Method and apparatus for setting main-sub relation of electronic appliances

• US 20020028685A1
• Filed: 01/30/2001
• Published: 03/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Toda, Manabu, Seo, Masayoshi
• Granted Patent: US 6,771,973 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/462
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/727 Identification code transfer arrangements

Abstract

A main-sub relation setting apparatus for setting a main-sub relation of a cordless telephone system including a main unit and one or more sub units connected to the main unit is provided. The main unit is placed at a first location, and the main-sub relation setting apparatus and a sub unit to be newly connected to the main unit are placed at a second location different from the first location. The main-sub relation setting apparatus includes a retail outlet terminal reading main unit information for the main unit to identify itself, and a setting terminal connected to a sub unit to be newly connected to the main unit and to the retail outlet terminal, for writing the main unit information read by the retail outlet terminal to a memory of the sub unit to be newly connected to the main unit.

Claims

1. A main-sub relation setting apparatus, for setting main-sub relation of electric appliances including a main unit and one or more sub units connected to said main unit, said main unit including a first storage circuit storing information for specifying itself and said sub unit including a second storage circuit for storing information for specifying the main unit to which the sub unit itself is connected, wherein said main-sub relation setting apparatus is capable of communicating with an arbitrarily main unit through a first communication medium and capable of communicating a sub unit through a second communication medium;

said main-sub relation setting apparatus comprising;

a first communication circuit connected to said first communication medium, and reading information stored in the first storage circuit of the main unit connected to said main-sub relation setting apparatus through said first communication medium; and

a second communication circuit connected to said second communication medium and said first communication circuit, and based on said information read by said first communication circuit, writing to the second storage circuit of the sub unit connected to said main-sub relation setting apparatus through said second communication medium, information for identifying the main unit to which said sub unit is connected.

2. The main-sub relation setting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said first storage circuit includes a circuit storing main unit information for identifying itself, and sub unit identification information for identifying a sub unit connected to itself;

said second storage circuit includes a circuit storing said main unit information and sub unit information for distinguishing itself from other sub unit connected to the same main unit as itself;

said first communication circuit includes a circuit reading said main unit information stored in said first storage circuit and reading and writing said sub unit identification information;

said second communication circuit includes a circuit writing said main unit information and said sub unit information to said second storage circuit;

said main-sub relation setting apparatus further comprising

a control circuit connected to said first communication circuit and said second communication circuit, based on said read main unit information and said sub unit identifying information, generating and transmitting to said second communication circuit, sub unit information of a sub unit to be newly connected to said arbitrary main unit, and based on read said sub unit identifying information, generating and transmitting to said first communication circuit, sub unit identifying information identifying sub units connected to said arbitrary main unit including a sub unit to be newly connected.

3. The main-sub relation setting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said main unit is placed at a first location, and said main-sub relation setting apparatus is placed at a second location different from said first location and connectable to said main unit by said first communication medium;

said main-sub relation setting apparatus further comprising an activating circuit activating said first communication circuit and said second communication circuit, based on information transmitted from said first location.

4. The main-sub relation setting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said main unit is placed at a first location, and said main-sub relation setting apparatus is placed at a second location different from said first location and connectable to said main unit by said first communication medium;

said main-sub relation setting apparatus further comprising an activating circuit, responsive to an instruction to add a new sub unit to said arbitrary main unit transmitted from said second location, establishing communication with a designated main unit and activating said first communication circuit and said second communication circuit.

5. The main-sub relation setting apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a vending unit responsive to an instruction to add a new sub unit to said arbitrary main unit, vending a sub unit having information for specifying a main unit to which said sub unit is to be connected, stored in the second storage circuit of said new sub unit by said second communication circuit.

6. The main-sub relation setting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit connected to said second communication circuit, and displaying a communication history between said second communication circuit and a sub unit.

7. The main-sub relation setting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said electronic appliance is a cordless telephone system.

8. A main-sub relation setting apparatus, for setting main-sub relation of electric appliances including a main unit and one or more sub units connected to said main unit, said main unit including first storage means for storing information for specifying itself and said sub unit includes second storage means for storing information for specifying the main unit to which the sub unit itself is connected, wherein

said main-sub relation setting apparatus is capable of communicating with an arbitrarily main unit through a first communication medium and capable of communicating a sub unit through a second communication medium;

said main-sub relation setting apparatus comprising;

first communication means connected to said first communication medium for reading information stored in the first storage means of the main unit connected to said main-sub relation setting apparatus through said first communication medium; and

second communication means connected to said second communication medium and said first communication means, based on said information read by said first communication means for writing to the second storage means of the sub unit connected to said main-sub relation setting apparatus through said second communication medium, information for identifying the main unit to which said sub unit is connected.

