Communication system, communication device, and communication method

• US 7,031,659 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2002
• Issued: 04/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Hatakeyama, Takeshi, Tomoda, Masaaki, Moriguchi, Ken-ichi, Ata, Teruaki, Kindo, Tsuyoshi, Kurosaki, Toshihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Nay
• Assistant Examiner(s): Perez, Angelica
• Application Number:
  US10/153,662
• Publication Number:
  US 20020177472A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,425 Days
• Field of Search: 455/569, 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/41.3
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6091 including a wireless interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

A hands-free device includes a communication unit that obtains a Media Access Control (MAC) address of a portable terminal device from the portable terminal device, and an address storing unit that registers one of the MAC addresses that is obtained by the communication unit into the address storing unit itself in response to a registration trigger signal. The hands-free device also includes a control unit that reads the registered MAC address from the address storing unit and specifies a portable terminal device having the read registered address as a communication target device in response to a search trigger signal.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising a plurality of communication devices which each communicate with another communication device from among said plurality of communication devices by obtaining an address of the other communication device, wherein a different address is assigned to each of said plurality of communication devices, and wherein one of said plurality of communications devices comprises:

a first obtaining unit operable to obtain a set of identification information assigned to each user, and a respective address of each other communication device among said plurality of communications devices from each other communication device;

a registering unit operable to associate each address obtained by said first obtaining unit with a respective identification information obtained by said first obtaining unit and with a respective priority, and to register the associated address, identification information and priority into said registering unit;

a second obtaining unit operable to obtain one of the set of identification information assigned to each user; and

a specifying unit operable to

search said registering unit for the identification information obtained by said second obtaining unit,

specify one of said plurality of communication devices as a target communication device when the one of said plurality of communication devices has the address registered in said registering unit which is associated with the identification information obtained by said second obtaining unit and when the identification information obtained by second obtaining unit is registered in said registering unit, and

specify another one of said plurality of communication devices as the target communication device when the another one of said plurality of communication devices has an address which is registered in said registering unit with a highest priority and when the identification information obtained by said second obtaining unit is not registered in said registering unit.

2. The communication system of claim 1, wherein

said one of said plurality of communication devices further comprises a selecting unit operable to select, in accordance with a user operation, an addresses from among the respective addresses of the each other communication device obtained by said first obtaining unit, and

said registering unit is operable to register the address selected by said selecting unit into said registering unit.

3. The communication system of claim 2, wherein

said first obtaining unit is operable to obtain user information from each other communication device among said plurality of communication devices, the user information indicating information regarding a respective user utilizing the communication device, and

said one of said plurality of communication devices further comprises a display unit operable to display the user information obtained by said first obtaining unit.

4. The communication system of claim 1, wherein

said one of said plurality of communication devices is operable to perform wireless communication with each other communication device among said plurality of communication devices, and

said first obtaining unit is operable to obtain the addresses of each other communication device among said plurality of communication devices by performing wireless communication with each other communication device.

5. The communication system claim 4, wherein

said one of said plurality of communication devices further comprises a measuring unit operable to measure an electric field intensity of a wireless signal respectively sent from each other communication device among said plurality of communication devices,

said registering unit is operable to respectively associate each obtained address with the electric field intensity of each communication device measured by said measuring unit, and to then register each electric field intensity respectively associated with the address of each other communication device into said registering unit, and

said specifying unit is operable to specify a communication device as a target communication device based on the identification information obtained by said second obtaining unit, the priority and the electric field intensity of each communication device.

6. The communication system of claim 1 with which a user performs hands-free communication, wherein

said one of said plurality of communication devices is installed in an automobile, and

each other communication device among said plurality of communication devices has a function of a portable telephone.

7. The communication system of claim 6, said specifying unit is operable to specify the target communication device as soon as an engine of the automobile is started.

8. The communication system of claim 6, wherein

a transmitter is provided to the automobile, the transmitter being operable to transmit an unlock signal to unlock a door of the automobile in response to a user operation, and

said specifying unit is operable to specify the target communication device as soon as the door of the automobile is unlocked.

9. The communication system of claim 6, wherein

the automobile includes a seating detecting unit operable to detect when a driver is seated in the automobile, and

said specifying unit is operable to specify the target communication device as soon as the driver is detected by the seating detecting unit to have been seated in the automobile.

10. The communication system of claim 6, further comprising a transmitter operable to output an unlock signal to instruct that a door of the automobile be unlocked in response to a user operation, and the identification information to identify the user,

wherein said first and the second obtaining units are operable to obtain the identification information identify the user from said transmitter, and

wherein said specifying unit is operable to specify the target communication device as soon as the door of the automobile is opened by the unlock signal.

