KR20050087864A - Location based services for mobile communication terminals - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a service providing method according to the geographical location of mobile terminals in a cellular network. The present invention also relates to mobile communication terminals used in a cellular network, which can receive or provide a service according to their geographical location obtained through interaction with the cellular network.

Description

Location based services for mobile communication terminals

The present invention relates to a method for providing a service according to the geographical location of mobile terminals of a cellular network. The invention also relates to mobile communication terminals for use with a cellular network, which can receive or provide services according to their geographical location obtained through interaction with the cellular network.

Until recently, cell phone networks have been able to determine which cell the mobile phone is in, which is usually called the cell of origin. Currently, with various technologies, it is possible to determine the location of a mobile phone, more precisely by using signals from the base stations of a cellular network such as:

Time of arrival (TOA),

TDOA,

-Enhanced measurement time difference (E-OTD).

US 2002/0137525 discloses a method of monitoring the location of a wireless terminal used to find the location of providers of the requested service, which is in close proximity to the location of the wireless terminal. At least one of the located providers is selected and identified by name and / or telephone number and / or location and the like, and this information is sent to and stored in a directory of the wireless terminal.

WO 99/45732 discloses a method, configuration and apparatus for providing a mobile user with information that can be retrieved from a database. The method includes establishing a communication connection between a mobile station and a base station or base stations of a mobile communication network. The mobile station is then located based on the base station or base stations, and the location information thus identified is processed in the mobile communication network to enable retrieval of area related information from a database with respect to the determined location. The retrieved area related information is then transmitted to the mobile station.

In the following detailed description of the invention, the invention will be described in more detail with reference to the exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings.

1 shows the structure of a wireless cellular communication network in which the present invention will be used.

2 shows a mobile communication terminal according to the present invention.

3 schematically illustrates the essential components of a mobile telephone for communicating with a cellular network.

4 shows the main applications on a mobile phone.

5 shows a sequence of displays illustrating a procedure to be used in the person search service.

6 shows a sequence of displays when receiving a geographic location.

7 shows a sequence of displays for the procedure of registering a profile in a person search service.

8 shows a sequence of displays for a procedure for requesting a person finder service.

9 shows a sequence of displays upon receipt of an advertisement.

10A shows a display showing north with respect to the current direction of travel.

10B shows a sequence of displays used in connection with a range finder.

11 shows the route and the various displays shown along the route.

12 shows a sequence of displays used in connection with the management of the sourcing team.

13 shows a sequence of displays used in connection with the management of a cycle team.

14 shows a display used for geographical location indication.

Under this background, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for determining a relative position of a mobile communication terminal in a cellular network with respect to an object, wherein the method comprises: a) the mobile communication terminal is capable of cell identification or more complex cellular network based positioning; Determining a geographical location of the user through a method; b) if the mobile communication terminal is able to communicate with the mobile communication terminal through the cellular network-based connection and knows its geographical location, directly from the object; Or requesting geographic location information of the object from a server including stored geographic location information of the object, c) the object or the server, in response to the request, via the cellular network based connection To the requested geographic location And a step of transmitting, and d) the mobile communication terminal determines the distance and direction for the received geographical location as compared to their own geographic location with the received geographic location.

Thus, the user of the requested mobile communication terminals is informed about the distance and direction to find other users or related objects. The user of the requesting mobile communication terminal can then effectively know where other users or related objects are. The other user may be, for example, a friend or colleague, and the related object may be, for example, a user's car, restaurant, museum or cafe.

Mobile communication terminals use the E-OTD instead of the cell identifier to determine their geographic location if the E-OTD is available.

The request and / or geographic location information is preferably sent in a text message or a multimedia message, preferably an SMS, MMS, WAP or XHTML message.

The object or terminal preferably contains precision information about the transmitted geographical location.

The mobile communication terminal can determine the accuracy of the determined distance and direction.

The method will further include causing a user's approval before the object responds to the request to transmit its geographic location information.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a mobile communication terminal for use in a cellular network, the communication terminal comprising means for receiving geographic location information, means for determining the geographic location of the mobile communication terminal, and the received location information and mobile Means for calculating a distance between the geographic location of the communication terminal.

Thus, the user of the terminal can recognize key location data of another user at a time.

The mobile communication terminal may further comprise means for determining the direction of the received geographic location information in relation to the geographic location of the mobile communication terminal. Accordingly, the user of the terminal can determine the direction to move to meet the user of the mobile communication terminal.

The mobile communication terminal can further comprise means for displaying the geographical location as geographical coordinates.

The mobile communication terminal may further comprise means for attaching a geographic location to entries in an address book or phone book stored in the mobile communication terminal.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method of searching for people associated with a mobile communication terminal, the method comprising: registering a feature of the person in a searchable format on a server; Monitoring the geographic location of the mobile terminals in a cellular network; Requesting, by the first mobile communication terminal, the server to list people who meet a particular characteristic and are located in or out of a predetermined geographic area, in particular within a predetermined area from the mobile communication terminal; And the server providing a list of matching people to the first mobile communication terminals.

Thus, it is possible to find people who are close enough to meet, that is, people with common interests. This is especially attractive when someone is new to a city or region and wants to meet someone with the same hobbies or professional background.

Preferably, the first mobile communication terminal includes its geographical location when requesting to send a list of people to the server.

Mobile communication terminals preferably transmit (update) their geographic location to the server.

The request to the server is preferably a text message such as an SMS, MMS, WAP or XHTML message.

The server preferably sends the list of matching people to the first mobile communication terminal as a text message, preferably an SMS, MMS, WAP or XHTML message.

Features that may be used as search criteria may include hobbies, interests, age, gender, occupation, likes, contact information, addresses, education, meetings, and other personal data.

Preferably the subscriber number or other identifier for the matching people's mobile communication terminal is included in the list.

The geographic location of the mobile communication terminals is preferably determined via an E-OTD when it is available, otherwise via a cell identifier.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method of propagating advertising messages in a cellular network, the method comprising: providing an advertising database connected to the cellular network, the advertising database comprising location oriented advertising messages; Providing a geographical location server for mobile communications terminals of the cellular network, providing their geographical location to mobile communications terminals upon request; Providing a geographic location to a mobile communication terminal, the server searching the advertisement database to determine which location to which an advertisement intended for the destination should be sent to the mobile communication terminal; And sending the location dependent advertisement message to the mobile communication terminal when indicated by the advertisement database.

Accordingly, there is provided a way for the advertisements to be delivered to those people at a moment when potential respondents to the advertisement are close enough to use the services or products offered in the advertisement. Common selection tools for sending advertisements use profiles that maximize the chance of recipients responding based on hobbies and other factors. But when the person is in the wrong position, the advertisement is likely to be inefficient because the recipient cannot directly respond to the advertisement.

Each advertisement may be assigned to a certain geographic area and the advertisement is delivered to the mobile communication terminal when the mobile communication terminal is located within the geographic range of a certain advertisement.

The geographic location of the mobile communication terminal is preferably determined via the E-OTD, if available, via the cell identifier.

