Information processing apparatus and method, information processing system, and medium

• US 7,204,410 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2005
• Issued: 04/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Katsuyuki, Kusakabe, Susumu, Murayama, Yuji
• Primary Examiner(s): WALSH, DANIEL I
• Application Number:
  US11/134,738
• Publication Number:
  US 20050205659A1
• Time in Patent Office: 697 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/382, 235/379, 235/435, 235/472.02
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10356 using a plurality of antennas, e.g. configurations including means to resolve interference between the plurality of antennas

Abstract

A structure of a system using an IC card is simplified. A controller and active antennas are connected to each other through a bus. The controller transmits a command outputted from a host computer and including an ID for discriminating the active antennas to all the active antennas connected to the bus. The respective active antennas judge whether or not the received command is directed to itself by checking the contained ID. In the case where it is judged that the command is directed to itself, transfer of data to the IC card is performed, and the result is transferred to the controller through the active antenna and the bus.

Claims

1. An information processing system comprising a control device, a plurality of analysis devices connected to the control device, and an information storage device,

wherein the control device comprises:

a plurality of output terminals for outputting data that includes at least identification data and a command signal; and

identification means using the identification data for discriminating among the plurality of analysis devices, which are connected to the plurality of output terminals of the control device respectively, each analysis device comprises;

analysis means for analyzing the identification data and command signal outputted by the output terminal, wherein the identification data is used by each analysis device to determine whether to process the command signal;

transmission means for transmitting a signal corresponding to an analysis result of the analysis means to the information storage device wherein a response corresponding to the signal can be outputted;

reception means for receiving the response outputted from the information storage device; and

transfer means for transferring a signal corresponding to the response received by the reception means to the control device, wherein each analysis device is further used for converting data received from the control device into a format suitable for the transmission means and for converting the response from the reception means into a format suitable for the control device, and

wherein the information storage device comprises;

storage means for storing predetermined information; and

response transmission means for receiving the signal transmitted by the transmission means and corresponding to the analysis result, for reading out information corresponding to the signal from the storage means, and for transmitting it as the response to at least one of the analysis devices, wherein the information storage device performs transfer of data to said analysis device by using wireless communication.

2. An information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the information storage device is of a portable card type.

3. An information processing system according to claim 1, wherein electric power of the analysis device is supplied from the control device.

4. An information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the control device and the analysis device perform transfer of data by wireless.

8. An information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the output means of said control device outputs the same data to said plurality of analysis devices.

9. An information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the control device further comprises a table storage means for storing a table of intrinsic IDs respectively given to each of the plurality of analysis devices, wherein the identification means performs identification by using the table of the IDs.

10. An information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the control device further comprises ports according to the plurality of analysis devices wherein the identification means identify the plurality of analysis devices by discriminating the ports.

11. An information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the identification means of said control device sequentially outputs the command outputted by the output terminals to the plurality of analysis devices in a time-sharing manner, so that the plurality of analysis devices are identified.

12. An information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the analysis device further comprises an ID storage means for storing an intrinsic ID.

5. An information processing method for an information processing system comprising a control device, a plurality of analysis devices connected to the control device, and an information storage device, wherein an information processing method of the control device comprises:

an output step of outputting data including at least identification data and a command from a plurality of output devices; and

an identification step of using the identification data for discriminating among the plurality of analysis devices, which are connected to the plurality of output terminals of the control device respectively,

wherein an information processing method of each analysis device comprises;

an analysis step of analyzing the identification data and command outputted at the output step, wherein the identification data is used by each analysis device to determine whether to process the command;

a transmission step of transmitting a signal corresponding to an analysis result at the analysis step to the information storage device by using wireless communication wherein a response corresponding to the signal can be outputted;

a reception step of receiving the response outputted from the information storage device; and

a transfer step of transferring a signal corresponding to the response received at the reception step to the control device, wherein each analysis device is further used for converting data received from the control device into a format suitable for the transmission means and for converting the response from the reception means into a format suitable for the control device, and

wherein an information processing method of the information storage device comprises;

a storage step of storing predetermined information; and

a response transmission step of receiving the signal transmitted at the transmission step and corresponding to the analysis result, reading out information corresponding to the signal from the storage step, and transmitting it as the response to the analysis device.

