ONE TOUCH PRODUCT INFORMATION ON MOBILE COMMUNICATION DEVICE USING NEAR FIELD COMMUNICATION

• US 20150222329A1
• Filed: 07/16/2014
• Published: 08/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ohren, Christopher Mark, Hedrick, Charles Donald Jr., Sleeper, Herbert, Chinnappa, Sarvesh, Rosewall, Samuel David Jr., Transfiguracion, Jason Leigh
• Granted Patent: US 9,444,518 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• 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

A one-touch application is launched by a user of a mobile communication device (MCD) selecting a single selector element on the MCD, and in response the MCD automatically and without further user interaction establishes near field communication (NFC) with an electronic product, receives identifying data from the electronic product over NFC, and uploads the identifying data wirelessly to a cloud server associated with a manufacturer of the electronic product. The server sends back to the MCD and/or to the electronic product information about the electronic product.

Claims

1. A mobile communication device (MCD) comprising:

at least one computer readable storage medium bearing instructions executable by a processor;

at least one processor configured for accessing the computer readable storage medium to execute the instructions to configure the processor for;

establishing a wireless near field communication (NFC) link with an electronic product;

receiving at least identifying data of the product over the link;

sending the identifying data of the product to a network server; and

in response to sending the identifying data of the product to a network server, obtaining from a network server information about the product.

2. The MCD of claim 1, wherein the instructions when executed by the processor configure the processor for:

invoking an information application responsive to a single user selection of a selector element to invoke the information application; and

automatically and without further user interaction execute the information application to undertake the establishing, receiving, sending, and obtaining acts.

3. The MCD of claim 1, wherein the receiving, sending, and obtaining acts are executed using wireless communication.

4. The MCD of claim 1, wherein at least one of the receiving, sending, and obtaining acts is executed using wireless communication.

5. The MCD of claim 1, wherein the MCD and the product both use a predetermined communication protocol to communicate over NFC, the predetermined protocol at least in part defining data fields in which the identifying data is contained.

6. The MCD of claim 1, wherein the identifying data includes product serial number.

7. The MCD of claim 1, wherein the identifying data includes product model number.

8. The MCD of claim 7, wherein the identifying data includes product serial number.

9. The MCD of claim 1, wherein the identifying data includes firmware version of the product.

10. The MCD of claim 1, wherein the information about the product includes product registration confirmation.

11. The MCD of claim 1, wherein the information about the product includes recall information related to the product.

12. The MCD of claim 1, wherein the information about the product includes operating instructions pertaining to the product and/or at least one user manual and/or at least one support form by which a user can request technical support for the product and/or an application sent from the server to the MCD and executed by the MCD to alter at least one configuration parameter of the MCD.

13. The MCD of claim 1, wherein the receiving at least identifying data of the product over the link is precipitated by a user of the MCD physically touching the MCD to the product as sensed by at least one sensor in the MCD and/or product.

14. The MCD of claim 1, wherein the instructions when executed by the processor configure the processor for sending the identifying data of the product only to a server associated with a manufacturer of the product.

15. The MCD of claim 1, wherein the information about the product includes a network address and/or hyperlink selectable by a user to establish communication with a network site providing a user guide for the product.

16. The MCD of claim 1, wherein the information about the product is sent from the MCD to the product for display thereof on the product.

17. The MCD of claim 1, wherein the information about the product is sent from the server to the product without passing through the MCD.

18. The MCD of claim 1, wherein the information about the product includes an application sent from the server to the MCD and executed by the MCD to communicate with the product to cause the product to alter at least one configuration parameter of the product.

19. Method comprising:

establishing near field communication (NFC) between a mobile communication device (MCD) and an electronic product;

automatically and without further user interaction;

using NFC to receive identifying data of the product at the MCD;

wirelessly uploading the identifying data of the product to an Internet server; and

receiving from an Internet server information about the product.

20. System comprising:

mobile communication device (MCD); and

electronic product configured for communicating with the MCD using near field communication (NFC);

the MCD being programmed with instructions to receive identifying data from the electronic product using NFC and upload the data automatically without user interaction to a server associated with a manufacturer of the electronic product to receive back information about the product.