The advertising message and the geographic location information may be sent as a text message, preferably as an SMS, MMS, WAP, or XHTML message.

The advertising message and the geographic location information may be selectively transmitted through the WAP.

The advertisement database may be provided with a marketing profile associated with the mobile communication terminal or with means for retrieving a registered user of the mobile communication terminal.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a mobile communication terminal for use in a cellular network, the terminal comprising means for determining a geographical location of the mobile terminal through interaction with the cellular network, and for tracking changes in the geographical location. Means;

Thus, the mobile communication terminal can store the route used and used as a distance meter. Typically, distance meters are devices that measure the number of steps taken (when walked), or devices that count wheel revolutions (bike, car driving). This type of device is not always accurate and increases the number of devices carried. By including a distance meter and a route tracker in a mobile communication terminal, for example, anyone with a mobile terminal with the above characteristics can track and track the route he or she has traveled without the need for additional devices.

The mobile communication terminal preferably further comprises means for determining the distance traveled by the mobile communication terminal.

The mobile communication terminal may further comprise means for determining the direction in which it has traveled.

The mobile communication terminal is preferably provided with means for resetting and / or starting the device for tracking changes in geographical location.

The mobile communication terminal can also include a display and means for showing the geographic location information coordinates.

The mobile communication terminal may further comprise a display and means indicating the direction of movement.

The mobile communication terminal preferably includes a display and means for showing the route traveled on the map.

The mobile communication terminal may further comprise means for determining the speed at which it is moving.

The mobile communication terminal preferably has means for determining the accumulated travel distance.

The geographic location of the communication terminal is preferably determined via the E-OTD if it can use the E-OTD, otherwise via the cell identifier.

The geographic location of the communication terminal at the selected waypoints is sent to a server connected to the cellular network for later retrieval and on a map on another terminal, preferably a terminal with high resolution display and relatively high graphics processing capability. It can be displayed.

The predetermined route may be stored in the mobile communication terminal, preferably as a ground point. The terminal preferably further comprises means for tracking the actual route from which the terminal has passed and comparing the actual route with a predetermined route.

The mobile communication terminal may further comprise means for sending a message to the server and / or notifying the user of the terminal when the actual route of the mobile communication terminal matches the predetermined route.

Alternatively, the mobile communication terminal may send a message to the server and / or notify the terminal user when the actual route of the mobile communication terminal does not match a given route.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method of propagating location information within a group of mobile communication terminals in a cellular network, the method comprising at least a geographical location that can be determined through interaction between the mobile terminal and the cellular network. Defining a group comprising two mobile communication terminals; Determining geographic locations of all communication terminals in the group; And transmitting the determined geographical location information to all terminals of the group.

Thus, groups of mobile communication terminal users, such as sports teams, etc., may maintain an updated state of their location and speed with each other, which may be useful in coordinating team efforts to remain competitive. Usually, dedicated (expensive) equipment is required to set up a system where each group member can keep track of the location of other team members.

Preferably, a server connected to the cellular network keeps track of the geographic location of the mobile communication terminals in the group so that the server can send messages to each member of the group including the geographic location data of the group members.

The server is preferably provided with means for determining the actual speed and / or direction of the group's mobile communication terminals, the method of the present invention wherein the server includes the speed and / or direction of the movement data of the group members in the messages. It further comprises a step.

Mobile terminals of the group preferably comprise or are connected to means for determining their altitude and / or vertical movement speed.

The means for determining altitude and / or vertical movement speed preferably comprises a barometric altimeter and / or GPS unit integrated or connected to the mobile communication terminal, whereby the connection can be wireless or wired.

Instead of using a server, the method of the present invention may be performed by at least one of the mobile communication terminals, broadcasting its geographic location to other terminals in the group.

The mobile terminals can include means for determining and displaying their spacing to other mobile communication terminals in the group.

Another object of the present invention is to provide mobile communication terminals for use in a cellular network, the terminal comprising: a display; Means for receiving data comprising one or more geographic location information over the cellular network; Means for determining a geographic location of the mobile communication terminal itself; Means for displaying the received geographic location information and a geographic location of a mobile communication terminal in a two-dimensional rectangular coordinate system on the display.

Thus, since the user can know a geographical overview of the received locations, it can be seen in an effective manner to the user of the mobile communication terminal receiving the geographical locations of the other mobile communication terminal.

It is desirable to have the geographic location of the mobile communication terminal itself at the center of the coordinate system.

The mobile communication terminal can further comprise means for determining the maximum scale of the coordinate system in which all received geographical locations can still be displayed on the display.

The mobile communication terminal may also include means for assigning a different symbol for each received geographic location, and means for using these symbols to display geographic locations in the coordinate system.

The mobile communication terminal also includes means for sorting the received geographical location information into categories each having a different symbol assigned, and means for displaying the geographical locations in the coordinate system using these symbols.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method for displaying geographic locations on a mobile communication terminal for use in a communication network, the method comprising: receiving geographic locations of one or more other mobile terminals; Means for displaying the received geographical locations on a display of the mobile terminal in a two-dimensional rectangular coordinate system and for bringing the geographical location of the mobile terminal to the center of the coordinate system.

Since the user can know the geographical overview of the received locations, the geographical locations of other mobile communication terminals can be effectively seen by the user of the mobile communication terminal receiving it.

The method further comprises limiting the maximum number of geographical locations displayed at one time to a predetermined number (preferably five).

In order to be displayed together, one number is preferably assigned to each received geographical location.

The method further comprises determining a maximum scale of the coordinate system such that all geographic locations fit into the display and using the determined scale to display the geographic locations.

The method of the invention comprises means for displaying the scale of the coordinate system on the display and / or displaying the axes of the coordinate system, preferably such that at least one of the axes is provided with numerical values corresponding to the distance along the axis. It may further include.

The method may also include sorting the received geographic coordinate values into categories, each having a different symbol associated therewith, and using these symbols to indicate geographic locations on the display.

The method may further include assigning different symbols to each of the received geographic locations, and using these symbols to represent geographic locations on the display.

The geographic locations of the other terminals can be transmitted from the server connected with the communication network to the mobile communication terminal, preferably via a single message.

Further objects, specifications, advantages and characteristics of the method and mobile communication terminals according to the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description.

1 illustrates a network structure of a telecommunication system for providing services according to geographical location information of mobile terminals in a cellular network according to the present invention. As shown, the telecommunications system includes a wireless cellular network and a data network. A wireless cellular network can be implemented in a typical wireless cellular telephone network that is enhanced to transport data. Wireless networks capable of transporting circulation-switched data can be used for this purpose. However, it is more desirable for wireless cellular networks to provide packet switched data services. Examples of wireless infrastructures include third-generation wireless systems based on Universal Mobile Telephone System (UMTS) and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). GSM adds a packet network overlay known as the GSM Packet Radio Service (GPRS) to the radio circuitry voice network. Thus, this is particularly suitable for implementing the wireless network resource group 4 of FIG. 1.

