Communication Device, Computer, and Communication Control Method

• US 20030163616A1
• Filed: 02/25/2003
• Published: 08/28/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Yanagisawa, Takashi
• Application Number:
  US10/248,862
• Publication Number:
  US 20030163616A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/33
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3259 Power saving in cursor control device, e.g. mouse, joystick, trackball
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3271 Power saving in keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0231 Cordless keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0258 controlling an operation mode according to history or models of usage information, e.g. activity schedule or time of day
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/00 Synchronisation arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A communication device, a computer, and a communication control method is provided that enables data to be more efficiently transmitted while reducing power consumption. An input device employing a communication device which transmits data comprises an input module that operates a key matrix and a microcomputer as an input part to which external data is input, a transmission module that operates the microcomputer and a transmission circuit having a transmission power level from which data is transmitted to an external unit, and a determination module and a transmission stop module which operate the microcomputer as a synchronous controller that determines on the input history of data from the input part whether or not to reduce the level of a synchronous signal transmitted by the transmission power level.

Claims

1. Apparatus comprising:

an input part which accepts data;

a transmitter which is operatively coupled to said input part and which transmits the data to an external device; and

a synchronous controller which is operatively coupled to said transmitter and to said input part and which determines the extent to which synchronization signals transmitted by said transmitter are curtailed based upon an input history of the data.

2. Apparatus of claim 1, wherein the external device is an information processing device and wherein said input part accepts data representative of a user'"'"'s operation and wherein said transmitter transmits data indicating the content of the operation to the information processing device.

3. Apparatus of claim 2, wherein said input part is selected from the group consisting of a keyboard, touch screen and a mouse.

4. Apparatus of claim 1, wherein said synchronous controller uses the timing of the data accepted by said input part as the input history.

5. Apparatus of claim 4, wherein said synchronous controller curtails the synchronization signals in response to said synchronous controller determining that the timing of a currently accepted input data coincides with an input timing of a particular part of a previously accepted input data and only if a time duration between the input of the particular part and an input of a second particular part of a subsequently accepted input data exceeds a predetermined duration.

6. Apparatus of claim 5, wherein said input part is selected from the group consisting of a keyboard, touch screen and a mouse.

7. Apparatus of claim 1, wherein said synchronous controller uses the content of the data accepted by said input part as the input history.

8. Apparatus of claim 7, wherein said synchronous controller curtails the synchronization signals in response to said synchronous controller determining that the content of a currently accepted input data coincides with a particular part of a previously accepted input data and only if a time duration between the input of the particular part and an input of a second particular part of a subsequently accepted input data exceeds a predetermined duration.

9. Apparatus of claim 8, wherein said input part is selected from the group consisting of a keyboard, touch screen and a mouse.

10. Apparatus of claim 1, wherein the extent to which synchronization signals transmitted by said transmitter are curtailed is such that transmission of the synchronization signals is halted.

11. Apparatus of claim 1, wherein said transmitter uses electromagnetic waves to transmit the data.

12. Apparatus comprising:

an input part which accepts data;

a transmitter which is operatively coupled to said input part and which transmits the data to an external device;

a receiver which is operatively coupled to said transmitter and which receives a synchronization signal instruction from the external device; and

a synchronous controller which is operatively coupled to said transmitter and to said receiver and which determines the extent to which synchronization signals transmitted by said transmitter are curtailed based upon the synchronization signal instruction.

13. Apparatus of claim 12, wherein the external device is an information processing device and wherein said input part accepts data representative of a user'"'"'s operation and wherein said transmitter transmits data indicating the content of the operation to the information processing device.

14. Apparatus of claim 13, wherein said input part is selected from the group consisting of a keyboard, touch screen and a mouse.

15. Apparatus of claim 12, wherein said transmitter uses electromagnetic waves to transmit the data.

16. A computing system comprising:

an information processing device; and

an input device which wirelessly transmits data to said information processing device, said input device having

an input part to which a user'"'"'s operation is input and which generates operation data corresponding to the operation, a transmitter which transmits the operation data to said information processing device, and

a synchronous controller which determines the extent to which synchronization signals transmitted by the transmitter are curtailed based upon an input history of the operation data;

wherein said information processing device includes a receiver which receives the operation data from the transmitter and establishes synchronism with the transmitter in response to receiving the synchronization signals.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said input part is selected from the group consisting of a keyboard, touch screen and a mouse.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the transmitter uses electromagnetic waves to transmit the data to the receiver.

19. A computing system comprising:

an information processing device; and

an input device which is wirelessly coupled to said information processing device, said input device having

an input part to which a user'"'"'s operation is input and which generates operation data corresponding to the operation,

a transmitter which transmits the operation data to said information processing device,

a first receiver which receives a synchronization signal instruction from said information processing device, and

a first synchronous controller which determines the extent to which synchronization signals transmitted by the transmitter are curtailed based upon the synchronization signal instruction;

wherein said information processing device includes

a second receiver which wirelessly receives the operation data from the transmitter and establishes synchronism with the transmitter in response to receiving the synchronization signals; and

a second synchronous controller which determines the extent to which synchronization signals transmitted by the transmitter are curtailed based upon an input history of the operation data and which transmits the synchronization signal instruction to the first receiver specifying the extent to which the synchronization signals are reduced.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the transmitter uses electromagnetic waves to transmit the data to the second receiver.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein said input part is selected from the group consisting of a keyboard, touch screen and a mouse.

22. A communication control method comprising the steps of:

accepting externally input data;

transmitting the data to an external device, wherein said transmitting step benefits from the transmission of synchronization signals along with the data; and

determining the extent to which the synchronization signals transmitted to the external unit are to be curtailed on the basis of an input history of the data accepted in said accepting step.

23. The communication control method of claim 22 further comprising the step of curtailing the transmission of the synchronization signals to the extent determined in said determining step.