Information exchanging apparatus

• US 8,254,836 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2008
• Issued: 08/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ROHM Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: ROHM Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Tanaka, Masahide
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar, Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): DEAN, JR, JOSEPH E
• Application Number:
  US12/109,697
• Publication Number:
  US 20080268904A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,586 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

An information exchanging apparatus capable of exchanging information with a plurality of outside apparatuses has: a first wireless communicator including a telephone transmitter and telephone receiver for wireless telephone communication with one of the outside apparatuses; a second wireless communicator other than the first wireless communicator; a transmitter arranged to transmit original information to the plurality of outside apparatuses through the second wireless communicator; a processor arranged to process response information from the plurality of outside apparatuses to be received through the second wireless communicator in response to the original information; and a distributor arranged to distribute result information from the processor to the plurality of outside apparatuses through the second wireless communicator.

Claims

1. An information exchanging apparatus capable of exchanging information with a plurality of outside apparatuses comprising:

a first wireless communicator including a telephone transmitter and telephone receiver for wireless telephone communication with any one of the outside apparatuses;

a second wireless communicator other than the first wireless communicator arranged to communicate with a first group of plurality of outside apparatuses within a predetermined communication range of the second wireless communicator;

a transmitter arranged to transmit original information to the first group of plurality of outside apparatuses through the second wireless communicator;

a statistics processor arranged to statistically process response information from the first group of plurality of outside apparatuses to be received through the second wireless communicator in response to the original information to obtain result information comprising statistics closed to a second group of plurality of outside apparatuses which are outside the predetermined communication range of the second wireless communicator; and

a distributor arranged to distribute the result information from the statistics processor to the first group of plurality of outside apparatuses through the second wireless communicator.

2. The information exchanging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a controller arranged to transmit through the first wireless communicator information relating to the response information to one of the second group of plurality of outside apparatuses, which is outside the predetermined communication range of the second wireless communicator, capable of synthesizing the transmitted information and to receive through the first wireless communicator the synthesized information from the one of the second group of plurality of outside apparatuses, wherein the distributor is further arranged to distribute the synthesized information to the first group of plurality of outside apparatuses through the second wireless communicator.

3. The information exchanging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the information relating to the response information is the result information from the statistics processor.

4. The information exchanging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the information related to the response information is the response information as it is.

5. The information exchanging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a controller arranged to receive an original information from one of the first group of plurality of outside apparatuses through the first wireless communicator.

6. The information exchanging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the original information includes a predetermined first part shared with the outside apparatuses and a second part newly determinable in relation to the first part, and wherein the information exchanging apparatus further comprises a manipulation part arranged to newly determine the second part of the original information and a display arranged to display the first part and second part of the original information.

7. The information exchanging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the original information includes a query part and a set of prepared options part, at least one of the options being selectable as an answer to the query.

8. The information exchanging apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a selector arranged to select the transmitter to function, a judging unit arranged to judge whether or not a condition is fulfilled for the function of the transmitter, and a controller arranged to make the selector impossible to select the transmitter with the judging part judging that the condition is not fulfilled.

9. An information exchanging apparatus capable of exchanging information with a plurality of outside apparatuses comprising:

a wireless communicator arranged to communicate with the plurality of outside apparatuses;

a transmitter arranged to transmit original information to the plurality of outside apparatuses through the wireless communicator, the original information including a predetermined first part shared with the outside apparatuses and a second part newly determinable in relation to the first part;

a manipulation part arranged to newly determine the second part of the original information; and

a display arranged to display the predetermined first part and the newly determined second part of the original information.

10. The information exchanging apparatus according to claim 9 further comprising another wireless communicator including a telephone transmitter and telephone receiver for wireless telephone communication with one of the outside apparatuses, wherein the first mentioned wireless communicator is other than the second mentioned wireless communicator.

11. The information exchanging apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the first part including an identification of the original information and the second part including contents of the original information.

12. The information exchanging apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the original information includes a query part and a set of prepared options part, at least one of the options being selectable as an answer to the query.

13. The information exchanging apparatus according to claim 12 further comprising a processor arranged to process the options part under selection by the plurality of outside apparatuses to be received through the wireless communicator in response to the query part and a distributor arranged to distribute result information from the processor to the plurality of outside apparatuses through the wireless communicator.

14. The information exchanging apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the query part and the options part each includes the first part including an identification of the original information and the second part including contents of the original information.

15. The information exchanging apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the processor is arranged to process the options part by means of the first part including the identification to be received through the wireless communicator.

16. An information exchanging apparatus capable of exchanging information with a plurality of outside apparatuses comprising:

a wireless communicator;

an information exchanging unit arranged to exchange information with the plurality of outside apparatuses through the wireless communicator;

a statistics processor arranged to statistically process the information exchanged through the wireless communicator;

a selector arranged to select the information exchanging unit to function for use in the statistics processor;

a judging unit arranged to judge whether or not a condition is fulfilled for the function of the information exchanging unit for use in the statistics processor; and

a controller arranged to make the selector impossible to select the information exchanging unit with the judging part judging that the condition is not fulfilled.

17. The information exchanging apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the condition is the existence of at least one of the outside apparatuses capable of exchanging information.

18. The information exchanging apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the condition is the number of the outside apparatuses capable of exchanging information.

19. The information exchanging apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the condition is the number of the outside apparatuses capable of exchanging information is stable.

20. The information exchanging apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the condition is the existence of at least one of the outside apparatuses consenting to the information exchange.