Apparatus adapted to share information contents through a wireless connection, and method thereof

• US 9,906,891 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2013
• Issued: 02/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fondazione Links-Leading Innovation & Knowledge For Society
• Original Assignee: Sisvel S.p.A. (Fineur International S.A.)
• Inventors: Lotito, Antonio
• Primary Examiner(s): Yun, Eugene
• Application Number:
  US14/443,596
• Publication Number:
  US 20150334513A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,562 Days
• Field of Search: 455 412
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/04 including near field communication means, e.g. RFID
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/64 file transfer between terminals download of applications H04M1/72406; transfer of messages, e.g. SMS, e-mail or MMS H04M1/7243
• 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

Abstract

An apparatus (1) adapted to share information contents through wireless connection includes a processor adapted to read at least one information content (65) from memory (3, 4, 7) and at least a radio communication module (2) adapted to automatically transmit at least one information content (65) to an electronic device (80) as a consequence of the fact that the electronic device (80) is located in the radio communication range of the radio communication module (2), without the need for explicitly entering into the apparatus (1) or into the electronic device (80) any specific command for transferring the information content (65).

Claims

1. An apparatus adapted to share electronic files through a wireless connection, said apparatus comprising:

a memory unit adapted to store at least one predetermined electronic file intended to be shared with an electronic device provided with at least one first short-range communication module as soon as said electronic device becomes reachable to said apparatus;

at least one short-range radio communication module; and

a processor adapted to

determine said at least one predetermined electronic file stored in said memory unit to be transmitted to said electronic device as a consequence of said electronic device coming into a radio communication range of said at least one short-range radio communication module,

read said at least one predetermined electronic file from the memory unit; and

cause said at least one short-range radio communication module to automatically transmit said at least one predetermined electronic file to said electronic device directly from said memory unit as a sole consequence of said electronic device coming into the radio communication range of said short-range radio communication module and said at least one predetermined electronic file being present in said memory unit, without the need for explicitly entering into said apparatus or into said electronic device any specific command and without first performing any authentication procedure for transferring said predetermined electronic file neither before nor after said at least one short-range radio communication module has established a communication session with said electronic device.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said automatic transmission takes place through a short-range radio communication.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said radio communication module is an NFC (Near Field Communication) module.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said apparatus comprises at least one power supply module.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the power supply module comprises an alternating current to direct current adapter or a rechargeable battery.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said apparatus comprises a signaling unit.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the signaling unit emits a visual or an audible signal for signaling adapted to signal at least one operation carried out by said apparatus to a user.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said apparatus comprises a display or a monitor for displaying and at least one user interface.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the display or the monitor is adapted to display said at least one predetermined electronic file, and said at least one user interface comprises a joystick or a control panel adapted to execute operations on said at least one predetermined electronic file.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said apparatus comprises a second radio communication module which allows data to be transferred between said apparatus and said electronic device at a transfer speed which is faster than that obtained by the radio communication module.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein, prior to transmitting said predetermined electronic file to said electronic device, it is verified if a radio communication channel is available for said electronic device through said second radio communication module, and, in the positive case, said radio communication channel is established by exchanging configuration data between said apparatus and said electronic device through said radio communication module, and said predetermined electronic file is transmitted to said electronic device through said second radio communication module.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determining step performed by the processing unit comprises:

detecting the insertion of a removable memory storage unit, containing new electronic files.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determining step performed by the processing unit comprises:

selecting said at least one predetermined electronic file from a list of electronic files present in said memory unit through a user interface unit.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further adapted to automatically connect with the electronic device without input from a user.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the connection between the apparatus and said electronic device comprises a Peer-to-Peer modality.

16. A method for sharing electronic files through a wireless connection of a wireless device, said method comprising:

determining, by a processor, at least one predetermined electronic file stored in a memory unit of the wireless device that includes at least one short-range radio communication module, wherein the at least one predetermined electronic file is to be transmitted to an electronic device that includes at least one first short-range communication module as soon as said electronic device becomes reachable to the wireless device as a consequence of said electronic device coming into a radio communication range of said at least one short-range radio communication module,

reading, through said processing unit, said at least one predetermined electronic file from the memory unit;

causing said at least one short-range radio communication module to automatically transmit said at least one predetermined electronic file directly from said memory unit to said electronic device as a sole consequence of said electronic device coming into the radio communication range of said short-range radio communication module and said at least one predetermined electronic file being present in said memory unit, without the need for explicitly entering into said wireless device or into said electronic device any specific command and without first performing any authentication procedure for transferring said predetermined electronic file neither before nor after said at least one short-range radio communication module has established a communication session with said electronic device.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein said wireless connection is a short-range radio connection.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein said short-range radio connection is an NFC (Near Field Communication) connection.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein said method provides for copying said at least one predetermined electronic file to said memory unit from at least one removable memory.

20. The method according to claim 16, wherein said method provides for copying said at least one predetermined electronic file content between said memory unit.

21. The method according to claim 16, wherein said method provides for visually and/or audibly signaling to a user, through a signaling unit for signaling at least one operation carried out by said apparatus.

22. The method according to claim 16, wherein said method provides for displaying said at least one predetermined electronic file through a display and for executing operations on the electronic file through at least one user interface.

23. The method according to claim 16, wherein said method further comprises the steps of verifying the presence of a second radio communication module, and of the associated protocol, on said electronic device, and of transferring data between said apparatus and said electronic device at a transfer speed which is faster than that obtained through the radio communication module.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein said method further comprises the steps of verifying, prior to transmitting said predetermined electronic file to said electronic device, if a radio communication channel is available for said electronic device through said second radio communication module, and, in the positive case, of establishing said radio communication channel by exchanging configuration data between said apparatus and said electronic device through said radio communication module, and of transmitting said predetermined electronic file to said electronic device through said second radio communication module.

25. A non-transitory computer product which can be loaded into a memory of said apparatus, comprising portions of software code adapted to implement the method according to claim 16.

26. The method according to claim 16, wherein the determining step comprises:

detecting the insertion of a removable memory storage unit, containing new electronic files.

27. The method according to claim 16, wherein the determining step comprises:

selecting said at least one predetermined electronic file from a list of electronic files present in said memory unit through a user interface unit.