When the mobile phone (MP) is powered up, the mobile phone is assigned a System Identification Code (SID) for each carrier on the control channel (the special frequency used by the MP and the base station to communicate to perform call setup and channel changes). Retrieves the unique number of a digit. When the MP receives the SID, it compares the received SID with the SID programmed in the MP. If these SIDs match, the MP recognizes that the cell it is communicating with is part of a system that matches the one it subscribes to.

With the SID, the MP also sends a registration request, and the mobile call center tracks the location of the MP in the database so that the mobile call center knows which cell the MP is in when it wants to send a call or message to the MP. .

As the MP moves toward the edge of the cell it enters, the cell's base station 16 can see that the signal strength of the MP decreases. The base station 16 of the cell to which the MP is moving can recognize that the signal strength of the MP is increased (searching and measuring signal strength of all frequency bands). These two base stations 16 coordinate with each other via the mobile call center, and at some point, the MP receives a signal instructing to change frequency via the control channel. Then, the MP 2 is switched to a new cell.

The data network of FIG. 1 may be implemented using a general packet data network based on Internet Protocol (IP) and / or Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) protocols, and also has a wireless network access function.

In the structure of FIG. 2, it is assumed that the MP includes an integrated wireless transceiver that performs voice and data transmission, and a software controlled data terminal comprising a display 3. The MP must be able to display text messages and may also implement a graphical user interface such as a web browser. By way of example only, MP may build a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) micro browser for displaying WAP Markup Language (WML) documents. There are many kinds of suitable MPs on the market right now, and others are under development. These include web function phones, personal digital assistants, handheld computers, pagers, and the like.

In FIG. 1, the MP may further assume that services roam in a network that does not necessarily need to be owned by a subscribed provider. The wireless network includes a plurality of base stations 16 connected to a mobile call center (mobile telephone switching station). The mobile call center is connected to a switched network and multiple servers are connected to the mobile call center. The plurality of MPs 1 is logged onto the cellular network. The LR manages generalized location information for MPs under its jurisdiction (ie mobile's network and surroundings, such as the mobile's current location / routing area). The LR tracks the MP movement within the network (ie, cell to cell) by initiating a query for base station resources in the mobile terminal's current PLMN, as described in more detail below. In addition to the cell's original location, the LR receives the geographic location of the MPs determined with the E-OTD from an enhanced Observed Time difference (E-OTD) location server connected to the mobile call center and the LR.

MPs include an E-OTD application 34 that will determine their geographic location. Cellular networks are also set up to perform E-OTD through an application server connected to a mobile call center. The E-OTD is based on the measurement of the time that signals from the base station 16 arrive at two geographically dispersed locations-the MP itself-and a fixed measurement point known as a location measurement unit (LMU), whose location is known. do. The geographical location of the MP is determined by comparing the time difference between two sets of timing measurements. In order to obtain accurate triangulation, OTD measurements from at least three geographically separated base stations are required. Based on the measured values, the geographic location information of the MP can be calculated either by the cellular network (E-OTD stage 1) or on the MP itself (E-OTD stage 2) when all the necessary information is available on the MP. In most embodiments of the invention, it is desirable for the LR to receive information about the geographic location of the MPs in order to reduce the overall amount of messages that need to be transmitted over the cellular network, and thus in the embodiments described below Unless otherwise indicated, location calculation is assumed to be performed by the E-OTD application server associated with the mobile call center. The mobile call center sends the geographic location data to the LR. When the geographical location is calculated by the E-OTD application server, the location calculation result is sent to the MP via a message containing the geographical location data. The term message as used herein includes any text messages (eg, SMS) or any multimedia message (eg, MMS) suitable for transmitting geographic location information over the cellular network.

Details of the E-ODT system can be found, for example, in 1998 release GSM 03.71 version 7.3.0, ETSI TS 101 724 V7.3.0 (2000-02), digital cellular telecommunications systems (face 2+), hereby incorporated by reference. A) technical specifications; Location services (LCS); (Description of Functions)-Well known to those skilled in the art from Stage 2.

The MP may also be used for other techniques for automatic determination of its geographic location, such as global positioning system (GPS) using signals received from orbiting satellites, or time of arrival (TOA), cell home (COO), or Software and / or hardware may also be included that make use of other cellular network based technologies, such as time of arrival (TDOA), details of which are well known to those skilled in the art.

The LR sends MP material information to servers connected to the data network (IP), all of whom are connected to the data network (PFS), location-based advertising server (LBAS), root server, and team coordination server ( Manage interface with TCS). Through this interface, the home LR sets location update notification flags on request from different application servers (PFS, LBAS, TCS, and root server), and sends them to the application servers whenever there is a change in the geographical location information of the MP. Inform them.

2 shows an MP according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The MP has a keypad 2, a display 3, an on / off button 4 (hidden in FIG. 1) at the top of the MP, a speaker 5 (only an opening in FIG. 1), and a microphone 6 (Only openings are shown in FIG. 1). The MP is configured for communication over a cellular network.

The keypad 2 has a first group 7 of alphanumeric keys. The keypad also includes an "on-hook" key 22, an "off-hook" key 23, a first soft key 24, a second soft key 25, And a navigation key 10.

The existing function of the softkeys 24, 25 is shown in a separate field in the display 3 directly above the softkeys 24, 25.

Figure 3 schematically shows the most important parts of the preferred embodiment of the MP, which is essential to the understanding of the present invention. While the preferred embodiment of the MP of the present invention is configured for use in connection with GSM 900 MHz and GSM 1800 MHz networks, the present invention is naturally applicable to other MP networks as well. Processor 18 controls communication with the network through transceiver circuitry 19 and antenna 20. This will be described in detail below.

The microphone 6 converts the user's words into analog signals, and the converted signals are then A / D converted in an A / D converter (not shown) before being encoded in the audio part 14. The encoded speech signal is sent to processor 18, which supports GSM terminal software. The processor 18 also includes a peripheral unit of the device including a RAM memory 17a and a flash ROM memory 17b, a SIM card 16, a display 3, and a keypad 2 (with data, power supply, etc.). It also forms an interface with them. The audio part 14 voice decodes the signal, and the result is transferred from the processor 18 to the earphone 5 through a D / A converter (not shown). The MP also has a universal serial bus that can be used for cabling with devices such as GPS units or barometers, such as the e2c bus or the F bus.

As shown in FIG. 4, the MP main control circuit including the processor 18 (implemented as multiple microcontrollers) includes infrared communication (IRDA), high intensity RF communication (WAP, SMS, MMS, XHTML) and low. Blocks 30-33 for controlling data transmission via strength RF communication (Bluetooth).

The system includes a WAP-SMS-MMS-XHTML controller 30, a WAP-SMS-MMS-XHTML transport driver 31, an IrDA controller 32, a Bluetooth controller 33, and a file manager 29. Blocks 30-33 may be interpreted as data processing units of a terminal, which may be completely formed by programming the processor 18. Data received via SMS, MMS, XHTML or WAP is received and processed by file manager 29. The file manager, for example, identifies the type of data received, such as profile, language set, geographic location information, and stores the data appropriately in flash ROM 17b.

