Description
Title of Invention: COMMUNICATION APPARATUS, COMMU¬
NICATION CONTROL METHOD, AND COMPUTERREADABLE
STORAGE MEDIUM
Technical Field
[0001] The present disclosure contains subject matter related to that disclosed in Japanese
Priority Patent Application JP 201 1-084128 filed in the Japan Patent Office on April 6,
201 1, the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
Background Art
[0002] In recent years, short-distance radio communication such as wireless LAN and
Bluetooth including Wi-Fi is widely used and one terminal is more frequently
connected to a plurality of terminals. Thus, multicast transfer that transmits the same
data from one terminal to a plurality of terminals and data transfer in which one
terminal selects data transmission from a plurality of terminals have been proposed and
further, improvement of data transfer technology has been desired.
[0003] In communication connection and data transfer by a plurality of terminals, it is
normally necessary for one terminal to select a remote terminal from a plurality of
terminals. When a plurality of terminals is in a state of being connected, it is necessary
for the user to select the remote terminal after understanding, for example, the name or
ID to identify each terminal and it is difficult for the user to intuitively select the
remote terminal.
[0004] Normally, the direction in which the remote terminal, which is a data transfer des
tination, is positioned is not displayed in the terminal of a data transfer source. In
infrared communication performed between mobile phone terminals, for example, a
progress bar to indicate the progress of task or the size of data is displayed in each
terminal of the data transfer source and the data transfer destination, but no spatial rela
tionship of each terminal of the data transfer source and the data transfer destination is
displayed. Thus, if each terminal frequently transfers data when a plurality of terminals
is in a connected state, it is difficult for the user to intuitively grasp what kind of data is
transferred from which terminal to which terminal.
[0005] Among applications for smart phones, on the other hand, applications that intuitively
grasp data transfer are known. For example, an application called Bump (Trademark
registration) that realizes data transfer by an intuitive interaction of collision of each
terminal being held in a hand is distributed. Also, there is distributed a photo sharing
application called Mover that realizes data transfer by an intuitive interaction of
virtually displaying the data transfer direction on a screen and flicking an object in that
direction.
[0006] Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2005-099064 discloses a display control
apparatus that transmits video to be displayed in each display apparatus in accordance
with the actual spatial relationships of a plurality of display apparatuses.
Summary
Technical Problem
[0007] However, none of the above applications is capable of realizing data transfer from
one terminal to a plurality of terminals. Moreover, the virtual data transfer direction
displayed on the screen is decided independently of the actual position of the terminal
of the data transfer destination.
[0008] On the other hand, the display control apparatus described in JP2005-099064
transmits data in accordance with the actual spatial relationship of a plurality of display
apparatuses. More specifically, the display control apparatus described in JP
2005-099064 acquires position information from a plurality of display apparatuses
having a position sensor to detect the position of each display apparatus and transmits
data in accordance with the spatial relationship based on the acquired position in
formation. The position sensor held by the display apparatus is a special sensor such as
a variety of magnetic, infrared, and ultrasonic sensors, a sensor receiving a signal from
a GPS satellite, and an imaging apparatus having a ranging function.
[0009] If such special sensors are used, the actual spatial relationship of a plurality of ap
paratuses can be grasped, but mounting such sensors increases costs. Therefore,
technology that improves operability of data sharing by allowing the user to intuitively
grasp the data sharing without including such special sensors are demanded.
[0010] Therefore, it is desirable to provide a novel and improved communication apparatus,
communication control method, and computer-readable storage medium capable of
improving operability of data sharing.
Solution to Problem
[001 1] Accordingly, there is provided an apparatus for enabling sharing of data. The
apparatus comprises a region-defining unit configured to define a sharing region corre
sponding to a portion of a surface of the apparatus. The apparatus further comprises a
communication unit configured to enable sharing of data with an external device in
response to user input associating the data with the sharing region.
[0012] In another aspect, there is provided a method for enabling sharing of data. The
method comprises defining a sharing region corresponding to a portion of a surface of
an apparatus. The method further comprises enabling sharing of data with an external
device in response to user input associating the data with the sharing region.
[0013] In another aspect, there is provided a tangibly embodied non-transitory computerreadable
storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by a processor,
cause a computer to perform a method for enabling sharing of data. The method
comprises defining a sharing region corresponding to a portion of a surface of an
apparatus. The method further comprises enabling sharing of data with an external
device in response to user input associating the data with the sharing region.
[0014] In yet another aspect, there is provided an apparatus for enabling sharing of data. The
apparatus comprises region-defining means for defining a sharing region corre
sponding to a portion of a surface of the apparatus. The apparatus further comprises
communication means for enabling sharing of data with an external device in response
to user input associating the data with the sharing region.
[0015] In yet another aspect, there is provided an apparatus for enabling receipt of data. The
apparatus comprises a region-defining unit configured to define a sharing region corre
sponding to a portion of a surface of the apparatus. The apparatus further comprises a
communication unit configured to receive data from an external device. The apparatus
also comprises a display unit configured to display the received data within the sharing
region.
[0016] According to the embodiments described above, there is provided a communication
apparatus, a communication control method, and a computer-readable storage medium,
for improving operability of data sharing.