11. The communication system of claim 6, wherein

said specifying unit is operable to search the identification information of each user registered in said registering unit for the identification information obtained by said second obtaining unit, to associate a respective flag with each identification information and to register, in said registering unit, a flag indicating the identification information obtained by said second obtaining unit as being valid, and

said specifying unit is operable to specify a target communication device having the address which is respectively associated with the flag through the identification information.

12. The communication system of claim 6, further comprising a transmitter operable to output an unlock signal to instruct that a door of the automobile be unlocked in response to a user operation, and the identification information to identify the user,

wherein said first and the second obtaining units are operable to obtain the identification information identify the user from said transmitter, and

wherein said specifying unit is operable to search the identification information registered in said registering unit for the identification information obtained by said second obtaining unit when the door of the automobile is opened by the unlock signal, to register in said registering unit, in advance, a flag indicating the identification information obtained by said second obtaining unit as being valid by associating the flag with the identification information, and to specify a communication device with the address associated with the flag as a target communication device when said specifying unit receives a connection instructing signal.

13. The communication system of claim 12, wherein said specifying unit is operable to delete the flag registered in said registering unit after a predetermined time elapses from when the flag was registered.

14. A communication device operable to communicate with a communication apparatus from among a plurality of communication apparatuses by obtaining an address of the communication apparatus, said communication device comprising:

a first obtaining unit operable to obtain a set of identification information assigned to each user, and a respective address of each communication apparatus from each of the plurality of communication apparatuses;

a registering unit operable to associate each address obtained by said first obtaining unit with a respective identification information obtained by said first obtaining unit and with a respective priority, and to register the associated address, identification information and priority into said registering unit;

a second obtaining unit operable to obtain one of the set of identification information assigned to each user; and

a specifying unit operable to

search said registering unit for the identification information obtained by said second obtaining unit,

specify one of the plurality of communication apparatuses as a target communication apparatus when the one of the plurality of communication apparatuses has the address registered in said registering unit which is associated with the identification information obtained by said second obtaining unit and when the identification information obtained by second obtaining unit is registered in said registering unit, and

specify another one of the plurality of communication apparatuses as the target communication device when the another one of the plurality of communication apparatuses has an address which is registered in said registering unit with a highest priority and when the identification information obtained by said second obtaining unit is not registered in said registering unit.

15. A communication method used for a communication device included in a communication system, which comprises a plurality of communication devices which each communicate with another communication device from among the plurality of communication devices by obtaining an address of the other communication device, wherein a different address is assigned to each of the plurality of communication devices, and wherein said communication method comprises:

a first obtaining operation of obtaining a set of identification information assigned to each user, and a respective address of each other communication device among the plurality of communications devices from each other communication device;

a registering operation of associating each address obtained by said first obtaining operation with a respective identification information obtained by said first obtaining operation and with a respective priority, and registering the associated address, identification information and priority into a storing unit;

a second obtaining operation of obtaining one of the set of identification information assigned to each user; and

a specifying operation of

searching the storing unit for the identification information obtained by said second obtaining operation,

specifying one of the plurality of communication devices as a target communication device when the one of the plurality of communication devices has the address registered in the storing unit which is associated with the identification information obtained by said second obtaining operation and when the identification information obtained by second obtaining operation is registered in the storing unit, and

specifying another one of the plurality of communication devices as the target communication device when the another one of the plurality of communication devices has an address which is registered in the storing unit with a highest priority and when the identification information obtained by said second obtaining operation is not registered in the storing unit.

16. A program for a communication device included in a communication system, which comprises a plurality of communication devices which each communicate with another communication device from among the plurality of communication devices by obtaining an address of the other communication device, wherein a different address is assigned to each of the plurality of communication devices, and wherein said communication method comprises:

a first obtaining operation of obtaining a set of identification information assigned to each user, and a respective address of each other communication device among the plurality of communications devices from each other communication device;

a registering operation of associating each address obtained by said first obtaining operation with a respective identification information obtained by said first obtaining operation and with a respective priority, and registering the associated address, identification information and priority into a storing unit;

a second obtaining operation of obtaining one of the set of identification information assigned to each user; and

a specifying operation of

searching the storing unit for the identification information obtained by said second obtaining operation,

specifying one of the plurality of communication devices as a target communication device when the one of the plurality of communication devices has the address registered in the storing unit which is associated with the identification information obtained by said second obtaining operation and when the identification information obtained by second obtaining operation is registered in the storing unit, and

specifying another one of the plurality of communication devices as the target communication device when the another one of the plurality of communication devices has an address which is registered in the storing unit with a highest priority and when the identification information obtained by said second obtaining operation is not registered in the storing unit.