The system further includes the E-OTD application 34 described above. The E-OTD application performs the E-OTD location check at regular intervals and stores the identified geographic location in the flash ROM 17b with precision and determination time.

The MP further includes a geographic distance and direction application (GDDA). The GDDA compares the latitude and longitude of the received geographical location with the latitude and longitude of the recently determined MP itself. GDDA then calculates the sum of two squares of latitude and two squares of longitude differences. The GDDA obtains the square root of its sum to reach the distance between the received geographic location and its own geographic location and sends the result to the display manager 28 for display on the display 3. GDDA then uses the latitude and longitude differences to calculate an Azimuth (compass) between the north on the horizon and the received geographical location. The GDDA sends the direction to the display manager 28 so that the determined direction is displayed as a digital Azimuth or compass arrow (FIG. 6).

GDDA also sends the received geographic location as geographic coordinates to cause the display driver to display them as digits on the display 3. The GDDA may store the geographic location information along with the entries of the MP's phone book 45. When the user has activated this function, GDDA will check the identity associated with the received geographical location and compare it with the entries in phone book 45. If there is a positive match for the entry "Filip", for example, the MP prompts the attachment of the geographic location to the entry in the phone book by displaying the message "Attach to entry Filip" on the display. If the user accepts it, GDDA attaches the geographic location to the phone book entry. Usually, a user will attach only geographic locations to fixed, or entries in a phone book associated with at least temporarily fixed objects. Thus, GDDA can determine the MP direction (orientation) for objects in the phone book to which geographic location information is attached, without having to request a location from another MP or server. This is because GDDA can compare its current, E-OTD judgment location with the geographic location of the phone book.

The MP also includes a universal serial bus that can be used for (data) cable connection with devices such as GPS units or barometers, such as the e2c bus or the F bus.

One preferred embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to FIGS. A plurality of MPs is logged on the cellular network. Each of the MPs can determine their geographic location by request via the E-OTD by requesting their geographic location or sending a message from the O-ETD positioning server via the WAP. In response to such a request, the O-ETD location server returns a message containing the requested geographic location. If the E-OTD is not available, the MP can use the cell identifier as its geographic location information. The location server keeps track of the most recent location.

An object positioning server (OPS) is provided with a database connected to the data network and containing the geographical locations of fixed objects and updated with the geographical locations of the objects movable through the data network. Fixed objects may be geographic markers such as lakes, mountain peaks, or the like, such as bills and the like. Movable objects may be, for example, vehicles, ships, planes or trains.

The first MP requests the geographical location of another MP or object in the OPS's database. If the request is related to another MP, the request is sent to the location register as an SMS or MMS, WAP or XHTML message (Figure 5). In this regard, the user presses the left softkey 24 “Menu” to select “Find Friends” from a list of scrollable menu items. The "Find Friend" submenu has "Phone Book", "Address Book", and "Manual Input" menu items. Highlight the desired input mode and press the left softkey 24 " Select ", then the desired name or telephone number is entered or selected and a message containing the service request is sent to the provider (Location Register).

Upon receipt of the request, the location register checks whether the user of the MP associated with the request has been given permission to send its geographical location to other MPs (users), and if so, the location register registers the permission. Check to see if it is specific to the specific request MP (user). When there is a grant, the location register sends a message to the first (request) MP containing the requested geographic location and possibly the precision of the geographic location. The display of the receiving MP will change to a display of the text "1 message has arrived" in the idle menu. By pressing softkey 24 "View", the content of the message is displayed. The message includes a telephone number associated with the received geographical location. When the message is opened and the geographic location is displayed, the left softkey 24 changes to "more in detail", and when pressed it displays the message, such as the geodata (distance address) and phone number of the person located. Show any additional information received. The left softkey 24 changes to "call" and pressing it initiates a telephone connection to the located person.

If the most recent location determination of the requested MP is not available in the location register, a new E-OTD location request is sent by the location register to the E-OTD location server. Upon receipt of the newly determined position of the requested MP, the positioning register naturally sends the message to the requested MP, including the newly determined geographical position and, if possible, its precision in a message.

According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the response of the MP to such a message is as follows (Fig. 6): upon receipt of the message, the first (request) MP is displayed on the display 3 as " +49173 ... " Receive MP location ", preferably making a sound to attract the attention of the user of the first (request) MP. The display 3 shows the text "View" above the softkey 24 and the text "Discard" above the softkey 25. When the user of the receiving MP presses the softkey 25, the received geographical position is discarded. When the user presses the softkey 24, the GDDA of the first (request) MP compares its own geographic location with the received geographic location to find the distance and direction for the received geographic location, and also calculates their precision. Decide The distance and direction with respect to the received geographical position and their precision are shown on the display 3. The distance is preferably indicated according to the units used to locate the MP, such as meters and kilometers, or yards and miles. The direction is preferably shown as the degree of deviation of the compass needle or the nearest wind direction within the compass shape.

Thus, the requesting user can know the distance to the other user and the direction information to find the user, so that the requesting user can efficiently obtain information about the sender's location.

If the request is for an object stored in a database related to the OPS, the request is sent as a message to the mobile call center and via the switching node to the OPS. The OPS locates the location of the object for which the geographic location is requested and sends it to the first (request) MP as a message containing the retrieved location and ultimately including the precision of the geographic location. Upon receiving a message containing the requested geographic location, the first (request) MP responds in the same manner as described above by GDDA determining the distance and direction when the request is for the location of another MP. Instead of the user of another MP, the number of the object is displayed along with its distance and direction.

With reference to FIGS. 1 to 4, and 7 and 8, another preferred embodiment of the present invention is described. A plurality of MPs is logged on the cellular network. Each of the MPs can determine their geographic location by request via the E-OTD by requesting their geographic location or sending a message from the O-ETD positioning server via the WAP. The O-ETD location server returns the geographic location of the MP via the WAP or by sending a message and updates the location register with the geographic location of the most recently determined MPs. If E-OTD is not available, MPs can use the cell identifier as their geographic location information.

A person search server (PFS) associated with a personal feature database (PCD) is connected to the data network. PCD includes the features of MP users (subscribers). These features are related to the MP and may include hobbies, interests, age, gender, occupation, likes, contact information, addresses, education, meetings, and other personal data. People registered with the PCD are given permission to allow their personal data and features to be retrieved by the PFS. Alternatively, people registered with the PCD can control their personal data search functionality by sending a message to change the state via WAP or to PFS. 7 provides an example of a registration procedure of a PCD. The user logs into PFS via WAP and selects "Import profile template" in the phone menu. The PCD returns the template to the requested MP. After completing the template, the requested MP sends the completed form back to the PCD and the subscriber is registered.