Brief Description of Drawings
[0017] [fig.l]Fig. 1 is an external view of a communication apparatus according to an em
bodiment of the present disclosure.
[fig.2]Fig. 2 is a schematic view showing a shared region of communication ap
paratuses according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[fig.3]Fig. 3 is a schematic view showing the shared region of communication ap
paratuses according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[fig.4]Fig. 4 is a block configuration diagram of the communication apparatus
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[fig.5]Fig. 5 is a flow chart showing processing to set the shared region according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure.
[fig.6]Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating the range of the shared region set by the commu
nication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[fig.7]Fig. 7 is a diagram showing the shared region of each communication apparatus
set according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[fig.8]Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating another method of setting the shared region
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[fig.9]Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating data sharing according to a first utilization
example.
[fig. 10] Fig. 10 is a diagram illustrating a case when a search result is displayed in the
shared region for the data sharing according to the first utilization example
[fig. 1l]Fig. 11 is a diagram illustrating the data sharing according to a second u ti
lization example.
[fig. 12] Fig. 12 is a diagram illustrating the data sharing according to a third utilization
example.
[fig.l3]Fig. 13 is a diagram illustrating the data sharing according to a fourth uti
lization example.
[fig. 14] Fig. 14 is a diagram illustrating the data sharing according to the fourth u ti
lization example.
[fig.l5]Fig. 15 is a diagram illustrating a fifth utilization example.
[fig. 16] Fig. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the shared region displayed in the
communication apparatus according to the fifth utilization example.
[fig.l7]Fig. 17 is a diagram illustrating a sixth utilization example.
[fig.l8]Fig. 18 is a diagram illustrating the sixth utilization example.
Description of Embodiments
[0018] In the following, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail
with reference to the appended drawings. Note that, in this specification and the
appended drawings, structural elements that have substantially the same function and
structure are denoted with the same reference numerals, and repeated explanation of
these structural elements is omitted.
[0019] It is to be noted that the description is set forth below in accordance with the
following order.
1. Overview of Communication Apparatus
2. Configuration of Communication Apparatus
3. Shared Region
3-1. Setting of Shared Region
3-2. Utilization of Shared Region
4. Conclusion
[0020] <1. Overview of Communication Apparatus>
First, an overview of the communication apparatus according to an embodiment of
the present disclosure will be provided with reference to Fig. 1. Fig.l is an external
view of a communication apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure. As shown in Fig. 1, the communication apparatus 1 according to an em
bodiment of the present disclosure is a thin device including a main body 10, a touch
panel 11, and a display unit 12. As used herein the term "unit" may be a software
module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware
module. Such hardware and software modules may be embodied in discrete circuitry,
an integrated circuit, or as instructions executed by a processor.
[0021] As shown in Fig. 1, the display unit 12 according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure is a thin display that is, like a flexible display, as thick as a plastic sheet. The
touch panel 11 is an operation surface in a screen shape like a flexible pressure
detecting touch panel provided by being stacked on the entire display unit 12. The
touch panel 11 can detect a user operation by recognizing a contact point.
[0022] Further, the communication apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure may have flexibility in the display unit 12 and the touch panel 11 partially
or wholly. Accordingly, for example, the display unit 12 and the touch panel 11 can
locally be distorted by the display unit 12 and the touch panel 11 being pressed by a
finger of the user.
[0023] Also, the communication apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure may have optical transparency in the display unit 12 and the touch panel 11
partially or wholly. Accordingly, if, for example, a plurality of communication ap
paratuses is caused to overlap, the user can visually recognize another communication
apparatus on which the communication apparatus 1 is placed through a portion of the
communication apparatus 1 having optical transparency.
[0024] The appearance of the communication apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of
the present disclosure has been described with reference to Fig. 1. The communication
apparatus 1 shown in Fig. 1 can easily improve operability of data sharing by setting a
region of the touch panel 11 overlapping with other communication apparatuses as a
shared region and controlling communication to share data with other communication
apparatuses to which the shared region is set based on a user operation to the set shared
region.
[0025] An overview of the shared region will be provided with reference to Figs. 2 and 3.
Figs. 2 and 3 are schematic views showing overlapping of a plurality of commu
nication apparatuses according to an embodiment of the present disclosure as Venn
diagrams. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, a shared region 20 is defined as a common
portion of a plurality of the communication apparatuses 1.
[0026] Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating a case when a communication apparatus l a and a com
munication apparatus lb according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are
caused to overlap. The communication apparatus lb is placed, as shown in an upper
part of Fig. 2, on top of the communication apparatus l a and a region where the
operation surfaces of the communication apparatus l a and the communication
apparatus lb overlap like a plan view shown in a lower part of Fig. 2 is set as the
shared region 20 by each communication apparatus. The side view shown in the lower
part of Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating that the communication apparatus lb is placed on
top of the communication apparatus la.
[0027] Fig. 3 shows a plan view and a side view illustrating a case when the communication
apparatus la, the communication apparatus lb, and a communication apparatus l c
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are caused to overlap. The side
view shown in the lower part of Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating that the communication
apparatus lb is placed on top of the communication apparatus l a and further, the com
munication apparatus l c is placed on top of the communication apparatus lb.
