COMMUNICATION TERMINAL, COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM, AND COMMUNICATION METHOD

• US 20100330906A1
• Filed: 03/31/2009
• Published: 12/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Aoki, Norihito
• Granted Patent: US 9,251,389 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/00 Accessing, addressing or allocating within memory systems or architectures digital input from, or digital output to record carriers, e.g. to disk storage units, G06F3/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/38 Information transfer, e.g. on bus G06F13/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10198 setting parameters for the interrogator, e.g. programming parameters and operating modes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10297 arrangements for handling protocols designed for non-contact record carriers such as RFIDs NFCs, e.g. ISO/IEC 14443 and 18092 cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; network security protocols H04L63/00; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; network protocols for data switching network services H04L67/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/59 Responders; Transponders
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A communication terminal includes a first communication unit which has a power supply function by electromagnetic induction and writes or reads information in an active or passive mode, and a second communication unit having a communication capability higher than that of the first communication unit. A mode in which the first communication unit is functioning, the active mode or the passive mode, is determined. Communication via the second communication unit is controlled based on the determination result.

Claims

1. A communication terminal comprising:

a first communication unit, having a power supply function by electromagnetic induction, that writes or reads information in one of an active mode and a passive mode;

a second communication unit having a communication capability higher than that of the first communication unit;

a determination unit that determines whether a mode in which the first communication unit is functioning is the active mode or the passive mode; and

communication control unit that controls communication via the second communication unit based on a determination result of the determination unit.

2. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines whether the first communication unit is functioning as a reader/writer unit that reads or writes information or as a storage unit that stores information that is written or read.

3. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the communication control unit controls, based on the determination result of the determination unit, the communication via the second communication unit as one of a device and a host that controls the device.

4. The communication terminal according to claim 3, wherein, upon the determination unit determining that the first communication unit is functioning as the reader/writer unit, the communication control unit controls the communication via the second communication unit as the host, and, upon the determination unit determining that the first communication unit is functioning as the storage unit, the communication control unit controls the communication via the second communication unit as the device.

5. The communication terminal according to claim 3, wherein, upon the determination unit determining that the first communication unit is functioning as the reader/writer unit, the communication control unit controls the communication via the second communication unit as the device, and, upon the determination unit determining that the first communication unit is functioning as the storage device, the communication control unit controls the communication via the second communication unit as the host.

6. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the first communication unit performs communication using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID).

7. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the second communication unit performs communication using Universal Serial Bus On The Go (USB-OTG).

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when executed, causes a computer to perform a method, the computer being incorporated in a communication terminal including a first communication unit, having a power supply function by electromagnetic induction, that writes or reads information in one of an active mode and a passive mode, and a second communication unit having a communication capability higher than that of the first communication unit, the method comprising:

determining whether a mode in which the first communication unit is functioning is the active mode or the passive mode; and

controlling communication via the second communication unit based on a result of the determining.

9. A communication method performed by a communication terminal including a first communication unit, having a power supply function by electromagnetic induction, that writes or reads information in one of an active mode and a passive mode, and a second communication having a communication capability higher than that of the first communication unit, the method comprising:

determining whether a mode in which the first communication unit is functioning is the active mode or the passive mode; and

controlling communication via the second communication unit based on a result of the determining.