Methods and apparatus for transmitting position information among user terminals

1. A communication system, comprising:

a positioning unit that sequentially calculates positions of a source user terminal and sequentially storing the calculated positions in a position storing unit of the source user terminal;

a display control unit that displays a map on a display of the source user terminal, the map including an image indicating a privacy area set by a user of the source user terminal, and images which indicate candidate positions of the source user terminal, at least some of which were previously stored in, and obtained from, the position storing unit, wherein a display mode in which any of the images indicating candidate positions inside the privacy area are displayed is different from a display mode in which any of the images indicating candidate positions outside the privacy area are displayed; and

a transmission unit that transmits only the candidate positions of the source user terminal that are outside the privacy area to a server,

wherein information about the source user terminal is provided to a receiving user terminal in accordance with a control based on a given one of the candidate positions of the source user terminal that was transmitted to the server and a relative position of the receiving user terminal to such given one of the candidate positions of the source user terminal.

2. The communication system according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a position obtaining unit that obtains a position from the source user terminal and a position from the recipient user terminal; and

an information providing unit that provides position information about the source user terminal,

wherein the position obtaining unit does not obtain, from the source user terminal, as a position used in the control, a position within a given distance from a position that is set by the user of the source user terminal.

3. A communication method, comprising:

sequentially calculating positions of a source user terminal and sequentially storing the calculated positions in a position storing unit of the source user terminal;

displaying a map on a display of the source user terminal, the map including an image indicating a privacy area set by a user of the source user terminal, and images which indicate candidate positions of the source user terminal, at least some of which were previously stored in, and obtained from, the position storing unit, wherein a display mode in which any of the images indicating candidate positions inside the privacy area are displayed is different from a display mode in which any of the images indicating candidate positions outside the privacy area are displayed; and

transmitting only the candidate positions of the source user terminal that are outside the privacy area to a server,

providing information about the source user terminal to a receiving user terminal in accordance with a control based on a given one of the candidate positions of the source user terminal that was transmitted to the server and a relative position of the receiving user terminal to such given one of the candidate positions of the source user terminal.

4. A program stored on a non-transitory computer-readable information storage medium having instructions for execution by a computer, the program having instructions for:

sequentially calculating positions of a source user terminal and sequentially storing the calculated positions in a position storing unit of the source user terminal;

displaying a map on a display of the source user terminal, the map including an image indicating a privacy area set by a user of the source user terminal, and images which indicate candidate positions of the source user terminal, at least some of which were previously stored in, and obtained from, the position storing unit, wherein a display mode in which any of the images indicating candidate positions inside the privacy area are displayed is different from a display mode in which any of the images indicating candidate positions outside the privacy area are displayed; and

transmitting only the candidate positions of the source user terminal that are outside the privacy area to a server,

providing information about the source user terminal to a receiving user terminal in accordance with a control based on a given one of the candidate positions of the source user terminal that was transmitted to the server and a relative position of the receiving user terminal to such given one of the candidate positions of the source user terminal.

5. A non-transitory computer-readable information storage medium having a program executed by a computer stored thereon, the program having instructions for:

sequentially calculating positions of a source user terminal and sequentially storing the calculated positions in a position storing unit of the source user terminal;

displaying a map on a display of the source user terminal, the map including an image indicating a privacy area set by a user of the source user terminal, and images which indicate candidate positions of the source user terminal, at least some of which were previously stored in, and obtained from, the position storing unit, wherein a display mode in which any of the images indicating candidate positions inside the privacy area are displayed is different from a display mode in which any of the images indicating candidate positions outside the privacy area are displayed; and

transmitting only the candidate positions of the source user terminal that are outside the privacy area to a server,

providing information about the source user terminal to a receiving user terminal in accordance with a control based on a given one of the candidate positions of the source user terminal that was transmitted to the server and a relative position of the receiving user terminal to such given one of the candidate positions of the source user terminal.