Method of providing electronic device information to mobile station and system using the same

• US 7,602,290 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2006
• Issued: 10/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Jung, Sung-Kwon
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, TOAN NGOC
• Application Number:
  US11/346,510
• Publication Number:
  US 20060197667A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,349 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/635, 340/539.24, 235/385, 235/375, 235/376, 702/58, 455/550.1, 455/423, 455/412.1
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 3/08 Registering or indicating the production of the machine either with or without registering working or idle time
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

A system for providing electronic device information includes an electronic device, which includes a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, for checking a state of the electronic device and storing electronic device state information and associated information in the RFID tag; and a mobile station, which includes an RFID reader for reading the RFID tag within a communicable range, for reading and displaying the electronic device state information and associated information stored in the RFID tag when the mobile terminal approaches the RFID tag of the electronic device.

Claims

1. A system for providing electronic device information, the system comprising:

an electronic device equipped with a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, for periodically checking a state of the electronic device and, when a function or setting different from a general operational state in the electronic device is detected, storing electronic device state information and associated information in the RFID tag; and

a mobile station equipped with an RFID reader for reading the RFID tag within a communicable range, for reading and displaying the electronic device state information and associated information stored in the RFID tag when the mobile terminal approaches the RFID tag of the electronic device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the associated information is information regarding a controllable function or a control method to return the function or setting to the general operational state.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein if a malfunction or error occurs in the electronic device, the electronic device stores the malfunction or error information of the electronic device and its associated information in the RFID tag.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the associated information is information to solve the malfunction or error.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic device further comprises:

an electronic device abnormality determinator for checking a current state of the electronic device and storing electronic device state information and associated information in the RFID tag; and

an electronic device information database for storing the electronic device state information and associated information.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic device associated information comprises a telephone number of an after service (AS) center of the electronic device.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein if a user pushes a “

send”

key in a state of displaying the telephone number, the mobile station makes a phone call to the displayed telephone number.

8. A method of providing electronic device information in a system including a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag equipped electronic device and an RFID reader equipped mobile station, the method comprising the steps of:

periodically checking, by the electronic device, a state of the electronic device and, when a function or setting different from a general operational state in the electronic device is detected, storing electronic device state information and associated information in the RFID tag; and

reading and displaying, by the mobile station, the electronic device state information and associated information stored in the RFID tag when the mobile station approaches the RFID tag of the electronic device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the associated information is information regarding a controllable function or a control method to return the function or setting to the general operational state.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein in the step of storing, if a malfunction or error occurs in the electronic device, the malfunction or error information of the electronic device and its associated information are stored in the RFID tag.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the associated information is information to solve the malfunction or error.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the electronic device associated information comprises a telephone number of an after service (AS) center of the electronic device.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising the step of:

if a user pushes a “

send”

key in a state of displaying the telephone number, making, by the mobile station, a phone call to the displayed telephone number.