Information communication unit, information communication system and information synchronization method
Abstract
[Task] The purpose is to provide an information communication device that synchronizes data between two or more devices without the user being particularly aware of it and suppresses the occurrence of problems caused by data mismatch.
Solution.After the schedule data 9a is updated by the personal computer 1a by e-mail or the like, when the user holding the PDA 11 approaches the personal computer 1a and the wireless communication unit 7 and the wireless communication unit 13 enter the wireless communication range, the wireless communication unit 7 and the wireless communication unit 13 enter the wireless communication range. Both sides automatically establish a wireless communication link and synchronize the data so that the updated contents of the schedule data 9a are reflected in the schedule data 15a of the PDA 11.

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31 claims: 16 independent, 15 dependent
- 1【特許請求の範囲】 【請求項1】データを入力する入力手段と、 この入力手段により入力されたデータを記憶する記憶手段と、 外部機器との間で無線通信を行なう無線通信手段と、 この無線通信手段を外部機器との間で無線通信リンクを確立するよう、所定のタイミングで起動する起動手段と、 上記確立された無線通信リンクを介して、上記無線通信手段により上記外部機器とのデータの同期化を図るため上記記憶手段に記憶されたデータを送信させる制御手段と、を具備することを特徴とする情報通信装置。
- 2【請求項2】上記無線通信手段は、 外部機器に対して第1要求を送信する第1の送信手段と、 上記第1要求に対する外部機器からの応答を受信する受信手段と、 この受信手段が受信した上記応答に含まれる情報に基づいて特定の外部機器と無線通信可能であることを判断する判断手段と、 この判断手段による判断の結果、特定の外部機器に無線通信リンク設定のための第2要求を送信する第2の送信手段と、を有することを特徴とする請求項1記載の情報通信装置。
- 3【請求項3】上記第1応答には外部機器を識別する識別情報が含まれており、上記判断手段は上記識別情報に基づいて上記特定の外部機器であることを判断することを特徴とする請求項2記載の情報通信装置。
- 4【請求項4】上記判断手段は、特定の外部機器を判断するための識別情報を予め記憶する第2の記憶手段を有することを特徴とする請求項3記載の情報通信装置。
- 5【請求項5】上記第2要求は、上記識別情報を含むことを特徴とする請求項4記載の情報通信装置。
- 6【請求項6】上記所定のタイミングを予め設定する設定手段をさらに有することを特徴とする請求項2記載の情報通信装置。
- 7【請求項7】上記設定手段は、上記記憶手段が記憶するデータの内容が変更されたことを上記所定のタイミングのトリガとするよう設定することを特徴とする請求項6記載の情報通信装置。
- 8【請求項8】上記設定手段は、上記記憶手段が記憶するデータの内容が変更されることに関わらず、定期的に上記所定のタイミングを発生するよう設定することを特徴とする請求項6記載の情報通信装置。
- 9【請求項9】データを入力する入力手段と、 この入力手段により入力されたデータを記憶する記憶手段と、 外部の機器との間で無線通信を行なう無線通信手段と、 この無線通信手段の通信相手として特定の外部機器を設定する設定手段と、 この設定手段にて設定された上記特定の外部機器との間で所定のタイミングで無線通信リンクを確立するよう上記無線通信手段を起動する起動手段と、 上記確立された無線通信リンクを介して、上記無線通信手段から上記特定の外部機器へデータの同期化を図るため上記記憶手段に記憶されたデータを送信させる制御手段と、を具備することを特徴とする情報通信装置。
- 10【請求項10】データを入力する入力手段と、 この入力手段により入力されたデータを記憶する記憶手段と、 外部の機器との間で無線通信を行なう無線通信手段と、 この無線通信手段の通信相手として特定の外部機器を設定する設定手段と、 この設定手段により設定された特定の外部機器が無線通信可能範囲に存在するかを所定のタイミングで問合せる問合せ手段と、 この問合せ手段からの問合せに対する特定の他の機器からの応答を受信した場合、上記特定の他の機器を呼出して無線通信リンク確立を行なう呼出し手段と、 上記確立した無線通信リンクを介して、上記無線通信手段から特定の外部機器へデータの同期化を図るため上記記憶手段に記憶されたデータを送信させる制御手段と、を具備することを特徴とする情報通信装置。
- 11【請求項11】データを記憶する記憶手段と、 この記憶手段に記憶されたデータを変更する変更手段と、 外部の機器との間で無線通信を行なう無線通信手段と、 上記変更手段にてデータの変更が為されたことをトリガとして、上記外部の機器との間で無線通信リンクを確立するよう上記無線通信手段を起動する起動手段と、 上記確立した無線通信リンクを介して、上記無線通信手段から上記外部の機器へ上記変更手段にて変更されたデータを送信させる制御手段と、を具備することを特徴とする情報通信装置。
- 12【請求項12】上記変更されたデータは、他のデータと区別可能するためのフラグを有することを特徴とする請求項11記載の情報通信装置。
- 13【請求項13】データを記憶する記憶手段と、 この記憶手段に記憶されたデータを変更する変更手段と、 外部の機器との間で無線通信を行なう無線通信手段と、 上記変更手段にてデータの変更が為されたことをトリガとして、上記外部の機器との間で無線通信リンクを確立するよう上記無線通信手段を起動する起動手段と、 この起動手段による起動時に無線通信リンク確立に失敗した場合、所定時間後に再度無線通信リンク確立のため上記無線通信手段を再起動する再起動手段と、 上記確立した無線通信リンクを介して、上記無線通信手段から上記外部の機器へ上記変更手段にて変更されたデータを送信させる制御手段と、を具備することを特徴とする情報通信装置。
- 14【請求項14】データを記憶する記憶手段と、 この記憶手段に記憶されたデータを変更する変更手段と、 外部機器との間で無線通信を行なう無線通信手段と、 上記記憶手段に記憶されたデータを上記外部機器が記憶するデータと同期化を図るため、上記無線通信手段を介して定期的に上記外部機器とデータ通信を行なわせる制御手段と、を具備することを特徴とする情報通信装置。
- 15【請求項15】データを記憶する記憶手段と、 外部の機器との間で無線通信を行なう無線通信手段と、 外部の機器との間で無線通信リンクを確立するよう上記無線通信手段を起動する起動手段と、 上記確立した無線通信リンクを介して、上記無線通信手段から外部の機器へ特定のデータを送信するよう要求する要求手段と、 上記無線通信リンクを介して受信した上記特定のデータを用いて、上記記憶手段のデータを更新する更新手段と、を具備することを特徴とする情報通信装置。
- 16【請求項16】上記要求手段は、上記外部の機器が上記特定データを有しているかを問合せる問合せ手段を有し、この問合せ手段からの問合せへの上記特定の外部機器からの応答に従い上記要求を送信することを特徴とする請求項15記載の情報通信装置。
- 17【請求項17】上記特定データは、上記記憶手段のデータを同期化するためのデータであることを特徴とする請求項16記載の無線通信装置。