[0028] Each of the shared regions 20 is a common portion of the plurality of communication
apparatuses 1 and thus, a shared region 20-1 common to the communication apparatus
la, the communication apparatus lb, and the communication apparatus l c is defined as
c
a shared region 20-2 common to the communication apparatus lb and the commu
nication apparatus l c is defined as
! laAlbAlc,
a shared region 20-3 common to the communication apparatus l a and the commu
nication apparatus l c is defined as
aA b c,
and a shared region 20-4 common to the communication apparatus l a and the com
munication apparatus lb is defined as
laAlbAilc,
Where
L
is a symbol denoting a logical product (AND) and
!
is a symbol denoting a negation (NOT).
[0029] Concrete setting processing of the shared region 20 will be described in detail in
[3-1. Setting of Shared Region].
[0030] <2. Configuration of Communication Apparatus>
Next, the configuration of the communication apparatus 1 according to an em
bodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a
block configuration diagram of the communication apparatus 1 according to an em
bodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 4, the communication apparatus 1
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes the touch panel 11, the
display unit 12, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 13, a RAM (Random Access
Memory) 14, a tangibly embodied non-transitory computer readable storage medium,
such as nonvolatile memory 15, and a communication module 16. The CPU 13, the
RAM 14, the nonvolatile memory 15, and the communication module 16 are provided
in the main body 10 shown in Fig. 1. Each component will be described below. The
touch panel 11 and the display unit 12 have been described with reference to Fig. 1 and
a description thereof here is omitted.
[0031] The CPU 13 controls overall operations inside the communication apparatus 1
according to various instructions and programs. The CPU 13 according to an em
bodiment of the present disclosure realizes, as shown in Fig. 4, functions of a setting
unit 131 (i.e., a region-defining unit) and a communication controller 132 (i.e., a com
munication unit). The setting unit 131 sets a region of the touch panel 11 overlapping
with other communication apparatuses as the shared region 20. The communication
controller 132 controls communication to share data with other communication ap
paratuses to which the shared region is set based on a user operation to the shared
region 20. Data sharing using the shared region 20 will be described in detail in [3-2.
Utilization of Shared Region].
[0032] The RAM 14 temporarily stores, for example, instructions and programs used for
execution by the CPU 13 and parameters appropriately changing during the execution.
The nonvolatile memory 15 stores, for example, instructions and programs used by the
CPU 13 and arithmetic parameters.
[0033] The communication module 16 is a communication device that transmits/receives in
formation to/from other communication apparatuses or servers. The communication
module 16 performs proximate radio communication as typified by, for example,
TransferJet. It is to be appreciated that in certain embodiments the communication
module 16 may communicate with other communication apparatuses or servers located
remotely, for example, in a cloud computing configuration.
[0034] The communication apparatus 1 having the above configuration can easily improve
operability of data sharing by a region of the touch panel 11 overlapping with other
communication apparatuses being set as the shared region 20 by the setting unit 131, a
user operation to the set shared region being detected by the touch panel 11, and com
munication to share data with other communication apparatuses to which the shared
region is set being controlled by the communication controller 132 based on the
detected user operation.
[0035] In the foregoing, the configuration of the communication apparatus 1 according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure has been described. Next, settings of a shared
region by the setting unit 131 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure
will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 5 to 18.
[0036] <3. Shared Region>
<3-l. Setting of Shared Region>
Fig. 5 is a flow chart showing processing to set, i.e. define, the shared region
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. First, in step S100, the commu
nication module 16 detects other proximate communication apparatuses. If, for
example, as shown in Fig. 6, the communication apparatus la, the communication
apparatus lb, and the communication apparatus l c are placed with portions thereof
overlapping, the communication module 16 included in the communication apparatus
l a detects the other communication apparatus lb and communication apparatus lc. If
the communication module 16 detects other proximate communication apparatuses as
described above (step S104/Yes), the processing proceeds to step S108.
[0037] Next, in step S108, the CPU 13 times internal clocks of the other communication
apparatus lb and communication apparatus l c detected by the communication module
16.
[0038] Next, in step SI 12, if the touch panel 11 detects contact with the touch panel 11 (step
S116/Yes), the processing proceeds to step S120. Here, the communication apparatus
l a according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is placed, as indicated by a
side view shown in a left part of Fig. 6, on top of other communication apparatuses and
thus, if the user presses, as indicated by a plan view shown in the left part of Fig. 6, the
touch panel 11 of the communication apparatus l a in the topmost position, the commu
nication apparatus l a detects the contact through the touch panel 11.
[0039] Next, in step S120, the setting unit 131 determines whether a difference between time
data tn of the contact detected by the touch panel 11 and each piece of contact time
data tm acquired from other communication apparatuses is equal to or less than a
threshold.
[0040] The other communication apparatuses (the communication apparatus lb and the
communication apparatus lc) according to the present embodiment are placed, as
indicated by the side view shown in the left part of Fig. 6, in the order of the commu
nication apparatus la, the communication apparatus lb, and the communication
apparatus l c from the top. Therefore, if the user touches the communication apparatus
la, pressure is transmitted from the communication apparatus l a to the communication
apparatus lb placed below the communication apparatus l a and to the communication
apparatus l c placed further below. Therefore, the communication apparatus lb and the
communication apparatus l c each detect contact in substantially the same place as the
place pressed by the user of the communication apparatus l a substantially simul
taneously. Particularly if the communication apparatus l a has flexibility, the place
touched by the user is locally distorted, making pressure more likely to be transmitted
to the communication apparatus lb and the communication apparatus l c placed below.
