Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-18
2003-07-01
Cuchlinski, Jr., William A (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
C701S033000, C340S438000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06587756
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to communication systems and communication devices for setting plural devices which are connected by a channel and, more particularly, to vehicle-mounted communication systems for controlling a setting operation when vehicle-mounted devices are connected by a network, and vehicle-mounted devices.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conventionally, setting information for a device which is not connected by a network or the like is stored in the device. For example, in the case of a stand-alone CD player, setting information concerning the setting of the volume, sound quality, equalizer and the like of the CD player is commonly stored in a storage means included in the CD player.
Recently, vehicle-mounted devices which have been sophisticated and digitized like car navigation systems, DVD drives, CD changers and the like have come into wide use, and setting information of each device or items which can be configured by the user are being increased. Further, many vehicle-mounted devices are getting to be mounted on vehicles and connected each other.
In these vehicle-mounted network environments, when the setting is to be carried out for plural devices, for example according to respective persons, the setting is carried out manually by the user, but this includes many errors and is troublesome. Further, also when the vehicle-mounted network environments are to be reflected upon vehicle-mounted network environments of another vehicle, the manual setting is the only way and thereby the same problems arise.
As an example of systems working in the network environments, there is a network by computers, while also in the computers, the setting of a computer (setting concerning the user interface, setting of a network parameter and the like) is usually stored in a storage means included in this computer, in many cases. However, in an environment where plural computers are connected by a network, there are also some cases where the setting of client computers is stored in a server computer.
For example, in a “client/server system” disclosed in Japanese Published Patent Application No. Hei.10-320339, in an environment where a server and plural clients are connected, even when a user logs in from a different client computer, the user environment file stored in the server is transmitted to that client computer and the client computer is started up in accordance with the received user environment file. Accordingly, even when the user logs in from any different client computer, the computer can be started up in the same startup environment.
However, in a method disclosed in Japanese Published Patent Application No. Hei.10-320339, the same environment is set for a certain user on different terminals and thus the setting cannot be carried out for each device and each person, in an environment where different devices are connected on the network.
Accordingly, as a method for simplifying the setting for each person in a computer terminal, Japanese Published Patent Application No. 2000-47748 discloses a method for storing a personal setting environment of a personal computer in an IC card and easily setting the personal environment of the personal computer by the IC card.
Hereinafter, the method disclosed in Japanese Published Patent Application No. 2000-47748 is described with reference to FIGS.
27
(
a
) and
27
(
b
). FIGS.
27
(
a
) and
27
(
b
) are diagrams for schematically illustrating personal computers which are started up by IC cards. The computers PC
1
, PC
2
, PC
3
, and PC
4
in FIGS.
27
(
a
) and
27
(
b
) are connected to each other and with a network server PC
5
through the Ethernet, respectively. The IC cards are possessed by persons, respectively, and for example when the card A is used for the computer PC
1
as shown in FIG.
27
(
a
), this computer is started up in the environment of A. Then, when the card A is used for the computer PC
4
as shown in FIG.
27
(
b
), this computer is started up in the environment of A.
Accordingly, when the person carries the card, the operation in his environments can be realized in any personal computer.
However, it is necessary to provide a storage means which contains setting information and a storage medium interface corresponding to the storage means, for each device to be set, and for example when the user wants to change the setting environment, the storage means should be changed for each device and it is troublesome.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide communication systems, vehicle-mounted communication systems, communication devices, and vehicle-mounted devices, which can execute setting of devices connected to a channel, only by exchanging storage media.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description and specific embodiments described are provided only for illustration since various additions and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will be apparent to those of skill in the art from the detailed description.
According to a 1st aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication system in which a first device and a second device are connected by a channel, and the first device and the second device establish communication via the channel, and in this communication system, the first device comprises a storage medium interface to or from which a storage medium can be inserted or removed, and the second device comprises a control means for controlling reading of setting information from the storage medium which has inserted into the storage medium interface of the first device or writing of setting information onto the storage medium, via the channel; and a setting means for carrying out setting of the second device on the basis of the setting information read from the storage medium. Therefore, when the second device establishes the communication with the first device via the channel, it is unnecessary for the user to carry out the setting of each device using a storage medium corresponding to each of the devices connected to the channel, like in the prior art, and the setting of the second device can be easily executed by merely inserting the storage medium into the first device and further when the plural second devices are connected to the channel, the setting of the plural second devices can be simultaneously executed, whereby the operationality of the user is increased.
According to a 2nd aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication system in which a first device and a second device are connected by a channel, and the first device and a second device establish communication via the channel, and in this communication system, the first device comprises a radio interface for establishing radio communication with a storage medium which includes a radio interface, and the second device comprises a control means for controlling reading of setting information from the storage medium via the radio interface by means of the first device or writing of setting information onto the storage medium, via the channel; and a setting means for carrying out setting of the second device on the basis of the setting information read from the storage medium. Therefore, when the second device establishes the communication with the first device via the channel, it is unnecessary for the user to carry out the setting of each device using a storage medium corresponding to each of the devices connected to the channel, like in the prior art, and the radio communication can be established with the storage medium by merely bringing the storage medium closer to the first device, to obtain the setting information stored in the storage medium, and the setting of the second device can be easily executed on the basis of the setting information, and further when plural second devices are connected to the channel, the setting of the plural second devices can be simultaneously executed, whereby the operationality of the user is increased.
According to a 3rd aspect of
Hatakeyama Takeshi
Kitao Mitsuru
Kurosaki Toshihiko
Moriguchi Ken-ichi
Tomoda Masaaki
Cuchlinski, Jr. William A
Marc-Coleman Marthe Y.
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd
Wenderoth , Lind & Ponack, L.L.P.
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