6. A medium for causing, in an information processing system comprising a control device, a plurality of analysis devices connected to the control device, and an information storage device, a control device to execute a program comprising:

an output step of outputting data including at least identification data and a command from a plurality of output devices; and

an identification step of using the identification data for discriminating among the plurality of analysis devices, which are connected to the plurality of output terminals of the control device respectively, for causing each analysis device to execute a program comprising;

an analysis step of analyzing the identification data and command outputted at the output step, wherein the identification data is used by each analysis device to determine whether to process the command;

a transmission step of transmitting a signal corresponding to an analysis result at the analysis step to the information storage device by using wireless communication wherein a response corresponding to the signal can be outputted;

a reception step of receiving the response outputted from the information storage device; and

a transfer step of transferring a signal corresponding to the response received at the reception step to the control device, and for causing the information storage device to execute a program comprising;

a storage step of storing predetermined information, wherein each analysis device is further used for converting data received from the control device into a format suitable for the transmission means and for converting the response from the reception means into a format suitable for the control device; and

a response transmission step of receiving the signal transmitted at the transmission step and corresponding to the analysis result, reading out information corresponding to the signal from the storage step, and transmitting it as the response to the analysis device.

7. An information processing apparatus for processing an information storage device by using a control device, said information processing apparatus, said information storage device and said control device being comprised of an information processing system, said information processing apparatus comprising:

input means for inputting data including identification data and a command transmitted from a plurality of output devices of the control device;

analysis means for analyzing the identification data and the command received by the input means, the analysis means being connected to the plurality of output terminals of the control device respectively, wherein the identification data is used to determine whether to process the command;

an antenna for transmitting a signal corresponding to an analysis result of the analysis means to said information storage device and receiving a response to the signal from the information storage device, said signal being transmitted by using wireless communication; and

output means for outputting a signal corresponding to the response received by the antenna to the control device,

wherein the analyses means is further used for converting data received from the control device into a format suitable for the transmission means to and for converting the response from the reception means into a format suitable for the control device.

13. An information processing method for an information processing system comprising a control device, a plurality of analysis devices connected to the control device, and an information storage device, the information processing method comprising the steps of:

outputting data including identification data and a command from a plurality of output devices of the control device to the plurality of analysis devices, which are connected to the plurality of output terminals of the control device respectively;

analyzing the identification data and the command received from the control device to transmit an analysis result to the information storage device, wherein the identification data is used to determine whether to process the command;

transmitting a signal corresponding to the analysis result from an analysis device to the information storage device by using wireless communication;

transmitting a response to the signal from the information storage device to said analysis device; and

outputting a signal according to the response to the control device,

wherein each analysis device is further used for converting data received from the control device into a format suitable for transmission in the transmitting step and for converting the response in the outputting step into a format suitable for the control device.

14. An information processing method according to claim 13, wherein information stored in the information storage device are read out as responses according to the transmitted signal.

15. An information processing system used for processing the data from a host computer, the information processing system comprising:

a control device including;

a receiving terminal for receiving the data the host computer, the data including at least identification data and command data;

a plurality of output terminals for outputting said data; and

an identification means using the identification data for identifying the respective output terminals from the received data;

a plurality of active antennas(33-1 . . . 33-N), which are connected to the plurality of output terminals of the control device respectively, each of the active antennas including;

an analysis means for analyzing the data received from the control device for determining the identified data and a command signal, wherein the identification data is used to determine whether to process the command signal;

a transmission means for transmitting the command signal determined by the analysis means to an information storage device;

a reception means for receiving a response from the information storage device; and

a transfer means for transferring the response from the information storage device to the control device,

wherein the active antenna is further used for converting the data received from the control device into a format suitable for the transmission means to the and for converting the response from the reception means into a format suitable for the control device; and

an information storage device, including;

a storage means for storing predetermined information; and

a response transmission means for receiving the command signal from the transmission means of the active antenna, for reading out the predetermined information from the storage means according to the command signal and for transferring the predetermined information as the response to the reception means of the active antenna.

16. An information processing method for an information processing system used for processing data from a host computer comprising a control device, a plurality of active antennas connected to a plurality of output terminals of the control device, and an information storage device, wherein the information processing method of the control device comprises:

receiving data from the host computer at a receiving terminal, the data including at least identification data and command data;

outputting the data from a plurality of output terminals;

identifying the respective output terminals from the received data using the identification data,

wherein an information processing method for each active antenna comprises;

analyzing the data received from the outputting step and for determining the identification data and a command signal, wherein the identification data is used by each analysis device to determine whether to process the command signal;

transmitting the command signal determined in the analyzing step to an information storage device;

receiving a response from the information storage device;

transferring the response from the information storage device to the control device, wherein each active antenna is further used for converting the data received from the control device into a format suitable for the transmission means and for converting the response from the reception means into a format suitable for the control device, and wherein an information processing method for the information storage device comprises;

storing predetermined information;

receiving the command signal from the transmission step;

reading out the predetermined information from the storage step according to the command signal; and

transferring the predetermined information as the response to the receiving step of the active antennas.