[0041] The communication apparatus lb and the communication apparatus l c transmit the
contact information (including contact time data, i.e., timing data) detected as
described above to the communication apparatus la, which is the other proximate communication
apparatus. Also, the communication apparatus l a transmits the detected
contact information (including contact time data) to the communication apparatus l b
and the communication apparatus lc, which are the other proximate communication
apparatuses. That is, contact information (including contact time data) is exchanged
between a plurality of communication apparatuses.
[0042] Next, in step S120, if the difference between the contact time data tm acquired from
another communication apparatus and the contact time data tn detected by the touch
panel 11 of the communication apparatus is equal to or less than the threshold (step
S120/Yes), in step S124, the setting unit 131 sets the shared region 20 for sharing data
with the other communication apparatus.
[0043] For example, the setting unit 131 sets, as indicated by a diagram shown in a right part
of Fig. 6, a range of a radius r around a contact position P (x, y) detected by the touch
panel 11 as a shared region 22. Further, as shown in Fig. 7, the communication
apparatus l b sets the range of the radius r around a contact position Pb (x, y) as a
shared region and the communication apparatus l c sets the range of the radius r around
a contact position Pc (x, y) as a shared region. Then, communication apparatuses
having the shared regions set thereto are paired to share data between the commu
nication apparatuses based on the pairing regions.
[0044] Concrete setting processing of a shared region is not limited to the example shown in
Figs. 5 and 6. If, for example, the communication module 16 detects other commu
nication apparatuses placed a little apart also as other proximate communication ap
paratuses, the setting unit 131 can set shared regions by the touch panel of each com
munication apparatus being touched by the user substantially simultaneously in a state
of a plurality of communication apparatuses being a little apart from one another. Also
in this case, as indicated by the setting processing shown in Fig. 5, the communication
apparatus 1 sets the shared region if the difference between the contact time data tm
acquired from another communication apparatus and the contact time data tn detected
by the touch panel 11 of the communication apparatus is equal to or less than the
threshold.
[0045] Moreover, the placement of the shared region is not limited to being located sur
rounding a contact position on the touch panel 11, but instead may be defined as a
virtual shared region positioned at a region of space beyond the communication
apparatus in certain embodiments. For example, a communication apparatus may set a
virtual shared region in a region of space away from the communication apparatus,
such as a shared region set to the north of the communication apparatus. The commu
nication apparatus may therefore detect movement toward the virtual shared region,
and may perform processing to equate the movement with the virtual shared region.
[0046] Alternatively, for example, as shown in Fig. 8, the setting unit 131 may set a shared
region by detecting an overlapping pattern displayed in a communication apparatus. In
the example shown in Fig. 8, as indicated by a side view shown in the left part of Fig.
8, a plurality of the communication apparatuses 1 is placed in the order of the commu
nication apparatus lb, the communication apparatus la, and the communication
apparatus l c from the top. In this case, as indicated by a diagram shown in the right
part of Fig. 8, a texture pattern is displayed in an optical in-cell touch panel of the com
munication apparatus l a and the communication apparatus lb, and the communication
apparatus l c captures such a texture pattern. The communication apparatus l c detects
texture overlapping from the captured image and determines a region of the commu
nication apparatus l c overlapping with the communication apparatus l a and the com
munication apparatus lb based on the detected texture overlapping. Then, the commu
nication apparatus l c sets such an overlapping region as a shared region.
[0047] In the foregoing, settings of the shared region 20 made by the setting unit 131 have
been described in detail. Regions other than the range set as the shared region 20 of the
touch panel 11 are called non-shared regions herein. The communication apparatus 1
may display the set shared region explicitly. Next, data sharing with other commu
nication apparatuses using the set shared region 20 will be described by citing concrete
examples.
[0048] <3-2. Utilization of Shared Region>
(First utilization example)
As a first utilization example, data sharing based on a user operation from a non
shared region to a shared region will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a
diagram illustrating data sharing according to the first utilization example. According
to the first utilization example, as indicated by a side view shown in the left part of Fig.
9, a plurality of communication apparatuses according to the present embodiment is
placed in the order of the communication apparatus la, the communication apparatus
lb, and the communication apparatus l c from the top. Also, as indicated by a plan
view shown in the left part of Fig. 9, each of the communication apparatuses 1 has the
shared region 20 to mutually share data set thereto.
[0049] The communication apparatus l a displays, as indicated by a diagram shown in the
left part of Fig. 9, an icon 30a associated with data in a non-shared region. The icon
30a is, for example, a jacket image associated with music data.
[0050] As indicated by a diagram shown in the left part of Fig. 9, a user input is provided,
such as where the user touches the icon 30a and moves the icon 30a to the shared
region 20 by drag & drop. Then, the communication controller 132 of the commu
nication apparatus l a exercises control so that data associated with the icon 30a is au
tomatically transmitted to the communication apparatus lb and the communication
apparatus lc, which are other communication apparatuses having the shared region. At
this point, as indicated by a diagram shown in the right part of Fig. 9, the commu
nication apparatus lb may display an icon 30b similar to the icon 30a in the non-shared
region of the communication apparatus lb and the communication apparatus l c may
display an icon 30c similar to the icon 30a in the non-shared region of the commu
nication apparatus l c to explicitly indicate that the data has been transmitted.