- 18【請求項18】スケジュールデータを記憶する記憶手段と、 この記憶手段に記憶されたスケジュールデータを変更する変更手段と、 外部の機器との間で無線通信を行なう無線通信手段と、 この無線通信手段の通信相手として特定の外部機器を設定する設定手段と、 上記変更手段にてデータの変更が為されたことをトリガとして、特定の外部の機器との間で無線通信リンクを確立するよう上記無線通信手段を起動する起動手段と、 上記確立した無線通信リンクを介して、上記無線通信手段から外部の機器へ上記変更手段にて変更されたスケジュールデータを送信させる制御手段と、を具備することを特徴とする情報通信装置。
- 19【請求項19】所定のデータを記憶する第1の記憶手段と、 外部機器と無線通信を行なう無線通信手段と、 上記第1の記憶手段と異なる第2の記憶手段と、 上記無線通信手段を介して上記第1の記憶手段に対する同期化用データを受信し、且つ上記第1の記憶手段が上記同期化データによる同期化を実行できない状態の場合上記第2の記憶手段が上記同期化データを記憶し、上記第1の記憶手段が同期化実行状態となった後上記第2の記憶手段にある上記同期化データを用いて上記第1の記憶手段内のデータを更新する制御手段と、を具備することを特徴とする情報通信装置。
- 20【請求項20】所定のデータを記憶した第1の装置及び第2の装置の間でデータ通信を行なう情報通信システムにおいて、 上記第1の装置は、 上記所定のデータを記憶する第1の記憶手段と、 第1の無線通信手段とを有し、 上記第2の装置は、 上記所定のデータを記憶する第2の記憶手段と、 上記第1の通信手段との間で無線通信を行なう第2の無線通信手段と、 この第2の無線通信手段と上記第1の無線通信手段とで無線通信リンクを確立するよう、上記第2の無線通信手段を所定のタイミングで起動する起動手段と、を具備し、 上記確立された無線通信リンクを介して、上記第1の無線通信手段と上記第2の無線通信手段との間で、上記第1の記憶手段及び上記第2の記憶手段に記憶されたそれぞれのデータを同期化するためデータ通信を行なうことを特徴とする情報通信システム。
- 21【請求項21】上記第2の装置は、上記所定のタイミングを予め設定する設定手段をさらに有することを特徴とする請求項20記載の情報通信システム。
- 22【請求項22】上記第2の装置は、上記第2の記憶手段に記憶されたデータを変更する変更手段をさらに有し、上記設定手段は、この変更手段がデータ変更を行なったことを上記所定のタイミングのトリガとするよう設定することを特徴とする請求項21記載の情報通信システム。
- 23【請求項23】上記設定手段は、定期的に上記所定のタイミングを発生するよう設定することを特徴とする請求項21記載の情報通信装置。
- 24【請求項24】所定のデータを記憶した第1の装置及び第2の装置の間でデータ通信を行なう情報通信システムにおいて、 上記第1の装置は、 上記所定のデータを記憶する第1の記憶手段と、 この第1の記憶手段に記憶されたデータを上記第2の装置からのデータに基づいて変更する第1の変更手段と、 上記第2の装置との間で無線通信を行なう第1の無線通信手段とを有し、 上記第2の装置は、 上記所定のデータを記憶する第2の記憶手段と、 この記憶手段に記憶されたデータを変更する第2の変更手段と、 上記第1の通信手段との間で無線通信を行なう第2の無線通信手段と、 上記第2の変更手段にてデータの変更が為された場合、上記第2の通信手段と上記第1の無線通信手段との間で無線通信リンクを確立するよう起動する起動手段と、 上記確立された無線通信リンクを介して、上記第2の無線通信手段から上記第1の無線通信手段へ、上記第2の変更手段にて変更されたデータを送信させる制御手段とを有し、 上記第1の変更手段は、上記無線通信リンクを介して受信したデータに従い、上記第1の記憶手段に記憶されたデータを変更することを特徴とする情報通信システム。
- 25【請求項25】所定のデータを記憶した第1の装置及び第2の装置の間でデータ通信を行なう情報通信システムにおいて、 上記第1の装置は、 上記所定のデータを記憶する第1の記憶手段と、 この第1の記憶手段に記憶されたデータを変更する変更手段と、 第1の無線通信手段とを有し、上記第2の装置は、 上記所定のデータを記憶する第2の記憶手段と、 上記第1の無線通信手段との間で無線通信を行う第2の無線通信手段と、 上記第1の無線通信手段と上記第2の無線通信手段との間で無線通信リンクを確立するよう上記第2の無線通信手段を起動する起動手段と、 上記確立した無線通信リンクを介して、上記第1の装置へ上記第1の変更手段にて変更されたデータを送信するよう要求する要求手段と、 上記無線通信リンクを介して上記第1の装置から受信した上記変更されたデータに従い、上記第2の記憶手段のデータを変更する第2の変更手段と、を具備することを特徴とする情報通信システム。
- 26【請求項26】所定のデータを記憶した第1の装置及び第2の装置の間でデータ通信を行なうことによりデータの同期化を行なう情報同期化方法において、 所定のタイミングであることを判断し、 上記所定のタイミングであると判断すると上記第1の装置と上記第2の装置との間で無線通信リンクを確立し、 上記無線通信リンクを介して上記第1の装置と上記第2の装置が記憶するデータを同期化する、ことを特徴とする情報同期化方法。
- 27【請求項27】上記所定のタイミングは、上記第1の装置が記憶するデータと上記第2の装置が記憶するデータの少なくとも一方が変更されたことをトリガとして設定されることを特徴とする請求項26記載の情報同期化方法。
- 28【請求項28】上記第1の装置及び上記第2の装置の内、データ変更が生じたいずれか一方の装置から変更データを他方の装置に送信することを特徴とする請求項27記載の情報同期化方法。
- 29【請求項29】上記第1の装置及び上記第2の装置の内、一方の装置から他方装置へ、他方の装置の変更データを要求して、受信した変更データにより一方の装置がデータの同期化を行なうことを特徴とする請求項26記載の情報同期化方法。
- 30【請求項30】上記所定のタイミングは、定期的に発生するよう設定されることを特徴とする請求項26記載の情報同期化方法。
- 31【請求項31】所定のデータを記憶した第1の装置及び第2の装置の間で情報通信を行なうことにより情報を同期化するデータ同期化を行なう情報同期化方法において、 上記第1の装置において、データの変更入力を受付け、 変更入力が為されたことをトリガとして、上記第2の装置との間で無線通信リンク設定を行ない、 無線通信リンクを介して上記第1の装置から上記第2の装置へ変更されたデータを無線送信し、 上記第2の装置は、無線により送られた変更データを受信し、 この変更データに従い、記憶したデータの変更を行なうことを特徴とする情報同期化方法。
Independent claims31
191 paragraphs in 1 section, as filed
Description: TECHNICAL FIELD [Detailed description of the invention]
【0001】
[Technical field to which the invention belongs]
The present invention relates to an information communication device and a data synchronization method for synchronizing data between different devices owned by a user.
【0002】
[Conventional technology]
In recent years, with the development of information and communication technology, various information and communication devices such as personal computers (hereinafter referred to as personal computers), portable personal information terminals (hereinafter referred to as PDAs), and mobile phones have become widespread. In addition, one user does not own only one product, but one user owns multiple devices by taking advantage of the characteristics of each product. For example, in the office, a personal computer is used, and when going out, a lighter, thinner, shorter, and smaller PDA is carried.
