Portable electronic information device

• US 20030045278A1
• Filed: 08/15/2002
• Published: 03/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Mori, Kenji, Nezu, Kota, Humphries, Simon D., Nunokawa, Katsuhiko, Okajima, Hiroaki, Shinada, Akira, Kizu, Masafumi, Yurimoto, Masayuki, Yamawa, Kikuko
• Granted Patent: US 7,263,350 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/419
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

A portable electronic information device with superb portability and/or amusement value is provided. This device A is a portable electronic information device A having an external housing 1 that can be equipped in a car, and the device A is provided with expression means 7, 8 and 9 for performing actions that can be sensed by the user of the vehicle, in accordance with vehicle status information of the vehicle or output signals from sensors 4 or 5 equipped inside external housing 1, and thus delivers superb amusement value. This device also functions as a vehicle key, providing high portability, and enabling information to be shared with a home computer, thus providing a high level of convenience.

Claims

1. A portable electronic information device, comprising:

key means for locking and/or unlocking a door;

input means for inputting information from a first external device;

storage means for storing the information input via said input means; and

output means for outputting the information stored in said storage means to a second external device.

2. The portable electronic information device according to claim 1, comprising:

input information processing means for processing information to reflect a user'"'"'s preference information in the information input from said first external device; and

device control means for controlling said second external device by outputting processed information from said output means to said second external device.

3. The portable electronic information device according to claim 1, wherein said door is a vehicle door.

4. The portable electronic information device according to claim 1, wherein said first external device is a device that obtains vehicle status information.

5. The portable electronic information device according to claim 1, further comprising expression means for performing actions that can be sensed by a user, in accordance with information input via said input means.

6. The portable electronic information device according to claim 1, further comprising expression means for performing actions that can be sensed by a user, in accordance with output signals from an environment detection sensor.

7. The portable electronic information device according to claim 5, wherein said expression means comprise at least one of voice output means, light emission means, and vibration means.

8. The portable electronic information device according to claim 6, wherein said expression means comprise at least one of voice output means, light emission means, and vibration means.

9. A portable electronic information device having an external housing that can be mounted in a vehicle, comprising output means for performing actions that can be sensed by a user of said vehicle, in accordance with the vehicle status information of said vehicle or output signals from a sensor provided inside said external housing.

10. A portable electronic information device, comprising:

key means for locking and/or unlocking a door;

input means for inputting information from a first external device;

storage means for storing the information input via said input means;

output means for outputting the information stored in said storage means to a second external device;

input information processing means for processing information to reflect a user'"'"'s preference information in the information input from said first external device; and

device control means for controlling said second external device by outputting processed information from said output means to said second external device,

wherein said door is a vehicle door.

11. The portable electronic information device according to claim 10, wherein said first external device is a device that obtains vehicle status information.

12. The portable electronic information device according to claim 11, further comprising expression means for performing actions that can be sensed by a user, in accordance with information input via said input means.

13. The portable electronic information device according to claim 11, further comprising expression means for performing actions that can be sensed by a user, in accordance with output signals from an environment detection sensor.

14. The portable electronic information device according to claim 12, wherein said expression means comprise at least one of voice output means, light emission means, and vibration means.

15. The portable electronic information device according to claim 13, wherein said expression means comprise at least one of voice output means, light emission means, and vibration means.