Communication apparatus

• US 7,542,720 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2004
• Issued: 06/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kaneko, Kiyotaka, Yoda, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Tu X
• Application Number:
  US10/768,026
• Publication Number:
  US 20040152440A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,947 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2, 455/414.1, 455/425, 455/556.2, 455/557, 455/566, 455/151.2, 455/452.2, 455/521.1, 455/41.1, 455/411, 455/518, 455/519, 455/515, 348/211.2, 348/14.04, 348/207.1, 348/211.1, 340/870.38, 358/453, 358/302, 358/1.15
• US Class Current: 455/41.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 13/005 Transmission systems in which the medium consists of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks

Abstract

A communication apparatus which specifies the destination of the data accurately and transmits the data without complicated operation such as designating the destination. The communication apparatus includes: a body communication section for communicating with a communication apparatus other than the communication apparatus through a human body; an instrument identification information acquiring section for acquiring instrument identification information on the other communication apparatus from the other communication apparatus using the body communication section when the human body touches the body communication section of the communication apparatus and a body communication section of the other communication apparatus; a data communication section for communicating with the other communication apparatus through communication means other than the human body; and a data transmitting section for transmitting data to the other communication apparatus identified by the instrument identification information acquired by the instrument identification information acquiring section using the data communication section.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus for communicating with another device by transmitting data through a human body of a user, comprising:

a body communication section for communicating with a communication apparatus, other than the communication apparatus, by electrically transmitting data through the human body;

an instrument identification information acquiring section for acquiring instrument identification information on the other communication apparatus from the other communication apparatus using said body communication section when the human body touches said body communication section of the communication apparatus and a body communication section of the other communication apparatus;

a data communication section for communicating with the other communication apparatus through communication means other than the human body; and

a data transmitting section for transmitting data to the other communication apparatus identified by the instrument identification information acquired by said instrument identification information acquiring section using said data communication section, wherein

said other communication apparatus is a printing apparatus comprising a body communication section for communicating through the human body,

said instrument identification information acquiring section acquires instrument identification information on said printing apparatus from said printing apparatus using said body communication section when the body touches said body communication section of the communication apparatus and said body communication section of said printing apparatus,

said data transmitting section transmits the image data to said printing apparatus identified by the instrument identification information acquired by said instrument identification information acquiring section using said data communication section so that the image data stored on the communication apparatus is to be printed,

said instrument identification information acquiring section acquires instrument identification information on said printing apparatus multiple times from said printing apparatus using said body communication section when the body touches said body communication section of the communication apparatus and said body communication section of said printing apparatus multiple times during a predetermined time interval, and

said data transmitting section transmits the number of sheet for printing corresponding to the number how many times said instrument identification information acquiring section acquires the instrument identification information as incidental information on the image data with the image data to said printing apparatus identified by the instrument identification information acquired by said instrument identification information acquiring section using said data communication section so that a plurality of files of image data stored on the communication apparatus are to be printed.

2. A communication system for communicating with another device through a human body, comprising:

a storing apparatus which stores data in association with access information on the data;

a first communication apparatus including a body communication section for communicating through the human body and a data communication section for communicating through communication means other than the human body; and

a second communication apparatus having a display and including a body communication section for communicating through the human body, a data communication section for communicating through communication means other than the human body, and a storing section for storing the access information in advance, wherein

said second communication apparatus acquires identification information of said first communication apparatus through the human body when the human body touches said body communication section of the first communication apparatus and the body communication section of the second communication apparatus, and

when the second communication device displays the access information on the display, said first communication apparatus also acquires the access information through the human body when the human body touches said body communication section of the first communication apparatus and the body communication section of the second communication apparatus.

3. The communication system as claimed in claim 2, wherein

said data communication section of said first communication apparatus acquires the data stored in said storing apparatus from said storing apparatus through the communication means other than the human body, based on the access information transmitted from said second communication apparatus.

4. The communication system as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:

an image capturing section for photographing the image, wherein

said data communication section of said second communication apparatus transmits the image photographed by said image capturing section to said storing apparatus through the communication means other than the human body, and

said storing apparatus stores the transmitted image in association with the access information on the transmitted image.

5. A communication system for communicating with another device through a human body, comprising:

a storing apparatus which stores data in association with access information on the data;

a print medium on which information in relation to the data is printed, including a body communication section for communicating through the human body and a memory for storing the access information in advance;

a communication apparatus including a body communication section for communicating through the human body and a data communication section for communicating through communication means other than the human body, wherein

said communication apparatus acquires the access information stored on said memory of said print medium through the human body when the human body touches said body communication section of said print medium and said body communication section of said communication apparatus, and acquires the data in association with the acquired access information from the storing apparatus through the communication means other than the human body.

6. The communication system as claimed in claim 5, wherein said body communication section and said memory of the print medium are provided in a IC tag chip.

7. The communication system as claimed in claim 5, wherein

said print medium further includes another body communication section,

said memory of the print medium further stores setting information for clearing the access information, and

said communication apparatus acquires the setting information stored in said memory of said print medium through the human body when the human body touches said other body communication section of said print medium and said body communication section of said communication apparatus, and clears the acquired access information using the setting information.

8. The communication system as claimed in claim 5, wherein said data include image data and an image corresponding to the image data is printed on the print medium as the information in relation to the data.

9. A communication system for communicating with another device through a human body, comprising:

a printer;

a print medium on which an image is printed, including a body communication section for communicating through the human body and a memory for storing a printing condition of the image; and

a communication apparatus including a body communication section for communicating through the human body, a data communication section for communicating through communication means other than the human body and a displaying section for displaying the image, wherein

said communication apparatus acquires the printing condition stored in said memory of said print medium through the human body when the human body touches said body communication section of said print medium and said body communication section of said communication apparatus while said displaying section displays the image, and transmits the printing condition to said printer together with the image displayed on said displaying section, and

said printer prints out the transmitted image using the transmitted printing condition.

10. The communication system as claimed in claim 9, wherein said body communication section and said memory of the print medium are provided in a IC tag chip.

11. The communication system as claimed in claim 9, wherein said printer is connected to said communication apparatus via an Internet.