【0003】
The problem in these cases is the data synchronization between two or more devices, in the above case, the personal computer and the PDA. In particular, schedule management data is often updated, and it is a problem if the latest data cannot always be accessed. In the case of a personal computer, not only the user inputs from an input device such as a keyboard, but also due to the recent spread of local area networks (hereinafter referred to as LAN) and schedule management software, the personal computer in the office is sent by e-mail from another personal computer. Content may be added to your schedule management data from the meeting notification. On the other hand, when going out, schedule data may be input to the PDA. If the data of both devices are changed separately in this way, the latest data for the user cannot be accessed when the device that has not been changed is operated. Therefore, it is desirable that different data input by the personal computer or PDA can be synchronized and the latest data can be accessed by both the personal computer and the PDA.
【0004】
One of the techniques for synchronizing data between different devices is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-20370. This is a technology for synchronizing data between a personal computer and a PDA using a public line and the Internet. When the user carries the PDA and is away from the computer, by connecting the PDA to a public line, the PDA change data is sent to the computer by e-mail as data synchronization information, and the internal database on the computer side. Is to update.
【0005】
[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]
In the case of the conventional synchronization technology, in order to synchronize the data of each device, it is necessary for the user to make some kind of communication connection such as connecting to a public line each time. Therefore, there is a problem that data is not synchronized unless the user makes the connection. Then, if the user thinks that the data has been synchronized and relies on the data that has not been updated, a problem may occur due to the difference from the latest data that should be updated.
【0006】
Therefore, the present invention provides an information communication device that synchronizes data between two or more devices without the user being particularly aware of it, and suppresses the occurrence of problems caused by data mismatch, and a data synchronization method. With the goal.
【0007】
[Means for solving problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the information communication device according to the present invention is a wireless communication device that performs wireless communication between an input means for inputting data, a storage means for storing the data input by the input means, and an external device. The external by the wireless communication means via the communication means, the activation means for activating the wireless communication means at a predetermined timing to establish a wireless communication link with the external device, and the established wireless communication link. It is characterized by including a control means for transmitting the data stored in the storage means in order to synchronize the data with the device.
【0008】
Further, the information communication device according to the present invention includes a storage means for storing data, a changing means for changing the data stored in the storage means, and a wireless communication means for performing wireless communication between an external device. Triggered by the fact that the data has been changed by the changing means, the activation means for activating the wireless communication means to establish the wireless communication link with the external device and the established wireless communication link are used. An information communication device comprising: a control means for transmitting data changed by the change means from the wireless communication means to the external device via the means.
【0009】
Further, the wireless communication device according to the present invention is a wireless communication device for establishing a wireless communication link between a storage means for storing data, a wireless communication means for performing wireless communication with an external device, and an external device. Received via the wireless communication link, the activation means that activates the communication means, the requesting means that requests the wireless communication means to transmit specific data to an external device via the established wireless communication link, and the wireless communication link. It is characterized by including an updating means for updating the data of the storage means using the specific data.
【0010】
According to the information communication device configured as described above, data synchronization between two or more devices can be performed without the user being particularly aware of it, and the occurrence of problems due to data mismatch can be suppressed. ..
【0011】
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of an information communication system according to the present embodiment.
【0012】
The personal computers 1a, 1b, and 1c are provided with LAN communication units 3a, 3b, and 3c, respectively, and are connected to LAN5 to which the host device 4 is connected so as to send / receive e-mails and perform other communications. The personal computer 1a is further equipped with a wireless communication unit 7 that performs short-range wireless communication with an external device, and a schedule management software 9 is installed, and holds the schedule data 9a used by the schedule management software 9. .. The PDA 11 includes a wireless communication unit 13 that performs wireless communication with the wireless communication unit 7. Then, the schedule management software 15 compatible with the above schedule management software 9 is installed, and the schedule data 15a used by the schedule management software 15 is retained. The wireless communication units 7 and 13 are wireless communication modules compatible with the Bluetooth standard Ver.1.0.
【0013】
In this embodiment, the personal computer 1a and the PDA 11 synchronize the schedule data 9a and 15a, respectively, via the wireless communication units 7 and 13. The general flow of data synchronization is as follows.
【0014】
When the personal computer 1a receives an e-mail of the conference holding notification from the host device 4 via LAN5, the schedule management software 9 extracts necessary information such as the title, date and time, and location from the e-mail and extracts the necessary information such as the title, date and time, and location of the schedule data 9a. Make changes. With the schedule data 9a changed, when the user holding the PDA11 approaches the personal computer 1a by returning to the office, etc., and the wireless communication unit 7 and the wireless communication unit 13 enter the wireless communication range, both parties A wireless communication link is automatically set up, and schedule data 9a and 15a are synchronized.
【0015】
Subsequently, the specific configurations of the personal computer 1a and the PDA 11 in the present embodiment will be described in detail.
【0016】
As shown in FIG. 2, the personal computer 1a is a notebook type computer consisting of a computer main body 21 and a display unit 23 and can be opened and closed by a hinge portion (not shown). As shown in FIG. 2, the computer main body 21 has a CPU 25 that controls the operation of the personal computer. The CPU 25 is connected to the main memory 31, the graphics controller 33 including VRAM, and the PCI bus 35 via the CPU bus 27 and the host-PCI bridge 29. CPU 25 executes the operating system, application programs, and BIOS loaded in main memory 31. The host-PCI bridge 29 is a bus bridge for connecting the CPU bus 27 and the PCI bus 35, and also has a memory control function for controlling the main memory 31 and a function for transferring data between the graphics controller 33 and the CPU bus 27. I have. The graphics controller 33 is connected to an LCD 37 provided in the display unit 23.
【0017】
A LAN communication unit 3a for transmitting / receiving data to / from LAN 5, an I / O controller 39, and a PCI-ISA bridge 41 are connected to the PCI bus 35. The I / O controller 39 has a built-in USB controller 39a and is connected to the wireless communication unit 7 via the USB 41. The PCI-ISA bridge 41 is a bus bridge for connecting the PCI bus 35 to the ISA bus 43, and is further connected to the built-in HDD 57. The HDD 57 stores the schedule management software 9 and the schedule data 9a in addition to the operating system, and each software and data is loaded into the main memory 31 when the software is executed.
【0018】
A baseband unit 45 connected to the USB 41 is connected to the wireless communication unit 7. Further, the baseband unit 45 is connected to the antenna unit 51 via a high frequency circuit unit (hereinafter referred to as RF unit) 49 connected to the crystal oscillator unit 47, and is also connected to the flash ROM 53 and the RAM 55. .. The antenna unit 51 executes wireless communication using a frequency band of 2.4 to 2.5 GHz, and is provided in the upper region of the display unit 23 when opened in consideration of the radiation characteristics of radio waves. .. The crystal oscillator 47 supplies the reference wave used in the RF section 49. The RF unit 49 performs signal processing capable of executing communication at the radio frequency used. The baseband unit 81 performs digital processing such as modulation / demodulation processing and frequency hopping processing of data input / output via the antenna unit 51 and the RF unit 49. The data input / output to / from the baseband unit 81 via the antenna unit 51 and the RF unit 49 is temporarily stored in the RAM 55 and exchanged with the USB controller 39a. The flash ROM 53 stores the driver software used in the wireless communication unit 7 and a globally unique maximum 48-bit ID code for the wireless communication unit 7.
