Portable information equipment system

• US 6,832,107 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2001
• Issued: 12/14/2004
• 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, Simon
• Application Number:
  US09/877,183
• Publication Number:
  US 20010029190A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,282 Days
• Field of Search: 455/90, 455/343.1, 455/343.2, 455/343.3, 455/343.5, 455/575.4, 455/572, 455/573, 455/574, 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 method of managing information residing in a portable information equipment, the method comprising:

a first step of judging whether information stored in a storage portion provided in said portable information equipment is one of updated and not updated; and

a second step of backing up the information stored in said storage portion on another storage portion provided in another equipment under a judgment that the information stored in the storage portion is updated in said first step.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

a third step of judging whether the information stored in said storage portion is one of consistent with information stored in said another storage portion and inconsistent with information stored in said another storage portion under a judgment that the information stored in the storage portion is not updated in said first step; and

a fourth step of transferring the information stored in said another storage portion into said storage portion under a judgment that the information stored in the storage portion is inconsistent with information stored in said another storage portion in said third step.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a third step of judging whether an ID stored in said storage portion is consistent with an ID registered in said another storage portion, wherein said first step is allowed under a judgment that the ID stored in said storage portion is consistent with the ID registered in said another storage portion in said third step.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

a third step of requesting a password to be input on said portable information equipment, and

a fourth step of judging whether the password is consistent with a registered password in said another storage portion, wherein said first step is allowed under a judgment that the password is consistent with the registered password in said another storage portion in said fourth step.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said storage portion includes an update bit indicating whether the information stored in said storage portion is one of updated and not updated, wherein said first step includes a step of referring to the update bit.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said another storage portion includes IDs registered in a plurality of ID registration portions holding respective IDs, the method further comprising:

a third step of judging whether an ID stored in said storage portion is consistent with at least one of the IDs registered in said plurality of ID registration portions, wherein said first step is allowed under a judgment that the ID stored in said storage portion is consistent with at least one of the IDs registered in said plurality of ID registration portions in said third step.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein said another storage portion further includes a plurality of password registration portions holding respective registered passwords, the method further comprising:

a fourth step of requesting a password to be input on said portable information equipment, and

a fifth step of judging whether the password is consistent with a registered password in one of said plurality of password registration portions.

8. A method of managing information while a portable information equipment is electrically connected to a storage device capable of charging a battery provided in said portable information equipment, the method comprising:

a first step of judging whether information stored in a storage portion provided in said portable information equipment is one of updated and not updated; and

a second step of backing up the information stored in said storage portion into another storage portion under a judgment that the information stored in the storage portion is updated in said first step.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

a third step of judging whether the information stored in said storage portion is one of consistent with information stored in said storage device and inconsistent with information stored in said storage device under a judgment that the information stored in the storage portion is not updated in said first step; and

a fourth step of transferring the information stored in said storage device into said storage portion under a judgment that the information stored in said storage portion is inconsistent with information stored in said storage device in said third step.

10. The method according to claim 8, further comprising a third step of judging whether an ID stored in said storage portion is consistent with an ID registered in said storage device, wherein said first step is allowed under a judgment that the ID stored in said storage portion is consistent with an ID registered in said storage device in said third step.

11. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

a third step of requesting a password to be input on said portable information equipment, and

a fourth step of judging whether the password is consistent with a registered password in said storage device, wherein said first step is allowed under a judgment that the password is consistent with the registered password in said storage device in said fourth step.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein said storage portion includes an update bit indicating whether the information stored in said storage portion is one of updated and not updated, wherein said first step includes a step of referring to the update bit.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein said storage device includes IDs registered in a plurality of ID registration portions holding respective IDs, the method further comprising:

a third step of judging whether an ID stored in said storage portion is consistent with at least one of the IDs registered in said plurality of ID registration portions, wherein said first step is allowed under a judgment that the ID stored in said storage portion is consistent with at least one of the IDs registered in said plurality of ID registration portions in said third step.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein said storage device further includes a plurality of password registration portions holding respective registered passwords, the method further comprising:

a fourth step of requesting a password to be input on said portable information equipment, and

a fifth step of judging whether the password is consistent with the registered password in one of said plurality of password registration portions.