[005 1] The user operation from a non-shared region to a shared region is not limited to the
drag & drop operation shown in Fig. 9. The user operation may be a drag and flick
operation or, in addition to such a single-finger operation, an operation using a
plurality of fingers or a user operation performed by the body of a user such as a palm
may also be used.
[0052] Moreover, as the shared region may be defined as a virtual shared region located in a
space away from the communication apparatus l a in certain embodiments, the commu
nication apparatus l a may detect a user operation, such as a flick operation, moving
data from the non-shared region to an edge of the communication apparatus l a and in
the direction of the virtual shared region. For example, a user may touch icon 30a and
move the icon 30a to a northern direction toward a virtual shared region by a flick
operation. Based on detecting this movement toward the virtual shared region, the
communication controller 132 can exercise control so that data is automatically
transmitted to the communication apparatus lb and the communication apparatus lc.
[0053] The data sharing based on the user operation from a non-shared region to a shared
region is not limited to the data transmission shown in Fig. 9. The data sharing may be
a search based on a search query or search key moved to the shared region in each of
the plurality of communication apparatuses 1 or generation of a file created by merging
data moved to the shared region in each of the plurality of communication apparatuses
1.
[0054] When, for example, as indicated by a plane view shown in the upper part of Fig. 10,
a search key 34a "Europe" is displayed in a non-shared region of the communication
apparatus la, a search key 34b "Close to sea" is displayed in a non-shared region of the
communication apparatus lb, and a search key 34c "World heritage" is displayed in a
non-shared region of the communication apparatus lc, if the user performs a drag and
flick operation of each search key to the shared region, a search result of ANDing each
search key is displayed in the shared region 20. In the example shown in Fig. 10, as
indicated by a side view shown in the lower part of FIG. 10, a plurality of commu
nication apparatuses is placed in the order of the communication apparatus la, the
communication apparatus lb, and the communication apparatus l c from the top.
[0055] More specifically, one communication apparatus collects the search key moved from
a non-shared region to a shared region in each communication apparatus and transmits
a search key obtained by ANDing each search key to a search server on the Internet.
Then, the one communication apparatus acquires a search result from the search server
and transmits the acquired search result to other communication apparatuses. Alter
natively, if a user operation to move the search key from a non-shared region to a
shared region in each communication apparatus is detected, each communication
apparatus transmits the respective search key to the search server on the Internet and
the search server performs a search by ANDing the search key transmitted from each
communication apparatus and transmits a search result to each communication
apparatus.
[0056] According to the first utilization example in the present embodiment, data is shared
based on a user operation of moving an object such as an icon and a search key from a
non- shared region to a shared region and therefore, the user can intuitively grasp an
operation of data sharing.
[0057] (Second utilization example)
As a second utilization example, data sharing based on a user operation from a shared
region to a non-shared region will be described with reference to Fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a
diagram illustrating data sharing according to the second utilization example. In the
example shown in Fig. 11, as indicated by a side view shown in the left part of Fig. 11,
a plurality of communication apparatuses is placed in the order of the communication
apparatus la, the communication apparatus lb, and the communication apparatus l c
from the top. Each of the communication apparatuses 1 has the shared region 20 to
mutually share data set thereto.
[0058] The communication apparatus l a displays, as indicated by a plan view shown in the
left part of Fig. 11, the icon 30a associated with data in a non-shared region. The icon
30a is, for example, a jacket image associated with music data.
[0059] As indicated by a plan view shown in the left part of Fig. 11, the user moves the icon
30a to the shared region 20. Then, the communication controller 132 of the commu
nication apparatus l a exercises control so that the icon 30 is transmitted to the commu
nication apparatus lb and the communication apparatus lc, which are other commu
nication apparatuses having the shared region. The communication apparatus lb and
the communication apparatus l c display the received icon 30 in the shared region.
[0060] Then, if, for example, a user operation to move the icon 30c displayed in the shared
region of the communication apparatus l c to a non-shared region is detected, the com
munication apparatus l c receives or copies data associated with the icon 30c.
[0061] According to the second utilization example in the present embodiment, data is
shared based on a user operation of moving an object such as an icon from a shared
region to a non-shared region and therefore, the user can intuitively grasp an operation
of data sharing.
[0062] (Third utilization example)
As a third utilization example, data sharing based on a user operation to a shared
region will be described with reference to Fig. 12. Fig. 12 is a diagram illustrating data
sharing according to the third utilization example. In the example shown in Fig. 12, as
indicated by a side view shown in the left part of Fig. 12, a plurality of communication
apparatuses is placed in the order of the communication apparatus la, the commu
nication apparatus lb, and the communication apparatus l c from the top. Each of the
communication apparatuses 1 has the shared region 20 to mutually share data set
thereto.
