Peripheral device, communication system, central control device, communication method, and recording medium recording communication program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10942872-B2
Application number	US-201916388562-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 18, 2019
Priority date	Apr 20, 2018
Publication date	Mar 9, 2021
Grant date	Mar 9, 2021

Abstract

A peripheral device communicates with a central control device. The peripheral device includes a control circuit. The control circuit is configured to acquire, from another peripheral device, first information including a topic provided for the central control device or a user of the central control device, integrate the first information with second information which is included in the peripheral device and includes a topic provided for the central control device or the user of the central control device, to generate third information, and transmit the third information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A first peripheral device which communicates with a central control device, the first peripheral device comprising:
a memory storing first topic information, the first topic including at least one of (A) a state of the first peripheral device, and (B) a usage history of the first peripheral device;
a communication device having a first communication circuit and a second communication circuit, wherein the second communication circuit is a higher power, higher capacity communication circuit than the first communication circuit; and
a control circuit configured to:
acquire, from a second peripheral device, second information including second topic information, the second topic information including at least one of (A) a state of the second peripheral device, and (B) a usage history of the second peripheral device;
integrate the first topic information with the second topic information, to generate third topic information, wherein the third topic information includes at least one topic aggregated and/or summarized from the first topic information and the second topic information and includes (1) an advertising signal portion and (2) a detailed portion; and
cause the first communication circuit of the communication device to transmit the advertising signal portion of the third topic information to the central control device;
receive, from the central control device, a request for the detailed portion of the third topic; and
responsive to receiving the request for the detailed portion of the third topic, cause the second communication circuit of the communication device to transmit, from the first peripheral device to the control device, the detailed portion of the third topic information.

2. A communication system comprising:
a first peripheral device storing first topic information, the first topic information including at least one of (A) a state of the first peripheral device, and (B) a usage history of the first peripheral device;
a second peripheral device communicating with the first peripheral device and transmitting to the first peripheral device, second topic information, the second topic information including at least one of (A) a state of the second peripheral device, and (B) a usage history of the second peripheral device; and
a central control device communicating with at least the first peripheral device,
wherein the first peripheral device includes:
a communication device having a first communication circuit and a second communication circuit, wherein the second communication circuit is a higher power, higher capacity communication circuit than the first communication circuit; and
a control circuit configured to:
acquire, from the second peripheral device, the second topic information;
integrate the first topic information with the second topic information, to generate third topic information, wherein the third topic information includes at least one topic aggregated and/or summarized from the first topic information and the second topic information and includes (1) an advertising signal portion and (2) a detailed portion; and
cause the first communication circuit of the communication device to transmit the advertising signal portion of the third topic information to the central control device;
receive, from the central control device, a request for the detailed portion of the third topic; and
responsive to receiving the request for the detailed portion of the third topic, cause the second communication circuit of the communication device to transmit, from the first peripheral device to the control device, the detailed portion of the third topic information.

3. A method executed in a communication system including a first peripheral device, a second peripheral device, and a central control device, the method comprising:
storing, on the first peripheral device, first topic information, the first topic information including at least one of (A) a state of the first peripheral device, and (B) a usage history of the first peripheral device;
transmitting, from the second peripheral device to the first peripheral device, second topic information, the second topic information including at least one of (A) a state of the second peripheral device, and (B) a usage history of the second peripheral device;
receiving by the first peripheral device, the second topic information;
responsive to receiving the second topic information,
integrating, by the first peripheral device, (1) first topic information and (2) the second topic information, to generate third topic information, wherein the third topic information includes at least one topic aggregated and/or summarized from the first topic information and the second topic information and includes (1) an advertising signal portion, and (2) a detailed portion, and
transmitting, from the first peripheral device to the central control device, the advertising signal portion of the third topic information, using a first communication circuit;

receiving, by the first peripheral device from the central control device, a request for the detailed portion of the third topic; and
responsive to receiving the request for the detailed portion of the third topic, transmitting, from the first peripheral device to the control device, the detailed portion of the third topic information, using a second communication circuit, wherein the second communication circuit is a higher power, higher capacity communication circuit than the first communication circuit.

4. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium recording communication programs in a communication system including a first peripheral device, a second peripheral device, and a central control device communicating, the communication programs causing the first peripheral device to perform a method comprising:
storing, on the first peripheral device, first topic information, the first topic information including at least one of (A) a state of the first peripheral device, and (B) a usage history of the first peripheral device;
transmitting, from the second peripheral device to the first peripheral device, second topic information, the second topic information including at least one of (A) a state of the second peripheral device, and (B) a usage history of the second peripheral device;
receiving by the first peripheral device, the second topic information;
responsive to receiving the second topic information,
integrating, by the first peripheral device, (1) first topic information and (2) the second topic information, to generate third topic information, wherein the third topic information includes at least one topic aggregated and/or summarized from the first topic information and the second topic information and includes (1) an advertising signal portion, and (2) a detailed portion, and
transmitting, from the first peripheral device to the central control device, the advertising signal portion of the third topic information, using a first communication circuit;

receiving, by the first peripheral device from the central control device, a request for the detailed portion of the third topic; and
responsive to receiving the request for the detailed portion of the third topic, transmitting, from the first peripheral device to the control device, the detailed portion of the third topic information, using a second communication circuit, wherein the second communication circuit is a higher power, higher capacity communication circuit than the first communication circuit.

5. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
receiving, by the central control device, the detailed portion of third topic information;
responsive to receiving the third topic information, determining, by the central control device, a proposal; and
rendering the proposal to a user to prompt a user to take

Assignees

• Olympus Corp

Inventors

• Toyoda Tetsuya
• Shintani Koichi
• Ito Kensei
• Kawaguchi Katsuhisa
• Ogata Yoshihisa
• Fukushima Keito
• Osa Kazuhiko
• Nonaka Osamu

Classifications

• G06F3/167 Primary

  Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback · CPC title

• G10L15/22

  Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue · CPC title

• G10L2015/223

  Execution procedure of a spoken command · CPC title

• G10L2015/228

  of application context · CPC title

• G06F13/102 Primary

  where the program performs an interfacing function, e.g. device driver (G06F13/105 takes precedence; contention policies within device drivers G06F9/4881; scheduling within device drivers G06F9/52) · CPC title