Telecommunications – Radiotelephone system – Programming control
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-31
2003-10-28
Nguyen, Lee (Department: 2681)
Telecommunications
Radiotelephone system
Programming control
C455S003060, C341S022000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06640099
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to wireless information transmission systems including a wireless transmit device and a wireless receive device communicating information with each other, and particularly to wireless information transmission systems free of illegal operations if there is an interruption in transmission of information between the wireless transmit device and the wireless receive device.
2. Description of the Background Art
Information apparatus like computers can have a wireless system connecting a main unit of the computer with its peripherals such as a mouse or a keyboard. In such system, data input is transmitted from peripherals to the main unit by wireless.
For example, whenever a key is pressed or released on a keyboard, the code assigned to the key is transmitted to the main unit by wireless. After receiving the code, the main unit decodes it and provides a predetermined input/output operation.
A main unit of a computer can support an auto-repeat function to repeatedly input the data corresponding to a code received from a peripheral to an application program if the code from the peripheral is not followed by any codes that are received within a predetermined period of time. If the main unit with such auto-repeat function supported receives a code indicating that a key is pressed and thereafter fails to receive a code indicating that the key is released, unintended data will be continuously inputted until a code indicating that a next key is pressed is actually received. To overcome such disadvantage, a method is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2766125.
Reference will now be made to
FIG. 14
to describe one example of an operation according to the method disclosed in the publication. For example, when on a keyboard the “A” key is pressed, a main unit of a computer receives a Press code and thus recognizes that the “A” key is pressed and the main unit thus inputs a letter “a” to an application program. When the “A” key is released on the keyboard, the main unit receives a Release code and thus recognizes that the “A” key is released and the main unit thus stops inputting the letter “a.”
When on the keyboard the “B” key is pressed, the main unit recognizes that the “B” key is pressed and thus inputs a letter “b” to the application program. However, if the main unit fails to receive a code indicating that the “B” key is released when the “B” key is released, then the letter “b” would be repeatedly inputted to the application program.
To overcome such disadvantage, the keyboard calculates the number of keys being pressed which is in turn transmitted as press-count information to the main unit. The main unit can refer to the press-count information consecutively to determine the condition of the keyboard and thus determine that the key has been released. When the keys of the keyboard are all released, data indicating a press count of zero is transmitted from the keyboard to the main unit. As such, if the main unit fails to receive a code indicating that the “B” key is released, it can check that any keys are not being pressed. Thus the main unit can stop repeatedly inputting the letter “b.”
This method is applicable to a toggle operation which, as with the Caps Lock key, switches between setting and canceling an input mode in response to a series of output codes indicating that a key is pressed or released. More specifically, if a main unit of a computer fails to receive a code indicating that the Caps Lock key is released, the main unit can refer to the press-count information consecutively to be informed that the Caps Lock key is released. Thus the toggle operation can be provided accurately and consistency between the condition of the keyboard and the condition of the main unit can be maintained.
In accordance with the above method, however, the exact key data indicating the press count of zero will not be transmitted when a failure occurs in a communication channel, e.g., when after a key is pressed the exact key data is still not transmitted for a period of time or transmitted at all. For example, the exact key data indicating the press count of zero will not be transmitted if a fatal error occurs in a keyboard's wireless transmit portion or a main unit's wireless receive portion. As such, as shown in
FIG. 15
, the auto-repeat condition is maintained until the communication channel recovers or until the key information including the initial-press count is communicated after the recovery of the communication channel. This means that if the keyboard suffers abnormal communication, the main unit in effect normally operating appears to operate illegally, and there also be incurred a possibility of delay of other applications or the entire system fault.
Furthermore, in the above method, even after a keyboard has its keys all released a Release code indicating that any key is not pressed is repeatedly transmitted at intervals as predetermined. This complements cancellation of a repeated input when data reception fails, by repeatedly transmitting a state indicating that any key is not pressed, and is also required for preventing the above-mentioned apparent illegal operations. On the other hand, the keyboard transmits a wireless signal in spite that there is not an event that a key is in effect passed. Therefore, this method has significantly bad effects for battery-driven wireless equipment and thus results in a wasteful power consumption.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made to overcome the above disadvantage.
The present invention contemplates a wireless information transmission system prevented from consecutive auto-repeat condition entered if a failure has occurred in a communication channel.
The present invention also contemplates a wireless information transmission system reducing wasteful power consumption.
In accordance with the present invention in one aspect a wireless information transmission system includes a wireless transmit device transmitting information by wireless signal and a wireless receive device receiving information by wireless signal from the wireless transmit device. The wireless transmit device includes an input portion for a user to input an instruction therethrough, a transmit portion transmitting information to the wireless receive device by wireless signal, and an information generation control portion connected to the input portion and the transmit portion of the transmit device, to transmit instructions at predetermined intervals while input continues from the input portion. The wireless receive device includes a receive portion receiving an instruction transmitted from the wireless transmit device by wireless, and an operation portion connected to the receive portion of the receive device to operate according to the instruction received by the receive portion on the receive device.
Since the wireless transmit device can transmit at predetermined intervals while an instruction input sustains from the input portion, the wireless transmit device can provide a transmission of the instruction minimized as required to achieve reduced power consumption and the instruction can also be used for detection of communication-channel failure.
The input portion may include equipment having a single or multiple keys, buttons, touch panels and the like for input, such as a mouse, a keyboard and a remote controller.
Preferably the wireless transmit device also includes a receive portion receiving information transmitted from the wireless receive device. The wireless receive device also includes a transmit portion by wireless signal to transmit information to the wireless transmit device.
Between the wireless transmit device and the wireless receive device there can be provided a bi-directional communication. As such, the wireless transmit device and the wireless receive device can exchange data, as appropriate, to provide an enhanced reliability of data transmission.
Still preferably, when the instruction from the wireless transmit dev
Birch & Stewart Kolasch & Birch, LLP
Gelin Jean A
Nguyen Lee
Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
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