【0019】
A keyboard 59, a BIOS-ROM 61, and an Embedded Controller (hereinafter referred to as EC) 63 are connected to the ISA bus 43. The keyboard 59 is equipped with a pointing device such as AccuPoint. Further, a power controller 65, a power switch 67, a wireless communication switch 69, a main power supply LED 71, a wireless communication LED 73, and a synchronization notification LED 75 are connected to the EC 63.
【0020】
The BIOS-ROM61 stores the BIOS, which is a program that systematizes routines for controlling each hardware in the personal computer 1a.
【0021】
The EC63 provides a power sequence control function that controls the power on / off of the entire personal computer 1a and each device in cooperation with the power controller 65. That is, the EC 63 and the power controller 65 control to turn on / off the power of the personal computer 1a according to the operation of the power switch 67, and independently only the wireless communication unit 7 according to the operation of the wireless communication switch 69. Controls to turn the power on / off. The EC63 lights the main power supply LED 71 when the personal computer 1a power is turned on, lights the wireless communication LED 73 when the wireless communication unit 7 power is turned on, and lights the synchronization notification LED 75 when the schedule data is synchronized. If you want to use the personal computer 1a in a place where wireless communication is restricted, such as in an airplane, turn on the power with the power switch 67 and then turn off only the wireless communication unit 7 with the wireless communication switch 69, except for the wireless communication unit 7. Can be operated. On the other hand, if it is desired to put only the wireless communication unit 7 into the operating state for reasons such as reducing the power consumption of the battery (not shown), it is realized by turning on the wireless communication switch 69 from the state where the personal computer 1a is turned off. When only the wireless communication unit 7 is in the operating state and the schedule data is synchronized, after the data is received by the wireless communication unit 7 until the personal computer 1a and / or the schedule management software 9 is in the operating state. The received data is temporarily stored in RAM55. Then, data synchronization will be performed after the personal computer 1a and the schedule management software 9 are in the operating state.
【0022】
Next, the specific configuration of PDA11 will be described with reference to FIG.
【0023】
The PDA 11 also has a CPU 81 like the personal computer 1a. The flash ROM 85, RAM 87, LCD 89, VRAM 91, tablet 93, I / O controller 95, and EC 97 are connected to this CPU 81 via the internal bus 83. The I / O controller 95 has a USB controller 95a like the I / O controller 39 of the personal computer 1a, and transmits / receives data to / from the wireless communication unit 13 via the USB 99. Since the internal configuration of the wireless communication unit 13 is the same as that of the wireless communication unit 7, the description thereof will be omitted. A power controller 101, a power switch 103, a wireless communication switch 105, a synchronous notification LED 107, a synchronous notification buzzer 109, and a synchronous notification vibrator 111 are connected to the EC97. Further, the PDA 11 is provided with an input pen 113 used for handwriting and other data input as a separate body.
【0024】
The CPU 81 controls the entire PDA 11 and executes various functions by executing the software stored in the flash ROM 85. The flash ROM 85 is a read-only memory device for storing a program for operating the CPU 81 and various initial data, and the schedule management software 15 and the schedule data 15a are stored here. RAM87 is a readable and writable memory device by CPU81, and is used as a work area for temporarily storing various data. The LCD 89 displays schedule data and various other information based on the pattern data of the information stored in the VRAM 91. A tablet 93 is superposed on the LCD 89, and data is input by contact with the input pen 113.
【0025】
The EC97 provides a power sequence control function that controls the power on / off of the entire PDA 11 and each device in cooperation with the power controller 101. That is, the EC97 and the power controller 101 control to turn on / off the PDA 11 according to the operation of the power switch 103, and independently only the wireless communication unit 13 according to the operation of the wireless communication switch 105. Controls to turn the power on / off. Similar to PC 1a, if you want to use PDA11 in a place where wireless communication is restricted, turn on the power with the power switch 103 and then turn off only the wireless communication unit 13 with the wireless communication switch 105, except for the wireless communication unit 7. Can be operated. On the other hand, if it is desired to put only the wireless communication unit 13 into the operating state for reasons such as reducing the power consumption of the battery (not shown), it is realized by turning on the wireless communication switch 105 from the state where the PDA 11 is turned off. When only the wireless communication unit 13 is in operation and the schedule data is synchronized, the received data is once wirelessly communicated after the data is received by the wireless communication unit 13 until the PDA 11 main unit or the schedule management software 15 is activated. Store in RAM in part 13. Then, the actual data synchronization will be performed after the PDA 11 and the schedule management software 15 are in the operating state.
【0026】
Similar to the synchronization notification LED 75 of the personal computer 1a, the synchronization notification LED 107 notifies the user of the end of synchronization of the schedule data by lighting. The synchronous notification buzzer 109 and the synchronous notification vibrator 111 also notify the user of the end of synchronization of the schedule data by voice and vibration, respectively. The synchronous notification LED 107, the synchronous notification buzzer 109, and the synchronous notification vibrator 111 can be set to be notified by any one means by selecting in advance by the user.
【0027】
A series of operations for synchronizing schedule data between the personal computer 1a and the PDA 11 having the above-described configuration will be described.
【0028】
The data synchronization operation of this embodiment can be roughly divided into four phases as shown in FIG. The first is the initial setting phase S1, and for each of the personal computers 1a and PDA11 that are the target devices for data synchronization, selection of the synchronization partner device, synchronization timing setting, synchronization partner device search condition setting, And each setting of notification function selection after synchronization is performed. Next is the schedule data change / addition phase S2, in which the schedule data is added / updated on at least one of the personal computer 1a and the PDA 11. Following the schedule data change / addition phase S2 is the wireless communication link establishment phase S3, which establishes a wireless communication link between the personal computer 1a and PDA11 so that the synchronized data can be wirelessly communicated. The last is the schedule data synchronization phase S4, which synchronizes the schedule data 9a and 15a of the personal computer 1a and the PDA11, respectively. In each phase, the wireless communication units 7 and 13 are related to the wireless communication link establishment phase S3 and the schedule data synchronization phase S4.
【0029】
First, the initial setting phase S1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 10. This phase is an operation performed individually for each of the personal computer 1a and the PDA11, but since most of them are common, the explanation of the common part is limited to the personal computer 1a and the explanation of the PDA11 is omitted. In the case of the personal computer 1a, these operations are mainly executed by using the CPU 25, the main memory 31, the LCD37, the HDD57, the schedule management software 9, the schedule management data 9a, and the keyboard 59. In the case of PDA11, it is mainly executed using CPU81, flash ROM85, schedule management software 15, schedule management data 15a, LCD89, and tablet 93.
【0030】
First, start the schedule management software 9 for the initial setting of the personal computer 1a (step S101). In this step S101, if it is PDA11, the schedule management software 15a will be started. After the schedule management software 9 is started, when the user calls the setting screen (step S102), the selection screen of the synchronization partner device is displayed (step S103). On the synchronization partner device selection screen, as shown in FIG. 6, the selectable partner device is displayed in a state in which the ID code and the terminal type are associated with each other. The user follows the message "Select a data synchronization partner device", operates the keyboard 59 and the pointing device provided therein, moves the cursor, and selects at least one partner device. To select PDA11, move the cursor next to the ID code = "AAAAAA" and press the "Enter" key to select it. If PDA11 is set as the other device on the personal computer 1a side, the other device on which the personal computer 1a executes the wireless link establishment operation in the later wireless communication link establishment phase S3 becomes PDA11. If you want to set the wireless link establishment operation for the personal computer 1a from the PDA11 side, or if you want to set the wireless link establishment operation from both sides, use the tablet 93 of PDA11 and the input pen 113 in the same way. Select the device. The ID code uses a device address of up to 48 bits in the Bluetooth standard. The device address was acquired when the wireless link was established before, and is stored in the HDD 57 and flash ROM 85 as part of the schedule data 9a and 15a together with the terminal type.
