Infrared communication adapter

• US 20040029613A1
• Filed: 08/12/2003
• Published: 02/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ITX E-Globaledge Corp. (Nakanishi Metal Works Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: ITX E-Globaledge Corp. (Nakanishi Metal Works Company Limited)
• Inventors: Nagamura, Shin-ichi, Ohyama, Takeshi, Kitazumi, Gontaro
• Granted Patent: US 7,218,953 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/557
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/11 Arrangements specific to free-space transmission, i.e. transmission through air or vacuum
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/114 Indoor or close-range type systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1143 Bidirectional transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces

Abstract

It is to provide an infrared communication adapter which can carry out a data exchange with an external equipment having an infrared communication interface even though a portable telephone does not have an infrared communication function. The infrared communication adapter comprises a portable telephone side connecting section 4 for transmitting a serial data supplied from the portable telephone by connecting an external communication interface of the portable telephone; an infrared communication interface 3 for carrying out a data communication with the external equipment in accordance with the infrared communication protocol, wherein in order to transmit the data supplied from one communication interface to the other communication interface, the adapter analyzes a communication protocol of the communication interface disposed on the data supply side and carries out an RS232C emulation internally to transmit the data by converting the analyzed communication protocol into a communication protocol corresponding to a communication interface disposed on the data receive side.

Claims

1. An infrared communication adapter, comprising:

a portable telephone side communication interface for carrying out a serial data transmission by connecting with an external communication interface provided in a portable telephone, in accordance with a serial data transmission protocol of the portable telephone;

an infrared communication interface for carrying out a data communication with an external equipment having an infrared communication interface in accordance with an infrared communication protocol; and

a data processing section for carrying out a data process to transmit a data supplied from one communication interface of the communication interfaces, to the other communication interface;

wherein the data processing section comprises;

a protocol conversion unit for analyzing a communication protocol of a data supplying side communication interface and for converting the analyzed communication protocol into a communication protocol corresponding to a data receiving side communication interface; and

a data conversion unit for converting a serial data supplied from the portable telephone side communication interface, into a data which can be transmitted in accordance with the infrared communication protocol, to transmit the data to the infrared communication interface, and for converting a data supplied from the infrared communication interface, into a serial data which can be processed by the portable telephone, to transmit the serial data to the portable telephone side communication interface.

2. The infrared communication adapter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data processing section further comprises:

an electronic visiting card exchanging unit for reading a call number data stored in the portable telephone, from the portable telephone connected with the portable telephone side communication interface, to transmit the call number data to the external equipment through the infrared communication interface as an electronic visiting card data, and for receiving the electronic visiting card data from the external equipment through the infrared communication interface and extracting a data which can be registered to the portable telephone connected with the portable telephone side communication interface, from the electronic visiting card data, to register the extracted data to the portable telephone.

3. The infrared communication adapter as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a storing section for storing a data and an operation section for being operated by a user;

wherein the data processing section comprises;

a data storing control unit for storing a received data when the received data is received from the external equipment through the infrared communication interface in a state that the portable telephone is not connected, and for reading a data stored in the storing section, in accordance with a predetermined operation carried out by the operation section, to transmit the read data to the external equipment through the infrared communication interface.

4. The infrared communication adapter as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a storing section for storing a data and an operation section for being operated by a user;

wherein the data processing section comprises;

a first judging unit for judging whether the portable telephone is connected or not;

a second judging unit for judging an operating state in accordance with an operation time or the number of operations of the operation section;

a control section for controlling the adapter so as to carry out one process selected from a first process for reading a data from the storing section in accordance with each judging result of the first and second judging units to transmit the read data to the external equipment through the infrared communication interface;

a second process for receiving the transmitted data from the external equipment through the infrared communication interface to store the received data in the storing unit;

a third process for reading a call number data registered to the connected portable telephone, to transmit the read call number data to the external equipment through the infrared communication interface as an electronic visiting card data; and

a fourth process for receiving the electronic visiting card data for the external equipment through the infrared communication interface and extracting a data which can be registered to the portable telephone, from the electronic visiting card data, to register the extracted data to the portable telephone.

5. An infrared communication adapter, comprising:

a portable telephone side communication interface for carrying out a serial data transmission by connecting with an external communication interface provided in a portable telephone, in accordance with a serial data transmission protocol of the portable telephone;

an infrared communication interface for carrying out a data communication with an external equipment having an infrared communication interface in accordance with an infrared communication protocol;

wherein in order to carry out plural different serial data exchanging processes between the portable telephone and the external equipment, plural serial data paths corresponding to each serial data exchanging process are virtually generated; and

the infrared communication adapter comprises;

a detecting section for detecting a data communication speed between the external equipment and the infrared communication adapter; and

a specifying section for specifying a serial data path to be used among the plural serial data paths in accordance with a detecting result of the detecting section.

6. The infrared communication adapter as claimed in claim 5, wherein the plural serial data exchanging processes includes a local serial data exchanging process between the portable telephone and the external equipment, and a modem connecting process for using a modem function provided in the portable telephone.