Communication system and method, information processing apparatus and method, information processing terminal and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9516687-B2
Application number	US-201514594603-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 12, 2015
Priority date	Oct 16, 2001
Publication date	Dec 6, 2016
Grant date	Dec 6, 2016

Abstract

The present invention relates to a communication system and a method thereof, an information processing apparatus and a method thereof, an information processing terminal and a method thereof, which can start wireless communication easily and promptly. When an electromagnetic wave radiated from a reader/writer of a PDA is received in a reader/writer of a personal computer, the personal computer notifies the PDA of device information stored therein. The PDA establishes synchronization for Bluetooth communication with the personal computer in accordance with a Bluetooth address contained in the device information and selects a service in accordance with a service record contained in the device information to establish communication via Bluetooth. The present invention can be applied to various information processing apparatuses such as a personal computer or a PDA.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An information processing apparatus, comprising:
an acquisition unit configured to acquire device information associated with a communications apparatus, the device information comprising identification information and service attribute information, the service attribute information identifying attributes of at least one first service;
a selection unit configured to select a second service for performance by the information processing apparatus based on the service attribute information; and
a communication establishing unit configured to establish a direct wireless communication session with the communications apparatus using the identification information, the information processing apparatus being configured to perform the selected second service in conjunction with the communications apparatus across the wireless communication session,
wherein the acquisition unit, the selection unit, and the communication establishing unit are each implemented via at least one processor.

2. The information processing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising an activation unit configured to:
determine whether the communication establishing unit established the wireless communication session with the communications apparatus; and
when the wireless communication session is determined to be established, activate a function of the wireless communication session in accordance with the selected second service,
wherein the activation unit is implemented via at least one processor.

3. The information processing apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the activation unit is further configured to activate the function of the wireless communication session in accordance with at least one service attribute of the selected second service.

4. The information processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the service attribute information identifies attributes of a plurality of first services performable by the communications apparatus; and
the selection unit is further configured to establish one of the first services as the second service based on a corresponding portion of the identified attributes.

5. The information processing apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the selection unit is further configured to:
identify a candidate service for performance by the information processing apparatus;
determine whether an attribute of the candidate service matches an attribute of a corresponding one of the first services; and
when the candidate service attribute is determined to match the attribute of the corresponding first service, establish the corresponding first service as the second service.

6. The information processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the acquisition unit is further configured to acquire the device information from the communications apparatus using radio-wave communication.

7. The Information processing apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the acquisition unit comprises an antenna configured to perform the radio-wave communication.

8. The information processing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a detection unit configured to detect the communications apparatus based on at least a first signal transmitted by the communications apparatus at a first power mode, wherein:
the acquisition unit is further configured to acquire, in response to the detection, confirmation information from the communications apparatus, the confirmation information comprising an image of the communications apparatus; and
the communications establishing unit is further configured to:
obtain information verifying the image from a user of the communications apparatus; and
establish, based on the obtained user verification, the wireless communication session with the communications apparatus, the wireless communication session being established based on at least a second signal transmitted by the communications apparatus at a second power mode,
wherein the detection unit is implemented via at least one processor.

9. The information processing apparatus of claim 8 wherein:
the information processing apparatus further comprises a receiving unit configured to receive the first signal from the communications apparatus at the first power mode; and
the detection unit is further configured to detect a proximity of the communications apparatus in response to the reception of the first signal,
wherein the receiving unit is implemented via at least one processor.

10. The information processing apparatus of claim 9 , wherein:
the receiving unit is further configured to receive the second signal from the communications apparatus;
the communications establishing unit is further configured to establish the wireless communication session in response to the reception of the second signal; and
a power level associated with the second power mode exceeds a power level associated with the first power mode.

11. The information processing apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the communications establishing unit is further configured to:
generate an instruction to display the image of the communications apparatus to the user; and
receive, from the user, the information verifying the image of the communications apparatus.

12. The information processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the device information comprises device type information.

13. The information processing apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the device type information identifying a type of at least one of the information processing apparatus or the communications apparatus.

14. The Information processing apparatus of claim 12 , where in the device information identifies a number of additional device with which the communications apparatus is configured to communicate simultaneously across the wireless communication session.

15. The information processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the wireless communication session comprises a Bluetooth communication session.

16. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
obtaining, by at least one processor, device information associated with a communications apparatus, the device information comprising identification information and service attribute information, the service attribute information identifying attributes of at least one first service;
identifying, using the at least one processor, a second service for performance by an information processing apparatus based on the service attribute information; and
establishing, using the at least one processor, a direct wireless communication session between the information processing apparatus and the communications apparatus using the identification information; and
using the at least one processor, performing the selected second service in conjunction with the communications apparatus across the wireless communication session.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16 , further comprising activating a function of the wireless communication session in accordance with the selected second service in response to the established wireless communication session.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17 , further comprising activating the function of the wireless communication session in accordance with at least one service attribute of the selected second service.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein:
the service attribute information identifies attributes of a plurality of first services performable by the communications apparatus; and
the method further comprises establishing one of the first services as the second service based on a corresponding portion of the identified

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Sasai Takashi
• Kakuda Hiroshi
• Higo Masamitsu

Classifications

• H04W8/005

  Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals · CPC title

• H04W76/023 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04W56/002 Primary

  Mutual synchronization · CPC title

• H04W92/18

  between terminal devices · CPC title

• H04W4/008

  Electricity · mapped topic