The PFS retrieves the geographic location of the MPs from the O-ETD location server. MPs include a People Finder application (PFA) that can request a search on a PCD by sending a text message (SMS / MMS / WAP / XHTML) or logging to FFS via WAP. The PFA allows a user to create a search profile that includes at least one personality characteristic and a maximum distance to the MP's current geographic location. PFA places the search profile in a message and sends the message to PFS. The PFS preferably locates within the indicated distance from the first MP and authorizes their data to be searched, and searches for MPs that meet the personality criteria. The PFS sends the search result as a text message or via the WAP to the first MP. The search results include the subscriber number of the retrieved MPs, geographical location (latitude and longitude, possibly converted to geodata (distance address format)), and personal data.

8 shows a sequence of displays on the request MP illustrating such a procedure. Pressing softkey 24 " Menu " displays a scrollable list of scrollable items in the menu. By pressing the navigation key 10, the user scrolls to the desired menu item (in this case, "find people"). Pressing softkey 24 displays the selectable menu items "Hobby", "Time", and "Region". In this example, the user has selected "region". The MP now displays selectable menu items "less than 1 km", "less than 5 km", and "more than 50 km". The user selects less than 5 km and presses the softkey 25 "Back". Next, the user selects the menu item "time", and the search time is set to 15 minutes. The request message is now sent to PFS. Within 15 minutes, the PFS finds friends in the selected area and sends a message to the requested MP.

Upon receiving the message result, the MP may display the text "1 message has been received" on the display 3 and sound to draw the user's attention to the event. Softkey 24 will include a "View" function, while softkey 25 will include a "Exit" function. When the user presses the softkey 24 "View", the message content is displayed as "People at latitude and longitude that match your profile." Depending on the amount of data the located telephone subscriber could use the PFS, the message may include the subscriber's name, local information, and subscriber telephone number.

When a message contains one or more retrieved geographic locations (not shown), the message will be split accordingly and the corresponding number of the message will be stored in an inbox. The retrieved MPs will be shown as a list of scrollable objects. The user can select one of them and view the details of that MP. The display for softkey 24 will show "Options", and selecting "Options" will cause the MP to display "Save to Phone Book", "Send Message", "Send Card", and "Add Details". You will see a list of the functions it contains. The selected MP can be contacted by pressing the off-hook key 30 or by selecting "Send Message" under "Options."

If the first mobile communication terminal knows its current geographic location when requesting a search, it will include its own geographic location in the request message and send it to the PFS. This allows the most recent location of the first MP to be used by the PFS to determine the distance to other MPs.

1 to 4 and 9, another preferred embodiment is described. A plurality of MPs 1 are logged on the cellular network. Each of the MPs can determine their geographic location by request via the E-OTD by requesting their geographic location or sending a message from the O-ETD positioning server via the WAP. The O-ETD location server returns the geographic location of the MP via the WAP or by sending a message and updates the location register with the geographic location of the most recently determined MPs. If E-OTD is not available, MPs can use the cell identifier to determine their geographic location.

A location based advertising server LBAS having an associated advertising database AD containing advertising messages destined for the location is connected to the data network. AD includes advertisements in the form of text, speech, or other audiovisual media, and the geographic area associated with each advertisement. The AD may further include other profiles attached to the advertisement, such as target consumer groups and the like.

When the MPs request their geographic location from the E-OTD location server, the E-OTD decode server checks the LBAS to see if the requested MP is in the geographic area associated with one of the AD's advertisements. In the affirmative case, the LBAS receives the advertisement and advertisements and sends a message to the MP containing the requested geographical location with the advertisement.

The advertisement is preferably sent as an MMS or other multimedia type message. Alternatively, the advertisement may be sent as a text (SMS) message. If the MP has been logged in the data via the WAP, the advertising message and the geographic location information may be transmitted via the WAP. Geographic location and advertisements may be sent in different formats, if desired.

The LBAS may be connected to a database containing marketing profiles associated with the MP subscriber to combine the marketing profile with the profile associated with the retrieved advertisement to determine if the profiles match before sending the advertisement to the MP.

Upon receiving a message with an advertisement and a geographic location, the MP displays a message "Receive geographic location" and generates a sound to attract the user's attention to this work (not shown). Softkey 24 will include a function called "Open Geographic Location", while softkey 25 will include a function called "Discard." When the user presses the softkey 24, a message is opened and the advertisement is displayed (text based advertisements) or played (in the case of multimedia based advertisements). After the advertisement is displayed or played, the received geographical location is shown on the display 3. Geographic location can now be used by other applications on the MP such as GDDA, TRA, and the like.

Alternatively, an advertisement may be sent from the E-OTD location server to an MP that has never requested its location. 9 shows a sequence of displays for receipt of this advertisement. This display shows the message "Ad received". Pressing the left softkey 24 " View " shows the advertisement. The function of the left softkey 24 changes to "Location" and when pressed it displays not only the advertising service but also the relative distance and direction coordinates for that service (using GDDA). The left softkey 34 changes to " more details " and pressing it displays an image associated with the advertising service. The function of the left softkey 24 changes to "Options" and when it is pressed, selectable menu items including "Schedule", "View Road Map", and "Call" are displayed (not shown). Selecting "View Road Map" shows a road map marked with the advertising service and the MP location.

According to another preferred embodiment, the MP to be used in the cellular network includes an E-OTD application that will determine its geographical location at periodic intervals via the E-OTD. The MP further has a tracking and routing application (TRA). The TRA stores the geographic locations after each decision for a certain period. Geographical locations are stored as latitude and longitude. The TRA can be set by the user to show the most recent E-OTD position on the display 3.

The user can indicate the starting point of the route via the user interface. The TRA stores its starting point and time, and the geographic location each traveled in the root buffer. The TRA determines and calculates the distance traveled from the starting point after each E-OTD update and the time since setting of the starting point. From these data, TRA calculates the average travel speed. In this specification, the geographic location is still advantageously determined at close time intervals, so the E-OTD location calculation is preferably performed on the MP to avoid excessive message volume between the MP and the E-OTD server (E-OTD). Face 2). The TRA also calculates the distance traveled between the two most recent E-OTD updates, and determines the time between them. From these data, the TRA calculates the actual travel speed.

TRA also calculates the direction of travel from the two most recent E-OTD updates by calculating the latitude and longitude differences. TRA uses these data to calculate the actual bearing.

The user can reset the TRA and create a new starting position and time at any time.

The TRA buffer is output to the display manager so that the route traveled can be seen on the display. The detailed map data so far is stored in the MP so that the route can be drawn on the map. However, it is also possible to show the traveled route, just above a planar background or grid. Alternatively, the geographical position data of this route may be listed in digital format above the display 3.

The TRA may be arranged to check if it follows a predetermined route during the move. The TRA calculates the difference between the intended route and the actual route, and warns through sound or a text message "deviation" on the display 3 when the difference rises above a predetermined (programmable) threshold. A given route can be stored as a chain of connected specific geographic locations, or as more geographically distributed ground points.

The TRA may send the moved route to the root server. The root server can draw the route on the map. The user can then retrieve the route on the map by accessing the server through a PC or other computer terminal. Alternatively, users can download routes stored on the MP to their PCs via cable or IrDA or RF (Bluetooth) links. A PC, provided with geographic map data and display software, can then draw the travel route on the map.

