Portable server and portable server system

• US 7,546,340 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2003
• Issued: 06/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Terasawa, Toshiharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim; Krisna
• Application Number:
  US10/732,262
• Publication Number:
  US 20040205123A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,007 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/219, 709/250, 709/3, 455/3.01, 725/5, 725/6
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/181 Enclosures for portable computers G06F1/1613
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A portable server has a battery accommodated in a housing and supplying power to a wireless communication unit, to a memory unit, and to an internal circuit. The wireless communication unit sends and receives data to and from terminal devices via wireless communication. The memory unit stores data received by the wireless communication unit, and data to be sent to the terminal devices. As described above, the portable server has the battery for supplying power to the wireless communication unit, to the memory unit, and to the internal circuit. This allows the portable server to send and receive data to and from the terminal devices via wireless communication. Thus, power supplied from an AC outlet becomes unnecessary, and a network can be created anywhere without locational constraints.

Claims

1. A portable server for sending and receiving data to and from a plurality of terminal devices, comprising:

a wireless communication unit for sending and receiving the data via wireless communication;

a radio field intensity input unit that allows the radio field intensity of the wireless communication unit to be input using an interactive interface, having a plurality of keys, located on the outer surface of the portable server;

a memory unit for storing the data;

a battery in a housing for supplying power to an internal circuit, the wireless communication unit, and the memory unit;

an authentication unit that compares a stored password with a password entered at power-on and allows the data to be sent and received only when the passwords match; and

a supply circuit adapted to distribute power to components of the portable server and adapted to draw power from a second power supply when the portable server is connected to a cradle, and to draw power from the battery when the portable server is not connected to the cradle.

2. The portable server according to claim 1, further comprising a power-off unit that stores, in the memory unit, the state of the internal circuit and shuts off the supply of power when the battery voltage drops to a certain level.

3. The portable server according to claim 1, wherein the supply circuit provides power from the second power supply to charge the battery.

4. The portable server according to claim 1, further comprising a wired communication unit for sending and receiving the data via a wired network.

5. The portable server according to claim 1, wherein the supply circuit includes a protection circuit, a charge monitoring circuit, and a voltage stability circuit.

6. The portable server according to claim 5, wherein power from an AC adapter is routed through the protection circuit to the charge monitoring circuit and the voltage stability circuit.

7. The portable server according to claim 6, wherein the protection circuit shuts of high voltage input caused by misuse of the AC adapter.

8. The portable server according to claim 1, wherein the power supply circuit provides voltage at two different power levels.

9. The portable server according to claim 1, wherein the portable server is configured to create a wireless network with at least one local terminal device upon start-up.

10. The portable server according to claim 1, wherein the portable server is configured to create a wireless network with a plurality of terminal devices upon start-up.

11. A portable server according to claim 1, wherein the portable server is configured to communicate with terminals on the wired LAN via a wired LAN interface provided by the cradle when the portable server is coupled to the cradle.

12. A portable server according to claim 1, wherein a radio field intensity input unit allows a radio field intensity to be input using an interface, having a plurality of keys, located on the outer surface of the portable server.

13. A portable server according to claim 12, wherein the radio field intensity input unit allows the radio field intensity to be input by a user using the interface, and the interface provides the user with a plurality of selectable preset radio intensities corresponding to an effective distance of the transmission at each of the plurality of preset radio intensities.

14. A portable server according to claim 12, wherein when the user selects the radio field intensity, the radio field intensity input unit provides the user with a list of the effective distances of transmission at the preset radio intensities.

15. A portable server according to claim 1, wherein the portable server is in communication with at least one other portable server form a network, and the portable servers are configured to send and receive data directly with each other.

16. A portable server according to claim 15, wherein each of the at least one other portable server in the network is in communication with at least one terminal.