Abstract: An electronic mail (email) processing system set up on the Internet includes terminals that send and receive email messages, cellular telephones that send and receive email messages by radiocommunication through base stations, a mail server that performs the overall management of an email service, a client database, provided within the mail server, for storing user information about registered users who are clients of the email service, and a map database center and a map information provider site, both of which perform a map information providing function. In a specific embodiment, the mail server receives an email message sent from a terminal, adds, to the received email message, telephone number data and position information-associated map link information, which are items of the user information, and forwards the resultant email message to one or more recipient cellular telephones.

Abstract: A number of traveling routes are determined by computations, using a route processor and map information on the basis of current position information and destination information. The rating of the current traffic jam or the predicted traffic jam on each of the traveling routes is recognized based on a traffic jam prediction table and a calendar table obtained by statistically processing VICS data and past traffic conditions in terms of temporal elements. The number of traveling routes to which candidate traveling routes are narrowed is increased as the traffic jam rating is raised. Thus, the number of candidate traveling routes from which a user can select the actual traveling route is increased as the traffic jam rating rises in order to accommodate a situation where secondary traffic jams can take place on any candidate traveling route, thereby providing the user with useful traveling route information and appropriate guidance.

Abstract: In the information communication system wherein communication is performed between a server and a terminal apparatus via the Internet, the system includes an access server AS for recognizing an access point that has been used for a communication between the server and the terminal apparatus, and a www server that transmits information indicating the recognized access point with respect to the terminal apparatus, and the terminal apparatus includes a processing part for executing a control according to the information indicating the access point which has been transmitted on.

Abstract: Vector data indicating a plurality of points for representing an image is classified for storage under three groups: a group 1 of the vector data DP1, DP5, DP9 indicating indispensable points P1, P5, P9 required for recognition of graphics G; a group 2 of the vector data DP3, DP7 indicating first supplementary points P3, P7 for supplementing the points P1, P5, P9; and a group 3 of the vector data DP2, DP4, DP6, DP8 indicating second supplementary points P2, P4, P6, P8 for further supplementing the indispensable points P1, P5, P9 and first supplementary points P3, P7. When displaying an image, a selection is made between displaying the image represented by the group 1 and displaying the image represented by the group 1 plus the groups 2 and 3.

Abstract: A vehicle allocation processing apparatus with a rationalized vehicle allocation processing is provided. A server communication section (53) acquires driving status information concerning driving states of vehicles from vehicle communication terminals mounted on the vehicles. A vehicle information storage (552) stores the acquired driving status information and vehicle information concerning the vehicles, linked to each other. The server communication section (53) acquires customer delivery position information concerning a delivery position requested by a customer, and vehicle allocation request information concerning a vehicle requested by the customer and including customer destination information concerning a destination of the customer. An allocable vehicle searching section (543) searches for allocable vehicles, based on the acquired vehicle allocation request information and the stored vehicle information and driving status information.

Abstract: Provided is a navigation system that can realize preferable navigation. A server unit (400) recognizes current position information and destination information sent from a terminal unit (300) over a network (200) and searches for a travel route utilizing matching data in map information. The server unit (400) sends matching mesh information and a travel route to the terminal unit (300), the matching mesh information including nodes and links that represent a road corresponding to the travel route. The terminal unit (300) navigates a vehicle on the basis of the current position information, the matching mesh information, and information on the travel route. When the current position is off the travel route, the terminal unit (300) performs rerouting on the basis of the matching mesh information that has been acquired. If the terminal unit (300) can not perform rerouting, the server unit (400) performs rerouting. Thus, prompt and smooth navigation based on a new travel route can be achieved.

Abstract: A navigation terminal device includes a map information receiving unit for receiving the map of the region around a reference point from the web server by inputting retrieval information; a display screen for displaying the received map; a route line drawing unit for drawing the destination from the starting point of the reference point by screen scrolling, computing the orientation from the reference point to the destination, and displaying the route line which can be traced from the reference point to the destination; a map information requesting unit for requesting again that the web server distributes the map information of the adjacent peripheral region if the destination is not within the received map of the peripheral region; and a route line re-drawing unit for searching the destination by screen scrolling the updated map information, re-compute the orientation and re-draw the route line.

Abstract: A ten-key keypad for inputting numerals mounted on a portable telephone T is adapted to a zoom function and a scroll function for operating an image displayed on a display. The user can use the keys of the ten-key keypad to select the mode in which case the keys also serve as image operation keys.

Abstract: In a system and a method for incorporating ad information into e-mails while they are being exchanged, whether area information b is contained in an e-mail M transmitted from a terminal T1 or not is detected. When the area information b is contained, position information indicating the display range of the area information is retrieved. Based on the position information, ad information positioned in the display range of the area information is retrieved. Then ad data c contained in the retrieved ad information is inserted into the e-mail M.