In order to monitor the route the child goes to school, etc., the child's MP TRA can compare the programmed route and the programmed route trend with the actual route and the actual route trend. When the route of the MP deviates by more than a predetermined threshold from the programmed route and route trend, the MP sends a message to a server (eg, a school PC) or another MP belonging to the child's parent, for example. In addition, the child's MP may be programmed to send a message to the parent's MP when the child's MP's actual route has been correctly implemented and / or partially implemented.

Examples of TRA operations are shown in FIGS. 10B and 11.

10B shows a sequence of displays beginning with the display shown when starting the distance meter function. The display shows the selectable menu items "1 Main", "2 Distance", "3 Location View", "4 Saved Location View", "5 Saved Location Delete", "6 Go to Nokia Club", and "7 Settings" Show a scrollable list with If you select "1 main", the two-dimensional graphical representation of the transverse route is shown on the display. An indication of north on the horizon is also displayed. If you select "2 Distance", the display shows the distance and direction for the most recent ground point when the setting is point-to-point, and the direction and distance for the starting point when the setting is from the beginning. If you select "3 Position View" in the distance measurement menu, the current geographical position is shown as latitude and longitude. Pressing softkey 24 " Save " saves and provides the current geographical location with a time stamp. Stored locations can be retrieved by selecting "View 4 Stored Locations" and the display will then show the stored geographic locations in a two-dimensional graphical representation. If softkey 24 changes to "Coordinates", the coordinates of the stored location when pressed are shown in a scrollable list. Pressing "7 Settings" in the distance measurement menu allows scrolling with selectable settings including "1 Compass View", "2 Distance View", "3 Speed View", "4 Coordinate View" and "5 Altitude View" The list is displayed. Each of these settings is turned on or off by selecting the relevant menu item.

11 shows a transverse route with starting points and ground points A, B, and C. FIG. The walker begins walking toward ground point A and resets the starting point of the TRA. After walking part of the road to the ground point, the walker looks into the MP's display and finds that he has moved 5.4 km, at an average speed of 6.1 km / h, and which direction north of the horizon is with regard to the direction of recent travel. (When the walker keeps the display in a horizontal orientation and keeps the top of the display in the most recently moved direction). At ground point A, the walker turns right and heads to ground point B. As before, the walker walks towards ground point B and looks at the display to see the distance he travels, the average speed, and the north on the horizon. At ground point B, the walker turns back to the ground point C and walks toward ground point C, checking the distance, speed and north of the horizon. At ground point C, the walker can call up the TRA to display the distance and direction to the starting point (not shown). If "1 main" is selected, the traveled route is displayed in this two-dimensional graphical representation (FIG. 11A). The position of the relevant object, such as the user's car, is marked with "+".

1 to 4 and 12, 13, another preferred embodiment of the present invention is described. A plurality of MPs 1 are logged into the cellular network. Each of the MPs determines its geographical location through a request to the E-OTD location server. If the E-OTD is not available, the MPs will use the cell identifier to determine their geographic location.

In one preferred embodiment, a group or team is managed using a team server. Groups or teams are managed through team servers connected to the data network. A group of MPs can be created for this purpose. The users of these group MPs are for example sports teams who want to coordinate their sporting activities. Each MP in this group is equipped with a Team Coordination Application (TCA).

The team leader, or first team member, who initiates the group creation of the MPs, enters the team members in their MP through a user interactive menu that is coordinated from the TCA or any other terminal provided with a TCA connected to the data network. Team members can be entered by entering their subscription numbers or by retrieving them from the phone book stored in the MP. After entering the team members, the user informs the TCA that the team has been established. The TCA then sends a message containing the team members to the team server. Once the message has been received from the team leader, the team server sends a message containing the team data and an invitation to join the team to the other MPs in the team or, if a team member is logged on the team server, a message via WAP. send. The message includes a request to join the team and a complete list of team members. Each of the team members can accept or decline the invitation. On acceptance or rejection, the MP sends the relevant message to the team server. Once all the MPs in the team have responded, the team is formed, and the TCA creates a list of all the team members who have been invited to join the team. This list is stored on the team server and a message is sent to each team member with the final team members.

After the team is created, at least one team member (but usually more or all team members) runs the E-OTD on their MP to periodically determine their location. Once the E-OTD location is computed on the E-OTD location server, the team server periodically retrieves the most recent location of the team members' MPs using the location register. The team server gathers the location information of all team members and sends this data periodically as a message for each team member.

Upon receiving a message with the location of the team member, the TCA at the received MPs lists the team members and their location as a scrollable list on the display. The TCA instructs the display manager 28 to display each team member's name or subscriber number, and then their geographic location, distance to the received MP, and the direction of the received geographic location relative to the received MP. do.

According to a preferred embodiment, the orientation and speed of movement of the other team members are displayed. There are two embodiments that make this possible. In the first embodiment, the TCA of the receiving MP calculates the bearing and speed of this team member from the two most recently received geographical locations of the other team member. The message broadcast by the team server then does not need to include more than the current geographic location and its identity (subscriber number).

In another embodiment, the team server calculates a bearing and speed for each team member and includes these data in the messages to broadcast to the team members.

The team may be for example a mountaineer team or a team of shearers (glider pilots). Thus, the TCA includes the vertical position and vertical velocity in the messages that are broadcast in another preferred embodiment and also displays these data. According to this embodiment, the MPs may include a built-in barometric altimeter or the like, or link (via cable or Bluetooth) to such a device. Alternatively, altitude data may be provided by an embedded GPS unit or by a GPS linked to the MP. 12 shows a sequence of displays illustrating the sourcing team management procedure. The main menu of the Sourcing Team application lists selectable menu items such as "team", "graphic", and "turning point". After selecting "team", the list of team members is shown as a selectable list of menu items. When you select any particular team member, the relative distance, direction and altitude for that team member are displayed. Softkey 24 Selecting "more detailed" vertical speed, the speed and nose orientation and height of that team member are displayed. When the menu item "Graphics" is selected from the Source Team Management menu, GLDA (described below) is activated and the position of the relevant team member is displayed in two-dimensional graphic format. Selecting "Turning Point" from the Sourcing Team Management Menu, a list of turning points of the team members is displayed.

As another option, the team may be a group of bike riders. 13 shows a sequence of displays illustrating a bicycle team management procedure. The main menu of the Sourcing Team application lists selectable menu items of "Team", "Overview", "Check Point", "Graphic", and "Course Counter". After selecting "team", the list of team members is shown as a selectable list of menu items. Selecting any particular team member displays the absolute distance, time difference, and relative distance of that team member. Pressing softkey 24 "more in detail" displays the pedal frequency, speed and altitude of the team member. By selecting the menu item "Overview" from the cycling team management menu, the relative positions of the team members over time are displayed. When the menu item "Check Point" is selected from the cycling team management menu, the next check point for each team member is listed. Cycling If you select "Graphics" from the Team Management menu, a map of the cycling course marked with the location of each team member is displayed. When "Course Counter" is selected from the cycling team management menu, a list of course counters for each team member is displayed.

