preferred embodiment of the present invention, will be described. FIG. 11 shows a position information conversion system in this embodiment. This system comprises a cellular phone  12 , a contents server  22 , and a position information conversion server  32 .  
     [0065] The cellular phone  12  comprises a sending/receiving circuit  123 , a memory circuit  124 , an operation circuit  125 , a display circuit  126 , a control circuit  127 , and a processing circuit, not shown, that controls the whole of the cellular phone  12 . The control circuit  127  comprises a position calculation function circuit  121  and a display/output function circuit  122 . The cellular phone  12  is connected to the contents server  22  on a network via a wireless communication network. The contents server  22  is connected to the position information conversion server  32  on the network.  
     [0066] The contents server  22  sets a conversion rule item in the position information conversion server  32  and instructs it to execute conversion. In other words, the contents server  22  holds information on a user-selected conversion rule, calls a user-selected conversion rule from a memory unit  320  of the position information conversion server  32 , and requests the position information conversion server  32  to convert current position information to a predetermined-operation execution instruction.  
     [0067] The position information conversion server  32  converts current position information to a predetermined-operation execution instruction based on the user-specified conversion rule.  
     [0068] The operation of the position information conversion system in this embodiment will be described. FIG. 12 shows an example of the operation of the position information conversion system.  
     [0069] First, the user of the cellular phone  12  selects a conversion rule item for position information in advance (step S 21 ). The information on the user-selected conversion rule is sent to the contents server  22  via the mobile communication network. This conversion rule is set as the conversion rule that will be used when current position information is converted to a predetermined-operation execution instruction (step S 22 ).  
     [0070] When the user uses the conversion rule, the position calculation function circuit  121  obtains the current position of the cellular phone  12  as the latitude and the longitude (step S 23 ). The cellular phone  12  sends this information to the contents server  22  via the mobile communication network. The contents server  22  sends the received current position information to the position information conversion server  32  and requests it to convert the current position information using the conversion rule that was set.  
     [0071] The position information conversion server  32  converts the current position information, indicated by the latitude and the longitude, to a predetermined-operation execution instruction based on the conversion rule that was set (step S 24 ) For example, the position information conversion server  32  reads current-position related information related to the current position from storage means, not shown, based on the conversion rule that was set in advance and generates an execution instruction that displays this information. The position information conversion server  32  sends the predetermined-operation execution instruction, obtained as a result of the conversion, to the contents server  22 . The contents server  22  sends the received predetermined-operation execution instruction to the cellular phone  12  (step S 25 ).  
     [0072] The cellular phone  12  obtains the predetermined-operation execution instruction from the contents server  22  via the mobile communication network (step S 26 ). The display/output function circuit  122  executes operation based on the execution instruction; for example, the display/output function circuit  122  presents the current-position related information to the user using the display circuit  126  or allows the user to change the terminal setting (step S 27 ).  
     [0073] Note that conversion rules used in position information conversion in the example of operation described above are the same as those used in the cellular phone  11  in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 6. As in the first embodiment, each conversion rule is associated with a matrix of a range of latitude and longitude values.  
     [0074] Although the contents server  22  and the position information conversion server  32  are separate servers in the above embodiment, one server may have both functions.  
     [0075] As described above, the position information conversion system in this embodiment, in which conversion rules for converting current position information to a predetermined-operation execution instruction are stored in the server, eliminates the need for providing a large-capacity memory unit or a high-speed operation unit on a terminal. Another advantage is that conversion rules may be easily added or updated because they are stored in the server.  
     [0076] In addition, when presenting current-position related information to the user, the server uses a user-specified conversion rule to convert the position information to an instruction that displays the current-position related information. This configuration requires less time to convert current position information to current-position related information than that required by the conventional system. Therefore, the system with the configuration in which conversion rules are stored in the server requires lower communication costs and shorter conversion processing wait times than those of the conventional position information conversion system.  