【0031】
When the user moves the cursor to the end icon at the bottom right of the synchronization partner device selection screen and clicks it (step S104), the screen shifts to the synchronization timing selection screen display (step S105). On the synchronization timing selection screen, as shown in FIG. 7, three types of update timings "as needed", "regular update", and "manual update" are displayed in a selectable manner together with their explanations. When "Update as needed" is selected, every time the schedule data 9a is changed or added on the selected device, the personal computer 1a, the wireless communication link establishment operation and / or the data synchronization operation is executed with the partner device PDA11. To do. In the case of "regular update", the wireless communication link establishment operation and / or the synchronization operation is periodically executed regardless of the change / addition of the schedule data 9a of the personal computer 1a. In the case of "manual update", the user manually executes the synchronization operation instead of the automatic update. The user follows the message "Please select the timing to synchronize.", Select one of these, and click the end icon at the bottom right of the screen to move to the next screen (step). S106). If nothing is done on this screen, "Update from time to time" will be set as the default.
【0032】
When "Anytime update" or "Periodic update" is selected on the synchronization timing selection screen (step S107), the screen shifts to the search condition setting screen display of the synchronization partner device (step S108). The search condition setting screen of the synchronized partner device is for setting the condition / timing for searching the partner device in the later wireless communication link establishment phase S3, and as shown in FIG. 8, "search interval" and "search". It is a screen including "number of times" and "waiting time after reaching the number of searches". The search conditions / timing set here are slightly different depending on whether "update at any time" is set or "regular update" is set. When "Update from time to time" is set, the first time is the starting point (trigger) when the change / addition of schedule data 9a (or 15a) is completed, and the first time when the search interval elapses from there. It becomes the search timing. The reason why the time is left by the search interval is to avoid the waste of performing the synchronization operation each time the schedule data is added / changed in succession multiple times. Then, after the first search is executed, it is used as a condition / timing to execute the synchronization again only when the synchronization cannot be performed. On the other hand, when "Periodic update" is set, the first search is executed at the timing when the search interval elapses starting from the time when the schedule management software 9 (or 15) is started, and thereafter the schedule data 9a (or 15a) It is a condition / timing to execute regardless of the occurrence of changes / additions and the success / failure of data synchronization.
【0033】
The user sets the cursor by moving the cursor to each input area and inputting numbers from the keyboard 59 according to the message "Enter the conditions / timing for wirelessly searching the other device." In Fig. 8, "search interval" = 5 minutes, "number of searches" = 10 times, and "waiting time after reaching the number of searches" = 30 minutes are displayed in advance as default search conditions, and the user can use them as needed. A screen for changing the numbers in each frame is shown. Figure 9 shows a conceptual diagram of this default setting condition.
【0034】
In the case of "update from time to time", when the addition / change of schedule data 9a (or 15a) is completed at the starting point, after a search interval of 5 minutes has elapsed from that point, the first to establish a wireless communication link with the other device for data synchronization. Perform a search operation. If this data synchronization is not successful, the search operation is executed at a "search interval" of 5 minutes until the data synchronization is successful. If the search operation at 5-minute intervals does not succeed even after reaching the "search count" of 10 times, there is a high possibility that the other device does not exist nearby, so the 30-minute search operation of the "waiting time after reaching the search count" Wait without doing. Then, after 30 minutes have passed, the search operation is repeated 10 times at 5-minute intervals until the data synchronization is successful.
【0035】
In the case of "regular update", the schedule management software 9 (or 15) is started at point B, and the first data synchronization operation is executed after 5 minutes have passed from the "search interval". After this, regardless of whether the data synchronization is successful or not, the search is executed for data synchronization with the "search interval" of 5 minutes up to the "search count" of 10 times, and the "waiting time after reaching the search count" After 30 minutes, the same operation is repeated.
【0036】
When the end icon at the bottom right is clicked on the search condition setting screen of the synchronization partner device (step S109), the screen shifts to the notification function selection screen display at the end of synchronization (step S110). Even if it is determined in step S107 that "manual update" is selected instead of "as needed update" or "regular update", steps S108 and S109 are skipped and the process proceeds to step S110.
【0037】
The notification function at the end of synchronization is a function to notify the user that data synchronization has been executed and succeeded. In the case of PC 1a, it is performed by lighting the synchronization notification LED75, and in the case of PDA11, the synchronization notification LED97. , The synchronization notification buzzer 99, and the synchronization notification vibrator 101. Figure 10 shows the notification function selection screen at the end of synchronization in PDA11. The user selects by moving the cursor to the desired icon. The default is LED97 for synchronization notification, but Fig. 10 shows an example in which the user moves the cursor to "Vibrate" according to the message "Please select the notification function at the end of synchronization." In this case, when the data synchronization is completed, the PDA 11 vibrates the synchronization notification vibrator 101 to notify the user. On the other hand, in the case of personal computer 1a, since there is only LED75 for synchronization notification, only one "LED" icon is displayed. Therefore, in the case of the personal computer 1a, since there is no option other than the synchronization notification LED75, the notification function selection screen display at the end of synchronization may be omitted.
【0038】
When the end icon is clicked on the notification function selection screen (step S111), the setting / selection data on each screen is stored and saved in HDD57 as schedule data 9a for PC 1a and in flash ROM85 as schedule data 15a for PDA11 (step S111). Step S112). When the data saving is completed, the initial setting phase S1 is terminated.
【0039】
Next, the schedule data change / addition phase S2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 15. The basic operation in this phase is the same for both the personal computer 1a and the PDA 11. In the case of the personal computer 1a, these operations are mainly executed by using the CPU 25, the main memory 31, the LCD37, the HDD57, the schedule management software 9, the schedule management data 9a, and the keyboard 59. In the case of PDA11, it is mainly executed using CPU81, flash ROM85, schedule management software 15, schedule management data 15a, LCD89, and tablet 93.
【0040】
The schedule data 9a (or 15) is displayed while the schedule management software 9 (or 15) is running (step S201). The display here includes the case where other software is operated in parallel and the screen is reduced and displayed, or the case where the screen is simply made into an icon.
【0041】
As shown in FIG. 12, the schedule data 9a (or 15a) includes a flag indicating the synchronization status of each data item, a serial number management number, a new / changed / emergency type, a title, a date and time, a place, and the like. And each item on the agenda. The flag and control number are set on the personal computer 1a (or PDA11) side without the intervention of the user. The information of other items is input by the user's keyboard / tablet operation or the received data of the e-mail. Then, in the case of the personal computer 1a, the schedule data 9a of FIG. 11 is displayed on the LCD 37 by day / item in the form shown in FIG.