[0063] The user inputs, as indicated by a plan view shown in the left part of Fig. 12,
characters into the shared region 20 of the communication apparatus l a by hand
writing. Then, the communication controller 132 of the communication apparatus l a
exercises control so that handwritten character data are transmitted from the shared
region 20 to the communication apparatus l b and the communication apparatus lc,
which are other communication apparatuses having the shared region. The commu
nication apparatus l b and the communication apparatus l c that have received
handwritten character data from the communication apparatus l a display, as indicated
by a diagram shown in the right part of Fig. 12, the received handwritten character data
in the respective shared regions. Incidentally, data input from the shared region is not
limited to handwritten character data as shown in Fig. 12 and may be handwritten
figure data.
[0064] The communication apparatus l a may automatically transmit data input from the
shared region to other communication apparatuses or input data may be transmitted to
other communication apparatuses when a user operation to rub the shared region of the
communication apparatus l a is detected.
[0065] The orientation and position of characters when handwritten character data
transmitted from the communication apparatus l a is displayed in the display unit of
other communication apparatuses are not limited to the example shown in Fig. 12. For
example, other communication apparatuses display the received handwritten characters
in the shared region overlapping with the communication apparatus l a so as to match
handwritten characters displayed in the communication apparatus la. Accordingly, the
user can grasp an intuitive shared operation as if input data were carbon copied to other
communication apparatuses positioned below. Incidentally, other communication ap
paratuses can display the received handwritten characters so as to match the
handwritten characters displayed in the communication apparatus l a by determining
the spatial relationship with the communication apparatus la. The determination of the
spatial relationship of each communication apparatus will be described in "Sixth uti
lization example".
[0066] The communication apparatus l a may recognize characters input into the shared
region 20 and translate the recognized characters into any language to transmit the
translated characters to other communication apparatuses. The communication
apparatus l a may also recognize characters input into the shared region 20 and
generate an encryption key from recognized characters to transmit the generated en
cryption key to other communication apparatuses.
[0067] According to the third utilization example in the present embodiment, data input by a
user operation to a shared region is transmitted to other communication apparatuses to
which the shared region is set and therefore, the user can intuitively grasp an operation
of data sharing.
[0068] (Fourth utilization example)
Next, as a fourth utilization example, a case when data is shared by the data from a
radio communication apparatus positioned in the shared region 20 being received by
each of the communication apparatuses 1 will be described with reference to Figs. 13
and 14. The radio communication apparatus may be a storage medium capable of
performing proximate radio communication or an object including RFID (Radio
Frequency Identification).
[0069] Fig. 13 shows, as an example of the radio communication apparatus, an imaging
apparatus 40 including a communication unit 4 1 capable of performing proximate
radio communication by TransferJet. The user places, as indicated by a plan view and a
side view shown in the left part of Fig. 13, the imaging apparatus 40 onto the shared
region 20 of a plurality of the overlapping communication apparatuses 1. Then, the
plurality of communication apparatuses 1 each receives image data from the imaging
apparatus 40. The plurality of communication apparatuses 1 that has received the
image data each displays, for example, as indicated by a diagram shown in the right
part of Fig. 13, received image data 42 in the respective shared regions.
[0070] In Fig. 14, a card 44 including an RFID 46 is shown as an example of the radio com
munication apparatus. The user places, as indicated by a plan view and a side view
shown in the upper part of Fig. 14, the card 44 on the shared region 20 of the
overlapping communication apparatuses 1. Then, each of the communication ap
paratuses 1 acquires, as indicated by a diagram shown in the center of Fig. 14, identi
fication information of the RFID 46 and transmits the acquired identification in
formation to a server 200 in a network. Then, each of the communication apparatuses 1
receives, as indicated by a diagram shown in the lower part of Fig. 14, data associated
with the transmitted identification information from the server 200 in the network.
[0071] Thus, each of the communication apparatuses 1 shares data after a user places a radio
communication apparatus on the shared region 20 of the communication apparatuses 1
and therefore, the user can intuitively grasp data sharing by each of the communication
apparatuses 1.
[0072] (Fifth utilization example)
Next, as a fifth utilization example, a case when data is shared by a plurality of the
communication apparatuses 1 to which the shared region 20 is set in a state in which
the plurality of communication apparatuses 1 is kept separated will be described with
reference to Fig. 15. Fig. 15 is a diagram illustrating the fifth utilization example
according to the present disclosure. When, as shown in Fig. 15, data is shared while
each of the communication apparatuses 1 to which the shared region 20 is set is kept
separated, each of the communication apparatuses 1 displays the shared region 20.
Each of the communication apparatuses 1 detects a user operation to the shared region
20 and, like the above first to fourth utilization examples, exercises communication
control for data sharing.
[0073] In this case, each of the communication apparatuses 1 does not overlap and thus,
each of the communication apparatuses 1 may set a region other than actually
overlapping regions as the range of the shared region 20. If, for example, the commu
nication apparatus l c for which the shared regions 20-1 to 20-3 shown in Fig. 3 are
actually an overlapping region is separated, as shown in Fig. 16, the communication
apparatus l c may display circular shared regions 26-1 to 26-3. The shared region 26-1
is used when data is shared between the communication apparatus l a and the commu
nication apparatus lb, the shared region 26-2 is used when data is shared with the com
munication apparatus lb, and the shared region 26-3 is used when data is shared with
the communication apparatus la.
