Communication apparatus and communication method

• US 7,800,493 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2006
• Issued: 09/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Makino, Kenichi, Takai, Motoyuki, Inoue, Makoto, Inoue, Akiko, Sako, Yoichiro, Terauchi, Toshiro, Miyajima, Yasushi, Shirai, Katsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Swarthout; Brent
• Application Number:
  US11/409,135
• Publication Number:
  US 20060197657A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,614 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.12, 340/539.22, 340/539.26, 340/539.29, 340/539.13, 340/573.1, 340/693.5, 340/693.9, 340/870.16, 340/5.82, 600/300, 600/549, 600/323, 600/9, 128/903, 128/898, 235/375, 235/492
• US Class Current: 340/539.12
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0242 adapted to measure environmental factors, e.g. temperature, pollution
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/369 Electroencephalography [EEG] devices for psychotechnics A61B5/16
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 2001/085 Partner search devices
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0211 Combination with medical sensor, e.g. for measuring heart rate, temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0453 worn on the body to detect health condition by physiological monitoring, e.g. electrocardiogram, temperature, breathing detecting, measuring or recording for diagnostic purposes A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72421 with automatic activation of emergency service functions, e.g. upon sensing an alarm
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/903 Radio telemetry

Abstract

By providing bio-information and/or environment information between a pair of users, it becomes possible for the users to understand the situation or the feeling of each other more deeply and earlier. A communication system for exchanging the situations and the feelings of both users is provided without performing optional communication operations, such as a telephone call and an e-mail. The condition or the situation on the transmitter side is to be judged and to be notified to the receiver side by inputting bio-information such as breathing, pulse-beats and heartbeats or environment information such as weather, date and hour, ambient temperature, or alternatively, by comparing, synchronizing and/or relating the bio-information and/or the environment information at present with respect to the bio-information and/or the environment information in the past. With respect to the situation of the receiver side, it is also notified similarly to the transmitter side.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus for communicating with a transmission receiver having a plurality of output devices, said apparatus comprising:

a bio-information sensor for measuring bio-information obtained from a user'"'"'s body;

an environment information sensor for measuring environment information of an environment in which the user exists;

acquisition means configured to acquire at least one of the bio-information and the environment information in accordance with at least one item set by the user;

means for enabling the user to select an output device from among the plurality of output devices of the transmission receiver;

storage means for storing acquired information acquired by the acquisition means with respect to the selected output device associated therewith;

means for determining whether any previously acquired bio-information and environment information for use with the selected output device stored in the storage means exists which is the same as that of presently acquired information, and for causing transmission data to be produced based on the previously acquired information when similar previously acquired information is determined to exist and for causing the transmission data to be produced based on the presently acquired information when the similar previously acquired information is determined not to exist; and

communication means for transmitting the transmission data to the transmission receiver,

in which during operation signals representative of at least some of the transmission data are supplied to the output device selected by the user.

3. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an operator of the transmission receiver receives the transmission data and may respond to the communication apparatus, whereby the user and the operator can communicate with each other.

4. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmission receiver can transmit bio-information or environment information to the communication apparatus.

7. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, in which the plurality of output devices include a display and a speaker.

2. A control method for controlling communication between a communication apparatus and a transmission receiver having a plurality of output devices, said method comprising:

detecting at least one piece of information in bio-information of a user of the communication apparatus and in environment information of an environment in which the user exists;

acquiring at least one of the bio-information and the environment information in accordance with at least one item set by the user;

enabling the user of the communication apparatus to select an output device from among the plurality of output devices of the transmission receiver;

storing acquired information with respect to the selected output device associated therewith in a memory device;

determining whether any previously acquired bio-information and environment information for use with the selected output device stored in the memory device exists which is the same as that of presently acquired information by use of a computer processing device, and causing transmission data to be produced based on the previously acquired information when similar previously acquired information is determined to exist and causing the transmission data to be produced based on the presently acquired information when the similar previously acquired information is determined not to exist; and

transmitting the transmission data to said transmission receiver,

in which during operation signals representative of at least some of the transmission data are supplied to the output device selected by the user.

5. The control method according to claim 2, wherein an operator of the transmission receiver receives the transmission data and may respond, whereby the user and the operator can communicate with each other.

6. The control method according to claim 2, wherein the transmission receiver can transmit bio-information or environment information.

8. The control method according to claim 2, in which the plurality of output devices include a display and a speaker.