In another preferred embodiment, the team is managed without using a team server. MPs preferably perform their own E-OTD calculations without using an E-OTD positioning server.

The team leader, or first team member, who initiates the creation of an MP group, enters team members from his MP through a user interactive menu controlled by the TCA. After input of the team members, the user informs the TCA that the team is complete. The TCA then sends text or multimedia messages to all other members of the team and invites other team members to join the team. The message includes a request to join the team and a complete list of team members. Each of the team members may accept or decline the invitation. On acceptance or rejection, the MP sends a text or multimedia message to the team leader.

After each MP in the team accepts or declines, a team is formed, and the TCA on each MP stores a list of other team members. When more than one team member declines, they are removed from the team list.

After the team is created, at least one team member (but usually more or all or more of the team members) periodically sends the other team members a message to each team member, including messages that include the geographic location of their (s). Start broadcasting to the members about their geographic location.

The received locations are handled by the TCAs of the individual MPs of the team in the same way as described for team management using the team server.

1 to 4, and 14, another preferred embodiment of the present invention is described. A plurality of MPs 1 are logged in the cellular network. The geographic location of each of the MPs is determined via the E-OTD and stored in the location register. When the E-OTD cannot be used, MPs will use the cell identifier to determine their geographic location.

The first MP includes a graphical positioning display application (GLDA) for displaying geographical locations on the display of the MP with a two-dimensional rectangular coordinate system. The coordinate system is usually set to the y-axis corresponding to the north-south line in geography and the z-axis corresponding to the east-west line.

The first MP requests the geographical location of several MPs by sending a message to the E-OTD server. The E-OTD server retrieves the requested locations and confirms the location of the first MP in the location register. The E-OTD server then returns to the first MP a message containing the requested geographical locations and the location of the requested MP itself. Upon receiving the message, the MP displays the message "Geo Location Received" on the display and generates a sound to attract the user's attention. The user can open or ignore the message.

When the user opens the message, he has the option to save, list or display the geographic locations. When the user selects a view of geographic locations, GLDA is started and location data is sent there. GLDA determines the relative latitude and longitude differences between each of the received geographical locations and the received MP. When a predetermined number or more locations have been received, GLDA selects and displays the nearest predetermined number of geographic locations. The predetermined number may vary depending on the resolution and size of the display, which is preferably five. When the E-OTD Location Server could not retrieve any MPs that meet the criteria of the request, the E-OTD Location Server sends a message containing the text "No geographical location found" without location data. do.

Next, GLDA determines the maximum scale at which all (or any number of) received geographic locations may fit the display 3. As shown in FIG. 14, GLDA then creates an image file in the two-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system that contains the locations of the received geographic locations, at the center of the coordinate system, the zero latitude and longitude corresponding to the seat of the receiving MP. The location comes. The X and Y axes of the coordinate system are included as lines in the image file. GLDA adds a distance to the image file along the Y axis and at the same time represents the north by including an "N" after the Y axis. Received geographic locations are categorized into categories on the phone book, i. GLDA assigns different symbols to each category: "+", "□", "*", and so on. When entries in the phone book are not categorized, or when the GLDA settings are not set accordingly, GLDA assigns different symbols to each geographic location.

GLDA sends the image file to the display manager so that it is shown on the display 3. The display will correspond to the image of FIG. 14 when five or more graphical positions have been retrieved. In the example of FIG. 14, geographic locations 1 and 4 belong to one category (ie, peers) shown by the “+” symbol, and geographic locations 1, 2, and 3 are represented by the “□” symbol. It belongs to another category shown (ie yacht friends). Since the scale of the coordinate system has been determined by GLDA, the geographic position "1" still enters on the display 3, and the user receives an indication of the scale via the indication "200m" along the Y axis.

While the preferred embodiments of the apparatus and methods have been described with reference to the environment in which they are developed, they are merely examples of the principles of the invention and other embodiments and configurations may be constructed without departing from the scope of the appended claims. .

Claims (61)