[0074] Thus, the communication apparatus 1 to which the shared region is set can exercise
communication control to share data by using the shared region 20 even when
separated from other communication apparatuses to which the shared region is set and
therefore, operability of data sharing is improved. In addition, there is no need to
match the range of the shared region 20 to a region actually overlapping with other
communication apparatuses and therefore, the communication apparatus 1 according to
the fifth utilization example can set the range of the shared region 20 so that the user
can easily operate the communication apparatus 1.
[0075] (Sixth utilization example)
Next, as a sixth utilization example, a case when each of the communication ap
paratuses 1 determines the mutual spatial relationship will be described with reference
to Fig. 17.
[0076] Fig. 17 is a diagram illustrating the sixth utilization example. A plurality of the com
munication apparatuses 1 is placed, as indicated by a side view shown in the left part
of Fig. 17, in the order of the communication apparatus la, the communication
apparatus lb, and the communication apparatus l c from the top. The plurality of com
munication apparatuses 1 has flexibility.
[0077] The user inputs, as indicated by a plan view shown in the left part of Fig. 17, any
locus (e.g., by drawing a region outline) in a region where a plurality of the commu
nication apparatuses 1 overlaps. When the communication apparatus l a located in the
topmost position is distorted by the press of the user, a similar locus is input into the
touch panel 11 of the communication apparatus lb located below. Further, if the com
munication apparatus lb is distorted by the press of the communication apparatus la, a
similar locus is input into the touch panel of the communication apparatus l c located
below.
[0078] Then, for example, the communication apparatus l a acquires locus information
detected by the communication apparatus lb and locus information detected by the
communication apparatus l c and can determine the spatial relationship thereof with
respect to the communication apparatus lb and the communication apparatus l c by
performing matching processing of each piece of the acquired locus information and
locus information detected by the communication apparatus la. Further, the commu
nication apparatus lb and the communication apparatus l c can determine the spatial
relationship of the three communication apparatuses after a determination result of the
spatial relationship is transmitted from the communication apparatus l a to the commu
nication apparatus lb and the communication apparatus lc.
[0079] The communication apparatus l a that has determined the above spatial relationship
displays, for example, as indicated by a diagram shown in the right part of Fig. 17,
arrows 50 in the directions in which other communication apparatuses are positioned
according to the determination result. Thus, the directions in which other commu
nication apparatuses are actually positioned are indicated and therefore, the user can
intuitively share data. If, for example, as indicated by the diagram shown in the right
part of Fig. 17, a user operation of flicking an object 30 in the direction of the arrow 50
is detected, the communication apparatus l c transmits data associated with the object
30 to the communication apparatus l a located in the position indicated by the arrow
50.
[0080] The determination of the spatial relationship is not limited to any locus input as
shown in Fig. 17. For example, as shown in Fig. 18, each of the communication ap
paratuses 1 may detect a user input of a plurality of positions, such as point input of
three points or more to perform matching processing of positions of points detected by
each of the communication apparatuses 1.
[0081] <4. Conclusion>
As has been described above, a communication apparatus according to an em
bodiment of the present disclosure can improve operability of data sharing by setting a
shared region of the operation surface and controlling communication to share data
with other communication apparatuses to which the shared region is set based on a user
operation to the set shared region.
[0082] It should be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications, com
binations, sub-combinations and alterations may occur depending on design re
quirements and other factors insofar as they are within the scope of the appended
claims or the equivalents thereof.
[0083] In the third utilization example, for example, data input from the shared region 20 is
transmitted to other communication apparatuses, but the present technology is not
limited to such an example. If, for example, the user draws a "circle" in the shared
region 20, the communication apparatus 1 may transmit data associated with an object
displayed in a non-shared region to other communication apparatuses.
[0084] Furthermore, any reference in the claims to articles, such as "a" or "an," is to be
construed as meaning "one or more."
[0085] Additionally, the present technology may also be configured as below.
(1)
An apparatus comprising:
a region-defining unit configured to define a sharing region corresponding to a
portion of a surface of the apparatus; and
a communication unit configured to enable sharing of data with an external device in
response to user input associating the data with the sharing region.
(2)
The apparatus of (1), wherein the region-defining unit is configured to define the
sharing region by detecting a portion of the surface of the apparatus that overlaps with
the external device.
(3)
The apparatus of (1) or (2), further comprising a display surface configured to
display data, the display surface being stacked on the surface of the apparatus.
(4)
The apparatus of (3), wherein the display surface and the surface of the apparatus are
optically transparent.
(5)
The apparatus of any of (1) to (4), wherein the region-defining unit is configured to
define the sharing region by detecting a position of a user input with respect to the
surface of the apparatus.
(6)
The apparatus of (5), wherein the region-defining unit is configured to define the
sharing region by defining, as the sharing region, a region surrounding the detected
position.
(7)
The apparatus of any of (1) to (6), wherein the region-defining unit is configured to
define the sharing region based on at least one of a region outline drawn according to a
user input, or a region defined by user input of a plurality of positions.
(8)
The apparatus of any of (1) to (7), wherein the communication unit is configured to
transmit the data to the external device based on the user input.
(9)
The apparatus of (8), wherein the communication unit is configured to automatically
transmit the data to a plurality of external devices based on the user input.
