COMMUNICATION APPARATUS

• US 20070232232A1
• Filed: 06/07/2007
• Published: 10/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sisvel International S.A. (Fineur International S.A.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sakamoto, Kazuyuki, Matsuo, Takashi, Fujii, Kunihide
• Granted Patent: US 7,522,879 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10237 the reader and the record carrier being capable of selectively switching between reader and record carrier appearance, e.g. in near field communication [NFC] devices where the NFC device may function as an RFID reader or as an RFID tag
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00

Abstract

A portable terminal includes a near-field communication (NFC) device for performing information communication via near-field communication; a write button; and a read button. In order to write information stored in the portable terminal into an information providing apparatus, a user moves the portable terminal close to the information providing apparatus such that a distance between the portable terminal and the information providing apparatus is 10 cm or less while pressing the write button. In order to read information stored in the information providing apparatus into the portable terminal, a user moves the portable terminal close to the information providing apparatus such that a distance between the portable terminal and the information providing apparatus is 10 cm or less while pressing the read button.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus providing data transmission by electromagnetic waves to an external apparatus and data transfer by load modulation with respect to electromagnetic waves transmitted from the external apparatus, the communication apparatus comprising:

an antenna;

a receiving and demodulating unit configured to current flowing in the antenna and for demodulating a reception signal received from the external apparatus;

a modulating and transmitting unit configured to modulate a carrier in accordance with a transmission signal to be transmitted to the external apparatus and for transmitting the modulated carrier via the antenna;

a transmission and reception control unit configured to control reception of the reception signal by the receiving and demodulating unit and transmission of the transmission signal by the modulating and transmitting unit;

a storage unit configured to store data; and

an operation control unit configured to control an operation at the apparatus, the operation control unit including a state setting part for selectively setting the communication apparatus to a transmission state and an acquisition state,

wherein the operation control unit transmits data stored in the storage unit or acquires data sent from the external apparatus to the storage unit in accordance with a communication state set at either the transmission state or the acquisition state when the communication apparatus is within a communication range of the external apparatus.

2. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the state setting part includes a motion detector for detecting motion of the communication apparatus;

when the communication apparatus is moved in a first direction after the communication apparatus becomes capable of communicating with the external apparatus, the communication apparatus is set to the transmission state to transmit the data stored in the storage unit; and

when the communication apparatus is moved in a second direction, which is opposite to the first direction, after the communication apparatus becomes capable of communicating with the external apparatus, the communication apparatus is set to the acquisition state to acquire the data transmitted from the external apparatus and to store the acquired data in the storage unit.

3. A communication apparatus providing data transmission by electromagnetic waves to an external apparatus and data transfer by load modulation with respect to electromagnetic waves transmitted from the external apparatus, the communication apparatus comprising:

an antenna;

a receiving and demodulating unit configured to detect current flowing in the antenna and for demodulating a reception signal received from the external apparatus;

a modulating and transmitting unit configured to modulate a carrier in accordance with a transmission signal to be transmitted to the external apparatus and for transmitting the modulated carrier via the antenna;

a transmission and reception control unit configured to control reception of the reception signal by the receiving and demodulating unit and transmission of the transmission signal by the modulating and transmitting unit;

a storage unit configured to store data; and

an operation control unit configured to control an operation of the apparatus, the operation control unit including a state setting part for setting the communication apparatus to a transmission state, wherein

when the state setting part sets the communication apparatus to the transmission state and the communication apparatus is capable of communicating with the external apparatus, the transmission and reception control unit transmits the data stored in the storage unit.

4. A communication apparatus providing data transmission by electromagnetic waves to an external apparatus and data transfer by load modulation with respect to electromagnetic waves transmitted from the external apparatus, the communication apparatus comprising:

an antenna;

a receiving and demodulating unit configured to detect current flowing in the antenna and for demodulating a reception signal received from the external apparatus;

a modulating and transmitting unit configured to modulate a carrier in accordance with a transmission signal to be transmitted to the external apparatus and for transmitting the modulated carrier via the antenna;

a transmission and reception control unit configured to control reception of the reception signal by the receiving and demodulating unit and transmission of the transmission signal by the modulating and transmitting unit;

a storage unit configured to store data; and

an operation control unit configured to control an operation of the apparatus, the operation control unit including a state setting part for setting the communication apparatus to an acquisition state, wherein

when the state setting part sets the communication apparatus to the acquisition state and the communication apparatus is capable of communicating with the external apparatus, the transmission and reception control unit acquires data transmitted from the external apparatus and stores the acquired data in the storage unit.

5. A communication apparatus providing data transmission by electromagnetic waves to an external apparatus and data transfer by load modulation with respect to electromagnetic waves transmitted from the external apparatus, the communication apparatus comprising:

an antenna;

a receiving and demodulating unit configured to detect current flowing in the antenna and for demodulating a reception signal received from the external apparatus;

a modulating and transmitting unit configured to modulate a carrier in accordance with a transmission signal to be transmitted to the external apparatus and for transmitting the modulated carrier via the antenna;

a transmission and reception control unit configured to control reception of the reception signal by the receiving and demodulating unit and transmission of the transmission signal by the modulating and transmitting unit;

a storage unit configured to store data; and

an operation control unit configured to control an operation of the apparatus, the operation control unit including a state setting part for setting the communication apparatus to a permitted state, wherein

when the state setting part sets the communication apparatus to the permitted state, the transmission and reception control unit accepts a data acquisition request or a data write request from the external apparatus, and transmits the data stored in the storage unit to the external apparatus in accordance with the data acquisition request or writes data transmitted from the external apparatus into the storage unit in accordance with the data write request.