Apparatus, apparatus authentication management system and apparatus authentication method

• US 9,799,929 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2013
• Issued: 10/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Kawase, Tsutomu, Nishizaki, Yoshiaki, Yamazaki, Yukiko, Yamaguchi, Takahisa
• Primary Examiner(s): SYED, NABIL H
• Application Number:
  US14/407,561
• Publication Number:
  US 20150162646A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,603 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B25F 5/00 Details or components of portable power-driven tools not particularly related to the operations performed and not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/20 involving the use of a pass
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4271 Battery management systems including electronic circuits, e.g. control of current or voltage to keep battery in healthy state, cell balancing
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4278 Systems for data transfer from batteries, e.g. transfer of battery parameters to a controller, data transferred between battery controller and main controller
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/204 Racks, modules or packs for multiple batteries or multiple cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

An apparatus includes an apparatus body and a battery pack removable from the apparatus body. Each of the apparatus body and the battery pack includes a memory unit configured to store a use permission flag written after authentications for a pair of the apparatus body and the battery pack through near field communication with a portable terminal, and a control unit configured to permit energization when the use permission flag of the memory unit is ON.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

an apparatus body;

a battery pack that is removable from the apparatus body and that supplies power to the apparatus body, wherein

the apparatus body and the battery pack include respective memory units, the memory unit of the apparatus body storing a use permission flag that is written to the memory unit by a portable terminal, after authentication through near field communication between (i) the portable terminal and (ii) the battery pack and the apparatus body; and

a control unit to permit energization to operate the apparatus when the control unit determines after the authentication through near field communication between (i) and (ii) that the use permission flag of the memory unit is ON.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the battery pack includes a checking unit configured to check battery status and the control unit is configured to permit energization when the battery status is normal.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the apparatus body and the battery pack includes an RFID chip configured to communicate with the portable terminal through the near field communication.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the battery pack includes an RFID chip configured to communicate with the portable terminal, and the use permission flag of the memory unit of the apparatus body is written through the near field communication between the battery pack and the apparatus body.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit includes a determining unit configured to determine an elapsed time between a last usage and a present usage, and when the elapsed time between the last usage and the present usage is less than a predetermined length of time, the control unit permits energization even if the use permission flag of the memory unit is not ON.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the apparatus is an electric power tool, and the apparatus body is a tool body.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the authentication of the apparatus through the portable terminal enables both (i) the operation of the apparatus and (ii) the charging of the battery pack.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein when a non-registered battery pack compatible with the apparatus is connected in the apparatus body, the portable terminal causes the battery pack to be temporarily registered with the apparatus.

7. An apparatus authentication management system comprising:

an apparatus body;

a battery pack that is removable from the apparatus body and that supplies power to the apparatus body; and

a portable terminal,

wherein the apparatus body and the battery pack include respective memory units, the memory unit of the apparatus body storing a use permission flag that is written to the memory unit by the portable terminal, after authentication through near field communication between (i) the portable terminal and (ii) the battery pack and the apparatus body; and

a control unit to permit energization to operate the apparatus when the control unit determines after the authentication through near field communication between (i) and (ii) that the use permission flag of the memory unit is ON.

9. The apparatus authentication management system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the battery pack includes a checking unit configured to check battery status and the control unit is configured to permit energization when the battery status is normal.

10. The apparatus authentication management system as claimed in claim 7, wherein each of the apparatus body and the battery pack includes an RFID chip configured to communicate with the portable terminal through the near field communication.

11. The apparatus authentication management system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the battery pack includes an RFID chip configured to communicate with the portable terminal, and the use permission flag of the memory unit of the apparatus body is written through the near field communication between the battery pack and the apparatus body.

12. The apparatus authentication management system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the control unit includes a determining unit configured to determine an elapsed time between a last usage and a present usage, and when the elapsed time between the last usage and the present usage is less than a predetermined length of time the control unit permits energization even if the use permission flag of the memory unit is not ON.

13. The apparatus authentication management system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the apparatus is an electric power tool, and the apparatus body is a tool body.

8. An apparatus authentication method in an apparatus authentication system, the apparatus authentication system comprising an apparatus body, a battery pack that is removable from the apparatus body and that supplies power to the apparatus body, and a portable terminal, the apparatus body and the battery pack including respective memory units, the apparatus authentication method comprising:

storing, in the memory unit of the apparatus body, a use permission flag that is written to the memory unit by the portable terminal, after authentication through near field communication between (i) the portable terminal and (ii) the battery pack and the apparatus body; and

determining after the authentication through near field communication is performed between (i) and (ii) that the use permission flag of the memory unit is ON, and permitting energization to operate the apparatus when it is determined after the authentication through near field communication is performed between (i) and (ii) that the use permission flag of the memory unit is ON.