【0042】
As shown in Fig. 14, the flag is a hexadecimal number and defines eight types. Then, one of these eight types is selectively added for each item of schedule data 9a (or 15a). The flag "00" is an initial value and indicates that there is no data. Since there is no data in the lower three rows of FIG. 12, the flag "00" is given to these items. The flag "0F" indicates an item of data that has been changed / added but has not yet been synchronized. The flag "42" indicates an item that is being updated by transmitting data to the other device after starting data synchronization. The flag "44" indicates that the device on the side receiving the synchronized data transmits the received data to the source and confirms that the received data is correctly received, that is, the item is being confirmed. The flag "4F" indicates an item that has been successfully synchronized. The items in the upper two rows of Fig. 12 are flagged with the flag "4F", indicating that synchronization with the other device has been completed correctly. The flag "81" indicates that the item is determined to have failed to update the data as a result of the above confirmation, and the number of failures is one. Flag "82" also indicates that the number of failures is two. The flag "8F" indicates that the number of failures has reached 3 and this synchronization has failed. For items with the flak "8F", the personal computer 1a or PDA11 displays the synchronization failure on the display unit.
【0043】
When it is determined that the schedule data has been changed / added while the schedule data is displayed in step S201 (step S202), the flag "0F" is added to the added / changed data together with the data. It is stored and saved in the schedule data 9a (or 15a) (step S203). For example, when schedule data such as the control number "003" shown in FIG. 15 is added, the flag "00" is set to "0F" and stored.
【0044】
Even if it is determined in step S202 that the schedule data is not added or changed, if "regular update" is set and the search conditions are met, the operation proceeds to the synchronization operation (step S204, step S204,). S205).
【0045】
When it is determined in step S203 that the saving of the schedule data is completed or in step S205 that the search conditions are met, the schedule data addition / change phase S2 ends.
【0046】
By the way, there are two ways to add / change schedule data 9a. The first method is a manual method using the keyboard 59. The second method is a method using schedule management software 9. That is, when the personal computer 1a receives an e-mail such as a conference holding notification sent from the host device 4 via the LAN 5 via the LAN communication unit 3a, the schedule management software 9 receives the title, date and time, and location from this received e-mail. This is a method of adding / changing schedule data 9a by extracting necessary information such as. Since such schedule management software is already on the market, the data extraction method and the like will not be described in detail.
【0047】
Next to the schedule data addition / change phase S2 is the wireless communication link establishment phase S3, which will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 16, the flow of the personal computer 1a is shown on the left side, and the flow of the PDA 11 is shown on the right side, and the wireless data communication between the two is indicated by arrows crossing the left and right. Further, here, the operation of establishing the wireless communication link with the personal computer 1a acting as the master and the PDA 11 acting as the slave will be described. However, the PDA11 side also sets the personal computer 1a as the other device, and the personal computer 1a side reaches the search timing first under the condition that the search is executed from the side that reaches the search timing earlier.
【0048】
The personal computer 1a is running the schedule management software 9, and determines which synchronization timing is selected in the initial setting phase S1 based on the saved contents of the schedule data 9a. If it is determined that "manual update" is selected as the synchronization timing, the wireless communication link is not established unless the user initiates a manual search (step S301). When it is determined that "update at any time" is selected (step S302), it is determined whether or not there is an item with the flag "0F" or "8F" in the schedule data 9a (step S303). If it is determined in step S303 that there is no item with the flag "0F" or "8F", the wireless communication link is not established. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S303 that there is an item with the flag "0F" or "8F", it is determined whether or not the search condition set in the initial setting phase S1 is met (step S304). Even if it is determined in step S302 that it is not "update at any time", that is, it is "regular update", step S303 is skipped and the process proceeds to step S304. In step S304, it is determined whether the search condition set in the initial setting phase S1 is matched, that is, whether the timing of the down arrow in FIG. 9 is matched. If the search conditions are not met here, the subsequent steps are skipped and this phase ends. On the other hand, if the search conditions are met, the process proceeds to step S305.
【0049】
Until step S304, the wireless communication unit 7 was not involved, and as in the previous two phases, the CPU 25, schedule management software 9, etc. were mainly operated, but after step S305, the wireless communication unit 7 is the main component. That is, if it is determined in step S304 that the search conditions are met, the CPU 25 transmits a wireless communication link establishment operation start instruction to the baseband unit 45 of the wireless communication unit 7 via the USB controller 39a, and the wireless communication link of the wireless communication unit 7 is transmitted. Launch Establish. In accordance with this activation instruction, the wireless communication unit 7 transmits an inquiry request to surrounding devices via the RF unit 49 and the antenna unit 51 (step S305). When the wireless communication unit 13 of the PDA 11 receives the inquiry request, it is stored in the RAM in the wireless communication unit 13 (step S306), and the inquiry response is transmitted from the wireless communication unit 13 (step S307). The PDA11 side does not need to have the schedule management software 15 running, and other configurations may be in the OFF state as long as the wireless communication unit 13 can operate at least.
【0050】
The inquiry response includes the ID code "AAAAAA" of the wireless communication unit 13, the terminal type "PDA", and the clock information for wireless communication. The wireless communication unit 7 of the personal computer 1a is in the standby state for a predetermined period, receives the inquiry response from the surrounding devices, and stores the inquiry response in the RAM 55 (step S308). In step S308, the inquiry response is targeted not only from PDA11 but also from all devices having a wireless communication unit capable of communicating with the wireless communication unit 7, and if a large number of devices exist in the range where wireless communication is possible, it is targeted. You will receive the corresponding number of query responses. If the PDA 11 is in a wireless communication state such as in a remote location, the transmission from the wireless communication unit 13 may not be included in many inquiry responses, and if there is no device capable of wireless communication in the vicinity. In some cases, there is no query response at all. When the inquiry response is received, the ID code in the inquiry response is taken out and transferred from the wireless communication unit 7 to the main memory 31. The CPU 25 determines whether or not a device set as a synchronization partner device is included based on this ID code (step S309). If the ID code in the inquiry response includes the remote device: ID = "AAAAAA" set in the initial setting phase S1, the process proceeds to step S310, and if it is not included, this phase ends.
【0051】
If it is determined in step S309 that the CPU 25 has an ID code of the other device, in step S310, the ID code "AAAAAA" of the other device, that is, PDA11, which is set from the CPU 25 to the baseband 45 of the wireless communication unit 7, is used. To call and transmit the command. Then, in response to this command, the wireless communication unit 7 executes a call transmission. By this call transmission, the wireless communication link establishment target is narrowed down from an unspecified number of devices to a desired partner device.
【0052】
Upon receiving the call transmission (step S311), the wireless communication unit 13 transmits a call response including its own ID code "AAAAAA" (step S312). When the wireless communication unit 7 receives this call response (step S313), it transmits its own device information without exchanging data with the CPU 25 (step S314). This own device information includes, for example, "ZZZZZZ" in the ID code of the wireless communication unit 7, the terminal type "personal computer", and clock information to be used during wireless communication.
【0053】
When the wireless communication unit 13 receives its own information from the wireless communication unit 7, it stores it in the internal RAM (step S315), and in response to this, transmits a reception notification (step S316). When the wireless communication unit 7 receives the reception notification (step S317), it checks whether the link key generated by the predetermined calculation using the ID code and the password in the past authentication operation is stored in the flash ROM 53 (step S317). S318). If the link key is not stored in the flash ROM 53 for some reason, the password common to both the personal computer 1a and the PDA 11 will have to be entered again. Therefore, data synchronization cannot be performed automatically, so this phase is temporarily terminated. At the same time, the CPU 25 is notified that the link key is not stored, and the CPU 25 displays the fact on the LCD 37 to notify the user.
