Wearing information notifying unit

• US 7,088,234 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2002
• Issued: 08/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Naito, Eiichi, Azuma, Takeo, Ozawa, Jun, Uomori, Kenya
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, TOAN NGOC
• Application Number:
  US10/471,638
• Publication Number:
  US 20040100389A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,350 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.11, 340/539.25, 340/573.1, 348/739, 345/7, 345/8
• US Class Current: 340/539.11
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 1/08 using electric transmission ; transformation of alarm signals to electrical signals from a different medium, e.g. transmission of an electric alarm signal upon detection of an audible alarm signal
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/228 combined with other devices having a different main function, e.g. watches
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/05 specially adapted for use on head, throat or breast
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6066 including a wireless connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails

Abstract

When a user wears a headset (12), a small display (107) is provided in front of an eye of the user. A main component (11) communicates with an external device to receive information, such as an electronic mail. The main component (11) extracts a portion of the received information, e.g., data about a sender, and transmits the extracted portion to a headset (12). The headset (12) displays the received information on the small display (107).

Claims

1. A wearable information notifying device, comprising:

a headset having a small display which can be provided in front of an eye of a wearer;

an information reception section for communicating with an external device to receive information;

an information extraction section for extracting a portion of the information received by the information reception section which is to be displayed on the small display;

wherein the headset includes a display control section for controlling the display mode of the small display according to a given control signal; and

further comprising an environment detection section for detecting an environmental state around the headset and supplying the control signal to the display control section according to the detected environmental state.

2. The wearable information notifying device according to claim 1, wherein the environment detection section detects the brightness of surroundings as the environmental state.

3. A wearable information notifying device, comprising:

a headset having a small display which can be provided in front of an eye of a wearer;

an information reception section for communicating with an external device to receive information;

an information extraction section for extracting a portion of the information received by the information reception section which is to be displayed on the small display;

wherein the headset includes a display control section for controlling the display mode of the small display according to a given control signal; and

further comprising an environmental information reception section for receiving environmental information which represents an environmental state around the headset and supplying the control signal to the display control section according to the received environmental information.

4. The wearable information notifying device according to claim 3, wherein the environmental information reception section receives the velocity of a car driven by the human as the environmental information.

5. A wearable information notifying device, comprising:

a headset having a small display which can be provided in front of an eye of a wearer;

an information reception section for communicating with an external network to receive information;

an information extraction section for extracting a portion of the information received by the information reception section which is to be displayed on the small display; and

an environmental information acquisition section for acquiring environmental information which represents an environmental state around the headset and supplying the acquired environmental information to the headset;

wherein the headset includes

a driving mechanism for shifting the small display between a first position in front of the eye of the wearer and a second position not in front of the eye of the wearer and not blocking the wearer'"'"'s view, and

a drive control section for controlling an operation of the driving mechanism such that the small display is shifted from the second position to the first position when the information output from the information extraction section includes previously registered information,

wherein the drive control section receives the environmental information from the environmental information acquisition section and controls a timing of the operation of the driving mechanism according to the environmental information.

6. The wearable information notifying device according to claim 5, further comprising an environmental information reception section for receiving environmental information which represents an environmental state around the headset and supplying the received environmental information to the drive control section,

wherein the drive control section controls the operation of the driving mechanism while additionally considering the environmental information.

7. The wearable information notifying device according to claim 5, wherein

the environmental information is information about a running state of a vehicle which the wearer drives, and

the drive control section waits to perform the operation of the driving mechanism when it is determined from the environmental information that the vehicle is running.

8. The wearable information notifying device according to claim 5, wherein

the environmental information is information about a vibration of the wearer, and

the drive control section waits to perform the operation of the driving mechanism when it is determined from the environmental information that the wearer is walking or running.