Portable information equipment system

• US 6,249,690 B1
• Filed: 11/24/1998
• Issued: 06/19/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Mashiko, Koichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Lee
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, SIMON
• Application Number:
  US09/198,527
• Time in Patent Office: 938 Days
• Field of Search: 455/573, 455/572, 455/574-575, 455/90, 455/411, 320/106, 320/114, 320/115
• US Class Current: 455/573
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3883 Arrangements for mounting batteries or battery chargers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/727 Identification code transfer arrangements

Abstract

A portable information system having an information registration function achieves reduction in manufacturing cost and power consumption. By connecting portable information equipment (1) and a battery charger (10) to be chargeable, signal transmission becomes possible between a micro controller (2) in the portable information equipment (1) and a micro controller (11) in the battery charger (10). Under the control of the micro controllers (2, 11), information management operation is automatically performed during charging. The operation includes backup processing in which personal information stored in a storage portion (3) in the portable information equipment (1) is transferred to a storage portion (12) in the battery charger (10) as backup information, and restore processing in which the backup information stored in the storage portion (12) is transferred to the storage portion (3) as the personal information.

Claims

1. A portable information equipment system comprising:

portable information equipment having a rechargeable battery and operating with said rechargeable battery used as an operating power; and

a battery charger capable of charging said rechargeable battery when connected to said portable information equipment in a predetermined condition,

said portable information equipment further including;

input means;

a storage portion for portable information equipment, storing personal information; and

a control portion for portable information equipment, capable of transmitting/receiving information to/from said storage portion for portable information equipment,

said battery charger including;

a storage portion for battery charger, storing backup information and an inquiry password; and

a control portion for battery charger, capable of transmitting/receiving information to/from said storage portion for battery charger,

wherein, when said portable information equipment and said battery charger are connected in said predetermined condition, information can be transmitted between said control portion for portable information equipment and said control portion for battery charger, and information management operation is automatically performed between said storage portion for portable information equipment and said storage portion for battery charger, under the control of said control portion for portable information equipment and said control portion for battery charger,

said information management operation comprising the steps of;

(a) judging whether a password inputted from said input means is consistent with said inquiry password or not;

(b) when said password is judged consistent at said step (a) and said personal information has been updated, performing backup processing by transferring said personal information to said storage portion for battery charger as said backup information; and

(c) when said password is judged consistent at said step (a), said personal information has not been updated, and the contents of said personal information are inconsistent with the contents of said backup information, performing restore processing by transferring said backup information to said storage portion for portable information equipment as said personal information.

2. The portable information equipment system of claim 1, wherein

said portable information equipment includes the first portable information equipment to the N-th (N≧ 2) portable information equipment;

said rechargeable battery includes the first to the N-th rechargeable batteries;

said input means includes the first to the N-th input means;

said personal information includes the first personal information to the N-th personal information;

said storage portion for portable information equipment includes the first to the N-th storage portions for portable information equipment;

said inquiry password includes the first to the N-th inquiry passwords corresponding to said first portable information equipment to said N-th portable information equipment;

said first to said N-th storage portions further store the first identifying information to the N-th identifying information, respectively;

said storage portion for battery charger further stores the first inquiry identifying information to the N-th inquiry identifying information corresponding to said first portable information equipment to said N-th portable information equipment;

the i-th (i=1 to N) portable information equipment includes the i-th rechargeable battery, the i-th input means, the i-th storage portion for portable information equipment storing the i-th personal information and the i-th identifying information, and the i-th control portion for portable information equipment capable of transmitting/receiving information to/from said i-th storage portion for portable information equipment;

when the M-th (M=either of 1 to N) portable information equipment out of said first to N-th portable information equipment is connected to said battery charger in said predetermined condition, information can be transmitted between the M-th control portion for portable information equipment and said control portion for battery charger, and said information management operation is automatically performed between the M-th storage portion for portable information equipment and said storage portion for battery charger, under the control of said M-th control portion for portable information equipment and said control portion for battery charger;

