Mobile client device, operation method, and recording medium

• US 10,009,849 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2017
• Issued: 06/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2012
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Mobile Communications Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ino, Yuji, Tokutake, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Rego, Dominic
• Application Number:
  US15/432,487
• Publication Number:
  US 20170156116A1
• Time in Patent Office: 497 Days
• Field of Search: 4551274, 4553431-3436, 455574
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4418 Suspend and resume; Hibernate and awake
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72484 wherein functions are triggered by incoming communication events
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• 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 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An information processing apparatus including a touch panel and a near field communication interface. The information processing apparatus detects that an input received at the touch panel corresponds to a predetermined input when the information processing apparatus is in a suspended state; and controls the information processing apparatus execute a predetermined function via the near field communication interface and awake from the suspended state upon detecting that the input corresponds to the predetermined input.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a touch panel;

a near field communication interface; and

circuitry configured to

receive an input at the touch panel while the information processing apparatus is in a suspended state;

detect that the input received at the touch panel corresponds to a predetermined input when the information processing apparatus is in the suspended state; and

control the information processing apparatus to execute a predetermined function via the near field communication interface and awake from the suspended state upon detecting that the input corresponds to the predetermined input,

wherein the suspended state of the information processing apparatus corresponds to a state in which application software and middleware of the information processing apparatus are not activated, and

wherein operation of the near field communication interface circuit is controlled via the application software and the middleware upon detecting that the input corresponds to the predetermined input while the information processing apparatus is in an activated state, and operation of the near field communication interface circuit is controlled via only by activating the middleware upon detecting that the input corresponds to the predetermined input while the information processing apparatus is in the suspended state.

2. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor circuit configured to detect an orientation of the information processing apparatus.

3. The information processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the circuitry is configured to determine the predetermined function to be executed based on the detected input received at the touch panel and an output of the sensor circuit.

4. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to:

store a plurality of predetermined inputs that each correspond to one of a plurality of different functions to be executed via the near field communication interface circuit.

5. The information processing apparatus of claim 4, wherein the circuitry is configured to:

detect that the input received at the touch panel corresponds to one of the plurality of predetermined inputs; and

control the information processing apparatus to execute, as the predetermined function, the one of the plurality of predetermined functions corresponding to the detected input via the near field communication interface circuit.

6. The information processing apparatus of claim 5, wherein a first of the plurality of predetermined inputs corresponds to a single touch operation by an operation member on the touch panel and a second of the plurality of predetermined inputs corresponds to a simultaneous touch of two operation members on the touch panel.

7. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a memory circuit, wherein the circuitry is configured to control, as the predetermined function, the near field communication interface to transmit data stored in the memory circuit to another information processing apparatus upon detecting that the input corresponds to the predetermined input.

8. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to:

control, as the predetermined function, the near field communication interface circuit to receive data from another information processing apparatus upon detecting that the input corresponds to the predetermined input.

9. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a wireless interface circuit configured to connect to a wireless network, wherein the circuitry is configured to control, as the predetermined function, the near field communication interface circuit to receive connection data corresponding to a website from another information processing apparatus, control the wireless interface circuit to access the website based on the received connection data, and control the near field communication interface circuit to forward data received from the website via the wireless interface circuit to the another information processing apparatus via the near field communication interface circuit.

10. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to:

transmit a first activation command to the near field communication interface circuit instructing the near field communication interface circuit to be activated upon detecting that the input corresponds to the predetermined input.

11. The information processing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the circuitry is configured to:

transmit a second activation command to a middleware layer instructing the middleware layer to be activated after transmitting the first activation command to the near field communication interface circuit.

12. The information processing apparatus of claim 11, wherein the middleware layer is configured to:

control execution of the predetermined function via the near field communication interface circuit based on the second activation command.

13. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the touch panel is configured to:

scan for an input at a first frequency when the information processing apparatus is in an activated state and scan for an input at a second frequency when the information processing apparatus is in the suspended state, wherein the first frequency is higher than the second frequency.

14. A method performed by an information processing apparatus having a touch panel, a near field communication interface, and circuitry, the method comprising:

receiving, using the circuitry, an input at the touch panel while the information processing apparatus is in a suspended state;

detecting, using the circuitry, that the input received at the touch panel corresponds to a predetermined input when the information processing apparatus is in the suspended state; and

controlling, using the circuitry, the information processing apparatus to execute a predetermined function via the near field communication interface and awake from the suspended state upon detecting that the input corresponds to the predetermined input,

wherein the suspended state of the information processing apparatus corresponds to a state in which application software and middleware of the information processing apparatus are not activated, and

wherein operation of the near field communication interface circuit is controlled via the application software and the middleware upon detecting that the input corresponds to the predetermined input while the information processing apparatus is in an activated state, and operation of the near field communication interface circuit is controlled via only by activating the middleware upon detecting that the input corresponds to the predetermined input while the information processing apparatus is in the suspended state.

15. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing computer program instructions that, when executed by an information processing apparatus having a touch panel, a near field communication interface, and circuitry, cause the information processing apparatus to

receive an input at the touch panel while the information processing apparatus is in a suspended state;

detect that the input received at the touch panel corresponds to a predetermined input when the information processing apparatus is in the suspended state; and

control the information processing apparatus to execute a predetermined function via the near field communication interface and awake from the suspended state upon detecting that the input corresponds to the predetermined input,

wherein the suspended state of the information processing apparatus corresponds to a state in which application software and middleware of the information processing apparatus are not activated, and

wherein operation of the near field communication interface circuit is controlled via the application software and the middleware upon detecting that the input corresponds to the predetermined input while the information processing apparatus is in an activated state, and operation of the near field communication interface circuit is controlled via only by activating the middleware upon detecting that the input corresponds to the predetermined input while the information processing apparatus is in the suspended state.