Portable electronic device, communication system, announcement controlling method, and storage medium storing program

• US 9,100,805 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2013
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Oshita, Yuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Figueroa, Marisol
• Application Number:
  US14/094,335
• Publication Number:
  US 20140171055A1
• Time in Patent Office: 610 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2, 455/567, 455/456.4, 455/569.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/006 Pedometers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/12 Detection or prevention of fraud
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/126 Anti-theft arrangements, e.g. protection against subscriber identity module [SIM] cloning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/68 Gesture-dependent or behaviour-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like

Abstract

A portable electronic device includes: a wireless communication unit that transmits and receives data to and from an external device via near field communication; a measuring unit that measures a physical quantity for determining a predetermined kinetic state of the portable electronic device; an announcement unit that issues a predetermined announcement; an announcement setting unit that makes a setting for whether to permit the announcement and/or for an announcement mode based on the kinetic state of the portable electronic device, which is determined based on the measurement by the measuring unit, and the kinetic state of the external device, which is acquired via the wireless communication unit; and an announcement controller that controls the announcement unit to issue the announcement based on the setting made by the announcement setting unit.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device comprising:

a wireless communication unit that transmits and receives data to and from an external device via near field communication;

a measuring unit that measures a physical quantity for determining a predetermined kinetic state of the portable electronic device;

an announcement unit that issues a predetermined announcement;

an announcement setting unit that makes a setting for whether to permit the announcement and/or for an announcement mode based on the kinetic state of the portable electronic device and a kinetic state of the external device, the kinetic state of the portable electronic device being determined based on the measurement by the measuring unit, and the kinetic state of the external device being acquired via the wireless communication unit; and

an announcement controller that controls the announcement unit to issue the announcement based on the setting made by the announcement setting unit,

wherein the announcement setting unit permits the announcement by the announcement unit when the kinetic state of the external device differs from the kinetic state of the portable electronic device.

2. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising an operation-condition determining unit that determines whether a predetermined condition for issuing the announcement is satisfied,

wherein the announcement controller controls the announcement unit to issue the announcement when the announcement setting unit permits the announcement and when the operation-condition determining unit determines that the predetermined condition is satisfied.

3. The portable electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined condition comprises a plurality of conditions and the announcement setting unit makes the setting for each of the plurality of conditions individually.

4. The portable electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined condition includes reception of information representing occurrence of a predetermined event from the external device, the event occurring in the external device.

5. The portable electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined condition includes reception of information representing occurrence of a predetermined event from the external device, the event occurring in the external device.

6. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the announcement setting unit makes the setting for changing an output level of the announcement by the announcement unit.

7. The portable electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the announcement setting unit makes the setting for changing an output level of the announcement by the announcement unit.

8. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein, when the kinetic state of the portable electronic device changes, the announcement setting unit requests transmission of information associated with a current kinetic state of the external device from the external device and updates the setting associated with the announcement based on the acquired current kinetic state of the external device and the kinetic state of the portable electronic device.

9. The portable electronic device according to claim 2, wherein, when the kinetic state of the portable electronic device changes, the announcement setting unit requests transmission of information associated with a current kinetic state of the external device from the external device and updates the setting associated with the announcement based on the acquired current kinetic state of the external device and the kinetic state of the portable electronic device.

10. The portable electronic device according to claim 2, further comprising:

a communication disconnecting unit that disconnects communication between the external device and the wireless communication unit when the kinetic state of the external device and the kinetic state of the portable electronic device are both a stationary state; and

a communication restarting unit that reestablishes the communication when the portable electronic device ends the stationary state during disconnection of the communication.

11. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising an attachment portion for attaching the portable electronic device on an arm of a user.

12. A communication system comprising:

the portable electronic device according to claim 1; and

the external device, the communication system making a setting for and controlling the announcement in each of the portable electronic device and the external device based on the kinetic state of the portable electronic device and the kinetic state of the external device transmitted and received between the portable electronic device and the external device via the near field communication.

13. The communication system according to claim 12, wherein the external device comprises:

an external communication unit that transmits and receives audio data of an incoming call and/or data of an e-mail;

a transmission determining unit that determines whether information representing permission of an announcement of an incoming call and/or e-mail has been received from the portable electronic device; and

a transmission setting unit that makes a setting for transmitting information on the incoming call and/or e-mail to the portable electronic device in response to reception of the incoming call and/or e-mail when the transmission determining unit determines that the information representing the permission has been received.

14. An announcement controlling method for a portable electronic device including a wireless communication unit that transmits and receives data to and from an external device via near field communication, a measuring unit that measures a physical quantity for determining a predetermined kinetic state of the portable electronic device, and an announcement unit that issues a predetermined announcement, the method comprising:

(a) making a setting for whether to permit the announcement and/or for an announcement mode based on the kinetic state of the portable electronic device and a kinetic state of the external device, the kinetic state of the portable electronic device being determined based on the measurement by the measuring unit, and the kinetic state of the external device being acquired via the wireless communication unit; and

(b) controlling the announcement unit to issue the announcement based on the setting made by step (a),

wherein the announcement unit is set to permit the announcement when the kinetic state of the external device differs from the kinetic state of the portable electronic device.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for controlling a portable electronic device including a wireless communication unit that transmits and receives data to and from an external device via near field communication, a measuring unit that measures a physical quantity for determining a predetermined kinetic state of the portable electronic device, and an announcement unit that issues a predetermined announcement, said program controlling the portable electronic device to function as:

an announcement setting unit that makes a setting for whether to permit the announcement and/or for an announcement mode based on the kinetic state of the portable electronic device and a kinetic state of the external device, the kinetic state of the portable electronic device being determined based on the measurement by the measuring unit, the kinetic state of the external device being acquired via the wireless communication unit; and

an announcement controller that controls the announcement unit to issue the announcement based on the setting made by the announcement setting unit,

wherein the announcement setting unit permits the announcement by the announcement unit when the kinetic state of the external device differs from the kinetic state of the portable electronic device.

16. A portable electronic device comprising:

a wireless communication unit that transmits and receives data to and from an external device via near field communication;

a measuring unit that measures a physical quantity for determining a predetermined kinetic state of the portable electronic device;

an announcement unit that issues a predetermined announcement;

an announcement setting unit that makes a setting for whether to permit the announcement and/or for an announcement mode based on the kinetic state of the portable electronic device and a kinetic state of the external device, the kinetic state of the portable electronic device being determined based on the measurement by the measuring unit, and the kinetic state of the external device being acquired via the wireless communication unit;

an announcement controller that controls the announcement unit to issue the announcement based on the setting made by the announcement setting unit;

a communication disconnecting unit that disconnects communication between the external device and the wireless communication unit when the kinetic state of the external device and the kinetic state of the portable electronic device are both a stationary state;

a communication restarting unit that reestablishes the communication when the portable electronic device ends the stationary state during disconnection of the communication;

an operation-condition determining unit that determines whether a predetermined condition for issuing the announcement is satisfied; and

a history acquiring unit that requests transmission of a history of a predetermined event occurring in the external device associated with the announcement during the disconnection of the communication and acquires the history when the communication restarting unit reestablishes the communication with the external device,

wherein the announcement controller controls the announcement unit to issue the announcement i) when the announcement setting unit permits the announcement and ii) when the operation-condition determining unit determines that the predetermined condition is satisfied or when the acquired history includes the occurrence of the predetermined event.

17. The portable electronic device according to claim 16, further comprising a display unit that displays predetermined information associated with the history acquired by the history acquiring unit.