said step (a) includes a step of judging both whether the M-th identifying information is consistent with the M-th inquiry identifying information or not and whether a password inputted from the M-th input means is consistent with the M-th inquiry password or not;

said step (b) includes a step of, when both of said M-th identifying information and said password are judged consistent at said step (a) and the M-th personal information has been updated, performing backup processing by transferring said M-th personal information to said storage portion for battery charger as the M-th backup information; and

said step (c) includes a step of, when both of said M-th identifying information and said password are judged consistent at said step (a), said M-th personal information has not been updated, and the contents of said M-th personal information are inconsistent with the contents of said M-th backup information, performing restore processing by transferring said M-th backup information to said M-th storage portion for portable information equipment as said M-th personal information.

3. The portable information equipment system of claim 2, wherein

said portable information equipment further has an infrared transmit/receive portion for portable information equipment;

said battery charger further has an infrared transmit/receive portion for battery charger; and

when said portable information equipment and said battery charger are connected in said predetermined condition, infrared information transfer between said infrared transmit/receive portion for portable information equipment and said infrared transmit/receive portion for battery charger makes possible information transmission between said control portion for portable information equipment and said control portion for battery charger.

4. The portable information equipment system of claim 2,

wherein said battery charger further includes:

a charging terminal for battery charger; and

a modulator electrically connected to said charging terminal for battery charger and said control portion for battery charger, and capable of modulating a charging signal for charging said rechargeable battery by an information signal obtained from said storage portion for battery charger to output a resultant modulating signal to said charging terminal for battery charger,

wherein said portable information equipment further includes;

a charging terminal for portable information equipment; and

a demodulator electrically connected to said rechargeable battery, said control portion for portable information equipment, and said charging terminal for portable information equipment and capable of demodulating said modulating signal obtained from said charging terminal for portable information equipment into a demodulating charging signal and a demodulating information signal and outputting said demodulating charging signal to said rechargeable battery and said demodulating information signal to said control portion for portable information equipment,

wherein, when said portable information equipment and said battery charger are connected in said predetermined condition, said charging terminal for portable information equipment and said charging terminal for battery charger are electrically connected so that said modulating signal can be outputted from said modulator and said demodulating charging signal and said demodulating information signal can be outputted from said demodulator, by which information transmission becomes possible between said control portion for portable information equipment and said control portion for battery charger.

5. The portable information equipment system of claim 1, wherein

said storage portion for portable information equipment, except a portion for storing said identifying information, consists of a volatile memory.

6. The portable information equipment system of claim 1, wherein

said portable information equipment further has an infrared transmit/receive portion for portable information equipment;

said battery charger further has an infrared transmit/receive portion for battery charger; and

when said portable information equipment and said battery charger are connected in said predetermined condition, infrared information transfer between said infrared transmit/receive portion for portable information equipment and said infrared transmit/receive portion for battery charger makes possible information transmission between said control portion for portable information equipment and said control portion for battery charger.

7. The portable information equipment system of claim 1,

wherein said battery charger further includes:

a charging terminal for battery charger; and

a modulator electrically connected to said charging terminal for battery charger and said control portion for battery charger, and capable of modulating a charging signal for charging said rechargeable battery by an information signal obtained from said storage portion for battery charger to output a resultant modulating signal to said charging terminal for battery charger,

wherein said portable information equipment further includes;

a charging terminal for portable information equipment; and

a demodulator electrically connected to said rechargeable battery, said control portion for portable information equipment, and said charging terminal for portable information equipment, and capable of demodulating said modulating signal obtained from said charging terminal for portable information equipment into a demodulating charging signal and a demodulating information signal and outputting said demodulating charging signal to said rechargeable battery and said demodulating information signal to said control portion for portable information equipment; and

wherein, when said portable information equipment and said battery charger are connected in said predetermined condition, said charging terminal for portable information equipment and said charging terminal for battery charger are electrically connected so that said modulating signal can be outputted from said modulator and said demodulating charging signal and said demodulating information signal can be outputted from said demodulator, by which information transmission becomes possible between said control portion for portable information equipment and said control portion for battery charger.