Information processing system, hand held cellular phone, and information processing method

• US 7,299,988 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2005
• Issued: 11/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kitada, Takaharu
• Primary Examiner(s): ST CYR, DANIEL
• Application Number:
  US11/252,722
• Publication Number:
  US 20060049259A1
• Time in Patent Office: 769 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/376, 235/385, 235/451, 235/492, 235/472.01, 235/462.4
• US Class Current: 235/472.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/025 adapted to a specific application
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10 by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

An information processing system comprises an information providing medium that stores information in an electromagnetic or optical manner, the information providing medium being attached to an entity in order to provide information associated with the entity; a hand held terminal device having an information read function that reads information from the information providing medium in an electromagnetic or optical manner and record the information; and an information processing unit for retrieving the information recorded in the hand held terminal device; wherein the information providing medium is inconspicuously attached to the entity. In this manner, the information can be recorded into the hand held terminal for later use by a user.

Claims

1. An information processing system comprising:

an information providing medium attached to an object, said information providing medium having an IC chip for storing information corresponding to the object and a first antenna connected to the IC chip; and

a cellular phone having a second antenna configured for electro-magnetically interacting with the first antenna to obtain the information when the cellular phone is made close to the information providing medium, means for storing the obtained information in the cellular phone, an information reading unit for processing the information into an audible or visible form, a first means for representing the processed information, and means for transmitting the stored information to additional devices.

2. An information processing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said representing means is a display for displaying the processed information.

3. An information processing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said object is an advertising poster.

4. The information processing system of claim 1, further comprising:

an information processing unit, remote from the cellular phone, having means for receiving the stored information from the cellular phone, means for processing the received information into an audible or visible form, and a second means for representing the processed information.

5. The information processing system of claim 4, wherein the means for transmitting and receiving the stored information comprises an electrically conductive cable connecting the cellular phone and the information processing unit.

6. The information processing system of claim 4, wherein the means for transmitting and receiving the stored information comprises an RS23C interface.

7. The information processing system of claim 4, wherein the means for transmitting and receiving the stored information comprises a USB interface.

8. The information processing system of claim 4, wherein the second means for representing the processed information has a higher resolution than the first means.

9. The information processing system of claim 4, wherein the information processing unit further comprises means for connecting to the Internet.

10. The information processing system of claim 1, wherein said object is a product.

11. The information processing system of claim 1, wherein the cellular phone further comprises means to wirelessly supply power to the information providing medium.

12. A cellular phone comprising:

a telephone function;

means for reading information stored in an information providing medium attached to an object, said information providing medium having an IC chip storing the information corresponding to the object, and a first antenna connected to the IC chip, said reading means having a second antenna configured for electro-magnetically coupling the first antenna to obtain the first information when the cellular phone is made close to the information providing medium;

means for processing the information into an audible or visible form; and

means for representing the processed information.

13. The cellular phone of claim 12, further comprising means for transmitting the stored information to additional devices.

14. An information processing method comprising:

reading first information stored in an information providing medium attached to an article or material when a cellular phone is made close to the information providing medium, the reading being performed by electro-magnetically coupling between a first antenna;

connected with an IC chip included in the information providing medium and a second antenna implemented in the cellular phone;

processing the information into audible or visible form on the cellular phone;

representing the processed information on the cellular phone;

transmitting the information to an additional device;

processing the information into audible or visible form on the additional device; and

representing the processed information on the additional device.