In the method of determining the relative position of the mobile communication terminal in the cellular network for a certain object, a) the mobile communication terminal determining its geographic location through a cell identifier or a more complex cellular network based location method; b) The mobile communication terminal, via the cellular network-based connection, directly from the object when the object is capable of communicating with the mobile communication terminal and knows its geographic location, or from a server containing the geographic location of the stored object. Requesting a geographic location of the; c) the object or the server sending the requested geographic location to a mobile communication terminal via a cellular network based connection in response to the request; and d) the mobile communication terminal comparing its own geographic location with the received geographic location and determining a distance and a direction for the received geographic location. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile communication terminal includes determining its geographic location using the E-OTD instead of the cell identifier when the E-OTD is available. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the request and / or geographical location is transmitted via a text message or a multimedia message, preferably an SMS, MMS, WAP or XHTML message. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the object or the terminal includes precision information of the transmitted geographical location. The method of claim 4, wherein the mobile communication terminal determines the precision of the determined distance and direction. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, And causing user approval before the object responds to the request to transmit its geographical location. In the mobile communication terminal to be used in the cellular network, Means for receiving geographic location information; Means for determining a geographic location of the mobile communication terminal; And Means for calculating a distance between the received geographical location information and a geographical location of a mobile communication terminal. The method of claim 7, wherein Means for determining which direction the received geographic location information is relative to the geographic location of the mobile communication terminal. The method according to claim 7 or 8, And means for displaying geographical locations as geographical coordinates. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, And means for appending geographic location information to entries in an address book or phone book stored in a mobile communication terminal. In the person search method associated with the mobile communication terminal, Registering the features of the people in a searchable format with a server; Monitoring the geographic location of the mobile terminals in a cellular network; Requesting, by the first mobile telecommunications terminal, the server to list people that match a particular feature and are located within a predetermined geographic area, preferably within or outside a predetermined range from the mobile telecommunications terminal; And The server providing a list of matching people to the first mobile communication terminals. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first mobile communication terminal includes its geographical location when requesting the server to list people. 13. The method of claim 11 or 12, wherein the mobile communication terminals transmit their geographical location to the server in a regular manner. 14. A method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein said first mobile communication terminal sends said request as a text message, preferably as an SMS, MMS, WAP, or XHTML message to a server. The server of claim 11, wherein the server sends the list of matching people to the first mobile communication terminal as a text message, preferably an SMS, MMS, WAP, or XHTML message. How to feature. 15. The method of any one of claims 11-14, wherein the characteristic includes hobbies, interests, age, gender, occupation, likes, contact information, addresses, education, meetings, and other personal data. How to. 17. The method of any one of claims 11 to 16, wherein subscriber numbers of the mobile communication terminals of the matching people are included in the list. 18. The method of any one of claims 11 to 17, wherein the geographic location of the mobile communication terminals is determined via the E-OTD when E-OTD is enabled, otherwise via a cell identifier. In a method for distributing advertising messages in a cellular network, Providing an advertisement database coupled to the cellular network, the advertisement database comprising a location oriented advertisement message; Providing a geographical location server for the mobile terminals in the cellular network, providing the geographical location of the mobile communications terminals to the request; And When providing a geographic location to a mobile communication terminal, the server searches the advertisement database to determine whether a location-oriented advertisement should be delivered to the mobile communication terminal; And Said server comprising forwarding a location dependent advertising message to said mobile communication terminal when so directed by said advertising database. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein each advertisement is assigned to one geographic area and an advertisement is sent to the mobile communication terminal when the mobile communication terminal is located within the geographic area of the advertisement. 21. The method of claim 19 or 20, wherein the geographic location of the mobile communication terminal is determined via the E-OTD when the E-OTD is available, otherwise via a cell identifier. 22. The method of any of claims 19 to 21, wherein the advertisement message and the geographic location information are transmitted as a multimedia message such as an MMS or WAP message or as a text message such as an SMS message. 23. The method of any one of claims 19 to 22, wherein the advertising database is provided with means for retrieving a marketing profile associated with a mobile communication terminal or a registered user of the mobile communication terminal. In the mobile communication terminal used in the cellular network, Means for determining a geographic location of a mobile terminal through interaction with the cellular network; And And means for tracking changes in geographic location. The method of claim 24, And means for determining the distance traveled by said mobile communication terminal. The method of claim 24 or 25, And means for determining a direction in which the mobile communication terminal has moved. The method according to any one of claims 24 to 26, And means for resetting and / or starting up said means for tracking changes in geographic location. The method according to any one of claims 24 to 27, And a display and means for showing geographical position coordinates. 29. A terminal according to any one of claims 24 to 28, further comprising a display and means showing the direction of movement. The method according to any one of claims 24 to 29, wherein A terminal, preferably as a two-dimensional graphical representation on a map, further comprising a display and means for showing the traveled route. The method according to any one of claims 24 to 30, And means for detecting the speed at which the mobile terminal is moving. The method of any one of claims 24-31, And means for detecting the accumulated travel distance. 33. A terminal as claimed in any one of claims 24 to 32, wherein the geographic location of the communication terminal is determined via the E-OTD if possible and otherwise via the cell identifier. 34. A terminal according to any one of claims 24 to 33, preferably for later retrieval and display on a map of another terminal, such as a terminal with a high resolution display and relatively high graphics processing capability. And wherein the geographical location of the device is transmitted to a server connected to the cellular network. 35. A route according to any of claims 24 to 34, wherein a predetermined route is preferably stored as ground points, and the terminal tracks the actual route traveled by the terminal and compares the actual route with the predetermined route. Terminal further comprising. 36. The method of claim 35 wherein Means for sending a message to a server and / or informing a user of the terminal when the actual route of the mobile communication terminal matches the predetermined route. The method of claim 36, And means for sending a message to a server and / or for notifying a user of the terminal when the actual route of the mobile communication terminal does not match the predetermined route. The method according to any one of claims 26 to 37, Means for displaying north on the horizontal line relative to the most recent direction of movement, whereby the north on the horizontal line is displayed by an arrow pointing north when the display is aligned with the horizontal direction, the top of the display being the most recent direction of movement Terminal characterized in that facing. The terminal of claim 38, wherein the actual position of the sun is shown on the display relative to the north on the horizon. The method according to any one of claims 24 to 39, wherein And means for displaying the distance and direction with respect to the ground point of the route, such as a starting point. A method for distributing location information within a group of mobile communication terminals in a cellular network, Defining a group comprising at least two mobile communication terminals whose geographic location may be determined through interaction with a cellular network; Determining geographic locations of all communication terminals in the group; And Transmitting the determined geographical locations of all terminals of the group. 42. The server of claim 41, wherein a server connected to the cellular network keeps track of the geographic location of mobile communication terminals in the group, whereby the server sends a message to each member of the group, the message comprising geographic location data of members of the group. How to feature. 43. The system of claim 42, wherein the server is provided with means for determining the actual speed and / or direction of the mobile communication terminals of the group, And the server including in the messages the speed and / or direction of movement data of the members in the group. 44. A method according to claim 41, wherein the mobile terminals of the group comprise or are connected to means for determining their altitude and / or vertical speed. 45. The method of claim 44, wherein said means for determining altitude and / or vertical speed comprises a barometric altimeter and / or GPS unit included or connected to a mobile communication terminal, wherein the connection can be wireless or wired. Way. 46. The method of claim 45, wherein at least one of the mobile communication terminals broadcasts its geographic location to other terminals in the group. 47. The method of any one of claims 41 to 46, wherein the mobile terminals comprise means for determining and displaying their distance to other mobile communication terminals in the group. In a mobile communication terminal to be used in a cellular network, display; Means for receiving data comprising one or more geographic location information over the cellular network; Means for determining a geographic location of the mobile communication terminal itself; And Means for displaying on the display the received geographical position information and the geographical position of the mobile communication terminal itself in a two-dimensional rectangular coordinate system. 49. A terminal according to claim 48, wherein the geographical position of the mobile communication terminal itself is at the center of the coordinate system. The method of claim 48 or 49, And means for determining a maximum scale of a coordinate system in which all received geographical locations can be displayed on a display. 51. The method of any of claims 48-50. Means for assigning a different symbol to each of the received geographical locations; And Means for displaying geographical locations in the coordinate system using these symbols. The method according to any one of claims 48 to 51, Means for sorting the received geographic location information into categories, each with a differently assigned symbol; And Means for displaying geographical locations in the coordinate system using these symbols. A method of displaying geographic locations on a mobile communication terminal for use in a communication network, the method comprising: Receiving one or more geographic locations of other mobile terminals; And Displaying the received geographical locations on a display of the mobile terminal in a two-dimensional rectangular coordinate system, and causing the geographical location of the mobile terminal to be aligned with the center of the coordinate system. The method of claim 53, Limiting the maximum number of geographical locations displayed at one time to a predetermined number, wherein the predetermined number is five. 55. The method of claim 53 or 54, wherein a number is assigned to each received geographic location for display together. The method of any one of claims 53-55, Determining a maximum scale for the coordinate system for which all geographical locations fit within the display, and preferably displaying the geographical locations using the determined scale. The method of claim 56, wherein Displaying the scale of the coordinate system on the display and / or displaying the axes of the coordinate system, preferably at least one of the axes being provided with numerical values corresponding to the distance along the axis. Way. The method of any one of claims 53-57, Sorting the received geographic coordinates into categories each having a different symbol assigned to it; And Using these symbols to present the geographic coordinates on a display. The method of any one of claims 53-58, Means for assigning different symbols to each of the received geographical locations; And Using these symbols to present the geographic coordinates on a display. 60. The method of any one of claims 53 to 59, wherein geographical locations of other terminals are sent to the mobile communication terminal from a server connected to the communication network. 55. The method of claim 54, wherein the locations of the other terminals are sent by the server as a single message.