【0054】
If it is determined in step S318 that the link key is stored, the process proceeds to the step of generating the encryption key to be used during wireless communication of data. First, in step S319, a random number is generated in the baseband unit 45, and this random number is transmitted to the wireless communication unit 13. After transmitting the random number, the baseband unit 45 performs a predetermined operation from the link key between the random number, the own ID code ZZZZZZ, and the wireless communication unit 13 to generate the encryption key A (step S320). .. On the other hand, when the wireless communication unit 13 receives the random number, it stores it in the internal RAM (step S321), and in the baseband unit in the wireless communication unit 13, the random number and the partner ID code "ZZZZZZ" are obtained in the same manner as the baseband unit 45. , And the encryption key B is calculated using the above link key (step S322). Then, this encryption key B is wirelessly transmitted (step S323).
【0055】
When the wireless communication unit 7 receives the encryption key B (step S324), it compares whether it matches the encryption key A generated by itself (step S325). If the comparison results in step S325 do not match, steps 319 to S324 are repeated, and if the encryption keys do not match even after repeating this operation three times, this phase ends as a wireless communication link establishment failure. At the same time, the CPU 25 is notified that the establishment of the wireless communication link has failed, and the CPU 25 displays the fact on the LCD 37 to notify the user.
【0056】
If it is determined in step S324 that the encryption keys match, the baseband unit 45 wirelessly transmits a match notification indicating the match (step S327). When the wireless communication unit 13 receives this match notification (step S328), the wireless link is established. Further, in the personal computer 1a, the baseband unit 45 transmits the notification of the establishment of the wireless link to the CPU 25. On the other hand, also in PDA11, the baseband unit in the wireless communication unit 13 similarly notifies the CPU 81 of the establishment of the wireless link. This completes the wireless communication link establishment phase.
【0057】
When the wireless communication link is established, the final stage is the schedule data synchronization phase S4, and the cases of "as needed update" and "regular update" will be described separately. First, the case of "update as needed" will be described with reference to FIGS. 17 to 19. Similar to FIG. 16, FIG. 17 shows the flow of the personal computer 1a on the left side and the flow of the PDA 11 on the right side, and the wireless data communication between the two is indicated by arrows crossing the left and right. During wireless data communication, the data from the personal computer 1a is encrypted by the encryption key A generated in the previous phase, and the data from the PDA 11 is encrypted by the encryption key B and transmitted. When the encrypted data is received, the receiving device side uses the data after decrypting it with the encryption key (confirmed that it matches the transmitting side) possessed by the receiving device side. Further, here, the operation in which the personal computer 1a serves as the master and wirelessly transmits the schedule data added / changed to the slave PDA 11 will be described.
【0058】
In the case of "update from time to time", it has been determined that there is an item with the flag "0F" or "8F" in step S303 of the wireless communication link establishment phase S3, and that the search condition is matched in step S304. Therefore, first, in step S401, the CPU 25 changes the flag of the target item of the flag "0F" or "8F" (for example, the control number "003" in the data of FIG. 15) to "42". Then, the data of the item of the flag "42" (if there is an item of the flag "81" or "82", those items are also targeted) is wirelessly transmitted from the wireless communication unit 7 to the wireless communication unit 13 of the PDA 11 (step). S402).
【0059】
When the wireless communication unit 13 receives the data of the item of the flag "42" (or "81", "82"), it saves it in the internal RAM (step S403). Then change the flag "42" (or "81", "82") to "44". In this case, if there is old data with flag "44", it is overwritten and deleted (step S404). Here, the data changed to the flag "44" is returned from the wireless communication unit 13 to the wireless communication unit 7 by wireless communication (S405). The purpose of returning the data here is to confirm that the data received by the PDA 11 and the data transmitted by the personal computer 1a match.
【0060】
When the wireless communication unit 7 receives the data of the flag 44, it temporarily stores the data in the RAM 55 (step S406). Then, the baseband unit 45 transmits the received data stored in the RAM 55 to the main memory 31. The CPU 25 compares the data of the flag 44 of the main memory 31 with the data of the flag 42 (or 81, 82) transmitted in step S402 (step S407). If it is determined that there is a mismatch as a result of the comparison in step S407, the CPU 25 changes the flag in step S408. In other words, if the current flag is "42", the flag "81" indicates that the data update has failed once, if the current flag is "81", the flag "82" indicates that the data update has failed twice, and the current flag is "82". If ", change to the flag" 8F "indicating that the data update has failed 3 times. If the changed flag is "81" or "82", the process returns to step S402 and data transmission is performed again (step S409). If the flag is "8F", the CPU 25 displays on the LCD 37 that synchronization has failed (step S410), and saves the flag of the target item of the schedule data 9a as "8F" in the HDD 57 (step S411). Therefore, the schedule data 9a when synchronization fails is the one including the flag "8F" (item of control number "003") as shown in FIG. 18, and is the target of data synchronization at the next search timing. When attempting data synchronization again in such a case, since the wireless communication link has already been established, the wireless communication link establishment phase S3 is executed, but the steps S305 and subsequent steps of the wireless communication link establishment phase S3 are skipped. Become.
【0061】
As a result of the comparison in step S407, if it is determined that the data matches, the CPU 25 sends a command to the wireless communication unit 7 to notify the data match, and the wireless communication unit 7 sends a data match notification in response to this command. (Step S412). When the wireless communication unit 13 receives the data match notification (step S413), the wireless communication unit 13 transmits the reception as a reception confirmation (step S414). When the wireless communication unit 7 receives the reception confirmation from the wireless communication unit 13 (step S415), the wireless communication unit 7 transmits it to the CPU 25. When the CPU 25 receives the reception confirmation, it changes the flag to "4F" for the item of the flag "42" (or "81", "82") and saves the schedule data 9a in the HDD 57 (step S416). On the other hand, also in PDA11, for the item of flag "44" stored in RAM in the wireless communication unit 13, the flag is changed to "4F" and transmitted to RAM87, and CPU81 saves it in flash ROM85 as schedule data 15a (step). S417). If all but the wireless communication unit 7 is in the OFF state, or if the schedule management software 15 is not running, start them at this timing and save the data in the above RAM to the flash ROM 85 after starting. Execute.
【0062】
In this way, the synchronization of the schedule data 9a of the personal computer 1a and the schedule data 15a of the PDA 11 is completed, and the personal computer 1a is used by lighting the synchronization notification LED 75 and the PDA 11 is used by the vibration of the selected synchronization notification vibrator 101. Notify the person that synchronization is complete (steps S418, S419). The schedule data after the synchronization is completed is composed only of the flags "4F" or "00" as shown in FIG.
【0063】
After the synchronization is completed once in this way, if the schedule data is changed / added and the data is synchronized while the wireless communication link is still established, the wireless communication link establishment phase S3 is executed, but Step S305 and subsequent steps will be skipped.
【0064】
Finally, the schedule data synchronization phase S4 when "regular update" is selected will be described with reference to FIG. The description of the drawings is the same as that of FIGS. 16 and 17.