9. The main-sub relation setting apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

said first storage means includes means for storing main unit information for identifying itself, and sub unit identification information for identifying a sub unit connected to itself;

said second storage means includes means for storing said main unit information and sub unit information for distinguishing itself from other sub unit connected to the same main unit as itself;

said first communication means includes means for reading said main unit information stored in said first storage means and reading and writing said sub unit identification information;

said second communication means includes means for writing said main unit information and said sub unit information to said second storage means;

said main-sub relation setting apparatus further comprising

control means connected to said first communication means and said second communication means, based on said read main unit information and said sub unit identifying information, for generating and transmitting to said second communication means, sub unit information of a sub unit to be newly connected to said arbitrary main unit, and based on said read sub unit identifying information, generating and transmitting to said first communication means, sub unit identifying information identifying sub units connected to said arbitrary main unit including a sub unit to be newly connected.

10. The main-sub relation setting apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

said main unit is placed at a first location, and said main-sub relation setting apparatus is placed at a second location different from said first location and connectable to said main unit by said first communication medium;

said main-sub relation setting apparatus further comprising activating means for activating said first communication means and said second communication means, based on information transmitted from said first location.

13. The main-sub relation setting apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising display means connected to said second communication means, for displaying a communication history between said second communication means and a sub unit.

14. The main-sub relation setting apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

said electronic appliance is a cordless telephone system.

11. The main-sub relation setting apparatus according to caim 8, wherein

said main unit is placed at a first location, and said main-sub relation setting apparatus is placed at a second location different from said first location and connectable to said main unit by said first communication medium;

said main-sub relation setting apparatus further comprising activating means, responsive to an instruction to add a new sub unit to said arbitrary main unit transmitted from said second location, for establishing communication with a designated main unit and activating said first communication means and said second communication means.

12. The main-sub relation setting apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising vending means responsive to an instruction to add a new sub unit to said arbitrary main unit, for vending a sub unit having information for specifying a main unit to which said sub unit is to be connected, stored in the second storage means of said new sub unit by said second communication means.

16. The method of setting main-sub relation according to claim 15, wherein

said first storage circuit includes a circuit for storing main unit information for specifying itself and sub unit identifying information for identifying a sub unit connected to itself;

said second storage circuit includes a circuit storing said main unit information and sub unit information for identifying itself from other sub unit connected to the same main unit as itself;

said method of setting main-sub relation further comprising the steps of;

based on said read main unit information and said sub unit identifying information, generating sub unit information of a sub unit to be newly connected to said arbitrary main unit and writing the generated information to said second storage circuit through said second communication medium; and

based on said read sub unit identifying information, generating sub unit identifying information identifying sub units connected to said arbitrary main unit including the sub unit to be newly connected, and writing the generated information to said first storage circuit through said first communication medium.

17. The method of setting main-sub relation according to claim 15, wherein

said main unit is placed at a first location, and said main-sub relation setting apparatus is placed at a second location different from said first location and connectable to said main unit by said first communication medium;

said method of setting main-sub relation further comprising the step of preparing communication with said main unit and preparing communication with said sub unit, based on information transmitted from said first location.

18. The method of setting main-sub relation according to claim 15, wherein

said main unit is placed at a first location, and said main-sub relation setting apparatus is placed at a second location different from said first location and connectable to said main unit by said first communication medium;

said method of setting main-sub relation further comprising the step of establishing communication with a designated main unit, in response to an instruction to add a new sub unit to said arbitrary main unit transmitted from said second location, preparing communication with said main unit and preparing communication with said sub unit.

19. The method of setting main-sub relation according to claim 18, further comprising the step of, in response to an instruction to add a new sub unit to said arbitrary main unit, setting said sub unit having information for identifying the main unit to which said sub unit is to be connected stored in the second storage circuit of said new sub unit through said second communication medium.

20. The method of setting main-sub relation according to claim 15, further comprising the step of displaying communication history with a sub unit through said second communication medium.

15. A method of setting a main-sub relation in a main-sub relation setting apparatus for setting a main-sub relation of electric appliances including a main unit and one or more sub units connected to said main unit, wherein said main unit includes a first storage circuit storing information for identifying itself, and said sub unit includes a second storage circuit storing information for identifying a main unit to which the sub unit itself is connected,

said main-sub relation setting apparatus being capable of communicating with an arbitrary main unit through a first communication medium and capable of communicating with a sub unit through a second communication medium;

said method of setting main-sub relation comprising the steps of;

preparing communication with a main unit connected to said main-sub relation setting apparatus through the first communication medium;

preparing communication with a sub unit connected to said main-sub relation setting apparatus through the second communication medium;

reading information stored in the first storage circuit of the main unit connected to said main-sub relation setting apparatus through said first communication medium; and

writing, based on the read information of the main unit, information for identifying a main unit to which said sub unit is to be connected, in the second storage circuit of the sub unit connected to said main-sub relation setting apparatus through said second communication medium.