ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20130198535A1
• Filed: 01/23/2013
• Published: 08/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: TAKASHIMA, TORU
• Granted Patent: US 9,395,781 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/300
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/266 Arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under computer control, e.g. supply of power through the communication port, computer controlled power-strips

Abstract

An electronic device can communicate with an external device according to a predetermined method. The electronic device includes a power switch operable to receive an operation for switching on and off the electronic device, a detector operable to detect a connection between the electronic device and the external device according to the predetermined method, and a requestor operable to request the external device to supply power. When the detector detects the connection between the electronic device and the external device with the power switch being ON, the requestor does not request the external device to supply the power in an establishing process for establishing the communication with the external device. When the detector detects the connection between the electronic device and the external device and the power switch is switched from ON into OFF, the requestor requests the external device to supply the power in the establishing process.

Claims

1. An electronic device capable of communicating with an external device according to a predetermined method, comprising:

a power switch operable to receive an operation for switching on and off the electronic device, the power switch being turned off when receiving the operation for switching off and turned on when receiving the operation for switching on;

a detector operable to detect a connection between the electronic device and the external device according to the predetermined method; and

a requestor operable to request the external device to supply power, wherein

when the detector detects the connection between the electronic device and the external device with the power switch being ON, the requestor does not request the external device to supply the power during an establishing process for establishing the communication with the external device,

when the detector detects the connection between the electronic device and the external device and the power switch is switched from ON to OFF, the requestor requests the external device to supply the power during the establishing process.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the requestor requests the external device an amount of supply which enables the charging of a battery which supplies power to respective units of the electronic device.

3. The electronic device according to claim 2, further comprising a charger operable to charge the battery with the power supplied from the external device when the requestor requests the external device to supply the power during the establishing process and the communication between the electronic device and the external device is established.

4. The electronic device according to claim 2, further comprising a display unit operable to display information representing that the battery cannot be charged when the requestor requests the external device to supply the power in the establishing process and the communication between the electronic device and the external device is not established.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined method is USB standard.

6. An electronic device capable of communicating with an external device according to a predetermined method, comprising:

a controller; and

a memory storing instructions for configuring the controller, the controller configured to;

detect a connection between the electronic device and the external device; and

send a request to the external device to supply power during an establishing process for establishing the communication with the external device only when power to the electronic device is in an off state.