Communication apparatus, communication method, program, and communication system

• US 8,509,766 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2012
• Issued: 08/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Iwasaki, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao, Minh D
• Application Number:
  US13/529,552
• Publication Number:
  US 20120276846A1
• Time in Patent Office: 418 Days
• Field of Search: 455/432.3, 455/456.1, 455/566, 455/353, 455/67.11, 709/227, 725/14.73, 725/32
• US Class Current: 455/432.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/48 Transceivers

Abstract

A communication apparatus is provided including a display unit, a storage unit capable of storing therein display condition information in which a display instruction for causing the display unit to perform display processing or a non-display instruction for not allowing the display unit to perform the display processing is set, and a short distance wireless communication control unit for controlling a connection establishment communication with a communication party by a communication system based on electric field coupling or magnetic field coupling and data communication with the communication party by the communication system. The short distance wireless communication control unit judges whether the non-display instruction is set in the display condition information stored in the storage unit, and does not make the data communication with the communication party when judging that the non-display instruction is set, the communication control unit.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus functioning as a responder, comprising:

a display;

a communication unit configured to communicate with an initiator device;

a controller configured to control a connection establishment between the communication unit and the initiator device,

wherein the controller does not allow the connection establishment when a predetermined condition is set for the display.

2. The communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the predetermined condition set for the display comprises at least one of a non-display instruction or a low-power-consumption display instruction.

3. The communication apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the communication unit receives, from the initiator device, a signal containing a request for establishing a connection, and

wherein the controller does not allow the connection establishment by rejecting the request received from the initiator device for establishing the connection.

4. The communication apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a storage unit that stores a threshold value.

5. The communication apparatus of claim 4, further comprising:

a display condition switch unit that measures an elapsed time since a last time an operation unit receives an input of operation information from a user.

6. The communication apparatus of claim 5, wherein the display condition switch unit sets a non-display instruction for display condition information stored in the storage unit when the elapsed time exceeds the threshold value.

7. The communication apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an operation unit that receives a user'"'"'s input of a non-display instruction.

8. A communication method executed by a communication control unit of a communication apparatus that functions as a responder, comprising:

receiving, from an initiator device, a signal containing a request for establishing a connection;

judging, by a controller, whether a predetermined condition is set for the display; and

rejecting the request from the initiator device for establishing the connection when the controller judges that the predetermined condition is set for the display.

9. The communication method of claim 8, wherein

the predetermined condition set for the display comprises at least one of a non-display instruction or a low-power-consumption display instruction.

10. The communication method of claim 8, further comprising:

measuring an elapsed time since a last time an operation unit receives an input of operation information from a user.

11. The communication method of claim 10, further comprising:

setting a non-display instruction for display condition information when determining that the elapsed time exceeds a threshold value.

12. The communication method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a user'"'"'s input of a non-display instruction.

13. A nontransitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with a computer program, which when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform a method comprising:

receiving, from an initiator device, a signal containing a request for establishing a connection;

judging, by a controller, whether a predetermined condition is set for the display; and

rejecting the request from the initiator device for establishing the connection when the controller judges that the predetermined condition is set for the display.

14. The nontransitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the predetermined condition set for the display comprises at least one of a non-display instruction or a low-power-consumption display instruction.

15. The nontransitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

measuring an elapsed time since a last time an operation unit receives an input of operation information from a user.

16. The nontransitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:

setting a non-display instruction for display condition information when determining that the elapsed time exceeds a threshold value.

17. The nontransitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a user'"'"'s input of a non-display instruction.

18. A communication system comprising:

a first communication apparatus including

a display;

a communication unit configured to communicate with a second communication apparatus; and

a controller configured to control a connection establishment between the communication unit and the initiator device,

wherein the second communication apparatus transmits a signal containing a request for establishing a connection to the first communication apparatus, and

wherein when receiving the signal containing the request for establishing the connection, the controller judges whether a predetermined condition is set for the display, and rejects the request from the second communication apparatus for establishing the connection when the controller judges that the predetermined condition is set for the display.