     [0077] In addition, when the position calculation function circuit  121  obtains the current position information based on the base station cell to which it belongs (in other words, the current position information is obtained using the mobile communication network), the cellular phone uses the mobile communication network to calculate the current position and, therefore, there is no need for communication only for converting the current position information. Thus, the cellular phone that uses the mobile communication network to obtain the current position may use a configuration in which conversion rules are stored in the server, without greatly increasing the communication costs or the processing wait times.  
     [0078] [Third Embodiment] 
     [0079] A third embodiment, which is a preferred embodiment of the present invention, will be described. FIG. 13 shows a position information conversion system in this embodiment. A cellular phone  13  comprises a sending/receiving circuit  134 , a memory circuit  135 , an operation circuit  136 , a display circuit  137 , a control circuit  138 , and a processing circuit, not shown, that controls the whole of the cellular phone  13 . The control circuit  138  comprises a position calculation function circuit  131 , a position information conversion function circuit  132 , and a display/output function circuit  133 . This system differs from the position information conversion system in the second embodiment in that the cellular phone  13  has the position information conversion function circuit  132 . In this embodiment, a contents server  23  reads a user-requested conversion rule from a memory unit  330  of the position information conversion server  33  and sends it to the cellular phone  13 . The memory unit  330  contains at least one group of conversion rule groups.  
     [0080] The operation of the cellular phone in this embodiment will be described. FIG. 14 shows an example of the operation of the cellular phone in this embodiment. In response to a user&#39;s input operation, the cellular phone  13  communicates with the position information conversion server  33  via a mobile communication network and the contents server  23  and requests the contents server  23  to download a conversion rule (step S 31 ). In response to the request from the cellular phone  13 , the contents server  23  reads the requested conversion rule from the position information conversion server  33  and sends it to the cellular phone  13  (step S 32 ). The cellular phone  13  stores in the memory circuit  135  the conversion rule obtained from the position information conversion server  33  via the mobile communication network and the contents server  23  (step S 33 ). The operation following step S 34  is the same as that of the cellular phone in the first embodiment except that, when current position information is converted to a predetermined-operation execution instruction, the conversion rule downloaded from the position information conversion server  33  is used. As in the second embodiment, the position information conversion system in this embodiment may also be configured by one server that has both the function of the contents server  23  and the function of the position information conversion server  33 .  
     [0081] As described above, the cellular phone  13  that is applied to the position information conversion system in this embodiment can obtain a conversion rule, used to convert current position information to a predetermined-operation execution instruction, by downloading it from the position information conversion server  33  and allow the user to update it. Therefore, in addition to the advantage obtained by the cellular phone  11  in the first embodiment, the cellular phone  13  allows the user to add or update a conversion rule easily. In addition, the cellular phone  13  needs only to communicate with the position information conversion server  33  only when a conversion rule is downloaded. Therefore, there is no communication cost or conversion processing wait time when the current position information is converted to a predetermined-operation execution instruction. The cellular phone  13  also allows the user to download a necessary conversion rule when contents are used.  
     [0082] It is to be understood that the above embodiments are an example of preferred embodiments and that the present invention is not limited to those embodiments. For example, the conversion rules shown in the above embodiments are exemplary only; other conversion rules may also be applied. Although a cellular phone with the position calculation function is used as an example in the description of the embodiments above, the present invention is not limited to cellular phones but may be applied also to other terminals such as a PHS terminal. If the configuration does not require communication to or from the server, the function to communicate with a mobile communication network need not be provided. Thus, many modifications are possible in the present invention.  
     [0083] As is apparent from the above description, the present invention provides a portable terminal and a position information conversion system that can provide the user with “current-position related information” generated based on “current position information” without installing a large-capacity storage unit or a high-speed operation unit. The present invention also provide a portable terminal and a position information conversion system that minimize an increase in the communication cost and in conversion processing wait time when current-position related information is provided to the user. In addition, the present invention not only provides the user with information on the current position but also allows a portable terminal to execute a predetermined operation according to the position information on the current position.  
     [0084] While this invention has been described in connection with certain preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the subject matter encompassed by way of this invention is not to be limited to those specific embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended for the subject matter of the invention to include all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as can be included within the spirit and scope of the following claims.