ELECTRONIC APPARATUS, WIRELESS DEVICE, AND COMMUNICATION CONTROL METHOD

• US 20110320612A1
• Filed: 06/24/2011
• Published: 12/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation), Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation), Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Oka, Hiroyuki, Hatano, Ryo, Fukui, Kotaro, Nakatsuchi, Masaharu, Suzuki, Toshiyuki, Hirabayashi, Hirotada
• Application Number:
  US13/168,750
• Publication Number:
  US 20110320612A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/19 Connection re-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/10 Small scale networks; Flat hierarchical networks

Abstract

According to one embodiment, an electronic apparatus comprises a communication device, a first controller, a second controller, and a player. The communication device has a close proximity wireless communication function. The first controller establishes connection between a wireless device and the communication device in a proximity state. The second controller connects the electronic apparatus to a server through the close proximity wireless communication function and a wireless communication function of the wireless device. The player plays a content received from the server through the close proximity wireless communication function and the wireless communication function of the wireless device, to halt playing the content when the proximity state is released during the playing, and resume playing the content when the proximity state is restored.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a communication device having a close proximity wireless communication function;

a first controller configured to establish connection between a wireless device and the communication device which are in a proximity state;

a second controller configured to connect the electronic apparatus to a server on an external network through the close proximity wireless communication function and a wireless communication function of the wireless device; and

a player configured to play a content received from the server through the close proximity wireless communication function and the wireless communication function of the wireless device, to halt playing the content when the proximity state is released during the playing, and resume playing the content when the proximity state is restored.

2. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the player is configured to halt reception and playback of the content when the proximity state is released, and to resume reception of the content and playing the content when the proximity state is restored.

3. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the player is configured to monitor the close proximity wireless communication between the wireless device and the communication device in order to determine whether the proximity state is released while the content is played.

4. The electronic apparatus of claim 3, wherein the player is configured to monitor the close proximity wireless communication between the wireless device and the communication device in order to determine whether the proximity state is released while playing the content is halted.

5. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first controller is configured to keep connection between the wireless device and the communication device, regardless of whether the proximity state is released.

6. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wireless device is configured to keep connection between the wireless device and the server, regardless of whether the proximity state is released.

7. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wireless device is configured to be wirelessly connected to a mobile communication network by the wireless communication function.

8. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wireless device comprises:

a transfer device configured to transfer the content received from the server to the electronic apparatus through the close proximity wireless communication; and

a communication control device configured to monitor the proximity state, to establish connection between the electronic apparatus and the communication device, when the proximity state is released during transfer of the content, to halt transfer of the content while keeping the connection between the wireless device and the server, and to resume transfer of the content, when the proximity state is restored.

9. A wireless device connectable to a mobile communication network, the wireless device comprising:

a communication device having a close proximity wireless communication function;

a connection establishing device configured to establish connection between an electronic apparatus and the communication device which are in a proximity state;

a transfer device configured to connect the wireless device to a server on an external network through the mobile communication network, and to transfer the content received from the server to the electronic apparatus through the close proximity wireless communication; and

a controller configured to monitor the proximity state, to halt transfer of the content while keeping the connection between the electronic apparatus and the communication device and a connection between the wireless device and the server when the proximity state is released during transfer of the content, and to resume transfer of the contents when the proximity state is restored.

10. A communication control method comprising:

establishing connection between a wireless device and a communication device having a close proximity wireless communication function which are in a proximity state;

connecting the communication device to a server on an external network through the close proximity wireless communication function and a wireless communication function of the wireless device;

playing a content received from the server through the close proximity wireless communication function and the wireless communication function of the wireless device;

halting playing the content when the proximity state is released during the playing; and

resuming playing the content when the proximity state is restored.

11. The communication control method of claim 10, wherein

the playing comprises:

receiving a content from the server through the close proximity wireless communication function and a wireless communication function of the wireless device, and

playing the received content,

the halting playing comprises halting reception and playback of the content in response to release of the proximity state, and

the resuming playing comprises resuming reception and playback of the content when the proximity state is restored.