Abstract: A map-information providing site S1 has a WWW server S1a for displaying a WWW page for making a designation entry for a request to provide a map image to an information terminal T. A map database site S2 has a map-information database S2b storing map image data, a retrieval database S2c storing retrieval data for retrieving map image data corresponding to the designation entry from the map-information database S2b, and a map server S2a comparing the designation entry and the retrieval database S2c to read out the map image data corresponding to the designation entry from the map-information database S2b, and sending it to the information terminal T.

Abstract: A server apparatus divides map data into a plurality of block data to add identification information to each block data, and sends each block data to a terminal apparatus. The terminal apparatus identifies data for each block data sent from the server apparatus and, when uncompleted block data is detected, sends retransmission request information, which requests only the uncompleted block data to be sent to the terminal apparatus, to the server apparatus.

Abstract: A communication navigation system that performs navigation, using map data stored in a map database site and current position data about navigation terminals, by transmitting the map data to the navigation terminals via a communication network such as the Internet, wherein the map data includes data units respectively corresponding to a plurality of display elements for display on a map, and the data units are given respective priority levels. The map database site is provided with a server for transmitting the data units via the communication network according to the respective priority levels. Each navigation terminal is provided with a transmitter/receiver for sequentially receiving the data units transmitted from the server, and a display subsystem for sequentially displaying the display elements respectively corresponding to the data units received by the transmitter/receiver, on the map.

Abstract: A communication type navigation apparatus can communicate with a server device via a communication path. The navigation apparatus requests route search, and the server device executes route search to produce route information of a searched route. Then, the meshes necessary to travel along the searched route are determined, and the navigation apparatus obtains necessary mesh data from the server device. The navigation apparatus may request newer mesh data to the server device based on the updating information of the mesh data. By appropriately determining the mesh data to be and not to be downloaded from the server device, the communication cost necessary for obtaining the mesh data can be saved.

Abstract: A communication navigation method comprises a first procedure in which a terminal unit requests a server to transmit an information segment necessary for a first current part of guidance via the Internet, a second procedure in which the server transmits to the terminal unit the information segment requested by the first procedure, via the Internet, a third procedure in which after the second procedure, the terminal unit requests the server to transmit an information segment necessary for a second current part of the guidance via the Internet, and a fourth procedure in which the server transmits to the terminal unit the information segment requested by the third procedure, via the Internet. The information segment transmitted by the fourth procedure is an update of the information segment transmitted by the second procedure.

Abstract: A navigation terminal device includes a map information display unit 771 for displaying, on a screen, the map information containing the location information retrieved by a web server 3, a destination display unit for displaying the destination searched from the map information displayed on the display screen by screen scrolling, a route drawing unit 773 for drawing the route connecting a reference point based on the location information retrieved by the web server 3 to the destination so as to be superimposed on the screen with the map information displayed thereon, and a route searching unit 774 for exchanging the display between the reference point and the destination when the destination is displayed but the reference point disappears from the screen, thereby following the route from the reference point to the destination according to the drawn route information.

Abstract: A communication navigation system includes a server that transmits route guidance information to terminal units via a communication network, and a transmitter/receiver, provided in each terminal unit, for transmitting specification data that specifies a type of necessary route guidance information, to the server via the communication network. The server transmits only the route guidance information of the type specified by the specification data, to the terminal unit.

Abstract: A communication navigation system is provided with a communication center apparatus (3) and a communication navigation terminal (5), which perform two-way communication on a communication network (1, 2). The communication center apparatus is provided with: a search device (74) for searching for an optimum route with respect to the request of route search from the communication navigation terminal on the basis of information for route search and a communication device (73) for wirelessly transmitting coordinates information at a plurality of positions on this optimum route. The communication navigation terminal is provided with a communication device (38) for receiving the coordinates information and a display processing device (43) for displaying the optimum route on the basis of this received coordinates information.

Abstract: A map information providing system for providing map data to a terminal device via a data transmission path, includes: a first server, the first server including a first storage unit for storing map data; and a second server connected with the first server and the terminal device via a network, the second server including a second storage unit for storing the map data. The first server includes: a unit for producing map search table which designates at least one of the first storage unit, the second storage unit and a third storage unit in the terminal device, from which certain map data is to be obtained; and a unit for transmitting the produced map searching table to the terminal device to be stored in the terminal device.

Abstract: A server includes a position estimation section for estimating the current position of a client apparatus based on the already acquired position information when the server cannot acquire position information from the client apparatus and the server requests the client apparatus to transmit position information in response to a search instruction from an information terminal.

Abstract: An information retrieval system which can search for requested information by an easy operation. Together with a plurality of information servers, a search assisting server having list data constructed by a list of identifiers to access each of the information servers is connected to an information network. In response to a designation of a requested item by an information retrieval terminal, the identifier corresponding to the requested item is searched for from the list data held in the search assisting server. An access to the information network is made by the searched identifier, thereby obtaining the requested information page.