【0065】
First, in the state where the search timing is set, it is determined whether there is an item with the flag "0F" or "8F" in the schedule data 9a, and if there is, the flow of FIG. 17 is executed first (step S451). If there is no item with the flag "0F" or "8F" in the schedule data 9a, proceed to step S452, and make a data inquiry by wireless communication to inquire about the existence of the item with the flag "0F" or "8F" in the schedule data 15a of PDA11. Send (step S452). When the wireless communication unit 13 of the PDA 11 receives the data inquiry (step S453), it is determined whether the configurations other than the wireless communication unit 13 are in the power-on state and the schedule management software 15 is started (step S454). If it is determined in step S454 that the power is not turned on or the schedule management software 15 is not started, the schedule management software 15 is put into operation (step S455), and the process proceeds to step S456. In step S456, the CPU 81 determines whether there is an item with the flag "0F" or "8F" in the schedule 15a, and if not, notifies the wireless communication unit 7 via the wireless communication unit 13 to synchronize the schedule data. End phase S4 (steps S457, S458).
【0066】
If the CPU 81 determines in step S456 that the schedule data S456 has an item with the flag "0F" or "8F", the fact that the target data exists is transmitted via the wireless communication unit 13 in step S459. When the wireless communication unit 7 receives communication with the target data (step S460), it requests the wireless communication unit 13 to transmit data of the item of the flag "0F" or "8F" and enters the data standby mode (step S460). Step S461). After that, the personal computer 1a performs the same operation as the PDA 11 in FIG. On the other hand, when the wireless communication unit 13 receives the data transmission request from the wireless communication unit 7 (S462), the wireless communication unit 13 proceeds with data transmission for data synchronization. After that, the PDA 11 executes the same operation as the personal computer 1a shown in FIG. That is, the personal computer 1a and the PDA 11 exchange the operations described in FIG. 17 with each other to execute the operations. Therefore, the description of the operation after this will be omitted.
【0067】
As described in detail above, when the schedule data stored in each of the personal computer 1a and PDA11 is added or changed, the personal computer 1a and PDA11 automatically establish a wireless communication link while they are within the wireless communication range. Performs schedule data synchronization. Therefore, the user simply needs to position these devices within the range where wireless communication is possible. For example, the user sits against the personal computer 1a with the PDA11 simply in his pocket, and the user is performing some other operation. Data synchronization will be executed without any particular awareness.
【0068】
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be variously modified without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, the wireless communication unit may not be compliant with the Bluetooth standard, but may be compliant with other standards such as IEEE802.11b.
【0069】
Further, the device for data synchronization may be a mobile phone instead of a PDA. The difference from PDA is that the mobile phone has a wireless communication unit with a public line and the input unit is a numeric keypad, but this does not itself hinder the implementation of the present invention. .. The data to be synchronized is not limited to schedule data, but may be other data such as an email address book. In particular, the present invention is extremely useful for data synchronization in which additions and changes are frequently made.
【0070】
In the above embodiment, the search condition / timing is set in common for "as needed update" and "regular update", but conditions such as lengthening the search interval for "regular update" rather than "as needed update" are set separately. It doesn't matter.
【0071】
[Effect of the invention]
As described in detail above, according to the present invention, it is possible to perform data synchronization between two or more devices without the user being particularly aware of it, and it is possible to suppress the occurrence of problems due to data mismatch. it can.
[Simple explanation of drawings]
[Figure 1]
The block diagram schematically showing the whole information communication system which concerns on embodiment of this invention.
[Figure 2]
The block diagram which shows the structure of the personal computer in the same embodiment.
[Fig. 3]
The block diagram which shows the structure of PDA in the same embodiment.
[Fig. 4]
The figure which shows the flow of data synchronization of the same embodiment.
[Fig. 5]
The figure which shows the flow of the initial setting phase in data synchronization.
[Fig. 6]
The figure which shows the selection screen of the synchronization partner device in the initial setting phase.
[Fig. 7]
The figure which shows the selection screen of the synchronization timing in the initial setting phase.
[Fig. 8]
The figure which shows the search condition setting screen of the synchronization partner device in the initial setting phase.
[Fig. 9]
The conceptual diagram which shows the search condition of the synchronization partner device set in the initial setting phase.
[Fig. 10]
The figure which shows the notification function selection screen at the end of synchronization in the initial setting phase.
[Fig. 11]
The figure which shows the flow of the schedule data change / addition phase in data synchronization.
[Fig. 12]
The figure which shows the example of the schedule data.
[Fig. 13]
The figure which shows the display example of the schedule data.
[Fig. 14]
The figure which shows an example of a flag of schedule data and its definition.
[Fig. 15]
The figure which shows the example of schedule data addition.
[Fig. 16]
The figure which shows the flow of the wireless communication link establishment phase in data synchronization.
[Fig. 17]
The figure which shows the flow of the schedule data synchronization phase in the case of an occasional update.
[Fig. 18]
The figure which shows the example of the schedule data which failed in synchronization.
[Fig. 19]
The figure which shows the example of the schedule data which was succeeded in synchronization.
[Fig. 20]
The figure which shows the flow of the schedule data synchronization phase in the case of a periodic update.
[Explanation of symbols]
1a ... personal computer 7 ... Wireless communication unit 9 ... Schedule management software 9a ... Schedule data 13 ... Wireless communication unit 15 ... Schedule management software 15a ... Schedule data 25 ... CPU 57 ... HDD 75 ... LED for synchronous notification 81 ... CPU 85 ... Flash ROM 107 ... LED for synchronous notification 109 ... Buzzer for synchronous notification 111 ... Vibrator for synchronous notification
8 sheets
Sheet 1 Sheet 2 Sheet 3 Sheet 4 Sheet 5 Sheet 6 Sheet 7 Sheet 8
Every citation, both ways
| Document | Relation | Office | Cited during |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2007099945A1 | Cited by | World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) | Applicant |
| JP2013190969A | Cited by | Japan | Examiner |
| JP2017224118A | Cited by | Japan | Search report |
| US8019377B2 | Cited by | United States of America | Applicant |
| JP2007336270A | Cited by | Japan | Search report |
1 member in 1 office
Priority claims2
| Document | Office | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000390017 | Japan | A | |
| JP20000390017 | – | – | – |
Members1
| Document | Office | Kind | |
|---|---|---|---|
| JP2002190845AThis record | Japan | A |
2 legal events, as the office reported them to INPADOC
Over the term
Point at a mark for the eventEvents
| Event | Code | |
|---|---|---|
| Notification of resignation of power of attorneyJAPANESE INTERMEDIATE CODE: A7424RD04 | RD04 | |
| Notification of acceptance of power of attorneyJAPANESE INTERMEDIATE CODE: A7422RD02 | RD02 |
Numbers
- Publication
- 2002-190845
- Publication, DOCDB
- 2002190845
- Publication, EPODOC
- JP2002190845
- Application
- 390017
- Application, DOCDB
- 2000390017
- Application, EPODOC
- JP20000390017
Titles2
- Japanese
- 【発明の名称】情報通信装置、情報通信システム及び情報同期化方法
- English
- INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY: Information communication device, information communication system, and information synchronization method.
Classification
- IPC, 5
- H04L29 08
- H04L7 00
- H04L12 28
- H04W84 10
- H04W92 08