Communications system and communications apparatus

• US 9,792,743 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2013
• Issued: 10/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Fukuda, Kunio
• Primary Examiner(s): Barakat, Mohamed
• Application Number:
  US14/071,165
• Publication Number:
  US 20140055238A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,443 Days
• Field of Search: 340 101, 340 103, 340 104, 340 105, 3405721, 340 51, 340 565
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10198 setting parameters for the interrogator, e.g. programming parameters and operating modes
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation

Abstract

A communications system configured to execute data transmission between a transponder having no radio wave generating source thereof and a reader/writer is provided. The communications system includes, a service permission level notifier configured to tell a service permission level for associated with a received signal level for permitting service acceptance from the reader/writer to the transponder, and an access controller configured to determine in the transponder whether the received signal level from the reader/writer is at the notified service permission level to determine accessibility to the transponder from the reader/writer.

Claims

1. A first apparatus comprising:

a communication circuit which is configured to communicate with a second apparatus; and

a controller which is configured to control the first apparatus to;

receive, from the second apparatus, a beacon frame including identification information written in the beacon frame;

wherein the controller is further configured to determine whether the first apparatus is within a service area identified by said identification information, and

wherein the service area, which is identified by said identification information written in the beacon frame, has an access range that is determined depending on a service, and a first service has a different service area than a second service.

2. The first apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a measuring unit which is configured to measure an RSSI (Receiving Signal Strength Indicator) of the beacon frame.

3. The first apparatus of claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to estimate an approximate proximity to the second apparatus using the RSSI of the beacon frame measured with the measuring unit.

4. The first apparatus of claim 3, further comprising:

a memory which is configured to store at least one application.

5. The first apparatus of claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to activate the at least one application when the controller determined that the first apparatus is within the service area.

6. The first apparatus of claim 5, wherein the at least one application is associated with said identification information.

7. The first apparatus of claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to control access to the memory based on said approximate proximity.

8. A method for communicating between a first apparatus and a second apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving, from the second apparatus, a beacon frame including identification information written in the beacon frame; and

determining whether the first apparatus is within a service area identified by said identification information,

wherein the service area, which is identified by said identification information written in the beacon frame, has an access range that is determined depending on a service, and a first service has a different service area than a second service.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the method is further comprising:

measuring an RSSI (Receiving Signal Strength Indicator) of the beacon frame.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

estimating an approximate proximity to the second apparatus using the RSSI of the beacon frame.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

activating an application in response to determining that the first apparatus is within the service area.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the application is associated with said identification information.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

controlling access to a memory based on said approximate proximity.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions for communicating between a first apparatus and a second apparatus which, when executed, cause the first apparatus to:

receive, from the second apparatus, a beacon frame including identification information written in the beacon frame; and

determine whether the first apparatus is within a service area identified by said identification information,

wherein the service area, which is identified by said identification information written in the beacon frame, has an access range that is determined depending on a service, and a first service has a different service area than a second service.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions stored in the medium, when executed, further cause the first apparatus to:

measure an RSSI (Receiving Signal Strength Indicator) of the beacon frame.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions stored in the medium, when executed, further cause the first apparatus to:

estimate an approximate proximity to the second apparatus using the RSSI of the beacon frame.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions stored in the medium, when executed, further cause the first apparatus to:

activate an application in response to determining that the first apparatus is within the service area.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions stored in the medium, when executed, further cause the first apparatus to:

activate an application associated with said identification information in response to determining that the first apparatus is within the service area.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions stored in the medium, when executed, further cause the first apparatus to:

control access to a memory based on said approximate proximity.