(10)
The apparatus of (8) or (9), wherein the communication unit is configured to transmit
the data to the external device based on at least one of a drag-and-drop operation of the
data onto the sharing region, or a flick operation of the data toward the sharing region.
(11)
The apparatus of (5) or (6), wherein the region-defining unit is configured to transmit
information regarding the detected position to the external device.
(12)
The apparatus of ( 11), wherein the transmitted information comprises timing data.
(13)
The apparatus of (12), wherein the region-defining unit is configured to transmit in
formation, including timing data, to the external device sufficient to cause the external
device to establish a pairing region, corresponding to the set sharing region of the
apparatus, based on the timing data.
(14)
The apparatus of any of (1) to (13), wherein the data comprises search query data.
(15)
The apparatus of (14), wherein the communication unit is configured to transmit the
search query data to a search server based on the user input.
(16)
The apparatus of any of (1) to (15), wherein the data comprises identification in
formation.
(17)
The apparatus of (16), wherein the communication unit is configured to transmit the
identification information to a server for distribution to the external device.
(18)
A method comprising:
defining a sharing region corresponding to a portion of a surface of an apparatus; and
enabling sharing of data with an external device in response to user input associating
the data with the sharing region.
(19)
A tangibly embodied non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing in
structions which, when executed by a processor, cause a computer to perform a
method, comprising:
defining a sharing region corresponding to a portion of a surface of an apparatus; and
enabling sharing of data with an external device in response to user input associating
the data with the sharing region.
(20)
An apparatus comprising:
region-defining means for defining a sharing region corresponding to a portion of a
surface of the apparatus; and
communication means for enabling sharing of data with an external device in response
to user input associating the data with the sharing region.
(21)
An apparatus comprising:
a region-defining unit configured to define a sharing region corresponding to a portion
of a surface of the apparatus;
a communication unit configured to receive data from an external device; and
a display unit configured to display the received data within the sharing region.
(22)
The apparatus of (21), wherein the received data is copied to the apparatus based on a
user input moving the received data from the sharing region to a non-sharing region of
the surface of the apparatus.
Reference Signs List
1, la, lb, l c Communication apparatus
10 Main body
11 Touch panel
12 Display unit
13 CPU
131 Setting unit
132 Communication controller
14 RAM
15 Nonvolatile memory
16 Communication module
20, 22, 24 Shared region
30 Object
Search key
Imaging apparatus
Communication unit
Card
RFID tag
Server
PCT/JP2012/002524
Claims
An apparatus comprising:
a region-defining unit configured to define a sharing region corre
sponding to a portion of a surface of the apparatus; and
a communication unit configured to enable sharing of data with an
external device in response to user input associating the data with the
sharing region.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the region-defining unit is
configured to define the sharing region by detecting a portion of the
surface of the apparatus that overlaps with the external device.
The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a display surface
configured to display data, the display surface being stacked on the
surface of the apparatus.
The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the display surface and the surface of
the apparatus are optically transparent.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the region-defining unit is
configured to define the sharing region by detecting a position of a user
input with respect to the surface of the apparatus.
The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the region-defining unit is
configured to define the sharing region by defining, as the sharing
region, a region surrounding the detected position.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the region-defining unit is
configured to define the sharing region based on at least one of a region
outline drawn according to a user input, or a region defined by user
input of a plurality of positions.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication unit is
configured to transmit the data to the external device based on the user
input.
The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the communication unit is
configured to automatically transmit the data to a plurality of external
devices based on the user input.
The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the communication unit is
configured to transmit the data to the external device based on at least
one of a drag-and-drop operation of the data onto the sharing region, or
a flick operation of the data toward the sharing region.
The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the region-defining unit is
configured to transmit information regarding the detected position to
WO 2012/147292 PCT/JP2012/002524
the external device.
[Claim 12] The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the transmitted information
comprises timing data.
[Claim 13] The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the region-defining unit is
configured to transmit information, including timing data, to the
external device sufficient to cause the external device to establish a
pairing region, corresponding to the set sharing region of the apparatus,
based on the timing data.
[Claim 14] The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data comprises search query
data.
[Claim 15] The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the communication unit is
configured to transmit the search query data to a search server based on
the user input.
[Claim 16] A method comprising:
defining a sharing region corresponding to a portion of a surface of an
apparatus; and
enabling sharing of data with an external device in response to user
input associating the data with the sharing region.
[Claim 17] A tangibly embodied non-transitory computer-readable storage medium
storing instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause a
computer to perform a method, comprising:
defining a sharing region corresponding to a portion of a surface of an
apparatus; and
enabling sharing of data with an external device in response to user
input associating the data with the sharing region.
[Claim 18] An apparatus comprising:
region-defining means for defining a sharing region corresponding to a
portion of a surface of the apparatus; and
communication means for enabling sharing of data with an external
device in response to user input associating the data with the sharing
region.
[Claim 19] An apparatus comprising:
a region-defining unit configured to define a sharing region corre
sponding to a portion of a surface of the apparatus;
a communication unit configured to receive data from an external
device; and
a display unit configured to display the received data within the sharing
region.
WO 2012/147292 PCT/JP2012/002524
[Claim 20] The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the received data is copied to the
apparatus based on a user input moving the received data from the
sharing region to a non-sharing region of the surface of the apparatus.