Information exchange device

• US 9,219,528 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2012
• Issued: 12/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ROHM Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: ROHM Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Tanaka, Masahide
• Primary Examiner(s): SHERMAN, STEPHEN G
• Application Number:
  US13/708,039
• Publication Number:
  US 20130102249A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,110 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 455/41.1, 340/870.37, 340/870.38
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 13/005 Transmission systems in which the medium consists of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces

Abstract

An information exchange device includes a human body communication unit which applies information flowing via a human body to a human body and detects information flowing via the human body, an information transmission unit which transmits information via the human body communication unit, an identification unit which identifies other device which can transmit information from the information transmission unit, a detection unit which detects a contact state with other human body, and a transmission control unit which starts transmission of information according to identification by the identification unit and a detection by the detection unit.

Claims

1. An information exchange device comprising:

a human body communication unit which applies information flowing via a first human body to a second human body and detects information flowing via the first human body;

an information transmission unit which transmits information via the human body communication unit;

an identification unit which identifies another device which can exchange information with the information exchanging device through the human body communication unit;

an operation unit which selectively determines whether to enable or disable communication by the human body communication unit in response to selection by the operation unit;

a detection unit which detects a contact state with the first and second human bodies; and

a transmission control unit which starts transmission of information according to identification by the identification unit, selective determination by the operation unit and a detection by the detection unit if the identification unit identifies the other device and the operation unit determines to enable the communication, and also the detection unit detects the contact state, the transmission of information not being started if the operation unit determines to disable the communication

wherein the identification unit can perform the identification in both the case that communication by the human body communication unit is enabled and the case that communication by the human body communication unit is disabled, whereby the other device can be identified prior to a change in the selective determination by the operation unit from a selection to disable the communication by the human body communication unit to a selection to enable the communication by the human body communication unit.

2. An information exchange device according to claim 1, wherein the identification unit includes a sensing unit which senses that the other device is capable of supporting function of the human body communication unit.

3. An information exchange device according to claim 2, wherein the sensing unit includes a wireless communication function unit, so as to perform the sensing based on a radio wave received by the wireless communication function unit.

4. An information exchange device according to claim 1, wherein the identification unit includes an enrollment unit which enrolls another device for information transmission by the information transmission unit, and a sensing unit which senses another device, and identifies that the other device sensed by the sensing unit is capable of information exchange by the transmission unit if the other device matches the enrollment of the enrollment unit.

5. An information exchange device according to claim 4, further comprising an operation unit which sets an enable or disable state of communication by the human body communication unit, wherein the transmission control unit automatically starts the information transmission based on the detection by the detection unit regardless of the setting by the operation unit if the other device sensed by the sensing unit matches the enrollment of the enrollment unit.

6. An information exchange device according to claim 1, wherein the information exchange device comprises a mobile phone.

7. An information exchange device according to claim 1, wherein the information transmitted by the information transmission unit is e-mail information, and the human body communication unit detects the information flowing via human bodies with hands in contact with one another.

8. An information exchange device according to claim 1, wherein the information transmitted by the information transmission unit is contents information, and the human body communication unit detects the information flowing via human bodies with hands in contact with one another.

9. An information exchange device according to claim 1, wherein the information transmitted by the information transmission unit is business card information, and the human body communication unit detects the information flowing via human bodies with hands in contact with one another.

10. An information exchange device according to claim 9, further comprising an information reception unit which receives business card information via the human body communication unit, a storage unit for the business card information, and a comparing unit which compares the business card information received by the information reception unit with the business card information stored in the storage unit.

11. An information exchange device comprising:

a communication unit;

an information reception unit which receives business card information from a person via the communication unit;

a storage unit for the business card information received by the information reception unit;

a comparing unit for comparing new business card information from the person received by the information reception unit with old business card information of the same person received by the information reception unit and stored in the storage unit to extract a change in the business card information of the same person for storage; and

a storage control unit which adds the new business card information after the change to the old business card information before the change so as to control the storage unit to accumulate history of the change in the business card information of the same person such that the old business card information before the change is not replaced by the new business card information after the change, but the old business card information before the change is retained as well as the new business card information after the change, if the comparing unit finds that the new business card information is of the same person from which the old business card information has been received by the information reception unit before, and if the comparing unit extracts the change in the business card information of the same person.

12. An information exchange device according to claim 11, further comprising a control unit which controls the storage unit to store reception date and time of the business card information received by the information reception unit so that a log of meeting with the same person is accumulated.

13. An information exchange device according to claim 11, further comprising a storage unit which automatically stores a reception order of business card information of a plurality of persons at a same meeting based on the information reception unit.

14. An information exchange device according to claim 11, further comprising a display unit that is capable of displaying a layout of the received business card information of the plurality of persons, a function operation unit which controls the display unit to perform a display concerning a function other than the business card information display, an automatic off control unit which automatically turns off a display on the display unit if the function operation unit is not operated for a predetermined time, and a display control unit which disables a function of the automatic off control unit if the display unit starts the layout display of the business card information, so that the layout display of the business card information is continued even if an operation of the function operation unit is not performed for a predetermined time.