Portable information terminal, information viewing method, and program

• US 7,061,449 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2002
• Issued: 06/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Oya, Takashi, Bannai, Yuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisen, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US10/153,605
• Publication Number:
  US 20030001823A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,481 Days
• Field of Search: 345/2.1, 345/2.3, 345 6- 9, 345/1.1, 345/2.2, 359/630, 455/556.1, 4554221-566
• US Class Current: 345/2.3
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0132 comprising binocular systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface

Abstract

An information terminal comprises display means for performing a large-screen display via a sculptured surface prism. The information terminal connects to a cellular telephone using Bluetooth technology, obtains information held by a WWW server on the Internet through cooperation with the cellular telephone, and displays a screen for viewing the obtained information on the display means. Also, button operations made at the cellular telephone can be taken as input of the information terminal for performing operations on the screen of the display means. Thus, a portable information terminal which enables viewing of information on a network with a large screen can be provided, without compromising portability or operability.

Claims

1. A portable information terminal, comprising:

display means for performing large-screen display via an enlarging optical system;

connecting means for communicably connecting with a cellular telephone which has a browser for viewing information on a network, and operating buttons;

information viewing means for obtaining information on the network cooperatively with the cellular telephone connected via said connecting means, and generating a screen for displaying the information obtained from the network on said display means;

receiving means for receiving information from an operated button of the operating buttons provided on the cellular telephone;

an event analyze means for specifying an event corresponding to the button information received by said receiving means; and

operation means for operating the event specified by said event analyze means as operations relating to the displaying of information by said information viewing means.

2. A portable information terminal according to claim 1, wherein said enlarging optical system is an ocular-type enlarging optical system.

3. A portable information terminal according to claim 1, wherein said enlarging optical system of said display means is formed of a semi-transmitting optical system, and wherein said semi-transmitting optical system superimposes screens displayed by said information viewing means and external light rays so as to image at an observation position.

4. A portable information terminal according to claim 1, wherein said display means, said information viewing means, said connecting means, and said operation input means are integrated, so as to be capable of mounting on the head of a user.

5. A portable information terminal according to claim 1, wherein the cellular telephone has a plurality of buttons as said operating buttons, and wherein data input such as input of characters, numerals, symbols, and the like, cursor moving commands, specification of position, selection commands, and other such plurality of operations made on the screen of said display means, are each appropriated to said plurality of buttons.

6. A portable information terminal according to claim 1, further comprising network connection control means for controlling the network connection of the cellular telephone to connect to the network when network information is necessary and to disconnect from the network when network information is no longer necessary.

7. A portable information terminal according to claim 1, wherein the screen generated by said information viewing means contains an area for displaying contents from the network, such as contents described in html, and one or more areas for displaying objects for controlling the display, such as a menu area, a button array area, an area for displaying/inputting IJRLs, and a cursor.

8. A portable information terminal according to claim 1, wherein said connecting means generates two processes or threads that are executed in parallel, one process or thread for obtaining information on the network and the other process or thread for inputting operations.

9. A portable information terminal according to claim 1, further comprising:

a memory for storing information,

wherein said information viewing means determines if the requested information is found in the memory before obtaining the information from the network.

10. A portable information terminal according to claim 1, wherein said event scrolls the screen generated by said information viewing means.

11. A portable information terminal according to claim 1, wherein said event inputs characters on the screen generated by said information viewing means.

12. A portable information terminal according to claim 1, wherein said event moves cursors displayed on the screen generated by said information viewing means.

14. A portable information terminal according to claim 1, wherein the cellular telephone has close-distance wireless communication means, and wherein said connecting means includes means capable of wireless communication with said close-distance wireless communication means.

15. A portable information terminal according to claim 14, wherein said close-distance wireless communication means and said connecting means are made up of wireless communication means using spectrum communication.

16. A portable information terminal according to claim 14, wherein said close-distance wireless means and said connecting means are made up of wireless communication means using infrared rays as a medium.

13. A portable information terminal comprising:

display means for performing large-screen display via an enlarging optical system;

first connecting means for communicably connecting with a network via a cellular telephone;

second connecting means other than said first connecting means for communicably connecting with the network;

browser means for obtaining information on the network via said second communication means, and displaying the obtained information on the screen of said display means for viewing; and

communication destination information setting means for taking in, from the cellular telephone connected via said first connecting means, communication destination information currently being viewed with the browser of the cellular telephone, and setting the communication destination information that has been taken in, in said browser means to obtain information from the network based on the communication destination information.

17. An information viewing method, wherein a cellular telephone which has a browser for viewing information on a network and operating buttons, and a portable information terminal comprising connecting means for communicably connecting with the cellular telephone and display means for performing large-screen display via an enlarging optical system cooperate so as to view information on the network with the display means of the portable information terminal, said method comprising the steps of:

connecting the portable information terminal with the cellular telephone via the connecting means;

cooperating the portable information terminal with the cellular telephone with which connection is made via the connecting step, to obtain information on the network;

generating a screen by the portable information terminal for displaying the information obtained in the cooperating step on the display means;

receiving information from an operated button of the operating buttons provided on the cellular telephone;

specifying an event corresponding to the button information received in the receiving step; and

providing for the portable information terminal to operate the event specified as operations relating to the displaying of the information.

18. A program for viewing information on a network with display means, executed on a portable information terminal comprising connecting means for communicably connecting with a cellular telephone which has a browser for viewing information on the network and operating buttons, and the display means for performing large-screen display using an enlarging optical system, said program comprising:

an information viewing module for obtaining information on the network cooperatively with the cellular telephone connected via the connecting means, and generating a screen for displaying the information obtained from the network on the display means in a viewable manner;

a receiving module for receiving information from an operated button of the operating buttons provided on the cellular telephone;

an event analyze module for specifying an event corresponding to the button information received via the receiving module; and

an operation module for operating the event specified by the event analyze module as operations relating to viewing of information by the information viewing module.