MOBILE TERMINAL DEVICE, PROGRAM STORAGE MEDIUM, AND INFORMATION DISPLAYING METHOD FOR DISPLAYING INFORMATION FOR USER IN DISPLAY AREA PART NOT COVERED WITH RFID TAG

• US 20110210825A1
• Filed: 02/15/2011
• Published: 09/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Fujimoto, Masaki, Tanioka, Keiichi, Murakami, Bungo
• Granted Patent: US 8,570,155 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10316 using at least one antenna particularly designed for interrogating the wireless record carriers antennas in general H01Q1/22

Abstract

There is provided a mobile terminal device designed to perform wireless communication with an RFID tag being held over the device by using electromagnetic waves. The device includes a plurality of antennae arranged in or in vicinity to a display area of the mobile terminal device, and a control unit configured to detect a part of the display area, which is not covered with the RFID tag, from electromagnetic wave intensities acquired by the plurality of antennae and to display information for a user in the detected part of the display area.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal device designed to perform wireless communication with an RFID tag being held over the device by using electromagnetic waves, the device comprising:

a plurality of antennae arranged in or in vicinity to a display area of the mobile terminal device; and

a control unit configured to detect a part of the display area, which is not covered with the RFID tag, from electromagnetic wave intensities acquired by the plurality of antennae and to display information for a user in the detected part of the display area.

2. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit detects, from electromagnetic wave intensities acquired by the plurality of antennae, a part of the display area, which is in or in vicinity to an area of an antenna that has acquired the lowest electromagnetic wave intensity, as the part not covered with the RFID tag, and displays the information for the user in the detected part of the display area.

3. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit reads information written in the RFID tag, from the electromagnetic waves received by the plurality of antennae, through the antenna that has detected the highest electromagnetic wave intensity.

4. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit calculates a ratio of the part of the display area, which is not covered with the RFID tag, to the entire display area, from the electromagnetic wave intensities acquired by the plurality of antennae, displays the information for the user if the ratio calculated is greater than a predetermined value, and notifies the user of the information by sound, light, or vibration if the ratio is less than or equal to the reference value.

5. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the display area is divided into a plurality of parts, and the plurality of antennae are arranged, respectively surrounding the parts of the display area.

6. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the information for the user corresponds to a still picture or a moving picture indicating a read instruction, a read state message, or a read result message.

7. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit detects the part of the display area, which is not covered with the RFID tag, on the basis of the electromagnetic wave intensities acquired by the plurality of antennae and a table in which electromagnetic wave intensities are associated with parts of the display area, and displays information for the user, in the detected part of the display area.

8. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of antennae are arranged outside the display area and along four sides of the display area, respectively.

9. A computer-readable program storage medium which stores a program to be executed by a computer as a mobile terminal device having a plurality of antennae arranged in or in vicinity to a display area of the device and designed to perform wireless communication with an RFID tag being held over the device by using electromagnetic waves, the program comprising:

detecting a part of the display area, which is not covered with the RFID tag, from electromagnetic wave intensities acquired by the plurality of antennae; and

displaying information for a user in the detected part of the display area, which is not covered with the RFID tag.

10. An information displaying method for use in a mobile terminal device having a plurality of antennae arranged in or in vicinity to a display area of the device and designed to perform wireless communication with an RFID tag being held over the device by using electromagnetic waves, the method comprising:

detecting a part of the display area, which is not covered with the RFID tag, from electromagnetic wave intensities acquired by the plurality of antennae; and

displaying information for a user in the detected part of the display area, which is not covered with the RFID tag.