Wireless communication system having a plurality of transmitting parts one of which is selectively used

• US 6,297,802 B1
• Filed: 09/19/1997
• Issued: 10/02/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Fujioka, Susumu
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dinh, Duc Q.
• Application Number:
  US08/933,350
• Time in Patent Office: 1,474 Days
• Field of Search: 345/158, 345/156, 348/734
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/181 Enclosures for portable computers G06F1/1613
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0384 Wireless input, i.e. hardware and software details of wireless interface arrangements for pointing devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0231 Cordless keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

A wireless communication system in which an angle range of an operational device such as a keyboard or a drawing input device or other peripheral devices are usable, is expanded, and the operability of the device is improved. The system includes at least one data sending unit and a data processing unit remote from the data sending unit. The data processing unit includes a plurality of wireless data communication units each of which includes a wireless data receiving element capable of receiving data transmitted from the data sending unit by wireless communication. The wireless data communication units are directed to different directions. The data processing unit performs a wireless communication with the data sending unit by selecting one of the wireless data communication units.

Claims

1. A wireless communication system comprising:

a data sending unit; and

a data processing unit remote from said data sending unit, said data processing unit including

a plurality of wireless data communication units each of which includes a wireless data receiving element configured to receive data transmitted by wireless communication from said data sending unit, said wireless data communication units being oriented to receive data transmitted from a plurality of different angle ranges with respect to a directivity of emissions from said data sending unit, and

an angle selecting mechanism configured to exclusively select one of said plurality of wireless data communication units as a selected wireless data communication unit based on an angle range in which said data sending unit is located based on a selection command provided from said data sending means, wherein

said data processing unit being configured to establish an exclusive bi-directional wireless communication channel in which said data processing unit and said data sending unit perform bi-directional wireless communication through said selected wireless data communication unit that was selected by the data processing unit.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

each of said plurality of wireless data communication units includes a wireless data transmitting element configured to transmit data to said data sending unit through said exclusive bi-directional wireless communication channel.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein:

said data processing unit is configured to establish said exclusive bi-directional wireless communication channel with said data sending unit by sequentially switching said wireless data communication units at a predetermined time interval so that said bi-directional wireless communication is performed when said exclusive bi-directional wireless communication channel is established.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein:

said data sending unit comprises a plurality of data sending units, each of said plurality of data sending units is configured to be set in a communication mode in which said bi-directional wireless communication with said data processing unit is permitted,

one of said plurality of data sending units being set in said communication mode by sending a response to said data processing unit so as to establish said exclusive bi-directional wireless communication channel when said one of said plurality of data sending units receives a request for establishing said exclusive bi-directional wireless communication channel from said data processing unit, and

said exclusive bi-directional wireless communication channel being disconnected when said communication mode is canceled.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein:

said one of said plurality of data sending units conveys an instruction by an operator to set and cancel said communication mode.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein:

a plurality of other data sending units are provided, each of said other data sending units being provided with a data buffer so that one of said plurality of other data sending units stores data to be transmitted to said data processing unit in said data buffer when a communication channel between one of said plurality of other data sending units and said data processing unit is not established,

said one of said plurality of other data sending units configured to send a response to said data processing unit so as to establish said exclusive bi-directional wireless communication channel when said one of said plurality of other data sending units receives a request for establishing said exclusive bi-directional wireless communication channel from said data processing unit so as to send the data stored in said data buffer to said data processing unit.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the exclusive bi-directional wireless communication channel transmits data via an infrared transmission.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein:

said data processing unit being a main unit of a video conference system, and said data sending unit being a peripheral unit of said video conference system configured to input data to said main unit.

9. A wireless communication system comprising:

data sending means for sending data;

data processing means, remote from said data sending means, for processing data received from said data sending means, said data processing means including

bi-directional data communication means for communicating with said data sending means by using bi-directional wireless communication, said bi-directional data communication means includes means for receiving data transmitted in a plurality of angle ranges with respect to a directivity of emissions from said bi-directional data communication means; and

angle range selecting means for exclusively selecting one of said plurality of angle ranges in which said data sending means is located based on a selection command provided from said data sending means.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein:

said bi-directional data communication means includes means for transmitting data to said data sending means via bi-directional wireless communication.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein:

said data processing means includes means for attempting to establish an exclusive bi-directional wireless communication channel with said data sending means by sequentially switching said angle ranges at a predetermined time interval so that the bi-directional wireless communication is performed when said exclusive bi-directional wireless communication channel is established.

12. A data processing unit configured to communicate data via bi-directional wireless communication with a data sending unit remote from said data processing unit, said data processing unit comprising:

a plurality of wireless data communication units each of which includes a wireless data receiving element configured to receive data transmitted from said data sending unit, said wireless data communication units being oriented to receive data transmitted from a plurality of different angle ranges with respect to a directivity of emissions from said data sending unit; and

an angle selecting means for selecting one of said wireless data communication units based on an angle range in which said data sending unit is located so that said data processing unit bi-directionally communicates with said data sending unit by using said one of said wireless data communication units.

13. The data processing unit of claim 12, wherein:

said data sending unit is configured to provide a selection command used by said selecting means to make a selection.

14. The data processing unit of claim 12, wherein:

each of said wireless data communication units includes a wireless data transmitting element configured to transmit data to said data sending unit by bi-directional wireless communication.

15. The data processing unit as claimed in claim 14, further comprising:

connection establishing means for attempting to establish an exclusive bi-directional wireless communication channel with said data sending unit by sequentially switching said wireless data communication units at a predetermined time interval so that the bi-directional wireless communication is performed when said exclusive bi-directional wireless communication channel is established.